Day 173 A Special Message and Regulating The Passionate Flow

Day 173

A Special Message and Regulating The Passionate Flow

Today was a special day for me. It was an extremely busy morning show, a fairly busy production day, and a hectic rush this Friday afternoon to get everything else done I needed to do before my weekend could officially start. And right in the middle of it I sat frozen in front of the computer for what felt like an hour, maybe it was only thirty minutes, but it felt much longer. I'll get to why in a moment. First of all let me tell you this: As a kid I remember watching TV with my mom, and really getting into a particular exercise show. It was hosted by someone that could relate to me. Someone who's childhood story was similar, if for nothing else, we were both obese kids. I remember at a young age recognizing the sincerity and realness this man presented every time he was on. Later, as an adult, I would watch his infomercials and really connect with the stories that were told. He has been an inspiration to millions over the years, and I've always had a deep respect and admiration for him and his commitment to helping others. There's nothing fake about this guy. When you see him, it's him 100%. Do I know him personally? No, not at all. But you can tell he's sincere as they come. He's devoted his entire life to motivating and inspiring overweight people around the world. And today he gave me a boost like no other when he sent me a personal e-mail. I'm not going to share the contents of the message here, because it was personal, from him to me, but I'll tell you this. Reading Richard Simmons e-mail over and over motivated me even more, and I didn't think I could get more motivated than I am already. I look up to him like you wouldn't believe, and as I get closer and closer to my weight goal, and closer and closer to my goal of telling my story and motivating people with an inspirational message on a full time basis, I'll always be thinking of him, always striving to reach a bar that has been set so wonderfully high, because Richard is unmatched.

I ran into several people tonight at a fund raiser who noticed and complimented me on my success so far. Sometimes I have to make myself stop talking about the wonderful things I've learned along this journey. It's really hard, because it's become such a passion in my life, but once I get started, I just can't seem to stop the enthusiasm. I had at least three unplanned fifteen minute or longer conversations today on the subject. Now if they're genuinely interested and they're truly listening and they keep asking questions, then alright, and that certainly was the case with those instances...I hope...but I don't want to ever be the person every one avoids at functions, whispering warnings to each other like “whatever you do, don't mention losing weight, exercising, getting healthy, anything to do with calories, or the power of a decision, 'cause he'll talk you into the early morning if you do!” Sometimes, in most situations, less is more. Like tonight, after someone would comment on the dramatic difference in my appearance, I would say thank you, try to keep my words brief, then mention this blog address. If they're really interested, they'll look it up and read, and then the blog relays my enthusiasm for me, without me sounding obsessed by going on and on and on and on. I can afford to have a quiet confidence about me. I have nothing to prove or convince anyone of, my results thus far combined with my written record and audio/video record handles that just fine. Now of course, there's a time and place, right? Next Thursday night at the Hutchins Auditorium I'll be sharing my story and message for about 45 minutes and I'll enjoy every minute of the experience, I hope you will too!

With the schedule packed so tight today and this evening, I knew that my workout would be on the trail in the late evening hours. And that's fine, because the walking trail never closes. As I walked I listened to my favorite upbeat-motivational songs and really was getting into a zone when a fellow walker grabbed my attention. With a fantastic smile on his face, he told me how much he and his wife enjoyed my talk on the 19th at the hospital, and that he listens every morning to my radio show. He told me that he has bad knees, but is out there slowly doing what he can to improve his health anyway, because “no excuses” right? Did I say that? Wow, it sounds so strange that I would embrace something like that, considering that I was a champion excuse maker my entire life, yes sir, held titles in excuse making right up until 173 days ago. And I never had legitimate excuses like bad knees or breathing difficulties. My excuses were along the lines of “I don't feeeeel gooood” or “I'm too stressed out to workout and watch what I eat” or “I've got my favorite TV show coming on, a giant bowl of ice cream, and a couch with my name on it.” It was a pleasure to stop for a short 30 seconds or so to chat with him, and then we were both back at it, moving as best we could in our workout efforts. If you ever see me working out, and you say something and I don't respond, please understand I'm not being rude or anti-social, I just can't hear you. I listen to my tunes loud, probably too loud. When people sometimes go to the walking trail with us, I have to warn them ahead of time that we don't really “visit” while we walk. We started out doing that, but quickly realized that we weren't getting the best workout that way. We're there to work hard and sweat, and that means each of us walking at a pace that gives us the best workout. And that's different with everyone. We've had walking trips where we didn't see or talk to our walking company the entire time. Just ask my cousin Debbie. When Deb joined us for the Anderson Family Christmas Day 5K, she basically walked it alone. Her pace was so far advanced, she finished at least 15 minutes ahead of the rest of us. Had she stayed behind to visit, her workout value would have been dramatically decreased. We never go to visit, we go to workout!

Tomorrow I'm traveling to see Amber by myself. We're going to have so much fun daddy/daughter time together! And tomorrow afternoon I'll finally get a chance to workout in that state of the art wellness center on her campus. I'm looking forward to that! I'll be blogging from the road tomorrow night. Until then, good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean