May 2008

Every now and again, there are so many things buzzing around my head that I want to post about that I just have to corral them all together in one place.  That would be now. 

Each of the links I’m posting will open in a new window, so you won’t lose the rest.

First of all, I’ve been reading a great deal lately about blood pressure and heart health.  My mom died from heart problems, and a much, much beloved uncle has problems with his heart as well.  High blood pressure  runs in both my husband’s family as well as my own, so I’ve been doing my homework in an effort to compile information that’ll keep both of us, as well as our three daughters, healthy.

The American Heart Association is a great place to start your own research, but don’t limit your education to just one “instructor”.  Collect as much information as possible - you’ll see a trend develop.  If everyone says something is extremely harmful (smoking, salt, being overweight, inactivity….) - get rid of it.  If everyone says something is extremely helpful (activity, losing weight, bananas, orange juice, fruit, vegetables, salmon, tuna…), welcome it into your world.

In all of the countless articles, books, interviews, and magazines I’ve read on Blood Pressure, do you know what enemy number one seems to be?  Before researching, I would have thought caffeine…. maybe stress… possibly red meat.  I would have been totally wrong.  Salt is the culprit that every expert I read mentioned first.  When asked what people could do to lower high blood pressure or maintain a healthy blood pressure, the experts all agree that cutting WAY back on salt is one of our smartest moves.

And it seems so harmless!

I got to thinking about my family’s own diet and my salty jaw hit the floor.  My biggest culprit is diet soda.  I honestly worry that Diet Dr. Pepper may have trouble staying in business now that I’ve switched to tea.  My daughters’ number one problem would be things like chips and fries.  When you’re so young, you just don’t think about things like blood pressure and sodium.  Big mistake.

The experts agree that adding potassium (white baked potatoes, bananas, orange juice…) to your diet is a great move to make as well.  Needless to say, increasing our activity is another smart thing to do for our heart’s health.

Regardless of the state of our blood pressure or heart health, losing extra weight is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, our health, and our loved ones.  We’re all familiar with the campaigns that urged smokers to quit, “If not for yourself, for your loved ones…“  Very effective, very true.  However, it’s just as important to take care of ourselves in other areas.  If we want to be around (and be healthy while we are around) for a long time with, and for, our loved ones - we have to get serious about what we eat, what we drink, what we don’t eat, what we don’t drink, how much rest we get, how much we exercise, and how we live our lives.

No food, no drink…NOTHING… is as important as a quality life with those we love.

Of course, what I learned about stress in relation to blood pressure and heart problems was pretty expected.  We MUST do everything we can to remove as much stress as possible.  At the risk of sounding like a drama queen, our lives depend on it.

We should first identify what stresses us out, then make moves to cope with it.  If we feel overwhelmed or overworked, we should cut back asap.  Life is to be enjoyed, after all.  So many people lose sight of that.  They get so caught up in the rat race that they fail to realize that they’re a racing rodent until life has breezed right past them and their left worn out and spent.

Not a pretty image.

In that vein, I’d like you to check out: Relax:50+ Simple 30-Second Ways to Bring Tranquility To Your Life - it’s a wonderful compilation of things you can do to bring more relaxation to our days.  If that doesn’t get your attention, nothing will.  This is an amazing list and, I promise, you’ll get a lot from it.

A few more heart-y links:

• Heart Insight.com 
• Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH (PDF)
• Power for Healthy Living with Al Sears, MD

My motto: 

Laugh as often as possible, Live out loud, and Love everything and everyone around you - including yourself.

This morning, over cup of coffee Number One, I began and finished a wonderful little book I recieved yesterday.  The first thing I did when I closed the back cover was think, “I want each of my three daughters to read this book.“  Then I thought, “I want everyone to read this book!“ 

The book is Just Who Will You Be?: Big Question. Little Book. Answer Within. by Maria Shriver and would be an ideal gift for a graduate (either from High School or College).  You’ll want to be certain to do one thing, however, and that’s read it before you pass it along!  It’s of the utmost value for everyone, irregardless of their age.  Why?  I’ll let Maria Shriver’s own words explain:

I’ve learned that asking ourselves not just what we want to be, but who we want to be is important at every stage of our lives, not just when we’re starting out in the world.  That’s because, in a way, we’re starting out fresh in the world every single day.   -  Maria Shriver, Just Who Will You Be?

The book includes a really inspiring and beautiful speech Maria Shriver gave to her nephew’s senior class. After the speech, students and parents, alike, came up to her thanking her for her words and telling her what they meant to them. Soon thereafter, the idea for the book came about - giving a much wider audience to the speech and it’s inspirational message.

If I were shopping for a graduation present for someone special, I’d go out and buy a great card, a bright gift bag, and some cool tissue paper.  Then I’d get a copy of Just Who Will You Be?: Big Question. Little Book. Answer Within. and nestle it into the toilet paper.  Since the gift would probably be for a really young person, I’d also buy and add a great necklace, candy, a gift card, or money to the bag as well.   On the card I’d point out how the message inside the book will do them a lot more good than anything else in the bag.  Even if it’s something chocolate!

The really beautiful thing about this book is that it will touch the graduate not only on the day you give it to him/her but everyday for the rest of their life.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

**** Be sure you read the book first!  It’s beautifully written and the message is huge.

UPDATE:

I just discovered that this amazing little book is also available as a CD (pictured below). It’s read by Maria Shriver - how cool’s that? The  Just Who Will You Be CD would also make a remarkable gift.  It’d make it a little trickier to enjoy, yourself, before giving the gift, of course - unless you’re masterful at rewrapping plastic!  I’ll tell you what, buy a copy for yourself as well.  Then, the graduate will recieve a potentially life-changing message while you’re sitting on one of your own.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. - Dale Carnegie

For the most part, on my blogs and websites, I pretty much keep my political views to myself.  I don’t hesitate to give my opinion on certain subjects.  For example, I think the war on terrorism had to be waged, but I think it’s time to bring our men and women home.  And I’m all for hugging trees but not at the expense of human beings.  I’m more interested in programs and institutions that better the lives of people than I am those that better the lives of plants.

However, I personally don’t feel the need to announce the candidate I’m supporting.  As someone who is all about people making their own decisions in life and pioneering their own paths, I wouldn’t want to try to influence anyone with my own choice.  It’s my hope that everyone reads everything they can about each candidate.  Each individual is intelligent, compassionate, and has a lot to offer to their country.  I believe each would do us proud.

I think each one takes a lot of needless heat for issues that, on the grand scale, simply aren’t that important.  One of my pet peeves is when John McCain (born on August 29, 1936) is accused of being “too old.”   Do his critics think he’ll be called on to literally run a race?

Irregardless of the side of the political fence we’re on, we have to see the ridiculousness of suggesting that someone is too experienced for any position or job.

Take, for example the following ageless marvels:

• Helen Mirren not only won the Academy Award while in her early 60’s (for her amazing performance in The Queen), she had people all over the world using the word “hot” and they weren’t just referring to her career!
• Mark Twain wrote “Eve’s Diary” and “The $30,000 Bequest” at the age of 71.
• Corrie ten Boom traveled the world with her missionary work in her 80s’.
• Jack LaLanne, at 70, towed seventy boats containing 70 people for a mile across Long Beach Harbor….with a rope in his teeth….while handcuffed…and wearing shackles on his legs.
• Goethe finished “Faust” in his early 80’s.
• Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States at age 69.
• Winston Churchill initiated his protest against Hitler as Prime Minister at the age of 65.  He returned to the House of Commons as a member of Parliament at 80.
• The famous preacher, John Wesley, traveled an average of 20 miles a day for 40 years.  He preached 4,000 sermons and produced 400 books.  At 83 he was actually “annoyed” that he could not write for more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes.  At 86, he got impatient with himself because he couldn’t preach more than twice a day.  But, best of all, he complained in his diary during this time that there was an “increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning.”!

I’m just against imposing limits on anyone.  When we do so, we impose them on ourselves, as well.  Age is one of those things- along with money, time, education, etc - that people use to limit what they think other people can or will do.  Thankfully, men and women who refuse to be limited just keep proving them wrong over and over again.  The examples above are just a precious few, can you imagine how many more there actually are? 

Get this:  According to “Speaker’s Sourcebook II” (where many of the facts, above, came from), researchers studied the lives of 400 famous people.  They found that 35 percent of the group’s achievements came when they were between the ages of 60 and 70.  23 percent when they were between 70 and 80, and 8 percent when they were over 80.  As the author, Glenn Van Ekeren, concluded - ”The world’s greatest work has been achieved by people over 60.”

That’s great news for all of us.  For those who are 60 or above, you know you’re in the zone!  For the rest of us, we know our best is still ahead. 

Growing old is not upsetting; being perceived as old is. - Kenny Rogers

To age with dignity and with courage cuts close to what it is to be a man. - Roger Kahn

You don’t stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was? - Satchel Paige

And my favorite:  Live your life and forget your age! - Norman Vincent Peale

I added about twenty quotes to the Quotes Section this morning and several have stayed on my mind all day. 

A few were quotes about faith and a few were quotes about ability, but the majority of them were quotes about Goals.   One of my favorites was a Lou Holtz quote:
“I’m a firm believer in goals.  Take a good look at me.  You’ll notice I stand five feet ten, weigh 152 pounds, wear glasses, speak with a lisp, have a physique that appears like I’ve been afflicted with beriberi or scurvy most of my life.  The only reasons why I can stand up as head football coach at the University of Notre Dame are:  I have a great wife and I am very goal oriented.” - Lou Holtz

Brillaint!

I’m not sure which I love more:  The fact that he mentioned his wife, and mentioned her first no less, or the fact that he illustrates just how important goals are.  Oh, who am I kidding, I know which one impresses me the most.  But I do love the one about goal setting, too.

Below are some other really great quotes about goals and goal setting:

“When people say to me: ‘How do you do so many things?’ I often answer them, without meaning to be cruel: ‘How do you do so little?’ It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don’t. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever.” - Philip Adams

“Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by.” - Lou Holtz

“If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it; every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Unassembled efforts, widespread ambition - these are the things that have made most men fail. Most men have too many irons in the forge. Specialize, and you realize. Scatter, and you shoot a mud scow with bird shot.” - F.D. Van Amburgh, The Mental Spark Plug (1923)

Anyone know what a mud scow is? I’m not looking to shoot one, mind you, I’m just curious.

A final thought about goals:  Something that trips us all up, in my opinion, is that we aren’t specific enough with our goals.  For example, we’ll set “fitness” as a goal, but it’s just too broad.  We do so much better when we have specific goals to aim for.  If we, instead, set a goal such as “Be able to jog around the park trail without stopping.” (Mine would read, “Be able to jog around the park trail without dying,” but that’s another story.)

It also helps if we have a specific deadline we’re aiming for.  Having a cut off seems to set a fire beneath us, and without that fire, we aren’t going anywhere… no further than a mud scow.  What?

Before reviewing Dr. Kent M. Keith’s “Do It Anyway,” I wanted to remind you of his infamous Paradoxical Commandments. Written in the 1960’s, they are every bit as necessary and vital today as then. (Let’s hope that can be said for all of us from the Sixties!)

The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

I love that last line, Give the world the best you have anyway. Great stuff! If these Paradoxical Commandments affect you as strongly as they do most people, you’ll want to visit Paradoxical Commandments.com. In addition to a blog, you’ll find mugs, posters, books, clothing, a newsletter, and “sightings” of these world famous commandments.

Onto the book review!

I just finished reading Kent M. Keith’s book,  Do It Anyway: Finding Personal Meaning and Deep Happiness by Living the Paradoxical Commandments.  This wonderfully beautiful and beautifully wonderful little book serves as a “companion” guide to The Paradoxical Commandments.  It features tools, exercises, and suggestions that the reader can use for personal introspection or group discussion.

The book acknowledges that yes, indeed, the world can be pretty crazy.  But that can’t stop us from doing and giving our best.  We’re the ones with the power - we can either allow circumstances to bring us to a complete stop or we can, in the author’s words, “Do it Anyway.”  This wonderful guide gives specific examples of how we can speed past the life’s tempting STOP signs - without ever looking back!

As the author stresses in Part One, we can’t control the “external world.”  The economy?  Gas Prices?  Political scandals?  Out of our control.  But we CAN control how we react to them.  We CAN make certain that we give our best in every situation and carve out as much happiness and peace for ourselves as possible.  The book challenges us with a series of questions about how we’re coping with the world around us.  It’s like therapy at the end of our arms!

If you are trapped in excuses, or a difficult past, or a difficult present, now is the time to break out.  The Paradoxical Commandments point the way.  Personal meaning and deep happiness are waiting for you. - Do It Anyway: Finding Personal Meaning and Deep Happiness by Living the Paradoxical Commandments, Page 37

Part One also lists typical excuses and stumbling blocks that get in our way, then tells how to forge ahead and “Do It Anyway.”  I lost track of the times while reading that I thought, “Great advice!”

Part Two is a beautiful section because it introduces you to some beautiful people, people who are living the Paradoxical life.  Their stories are told, in their own words, about ways they used the Paradoxical Commandments to overcome ugliness, unfairness, and unpleasantness.  Each of the Paradoxical Commandments are dealt with, not simply in words, but in real life stories and emotions.

Along the way the reader is challenged with questions.  These questions bring us face to face with how we would handle, or how we do handle, similar situations.  We’re forced to see if we are living the Paradoxical Commandments and we’re shown where we may be failing if we aren’t.  One of my favorite stories was from the author, himself, as he talked about his grandparents.  He referred to his grandmother as someone who was easy to love but told how his grandfather was one of those people who was difficult to love.  Apparently the grandfather didn’t talk much and smiled and laughed even less.  The author, however, loved him anyway and was a better person for having done so.

If you live the Paradoxical Commandments, you will change the world.  You will love people, and do good, and succeed, and be honest and frank, and think big, and fight for the underdogs, and build, and help people, and give the world your best. - Do It Anyway: Finding Personal Meaning and Deep Happiness by Living the Paradoxical Commandments, Page 139

You’re going to love what Part Three has on its mind:  Saving the World.  Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! We’re encouraged to try and make a difference, for the better, in the world around us. The author emphasizes the importance of starting at home and work - then working your way out.

I love the checklist given on page 158.  The reader is presented with 5 powerful and challenging questions. Two of these are;

Am I satisfied with things as they are?  Why?  Why not?

AmI willing to be known and judged by the stand that I take?

The other 3?  Oh, you know the drill - buy the book and find out!

Part Four is a fascinating interview with the author.  This is a section that I desperately wish all books included.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve read a book and thought, “I wish I could ask the author this or I wish I could ask the author that.”  Ironically, as I was reading the book, I didn’t realize the interview was waiting at the end.  Several times, while reading, I wondered what the author’s favorite commandment was and if he ever thought of adding to the ten.  I also wondered if he came up with the number 10 as a tribute to the 10 Commandments God presented to Moses.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that these answers (as well as others) were all in the back of the book waiting for me, as though they read my mind.  I was also very happy with the answers, themselves.

In summary, this is a book I’d very highly recommend.  I particularly love the way we’re challenged to make a difference in the world around us.  Of course, the only way to really be effective about such an endeavor is to, first, make a difference in ourselves - particularly in our thinking.   

Living with the Paradoxical Commandments will lead you to more peace and happiness than living without the Paradoxical Commandments.  This guide will….well, guide you.  Every beautiful step of the way.