Strategic Business Partners ~ Diet

I love listening to motivational trainers. I always have a few CD’s to listen to and a few good teaching books going at all times.

Honing my sales and training muscles is natural for me. 85% of what I read I already know and it’s just a refresher. I LOVE when I hear that nugget that is new ~ or strategy that is just a tad different that I can apply to my business.

The same is true with organizing. I can walk in a kitchen and within 15 minutes of talking with my client know what needs to change. What to move where and how many hours it will take.Thinking about the job I have today I can see inside all the cabinets and drawers in my mind. It’s just how I’m wired.

About a decade ago I read a John Maxwell book where he explained that it is easier to take something that you are good at (say organizing) and move your competence from 80% to 85% with focused effort. And then again to move from 85% to 90%.

He went on to explain that if you are not gifted in something, say spelling, it would take MORE effort to move from 50% competence to 55%. And you’d still be at just 55% competence. So, focus on what your strengths are and get them to 100% and delegate the rest.

And for the last decade I have really embraced that concept. …Until January.

There is some sort of fire that’s growing inside me that I can’t describe. 

Focusing on my strengths has created some great rewards and put me in a possition to “go to the next level”, but not on my own.

What’s left to change are things I’m not even 50% on, but can’t be delegated.

I scheduled a session with a professional organizer to move my paper planner calendar to an electronic one. It was an awesome session and I learned more in one hour than I could have taught myself in 12. I have been using the electronic calendar for a month and have worked out most the kinks. Yeah!

I decluttered my hair in minutes. It has taken me a while to “learn the do”, but luckily the messy look is in. So again one session, new hair cut – a few weeks of practice and presto a whole new look.

And now the biggies… diet & exercise.

Today I will talk about diet.

I am seriously at 15%… and that’s being generous. I have spent so much time rationalizing that “I am good at xyz so I don’t have to worry about diet and exercise.” It’s a cop out.

Ewe my palms are sweating typing this. There’s more here than even I realize.

I am blessed with low cholesterol, a fabulous heart, low blood pressure and over 5 relatives who lived until their late 90′s or 100′s. Genetics are WAY on my side and I have been banking on that…

The tipping point was the weekend before Thanksgiving. I was so “full” it was uncomfortable. And I hadn’t eaten that much. I was just DONE.

My diet at the time… brace yourself.

2 large fountain coke cokes {you know the big gulp size}

Eating out about 10-14 times a week – fast food: skyline, wendy’s, fillet o fishes, Little Cesar’s pizza…

about 10 “snack size” candy bars a day.

I think you get the point. I was completely unchecked and out of control.

The first step in my change was analyzing how and why I got to where I was.

The candy bars were my “treat” for myself. I was “treating” myself all day long! I knew it was to deal with the stresses in my life, but I didn’t realize how much until I went to stop.

I would be in the kitchen with the kids – they would start acting up – and the next thing I knew I was in the laundry room eating candy. WOAH! How’d I get in here? It was a built in pattern. I didn’t even know I had. I thought I just wanted something sweet, but sure enough every time I heard a whine I found myself walking to the laundry room.

This pattern developed out of a SUPER stressfull few years in our family. Days I can’t bear to really think about again. The stress was so heavy.

But we’re not there now. The kids are doing great! But the tiniest whine and my body goes straight into that old pattern again. It took about 3 weeks to break that habit. I still eat some sugar each day. And some days it’s a few candy bars, but my patterns have changed.

Coke. Growing up my mom drank Coke and we were aloud to have a “sip”. I remember “sneaking” sips too. Once I was old enough I started drinking coke. I have tried to give it up before, but to no avail.

By the fall I had started to connect my “always tired” feeling with sugar – specifically coke. It no longer even gave me a temporary pick me up.

The week after Thanksgiving I aggressively weaned myself down to one bubbly SMALL fountain coke in the morning and NO more! I am really happy that I am down to just one ~ for now.

Fast Food. I have been working on this one too. I’m down to maybe 5 meals a week including pizza and Panera. Which may seem like a lot to you, but remember I was eating out TWICE A DAY!

I have made a lot of progress… and have a long way to go.

If you think this is bad… wait until I tell you about my exercise!