Saturday, April 30, 2016

April 30th, 2016 A Bomb In Need Of Defusing

April 30th, 2016 A Bomb In Need Of Defusing

I really enjoyed my day off today. I slept in, I spent some time helping my oldest daughter finish up her and her husband's move, I prepared some great food and enjoyed a fabulous date night dinner with Kristin for her birthday.

Navigating the menu choices at the restaurant this evening was fairly simple. I did ask a couple of questions and made one special request in order to ensure I got what I needed instead of something I didn't. Neither one of us touched the basket of cheddar biscuits on the table. I remember times, years ago, when a second and third request for more was made.

The accountability and support system coupled with the non-negotiable elements of my personal plan supports this different perspective. It's a perspective that doesn't require the food to shoulder the responsibility for whether or not an event is considered a good experience. I certainly enjoyed the food I ordered, but the experience, the conversation and the laughs is what made it great. A basket (or two) of biscuits wouldn't have enhanced the evening in the slightest. For me, it would have had an opposite effect had I sacrificed the integrity of my maintenance plan.

We visited a traveling carnival after dinner and arrived just as they were closing everything down. We asked the Ferris wheel operator if he could accommodate one last ride tonight, adding that it was Kristin's birthday. He referred us to one of the co-owners, who turned out to be the sister of the other owner, whom I had as a guest on my radio show a couple of weeks ago. I don't think that connection made a difference as much as Kristin's birthday request. The answer was, "sure, why not?"

Then, when the ride ended, one of the carnival workers honored Kristin's birthday by presenting her with the last funnel cake of the evening, compliments of Ottaway Amusements. We graciously accepted the gift, both of us knowing full well that it didn't fit in either of our food plans--and I carried it to the car for her. Kristin said I was handling it as if it were a bomb. I wasn't tempted in the slightest, seriously, but I totally get it--I probably was carrying it as if it were a bomb in need of defusing. Defusing it meant throwing it away, but we couldn't just throw it away right in front of the people who generously and thoughtfully presented the gift!

First, we tried to give it away to some people in the parking lot, but they declined our offer. Without a trash can close by and also out of sight of the carnival vendors, we hadn't a choice--we had to give this sweet thing a ride. The car quickly became thick with the aroma of funnel cake, so down went the windows.

We ended up transporting this powdered sugar topped creation less than a mile away before we found a place to get rid of it. But instead of simply throwing it away, we set it in plain sight just outside of a big Saturday night college crowd hangout and then, we waited for someone--anyone to notice this perfectly untouched, still warm funnel cake--just sitting there, unattended. Not one person noticed the funnel cake. After several minutes and a few laughs from the close calls, we left--knowing full well it would eventually make it into the trash can just a few feet away.

We stopped by mom's place to say hi and get a quick hug before heading out of town for the forty-two mile trip back. But before we hit the highway, we checked on the funnel cake--and still, there it sat in the company of literally a hundred or two late night partying college kids who were completely oblivious to it or the slightly humorous circumstance that rendered it unwanted and abandoned.

Today's Tweet Stream:




































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Friday, April 29, 2016

April 29th, 2016 An Equal and Opposite Reaction

April 29th, 2016 An Equal and Opposite Reaction

Whenever I allow my schedule to get loaded and crazy, it requires me to get extra aware of how I'm feeling and what I'm doing. I've shared many times about my parallel streams philosophy and how I mustn't allow the life stream and the fundamental elements stream to cross. It's a seemingly complex, yet simple philosophy drawn from my experiences over years and years of weight loss attempts, many of which served as a source of education, rather than a source of consistent and sustainable results. 

Maintaining the integrity of my fundamental elements stream (calorie budget-abstinence from refined sugar-the accountability and support connections, etc.) while the life stream is a little (or a bunch) bigger than usual, means adjusting the embrace of both, in equal measure. For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. Making sure those reactions are in harmony with my personal plan, is key.

If I didn't hold on to the fundamental elements stream a little tighter during a bigger life stream schedule, then I'd quickly fall into chaos. I've been there many times. I'd prefer to not go there again, if I can help it.

For me, it starts with setting some non-negotiable elements. Even at extreme life-stream levels--we're talking super long days, heavily involved projects and all that might include--I have my minimum non-negotiable elements of the fundamental elements stream. I will maintain the integrity of my maintenance plan calorie budget. I will remain abstinent from refined sugar. And I will consume a minimum 64oz water. I will log everything in MyFitnessPal and I will compose and send the accountability Tweets. That's the bare minimum, for me, come what may.

And once I've accepted and embraced those non-negotiable elements--then it changes my perspective completely. Instead of finding reasons why it can't work under extreme schedules and circumstances, I'm exploring solutions for how it can work, and work well.

It's rarely perfect and it doesn't need to be perfect. This has never been about perfection, clearly. It's about remaining consistent in my continued recovery. In my experience, striving for perfection is the quickest detour to self-loathing based disappointment. Accepting a certain amount of imperfection doesn't mean I sacrifice the integrity of my non-negotiable elements. It means I might go a little longer between meals than is optimal. It means my choices, although still "on-plan," may not be the best or what I would have preferred. It means I might spend way too many calories on half & half in my coffee. Examples of these imperfections have littered the last few days.

A perfect example happened tonight, when the plan called for me to prepare a late meal at home. I picked up some fresh salmon earlier today for tonight's meal--the plan was baked salmon, oven baked sour cream topped red potato slices and asparagus. Instead, I called an audible when the show went long and the time became a little too late. I relented on the original plan and called ahead for a special order from Ground Round Grill and Bar. Baked cod prepared without the drenching of butter or bread crumbs--seasoned simply with salt & pepper, asparagus grilled well with a minimal amount of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 an order of fried sweet potato fries (which I still count as 1.5 servings as a way to compensate for the frying).

Maintaining these non-negotiable elements coupled with staying connected with one on one and group accountability and support contacts makes for another successful day. And today, despite a schedule rivaling yesterday's extremes, was definitely another successful day.

My original plan for today included working harder to leave the studio a little earlier. When severe weather fired up early afternoon, it immediately extended my broadcast day. Suddenly, the adjustments to the schedule became imperative. I made the adjustments and it turned out just fine.

I've had three stand-up performances in the last two days. One was disguised as a speaking engagement--but make no mistake, it was stand-up comedy. Tonight's show was a big one. I opened for one of the best cover bands in the United States. Dead Metal Society plays 80's rock and roll--and they do it with the most authentic everything--the clothes, the hair, the lights, the fog--the experience, with spot on musicianship and vocal impersonations--it's simply unbelievable.

I had a great set despite a couple of hecklers I was told about afterward. I was focused on my set and landing my punchlines well. I accomplished just that without really noticing the two idiots in the crowd of approximately five hundred. Could I have acknowledged and handled the hecklers? Absolutely. But not in a twelve minute opening set. It wasn't my show. It was DMS's show, and their audience. My mission was to provide a little warm up entertainment, get some laughs--set a tone for a good time and introduce the band. Mission accomplished!

I'm hitting the pillow late--with a wonderful plan of sleeping in, without an alarm. That will be an awesome thing!

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:




































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Thursday, April 28, 2016

April 28th, 2016 These Numbers

April 28th, 2016 These Numbers

Today has been a very long day. It's been a great day, but wow--long.

Today's schedule was tight. Morning show from 6am-9:15am, post show duties and production until 11am, doctor's appointment at 11:15am, speaking event/stand-up at AMBUCS at noon, back to the studio by 1:30pm, production until after 3pm, home by 3:30pm, a very short nap with 38 alarms set (okay-that's an exaggeration--but I did have 3 set), Ponca City Baseball press-box PA announcing of the seniors for senior night at 5:00pm, followed by a 25 minute stand-up set at the Hospice of North Central Oklahoma Volunteer Recognition/Awards Banquet.

I was offered dinner at the banquet, but I've never been able to eat before a performance, so I declined and opted for water until a later dinner. Honestly, I didn't plan well today. It was nearly eight hours between lunch and dinner, with nothing but coffee and water in between. I usually plan a little better than that, but I was okay--it was the exception, not the rule.

I spent way too much time wandering around the store figuring out dinner. In hindsight, I should have opted for a meal out, but I have this unwritten rule whereby, if I'm home--meaning, not traveling, I don't eat out twice in one day. My lunch was takeout, so this unwritten rule (one I've only broken a few times in two years) required a home cooked/prepared meal. The plan was simple--it was going to be salmon, until I arrived to find the seafood counter closed. I was literally a few minutes too late. Had I not stopped for a decaf coffee, I would have made it in time to that part of the store. The decaf was a compromise. I've never ordered a decaf that I can remember--but I wanted coffee--and I didn't want the caffeine--so I tried it and, not bad, really.

I settled on a turkey cheeseburger and fresh cut sweet potato fries for dinner. It was incredible!

My doctor's visit today was a lot of fun. Keep in mind, being near, at or above 500 pounds for almost two decades, I've had more than my share of horrible "these numbers will eventually kill you" type doctor visits. Today wasn't one of those. It was the exact opposite--and I'm immensely grateful. I'll recap the numbers and call it a night:

Blood pressure today was 130/74

My pulse: 54

Blood sugar: 86

Kidney and Liver function was in the optimal range

Total Cholesterol: 156 (down from 164 last year and 190 in 2014) (Optimal range: 100-200)

HDL (the good) Cholesterol: 43 (same as last year) (Optimal range: 40-125)

LDL (the bad) Cholesterol: 103 (down from 112 last year and 137 in 2014) (Optimal range: 0-129)

Triglycerides: 50 (Optimal range: 30-150)

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone: 1.898 (Optimal range: .300-5.000)

The only thing that was slightly low and in need of improvement was my protein level.

My protein total: 6.6 (optimal range is 6.7-8.2)

Albumin: (I have no idea what this is-but it's a protein number of some sort) 3.9 (optimal range 4.2-5.1)
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Bottom line: I'm VERY blessed. These numbers are beyond incredible. I'm grateful.

Whenever the doctor says- "Okay, everything looks great, try to eat a little more protein. I'll see you back here in a year." That's truly a wonderful thing.

I made it one more day. I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar and I exceeded my water goal. That's enough for today.

Oh--and I had the pleasure of seeing my friend Lance from the Opportunity Center. One of the AMBUCS brought him to the midday meeting where I was speaking. Lance is one of the most amazing people I know because of his natural happiness and enthusiasm for life despite incredible challenges. He listens to my radio show every day. Thank you, Lance, for being there!!
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Today's Live-Tweet Stream:










































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

April 27th, 2016 Toward Dreamland

April 27th, 2016 Toward Dreamland

I'm still playing catch up on rest after yesterday's super-long day. I couldn't keep from a good nap this afternoon and now, I just took some melatonin and I'm ready for it to assist in escorting me toward dreamland very soon.

I have a doctor's appointment in the morning. I'll be meeting with Dr. Wilcox to go over the complete profile of numbers from last weeks blood lab workup. I love my doctor for many reasons--and mainly because he makes/takes the time to explain things well. I look forward to sharing the numbers in tomorrow night's edition. The numbers are extra interesting to me considering the records I've kept via MyFitnessPal and Twitter the last two years. I suppose it offers a clearer cause/effect understanding type dynamic. I have high hopes for great numbers. We'll see!

The next couple of days will be busy. Aside from regular morning show/production duties, I'm the guest speaker at AMBUCS immediately after my visit with the doctor, then I'm the guest stadium announcer late tomorrow afternoon for the high school baseball team senior night introductions. Immediately after the baseball team introductions, I'll be doing an opening stand-up performance at the Oscars themed Hospice Volunteer Awards Banquet--then Friday afternoon, I'm joining family in helping my oldest daughter and her husband move into their new house...followed by another opening stand-up comedy performance for the Arts and Humanities Council's Dead Metal Society rock and roll concert!

The good news--my weekend is fairly clear of set obligations--and to me, that means more opportunities to catch up on some projects needing my attention and of course, extra rest!!!

Speaking of rest--I'll allow the Tweets to take it the rest of the way tonight. I'm hitting the pillow!

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:






























Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

April 26th, 2016 100% Chance

April 26th, 2016 100% Chance

Today was one of those days that refused to stop. Part of my job is doing on-air weather coverage when storms threaten our listening area. The forecast this morning was calling for a 100% chance of severe storms. In several ways, the reaction to the forecast was unprecedented. We had school districts in our state closed by the threat. Cancellations of community activities came into our studios right and left throughout the day. Everyone was convinced, this would be the worst storm outbreak in a very long time. It wasn't good for some in this region. However, for the most part, our area was spared the worst. The added studio duties called for a sixteen hour day for me.

I planned well, made sure I had what I needed when I needed it--I leaned on coffee a little to help keep me alert and made it through, very well. I stayed connected with a couple of support buddies, I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar and I exceeded my water goal by 8oz. I'm calling it a successful day.

I'm letting the Tweets take it the rest of the way! It's time to sleep. The alarm is set for 4:30am, morning show at 6am. Luckily, no severe weather for our area in tomorrow's forecast!

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:




































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Monday, April 25, 2016

April 25th, 2016 Beautiful Harmony

April 25th, 2016 Beautiful Harmony

It was the last ten minutes of my radio show when I noticed guests making their way into our studio lobby. Did I miss a scheduled interview? I didn't think so-- and what's this? They're carrying boxes! Just then, I realized--it was the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery crew, a good client of ours, bringing edible gifts!! And they brought them directly into the KPNC studio, loading the counter with pies and muffins until the thick smell of sugar filled the room.

Years ago, I would have quietly grabbed one of the pies and put it aside for a private rendezvous, later--away from any possible witnesses, when I could devour until pleasure transformed into discomfort.

I didn't do that today. The peace, clarity, balance and stability my plan, with its abstinence from refined sugar, provides--is worth more to me than any expertly crafted pie or muffin, or several.

And these were seriously works of art (check out the Live-Tweet Photos below). And I can appreciate that part of it--and I can joyously decline partaking while feeling happy for the others who excitedly scooped up the bakery compliments.

I'm so grateful that I've reached a point in my abstinence where a situation like this isn't much of a threat. BUT--that doesn't mean I don't take precautions.

One of the things I embrace each day is this: My continued success is NEVER a guaranteed thing. I do not use the word "never" when I talk about my continued abstinence from refined sugar. I simply say, I hope and pray I never go back there. Okay, so maybe I do use the word "never," but in a very different way. There's no question about how refined sugar affects me. I'm fully aware--yet, I'm never beyond relapse. So, I do what might seem to be little things that bring big support. 

I share the situation. The below tweets concerning this kind circumstance (and it was a very kind and generous gesture--and it was well received) might seem like simple, somewhat casual, slightly serious--slightly humorous, tweets--but on a deeper level, it was my way of sharing the situation. I also texted a support buddy--not to say, "I'm in trouble," because I didn't feel that way--it was to simply share the situation. And those acts of sharing create an even stronger resolve, in beautiful harmony with my plan.

Within fifteen minutes the studio was clear of the bakery items. A couple of pies were immediately delivered to clients in close proximity, the rest were claimed by colleagues planning to surprise their families with an amazing dessert.

I made my way upstairs for a mid-morning coffee and a banana with 16g natural peanut butter. I love the coffee even more when it's coupled with peanut butter!
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After a full day at the studio, I made my way to the store to grab a few ingredients for tonight's dinner plans. I made it home in time to seize a very controlled forty-five minute nap before jumping up and getting on the Monday night teleconference support group I co-facilitate with Life Coach Gerri and Kathleen Miles.

Then, it was time to try another recipe from Joy Bauer's newest book!

I decided on the fettuccine alfredo!  

The picture in the below dinner Tweet doesn't do it justice! Every bite was cheesy delicious. Oh my-- easy-easy-easy, and incredibly delicious.

I live alone, so, most of the time I cook for just me. I cut the recipe into fourths and it was more than enough for one. I also added 4.4oz of chicken and 2oz sliced mushrooms.

I allowed the sauce to thicken a little too much-- I think the picture would have had more color otherwise. I didn't completely "nail it," but still, the flavors were alive with every bite!

The calorie count of the dish without the chicken and mushrooms added was 452, 88 calories over the recipe nutrition information. I attribute this to using 3oz pasta--remembering that I quartered the recipe--instead of one fifth, per the recipe breakdown.

Adding the chicken and mushrooms brought the entire meal in at just under 600 calories--fitting nicely in my weight maintenance calorie budget.

I chose this recipe for a reason. If you're a regular reader of this blog and/or you follow the Tweet stream, you know I occasionally prepare a similar dish using whole grain pasta, mixed veggies, mushrooms and sometimes chicken, other times just vegetables. Every time I've prepared it, I've always used the heavily processed jar of reduced calorie alfredo. Of course I scan the ingredients list for "sugar" or any synonyms of refined sugar--but still, I'm never really satisfied with the long list of things I can't pronounce in the ingredients list.

Now--I'll never need to buy another jar of heavily processed reduced calorie alfredo sauce, ever again! Thank you, Joy!

And seriously, this super-simple recipe using real ingredients tastes much better than any jar stuff I've tried! It's a keeper--and now I've added another item to the variety of my available choices!

The parmesan, the creaminess and flavor of the cream cheese/milk base, and the sea salt/back pepper---oh my...it made for a fantastic dinner experience!
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I'm caught up with shipping outstanding orders of Transformation Road and mp3 unabridged audio editions. If you've been patiently waiting for yours, thank you! All three of you will be receiving your copies within two days! :)

I sincerely appreciate everyone who has ordered copies of my book lately in various e-reader formats, the Audible.com audio version and in paperback via various booksellers, and mostly Amazon.com. I've always offered a way for you to order directly from me instead of these options--but now, temporarily, that direct option via my website is unavailable while transformationroad.com undergoes a total reconstruction. In the meantime, you can still order a copy directly from me by simply emailing your request to transformation.road@gmail.com. When you do, I'll email you an invoice and ship your copy! And by the way--the unabridged audio version mp3 disc with free shipping anywhere in the world, is still available as a complimentary gift with your donation of at least $20 to the DDWL! You can find the donation link in the upper left hand corner on the web version of this blog.

I finished up tonight by staying in with an excellent body weight strength training routine in my living room. It took all of twelve minutes to get in a very nice, focused workout. It's getting more and more difficult to justify not doing this--when it takes so little time.

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:










































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Sunday, April 24, 2016

April 24th, 2016 Fantastic Experience

April 24th, 2016 Fantastic Experience

Today started early for travel a little over an hour away. I met a good friend of mine, Dave May, for our dual speaking engagement. This was a concept presentation where we weaved our stories together, focusing on the spiritual, mental and emotional elements of transformation. We incorporated sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, Dave's ventriloquism and I think it's safe to say, some improvisation! This was our first time to do anything like this together. It was a fantastic experience! We plan on refining the program and doing more of these type events. A big thank you to Bartlesville First Church for having us!
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We developed the program together mostly via phone, with one in person run through yesterday.

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I was determined to spend some time with Noah this weekend--even if just dinner and a trip to the park, and that's exactly what we did tonight. We invited Irene (aka Nana) and Allen along for the adventure! It was a wonderful way to wrap up an amazing day.

I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar, I exceeded my water goal by 32oz. I had a decent calorie burn simply from my activity level, so I made the call to make today a rest day from a workout--except of course, for the #morningdeal.

I'm hitting the pillow exceptionally early for me. And that's a great thing. I'm super-tired.

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:
































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Saturday, April 23, 2016

April 23rd, 2016 We're Not Alone

April 23rd, 2016 We're Not Alone

I've spent a lot of time today preparing for tomorrow's speaking event. If you're near Bartlesville, Oklahoma tomorrow, join us at Bartlesville First Church-4715 Price Road at 1pm! It's not a church service, it's a special event--and of course, it's free. This speaking engagement is very different from any other I've done. I've teamed up with a good friend of mine who has nearly thirty years recovery/sobriety from drugs and alcohol. We share the stage almost the entire time, weaving our stories together piece by piece--finding parallels, highlighting epiphanies and sharing a powerful story of hope that transcends weight or sobriety issues. We also share practical ways anyone can apply these transformative perspectives in their own lives. I can't wait to see how this unfolds in front of an audience.

I'm keeping tonight's edition short. The alarm is set alarmingly early!! But before I go...

Big thank yous to a few people who emailed me about the last few blog posts and how those perspectives resonated deeply. You know who you are. Thank you for sharing with me. I'm honored. I write what I write, explore what I explore and share what I share, to help me better understand, me. And when someone expresses how these explorations helped them better understand themselves--wow, it's a huge bonus and seriously, I can't even articulate the level of fulfillment--the absolute joy that comes with feeling, in some way, this very real--open and honest thing is helping someone else...it's simply the greatest feeling.

I've said it/written it time and time again--our methods of weight loss might be different, our life history might be worlds apart, our circumstances couldn't be more different--- and still, we can relate on the the deepest, most transformative levels, like you wouldn't believe. I think that speaks to the universal truth of it all. Because truth is truth, it doesn't change, everything around it can change--but the truth stands strong right in the middle. And in this we find community and we discover, these feelings, these struggles--they're not unique to any one of us. And in this, we realize, we're not alone, ever. 

I did get to see my little Noah briefly this afternoon. I plan on seeing him more tomorrow evening. He got a haircut today and by golly, I didn't think it was possible, but that kiddo is even more adorable with his new cut!

Letting the Tweets take it the rest of the way...

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:


































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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Friday, April 22, 2016

April 22nd, 2016 When The Rain Starts Pouring

April 22nd, 2016 When The Rain Starts Pouring

If I had kept this diary prior to September 15th, 2008, it would have revealed someone desperate for some kind of life saving solution.

One of the biggest and scariest thoughts I had back then centered around the idea that life will always contain stressful and emotional situations. They may change in shape and size and with consequences big and small, but they will always be a part of a balanced and normal life.

It was a scary revelation because I had decided, concretely, that I couldn't in any way, shape or form--lose weight successfully unless everything was smooth sailing, every day, every week and so on.

I accepted, as fact: When the rain starts pouring, I start eating.

This perspective afforded me an endless supply of excellent excuses for why "now isn't a good time." 

A "perfect time" is a myth. If I had waited for the perfect time, there's a good chance I wouldn't be alive today.

When someone asks me, what clicked on September 15th, 2008? It was truly the realization that if I was going to survive, I had to remain consistent come what may. I had to walk in the rain and not be afraid. I had to make an iron-clad decision that this time was going to be different from any other previous attempt.

No longer could I allow my resolve to be hard wired into the ups and downs of life. My resolve required a separate power source.

This realization that if I attached my consistency to the ups and downs of life, I might forever be stuck on a merry go round of yo-yo dieting, was profound.

Allowing myself to become the victim of life's circumstances time and time again, was super convenient. It didn't require me to get real or take responsibility for my extraordinary care because I was placing that responsibility on the randomness of life. I had to change my perspective or die young at over 500 pounds.

I decided to choose change before change chose me. Because one way or another, change was coming...and quickly.

This realization gave birth to my parallel streams philosophy.

For me, Day 1 was the start of my parallel streams philosophy, I just didn't know what to call it back then.

The "Life Stream" is everything happening in our day to day lives. The Life Stream includes the ups and downs, the challenges, the victories, the disappointments, The hectic schedules, the family dynamics, the workplace dynamics, the bills, the stress, the joys, the blessings, the expected and the unexpected, the good, the bad...It's life.

The "Fundamental Elements Stream" are comprised of the elements of my personal plan. I say "my" because our plans might be very different. Mine is customized to fit my personality, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and sensitivities.

My fundamental elements stream includes my personal/spiritual morning "me time," the most peaceful five minutes of my entire day. My fundamental elements stream also includes maintaining the integrity of my calorie budget, remaining abstinent from refined sugar, logging everything in MyFitnessPal, photographing and tweeting, with description and calorie counts of everything I consume, every day, getting regular workouts and staying connected with one on one and group support interactions and of course, writing and publishing this blog, nightly--right before bed.

I've also referred to my fundamental elements as my "rails of support." I've set my accountability and support measures on high. When someone makes a comment in the direction of, "you're so strong" or "you must have amazing will power," I typically thank them and smile, but I know, truly, I'm not that strong and I don't have giant amounts of will power. What I have are solid rails of accountability and support--and I'm holding onto those rails, each day. They guide me, step by step. 

The fundamental elements stream runs parallel, just below the life stream. The life stream is running in the foreground and the fundamental elements stream is running in the background--like a computer's anti-virus program. 

I've written countless paragraphs within the archives of this blog all about the "life stream" and the "fundamental elements stream" and how they must run parallel to one another without crossing.

If we allow life and all of the energy it takes to maneuver, to negatively affect our ability to maintain consistency in the daily elements of our extraordinary care, then it always will. The frustration of inconsistency will be a common theme if the life stream is allowed to dip down into the fundamental elements stream on a regular basis.

And if we get too carried away, making the fundamental elements all consuming, then we run the risk of it crossing up into our life stream. And that's when it isn't any fun and we dread what we're doing every day.

I've had several challenges of late where I really had to remember the power of this "parallel streams" philosophy. I've discovered, when life demands more attention, we don't have to let go of the elements giving us our success, but we can scale back the amount of energy it uses to operate.

We don't sacrifice the integrity of the elements, we just do what we can do. For me--on super busy days, I have three non-negotiable requirements: 1. Stay within my calorie budget  2. Hold my abstinence from sugar sacred 3. Send the accountability tweets and write this blog--even if it's just the tweets of the day.
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Today was super-crazy busy. I left the house before 6am and returned after 6pm. A long workday and a few late afternoon errands, filled the day, completely. I tried to not take a nap (even grabbed a late afternoon coffee for caffeinated support)--but instead, relented--and surprisingly limited the snooze to just over an hour.

I prepared a delicious dinner, worked on some material for a big speaking engagement scheduled for Sunday in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, an hour away--then took a break and watched some of the CNN documentary series "The Seventies" on Netflix before jumping into tonight's edition of this daily record.

I have a location broadcast tomorrow from 10am to 2pm from a huge downtown block party followed by more preparing for Sunday's speaking engagement.

And at some point this weekend, I must spend some time with my little grandson Noah. I miss him horribly. I must make that happen. He has the magical ability to instantly fill my heart with the most awesome kind of joy. It's been more than two weeks since we spent time together. That's way too long.

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:






































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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