Chapter Four: Thinking About My Purpose

Tonight is early to bed night so no long dissertations on tonights topic. The question is:
Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

I think the one thing I should start doing today is this. Getting my life back into focus. Dropping those excess pounds that have been following me around. Getting my brain working again thats phase two and of course this looking deeper into myself. It is good to take a look in our own mirror every so often.

As far as what I should stop doing, It also involves this exercise. I need to stop doing what 99.9% of us do and that is living in fear. Fear of what other people think, fear of how they'll perceive our actions and behaviors. I read through my posts and think....Crap I look like I'm turning into one of those Jesus freaks! I took a perfectly empty blog where I never really wrote anything and then with one right turn, I am blogging daily about a journey into religion. I spent K - 12 trying to dodge religion and here I am researching and studying a way to get back into it.

The LC front has been good today. 1600 yard swim, a 40 min spin class and then I walked the dog tonight. I rock! Ok so I am a bit pleased with myself. I even made the decision to sign up for the Miami Man 1/2 Ironman. So once again I am embarking on 70.3 miles of goodness.

Chapter 3 - WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?

Did I mention that I like to think of 2008 as my cocoon year? Maybe it's the precursor to my mid life crisis, but I think of this time as sort of a rebuilding time. I think I'll expound on this more tomorrow. I am very sleepy... The Cocoon Nebula for a visual : )

What Drives my Life? Day 3 of a Forty day challenge: Odd enough I am supposed to think on what my friends and family think; What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?

I would definitely be curious should any of my friends and or family read these words what they really think the driving force in my life is? Maybe I should ask them? Anyway, if you know me, drop a comment and give me the feedback...Oh and don't read on until you do...

Or...



I hope that people see that I try to do the right thing. My commitment to friends and family and that I while I can put up some pretty thick walls, and that through exercises such as this I can remove them. Brick by brick if need be. In the words of Pink Floyd:

" Since my friend you have revealed your deepest fear
I sentence you to be expunged before your peers

Tear down the wall "

Chapter Two and a conversation about signs that in hindsight. I am to much of a coward to post.

First Chapter Two, Two days and two chapters I am really moving along here. The book quotes a poem by Russel Kelfer:

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

and then asks? I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?
it's funny that as human beings we all struggle with the the same things...ultimately. Who we are, where w come from and how we look to others. I am pretty proud of where I come from. my parents were a strong influence on my life. Most of my friends can guess my personality defects and I suppose those they don't know about probably aren't fit for immortalization on the www. As for my physical appearance, hey this blog is all about losing clyde...I may have worked hard earning my 6 +++ pack, but i am working even harder to trim few +'s off of it. : )



Speaking of the Losing Clyde Front:
Spin Class

My Philospohy and Another Day One of Sorts

Anyone who has seen my Road ID band and read the inscription on the bottom knows that there are three words I try to organize my life around. Spiritual, Mental, and Physical. I view them forming an inverted pyramid of sorts. Spiritual forms the point and the crux which holds the pyramid up. It is a delicate balance, one's faith. More on that later. The middle level is mental, keeping one's brain active, constantly learning. And finally as this blog started, and initially failed :( as a journal about my journey out of obesity. Thanks Uncle Sam and your crazy BMI standards! Physical, the largest and most visible top of the pyramid. Again, more on all of this later.

Today's Day One revolves around my committing to the 40 day journey in the
"Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It is just a step in the spiritual part of my journey. As with any spiritual or religious books this one has it's proponents and its detractors. I suppose I can't know it's validity until I'm done, or at least on the way.

Day One: (Thinking About My Purpose)
In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

This is kind of a funny question, I truly believe we allow the marketing world to impact us far to much. If you ever questioned what you thought of as the media's version of beautiful you should check out this website periodically. The media's version of reality is so far gone that it's ridiculous and equally sad that we as a society don't know any better than try to live up to their perceptions of beautiful and real. So I guess the short of it is we have to realize the pitfalls of the media and decide our own values. Take the media with a grain of salt as they very rarely encourage a sense of community and sell the compassionate values of Christianity.

On the Losing Clyde front:
I went Mountain Biking locally at the Little Big Econ State Forest.
Only 5 miles, it is a maze out there and ton's of sugar sand. But it was nice to dust off the old Stumpjumper M2.

Pyramids?

I rather like that photo It seems life is all about new beginnings. We start new friendships, new diets, new workouts, we take a second look at things and then improvise, adapt and overcome (Name that movie? it's a fav)

Why this latest shot at new beginnings? I was sitting in a restaurant the other day. it was one of those places with peanuts on the table. Everyone was popping them and chomping away when somebody mentions that peanuts are bad for you. which leads to the conversation of....if you want to eat something, just select the diet that allows it.
Today I'm thinking of this blog and I'm thinking about that statement. I think further on that. It's like this insane pyramid of information. The largest level is all this information that is out there about everything let's take triathlon and nutrition. Then we have all the writers and bloggers who interpret all this data and spoon it back to us, not that its necessarily a bad thing. It's just sort of interesting that the trend of specialization has gone so far as to spawn not only new industries but hobbies as well. But I temporarily digress, the next layer of the pyramid, the top or smallest point is us. However some days I sort of feel that this is an inverted pyramid, with us the individuals left to support all this knowledge. Not only juggling topics, but selecting intermediaries and and drowning in an ocean of data. To be continued.....