"Listen, it's just bass fishing!"

I had a conversation recently with a client about her concern over whether or not the number she read on the scale was a big deal or not. Her entire existence, it seemed, was wrapped up in "that number."

I tried, in vain I felt, to put some perspective on it...but it didn't seem to really have much impact. Then it struck me.

I said, "You're married, right?" She said, "Yes"

"Happily?", I queried. Again she said, "Yes."

"And what about your kids, are they doing well and are they healthy?" She looked at me kind of strangely, smiled and said, "Sure...they're fine. Why do you ask?"

I stepped closer to her, looked into her eyes and said, "You're a beautiful, happily married woman with healthy and happy kids. The rest is just bass fishing."

Now she looked really confused, shook her head and replied, "What on earth are you talking about?"

I told her a story I had heard about several years ago.

It was a news story about a professional angler who had appeared on TV regularly and won a lot of big time tournaments. He had apparently been enjoying a large degree of success when something happened that changed, and more specifically, ruined his life.

It appeared that right before one of the major tournaments he was accused of using illegal bait. I never found out whether or not this guy was guilty or innocent, and it doesn't really matter as that is an ancillary portion of the story.

What I do know is that the guy became so intoxicated with worry, anger and stress about the accusation that he ended up becoming depressed, taking medication, splitting from his wife and even losing his home.

I remember reading this story and thinking, "Dude, it's just bass fishing. It ain't cancer, it's not the war in Iraq or starving children in Darfur... it's just bass fishing.'

This guy had become so enamored with his sport that, what probably begun as a fun and relaxing hobby, had in turn become his entire universe; it had consumed him and become everything. It was more important to him than his wife, his family and his home. It was also apparently more important that his health and his sanity.

What I really wanted this young lady to recognize was that her energy wasted by focusing on this "number" was nothing more than bad information or opinions of others akin to bass fishing.

It was an opinion. And in my own opinion, it was a very bad one at that.

Here's the way I see it: the scale has a purpose - it's to measure meat and produce. That's it.

If you're really concerned whether or not your fat loss efforts are taking shape, do these 4 things:

1. Grab a tape measure. Measure your arms at the biceps, your waist around your belly button, your hips around your butt and your thighs, about three inches above the kneecap. Check each of those locations once weekly and keep track of them for 30 days. See what happens.
2. How do you look in the mirror naked? That's where you will see subtle changes in your physique. Bumps going away and new lumps of muscle appearing.
3. How do your clothes fit? When they start getting baggy, celebrate. If they're not, tighten your diet and increase your training intensity.
4. How do you feel overall? How is your eye color, the look of your skin, your hair. These things are indicators of overall health and if you're going to look good you might as well be lean AND healthy.

I once had a good friend who's uncle was a Battan Death March survivor. He told his Uncle about a "problem" he was having, to which his Uncle replied, "Is someone going to kill you?"

My friend said, "No."

"Then you don't really have a problem," was all his Uncle said.

Sometimes it's just bass fishing.

Steve
Your Prograde Professional

Resistance exercise reverses aging in human skeletal muscle.

Human aging is associated with muscle decrease and a decrease in daily function, also known as sarcopenia.

Recent research shows that this can be reversed in as little as six months!

Yes...6 months!

Multiple lines of research suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction (one of the little, yet REALLY important parts of every cell in your body) is a major contributor to sarcopenia, which is to say a loss of function.

However, following exercise training the cellular signature of aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise.

Read that again: Reversed, not just stopped or even slowed.

Reversed!

A brand new study of more than 150,000 women has rocked the medical community!

Recent research shows that women who gain as little as seven pounds in between pregnancies increase their risk of serious complications in their second pregnancy...

• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• toxemia
• caesarean birth
• stillbirth

What's even more surprising is that this increased risk applies to women who are not necessarily overweight. It applies to all women who gain an additional seven pounds (or more) between the time they got pregnant the first time to the time they get pregnant again.

This new study says a woman's risk of getting diabetes or high blood pressure during her second pregnancy increases by about 30%.

Double the weight gain and the risk of getting diabetes or high blood pressure may increase by 100%

Doctors are calling the finding from this study "staggering" and "thought-provoking."

It's in the best interest of your child for you to take care of your own health. That way, you'll have the positive energy you need to take care of them as well. And if you decide to have another child, it's extremely important.

"What do they want us to be--anorexic?"

And the answer to that is a great big NO!

As a matter of fact, this study did not entail examining whether or not the woman's beginning weight was ideal. It was only examining the effect of weight gain between pregnancies. The conclusion was that you should not gain weight in between pregnancies. The conclusion had nothing to do with being dangerously thin!

Two take home points before you worry too much:

• Large, longitudinal studies such as this one do not take SO many other factors into context. They drew a conclusion from one correlation. Other negative factors could be involved as well, rather than just weight.
• If you gain 7+ pounds that certainly doesn't mean that something negative WILL happen, it just increases the risk, that is all. It is just like driving fast in your car, you might be alright, but you increase the risk.

Just understand that it is always healthier to be in good shape. Just like it's safer to drive more slowly in your car.

Now you think about that...

Steve
Your Prograde Professional

What are you missing?

In the winter of his ninth year, Frank Lloyd Wright was walking across a snow covered field with his reserved, no-nonsense uncle. As they reached the far end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed to his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow, and then to young Frank's own tracks, which crisscrossed and meandered all over the field.

"Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the cattle to the woods and back again," his uncle stated with a scowl. "And see how my own tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important lesson in that."

Years later, the famous architect relayed how that single experience had so affected his outlook on life. "I determined right then," he said, "not to miss most things in life...as my uncle had."

Where is your focus?

What are you missing out on?

Is your narrow vision of life keeping you from experiencing the world around you?

"The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Now you think about that...

Steve
Your Prograde Professional

Never Forget...

This Memorial Day, take some time to remember those brave men and women who stand in the gap on our behalf. Then do something to thank them for their service.

"What do I do?", you may be asking. Why not shake their hand, look them in the eye and say, "Thanks so much for your service."

Would that be so difficult?



Thanks and God bless the American soldier.

Steve

What kind of person gets results?

I stared in disbelief as the resident “master” trainer in the gym put her client through a set of TRX single leg squats (suspension based exercises done while holding a set of straps connected to a chin-up bar). The problem that I had with the scene being played out before me was this: his technique sucked…he was doing less than partial squats. And all the while he had a look of sheer boredom on his face.

This “master’ trainer never took the time to correct his technique, encourage him to push himself more or to even comment on his form. She just stared blankly at him like a drunken horticulturist watching a hibiscus grow.

And the client, who I assume is training with her to drop some of the 50 plus pounds of excess fat he’s currently carrying, is simply getting fatter and fatter. I've observed this first-hand over the last several weeks.

All of this made me ponder the following question: What kind of person gets results from their training?

My answer: everyone.

I guess what I’m trying to convey here is that in order to achieve some level of success in the gym or from your training, you’ve got to better define what “success” means to you. You’ve got to have a goal.

In truth, everyone gets results. A bank robber gets results. A heroin addict gets results. An overeater gets results. The measure of those results, for the purpose of this exposition, is this: are they measurable, positive and life affirming results?

In my view, a successful life can be boiled down to one thing: many years of overall success.

Let’s think in terms of baseball…my favorite sport. If we approach the plate and hit singles and doubles consistently, we will have a successful baseball career. Success in these terms means A) getting to bat often, and B) making contact with the ball and putting it in play often.

If we do that, we stay in the game and have opportunities for more success. Failure to hit little victories on a regular and consistent basis means we risk being pulled from the line-up or being kicked off the team. Therefore, we’ve got to do our best each and every day.

When we do this, every so often a pitch comes across the plate that is so good we simply hit it out of the park. Not often, maybe…but often enough that it spurns us on to greater and greater achievement and keeps our spirits high. But it is all contingent upon staying at bat and hitting those simple little grounders and base hits. Failure to do that ruins every chance for the homer.

The bottom line here is this: No one gets a free pass. You cannot “coast” yourself to a successful life, or in this case, successful fat loss and good health. You must approach each and every day with a positive mental attitude and desire to compete. Consistency and effort in everything you do will produce astounding results, beyond anything you may be able to comprehend.

And just so you know, when I talked about “results” earlier, I mean results that are measurable and positive and almost without exception in your long term best interest. Remember, everyone gets results…regardless of the nature or motive of their actions.

What results are you after?

What are you doing on a consistent and regular basis to achieve them?

If you’re not currently satisfied with the results you’re getting from your fitness and fat loss program, come see me. The Firestorm Fitcamps may have the answers you’ve been looking for.

Steve

Your Prograde Professional

The Richest Place on Earth...

With so many minds focused on the economy, the talk of a recession or the upcoming elections, it is easy to lose focus on true treasure. Let me ask you a question: where is the wealthiest treasure on earth buried?

It’s not the oilfields of Kuwait...

It’s not the diamond fields of South Africa...

It isn’t in the goldmines in Alaska...

It’s in the cemetery.

Buried beneath that sacred ground are dreams that never came to fruition, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, ideas never shared, inventions never designed.

There are plans for wondrous things that never made it past the drawing board of the mind and purposes that were never fulfilled.

Why? Only a tiny fraction of those who ever inhabit this planet will ever discover and fulfill their true potential. God placed abilities and talents in each and every one of us. What are you doing to bring them to the forefront of your life so that they may be shared with others to their benefit?

Here are four great questions to ask to seek your true potential:
1. “Who am I?”
2. “What skill or ability did God me that I enjoy so much I'd do it for free?”
3. “How much potential do I have?”
4. “How can I maximize my potential to the benefit of others and to glorify the One who gave it to me?”

Ask a better quality question and you may receive a better quality answer.

Steve

Your Prograde Professional

How much time is wasted in the gym by the average gym-goer?

First and foremost, I believe that there are several distinct, different persona's within the confines of a gyms "arena". Many previous articles have discussed them and brought them to light for the enjoyment and connectedness of us all. For the purposes of this message, I will restrict my comments to three basic phyla of these types of individuals.

The first is the "Puritan"; the individual who simply comes to the gym to "get 'er done", if you will. They are often defined by the sweat, headphones and lack of eye contact with others. These people are usually devoid of humor, seldom "work in" with other members and often have a "don't talk to me" type of body language. They do not waste time. That's cool, as long as they carry a towel to wipe up after themselves.

Then there's the "Socialite"; it's usually a guy (but not always) who's been married for a number of years, has a couple or ten kids and a wife who serves more as a mom than a partner. He saunters about from piece to piece, training a set of bi's and tri's between solving all of the world's problems (a skill at which he is MOST adept) and soliciting and/or inciting "smack" and chatter from whomever will respond to his taunts. This is his version of "Happy Hour", usually conducted at a specific time each day. Hey, at least he's not driving under the influence of anything stronger than an obnoxious attitude.

The next type is in a class all their own. The worst offender in the bunch, bar none, is the one who pays double for the privilege of being at the gym. The "Therapy Session Client"; you know this one. Not only do they pay gym dues, they pay a “trainer” as well. They hire a PT to "train" them and then spend the bulk of the session talking about...whatever. These folks are under the impression that they are doing well, when in reality they are being deluded into a false sense of security.

Personally, I blame the trainer; they should know better. I have clients that want to talk about their "issues". Believe me; I'm not insensitive...much. The way I figure it, there's two ways to handle it. 1) We can talk and train and talk and you can pay me and feel like you accomplished something, or 2) I can add weight to all of your sets where the only thing you can focus on is not being crushed and you'll forget all about your problems for a while. This, for most people, is what they really want to do in the first place.

Am I a genius or what?

I hope you see that I'm having some fun with this. The people I've mentioned above are real, even if their circumstances and situations have been exaggerated by my eloquence and skill of prose. (Kids, don't try writing like this at home. I'm a professional. Just ask me.)

People waste time in the gym for several reasons. Usually because they don't know what they’re doing but are too scared, egotistical or pride-filled to ask for professional assistance, so they muddle along.

And then there are those who THINK they know what they’re doing, (because they’ve read the latest issue of Ironhead orMuscle & Fiction magazine) and probably suffer from the same afflictions. Either way, these folks all waste days, months or sadly, years by never seeing any appreciable progress or results for their efforts. If others simply want to waste time by being overly talkative or appear affable in some way, that is their choice...I guess.

And if you see me training, please don't interrupt my session. I'm probably doing a quick set between my own personal conversations...in my own head.

Steve

Your Prograde Professional

The Penalty of Leadership

Oftentimes things that don't initially make sense to us can have something innately powerful to offer. For instance, look at this ad, which was run for Cadillac in the Saturday Evening Post, on January 20, 1915, almost a century ago.

As an ad to sell cars, it appears fairly useless. However, read it slowly. Really think about it and pay close attention to what it's saying. It's a little hard to process because of the “lingo” that was common back then. Nowadays it is antiquated gibberish, but it has a very important meaning inside the message that goes WAY beyond 'Cadillac'.

The headline read 'The Penalty of Leadership' and here's what it said:

“In every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work.

“In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone - if he achieve a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging.

“Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass, or to slander you, unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done; those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it can not be done.

“Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by.

“The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy, but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant.

“There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions: envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains - the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live - lives.”

This is a reminder of what Detroit-born former heavyweight boxer Joe Louis once said, 'Everybody wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there.' Vince Lomabardi said it this way, “You’ve got to pay the price.”

The reality is this: everyone wants to reach the top, to be the best, the leader… but few are willing to pay the price to achieve this goal. Instead, they prefer to criticize and ridicule, jealous with envy instead of keeping their own eye on the ball. On your journey to the top, beware the critic. In fact, you'll know you're close once you start hearing them whispering behind you.

The same holds true in the area of health and fitness. You may have even heard the envy and jealousy behind the so-called well meaning comments of family or friends, “Are you sure you’re not working out too hard?” “You sure are losing a lot of weight. Is everything O.K.?” “I wish I could look as good as you.”

Keep this quote from Glenn Turner in mind: "Many statues have been erected to the criticized. None have been erected honoring critics."

The Firestorm Fit Camps can get you the body, health, fitness and wellness you desire, deserve and yearn for. But you'll have to do the work necessary.

All the information is just a click away, right here.

Are you going to take the challenge or instead listen to the critics in your life?

Steve

Your Prograde Professional

San Antonio, listen up: Fat loss is profoundly simple!

As in most facets of life, the most profound truths are inherently very simple. In fact, many of these areas of life are so profoundly simple that they are either ignored or overlooked completely.

There is one area that causes, in my opinion, more frustration, unhappiness, and potential failure if it is misunderstood. What is this phenomenon?

Everything counts.

Everything.

Not just the things YOU want to count...no ma'am.

Everything!

Everything adds up.

The great German philosopher, Herman Van Goethe, commented once that the greatest invention in his lifetime was double-entry bookkeeping.

That may sound odd to you, but listen to his reasoning. (He was brilliant, you know)

When asked why a simple accounting method had such a profound impact upon him he said that it mirrored in many ways a person's life. You see, in double-entry bookkeeping, every transaction is recorded as either a credit or debit.

In life, everything you do is either taking you closer to your goals or further from them. In bookkeeping, the more credits or positive transactions a business has, the more profitable that business is and the longer it will stay afloat and prosperous.

As in life, the more positive actions you take you become more healthy, happy and live a more fruitful life.

I recently ate lunch with a friend who is perpetually overweight by thirty pounds or more. When I ask if there is anything I can assist him with, he assures me that he eats nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and drinks only clean water. He laments again and again that he cannot understand why he seems to always be so heavy.

Later in the week I spotted him in a restaurant, unbeknownst to him, and watched him from afar. After his second trip to the desert counter for more cheesecake, and with roughly half of it left on his plate I approached him and mentioned the pastry. He looked me right in the eye, then pointed a stubby finger at the cake and said, "I don't count that."

We live in a world where hundreds of millions of people with too much fat on their bodies hope and pray and wish that some things don't count. But that is a fantasy.

Everything counts, and what you do (or don't do) is either taking you closer to your health, fitness and fat loss goals or further from them.

It's up to you.

Steve

Your Prograde Professional

Can exercise alone change someone’s body make-up?

I’ve been telling you for quite some time now the cold hard truth of fat loss: No amount of hard work can overcome a crappy diet.

Apparently I’m not the only one who’s noticed this.

In a recent study of almost 100 people who were inactive when the program began, about half remained sedentary and the other half took up some sort of training.

The exercise group was given a training program that equaled roughly 5 1/2 to 6 hours of activity a week and which lasted for 12 weeks. The folks who didn’t exercise just showed up to have their measurements taken until the 12 week study was completed.

Take note: NO ONE in the study trained or exercised prior to the study. It was determined that this fact alone contributed to the folks averaging 35% and 40% body fat. This is also significant because people who have never worked out, who are then put on a resistance training regimen usually ALWAYS make some great measureable gains.

Read on...

The folks trained as a group in this fashion each week: 3 resistance training days and 2 interval training days. These sessions were designed and supervised by some qualified folks.

The interesting aspect of this study is that no guidance or rules were given on eating or nutrition to any of the participants. The study was done to see just what exercise only would have on a person’s frame and body makeup (fat percentage, lean tissue composition, etc).

In other words: Can exercise alone change someone’s body make-up?

Or, “Can exercise alone REALLY overcome a crappy diet?”

12 weeks went by and you know what they found out?

They discovered that even someone who’s never exercised before (and in a body that should respond to the stimuli like crazy) made essentially no changes what so ever to their body’s compositional makeup!

None!

Nadda!

Nix!

Bupkis!

Does that shock you? It shouldn’t.

It’s like I’ve told you again and again, if you want to make changes to your physique and lose the fat, you simply must get control of your eating habits. I think we can see that this study proved that.

Imagine going through 12 weeks of intense resistance training for an hour per day, 3 days per week, and then hitting the cardio equipment for two hours on two separate days.

Five days a week of training for up to 6 total hours for 12 weeks, (by the way, that’s 72 hours worth of time) and for what? The study showed the average individual lost just 1% of body fat.

Statistically speaking that equals about 1 pound of fat lost and 2 pounds of muscle gained versus the sedentary folks.

What?

12 weeks of hard labor for a measly 1 pound of fat lost?

I don't know about you but I’d be really, really, RE-AL-LY ticked off.

The rules are the same as always:

1. Eat five to six times a day.
2. Limit your ingestion of sugars and processed foods.
3. Eat fruits and vegetables right through the day.
4. Drink more water and cut out high calorie liquids (beer, wine, soda, etc.).
5. Focus on eating lean proteins at each meal throughout the day.
6. Save starch containing foods until right after a workout or for breakfast.

I’m here to help folks. You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers. If you’re not seeing the results you deserve, check out The 28 Day Miracle Fat Loss Program, the Firestorm Fit Camps, or one of my personal training programs by e-mailing me here.

I guarantee, if you’ll do exactly what I ask, you will get results like this:

“I just wanted to tell you thanks for all your advice! I never thought I could ever get to where I am at and I have your advice to thank. Anytime I had a question, you were always there to help out. I have lost 52 lbs in 4 months and feel like a new person. Couldn't have done it without you! Seriously, I followed your training and nutrition advice and "ate from the earth". Thanks for the help! I feel like a new person. Started at 224 and finished at 172!” – Brian Walsh

So...what are you waiting for? Click the links above now and let’s get started on YOUR new body.

Steve
Your Prograde Pro

The REAL difference between success and failure.

Why is it that some individuals can make great gains from a training program while others on the same program struggle to make gains? They may have the same training age, muscle fiber make-up, have the same eating and recovery patterns, but yet do not see similar progress or gains from their training. What, pray-tell, could be the missing link in their training regime?

I believe it is an insidious culprit that I have discussed several times: It’s their quality and commitment to effort and consistency.

In group training, like the Firestorm Fit Camps, every individual within the group receives the same training program. For certain individuals there are the minor tweaks here and there based on injury history, movement capability, strength level and/or body type. Even though everybody has virtually the same training protocol, why aren't equal improvements seen across the board?

The variables I mentioned before obviously play a large role in how an individual responds to training, but I often see that the major issue is that the people who don't improve as much simply just don't work hard enough. Consistent hard work and effort are extremely vital to making physical and mental improvements in training, as well as in life. If these components are missing in my clients and athletes, it is my job to encourage them to strive for more so as get this out of them.

I'll be the first to admit, that can be a challenging and mentally taxing endeavor for the “coach.” It simply may be that I have clients who just don't know how to put out effort. This is where the art of coaching comes into play as I must find out what motivates and drives that particular person to train consistently harder and to eventually succeed.

I know quite a few trainers that are in the money collection business. They bring a client on board and simply go through the motions with that individual, all the while collecting a pay check from them.

I’m not like that. I just can’t, and won’t, do it.

I feel guilty when the people under my tutelage and guidance don’t receive more than their hard earned money’s worth. I feel bad when people don’t make progress, or obtain the results they deserve. People who know me well also know that I often don’t sleep well at night. This is one of the reasons: when my clients don’t experience success, I feel compelled to find out why and correct it.

I'm not sure but there may be a psychological explanation for it, or maybe it’s a “syndrome” that has yet to be graced with a name, but whatever “it” is, I’ve got it.

And I believe I know why: In my mind there’s a difference between a client and customer. With a customer, the transaction is over with the exchange of funds. With a client, that’s just the beginning. A client is someone under the care of another.

I take that translation very seriously. It resonates to the core of my being.

My reputation, integrity and credibility are on the line with each and every individual I am blessed to call a client. When they succeed, I succeed. When they do not, at some level I have failed them. It’s that simple.

Let’s get back to my original comments: I have found that there are two types of individuals when it comes to showing effort:

First are the ones that are easy to coach because they give everything they have in everything they do.

• They give their maximum effort on every rep, set and exercise.
• They are the folks who are very special and easy to coach.
• They make my job easy and are natural leaders.

The other type of individual is the one who gives an all out effort…sometimes.

• They either don't understand or know how to push their limits and thresholds and actually hold themselves back.
• They see hard work ahead and their mind and body begins to shut down.
• They don't allow themselves to be fully engaged in what they are doing.

From a training and performance standpoint, they are the folks who can be fantastic one second and absolutely garbage the next. If an athlete performs like this, they will need to be taught to give maximum effort at all times, both in training and practice. If they can’t do it in those arenas, what makes a coach feel they can perform on the field of play?

For the individual seeking to achieve a goal, the same rules apply. If you give maximum effort at all times, you're only going to know one way to show effort and will lead to great results. If you give maximum effort sometimes, then you'll have marginal results.

As Bill Murray said in the movie “Stripes”, “That’s the fact, Jack!”

Here's the take-away message and please ponder this: the quality of your effort will determine your success in any endeavor with and in which you engage. Strive to reach your full potential by giving consistently high quality effort at all times and your health and fitness goals will be a short distance away.

I promise you that.

Steve
Your Prograde Pro

Attitude by Chuck Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skills.

It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

Thanks Chuck.

With that said, what is your attitude with respect to fat loss success?

I can help.

And I “double your money back” guarantee it!

Steve

Your Prograde professional

The Parable of the Talents, part 2

If you missed part 1 of "The Parable of the Talents" you can read it here.

For the remainder of this message I want to concentrate on three areas:

1. Talent maximization

2. Work

3. Responsibility

There are so many directions that I can envision taking this message, it is difficult for me to stay focused on just a few. You see vision is one of my talents. Focus is not. But I’m working on it.

Talent Maximization

There is a reason that the most talented players do the best in sports. Typically it is because they understand that the clock is ticking, and one day their physical talent will begin to diminish, so they work hard and maximize their abilities while time is one their side.

We’ve all known very talented people from our youth who never became a professional athlete. It probably wasn’t because they couldn’t have made it; they simply lacked the drive, desire and motivation to reach higher.

Some of these folks have no regrets about it. They’ve turned other gifts and talents into a life of value. Others live in the past, the “good old days.” Like Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico they’re stuck “back in ’86.”

It is my opinion that having a talent and not using it maximally is a slap in the face to the one from whom the talent was received. When one wastes a talent, whether by disuse, neglect or sheer abandonment, the receiver not only deprives the giver the joy of seeing their gift used as hoped, but they potentially deprive others of the gift.

What if Mozart or Beethoven had decided not to use their talent? What if Picasso or Monet had decided not to paint? What if Tim Duncan or Lebron James had decided not to play basketball? Others, who draw enjoyment and pleasure from listening, watching and experiencing the benefits of their gifts, would never have been able to do so.

Maximizing ones talent first stems from gratitude. Cicero once stated, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." When one is grateful for one’s position in life they are inclined to maximize their abilities to produce and be more.

America is the embodiment of potential. Here, anyone can rise above and become just about anything they put their mind to. Many immigrants who come here from other lands do very well because they recognize the potential and are grateful for it. Sadly, many who do not capitalize on this same potential are folks who’ve lived here all of their lives.

They aren’t grateful for what they have because they either don’t know, or don’t really care,

how good they have it.

I have long contended that every man, woman and child should travel to another country south of the U.S. border, just once, to recognize just how good we actually have things. Seeing people who sleep on dirt floors, bathe in creeks and eat very minimal portions, and are grateful to have it, is a very humbling and life altering experience.

Why wait to be grateful for the talents that God has given you? Thank Him for them, dedicate their use to His glory and maximize them.

Coach John Wooden puts it this way, “You have little say over how big or strong or how smart or rich someone else may be. You do have, or you should have, control over yourself and the effort you give toward bringing out your best in whatever you’re doing. This effort must be total, and when it is, I believe you have achieved personal success. Remember; never try to be better than anyone else…but always strive to be the best you that you can be. That is under your control…the other isn’t.”

Work

As in the story, maximizing ones talents takes time, and work. The first two men worked to grow their talents, and over time they did just that. The third man did no work, other than to bury it. My guess is he didn’t do much of anything in any other area of his life either.

The Bible has a whole lot to say on the subject of work. Here’s one of my favorites:

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither

shall he eat.” That’s from 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Here’s another, “Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength (work) of an ox.” (Proverbs 14:4 NKJV)

Now this one is a little deep, but what it means is this: If you do nothing, you have nothing. Sometimes you’ve got to get dirty and get in the trenches to get the job done, and the result is increase.

Work is a part of life. That is the problem with welfare. If people had to work to earn it they’d feel better about themselves and where it came from. I know from personal experience. I was on welfare for about six months many years ago. I hated it. I felt dirty, like I was cheating someone or something. I wasn’t earning it, and it wasn’t a charitable donation.

I also wasn’t a Christian at the time and the rest of my life was a mess as well. Once I came to the realization that work was a necessary component of life and that doing something was better than doing nothing, I found employment and quit the welfare system.

Looking back, I am grateful for the food that it put on my table to feed my children. I am grateful for the hard working men and women who allowed me to benefit by their own hard work. I simply believe that if I had to do something to earn that money, I would have felt differently about receiving it.

It is the same with talent. You must work to develop it. You must earn it.

I once worked with a former professional football player. He was a big man; six feet six inches tall, two-hundred-ninety pounds. He had been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, played one season and was injured. He claimed he wanted to get back on the team, but would not work hard enough to earn back his spot. He thought his original level of talent would get him back.

He was wrong.

Having great talent also requires a great deal of character. Many have neglected to develop their character to coincide with the benefits and accolades of the talents they possess. Dr. Edwin Louis Cole put it this way, “Your talent can take you where your character cannot sustain you.”

How often have we seen men and women rise to great levels, only to fall because they committed to building their talent but neglected building their character as well?

Michael Vick and Tiger Woods come to mind. Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears do as well.

Work is essential to progressive growth, in all areas of life. Do not shun work and the rewards will be fruitful and many.

Responsibility

As in the story, the master gave responsibility for the talents to his servants. He held each man accountable for them upon his return. The two who acted responsibly were rewarded handsomely. The one who did not was rebuked.

Assuming responsibility for ones actions and life are a basic precept to maturity and personal growth. Here are three things to think about with respect to responsibility:

1. Dr. Ed Cole taught that you cannot be responsible for success until you are first willing to be responsible for failure. Success is often cultivated in the dung of failure. (Remember the clean ox trough?) When you accept responsibility for your failure you can make the necessary corrections and move toward success. Tryon Edwards said it this way, "Right actions in the future are the

best apologies for bad actions in the past."

2. Dr. Cole also taught that you live by preference or conviction. It takes responsibility to live by conviction. Preferences weaken under pressure, convictions grow stronger. You can be negotiated out of your preferences, convictions are non-negotiable.

3. Maturity is not a factor of age, but of the acceptance of responsibility. How many people do you know who are mature at fifteen because of their level of responsibility? How many more are still maturing at forty because they can’t or won’t accept full responsibility for their lives?

On the night of December 9, 1977, Kermit Washington almost (though unintentionally) killed the

Houston Rockets' Rudy Tomjanovich with a single, face-shattering punch. In the years that followed, Washington’s life slowly deteriorated. He was traded often and booed everywhere he played. After his playing days were over, he couldn't find work in the league, even though he offered to work for free.

Why? My guess is because he never accepted full responsibility for his actions. You see, each time he gave an account for what happened, he always stated it this way, “I’m sorry, but…”

The acceptance of responsibility for the use of ones talents, gifts, accomplishments AND failures makes for a life of triumph, free from guilt, doubt and shame.

The Last Word

The parable of the talents is an in-depth look into the love of God for obedience, responsibility and the success He wishes for all of us. I encourage you in this: Take the talents you have and use them to glorify God. Give Him credit for them, and then work to make them grow so that His glory may be magnified.

Then, one day, he will call you to Him and hopefully proclaim, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

God bless you,

Steve Payne

Your Prograde Professional