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Sunday, January 25, 2009
FEAR has no Chance when you become a "Center for Strength"
Fear has no Chance
when you become a
“Center
for Strength”
Fuel your Faith
in your career, relationships and personal growth
with a foundation
of fire. A diet of Enthusiasm.
Dr. Jack Barnathan
President, N.Y. Strength Inc. Peak Performance Consultants.
Founder, Center for Strength Institute
Director of Fitness Sciences, International Sports Sciences Association
Two boys were late for school when one suggested; “maybe we should pray that we won’t be late?”
His friend replied; “that’s a great idea, but lets keep running while we pray”
Faith
is a word that is so misunderstood, and sadly misapplied.
Or missed completely.
But the word “faith”
becomes very lonely, sometimes lost in theory or wishes, if not combined with another word of action, called “works”.
Faith + Works = A future we can believe in.
I’m of the opinion that if you are capable of conceiving
an idea, a goal, a better, truer place for you to exist and grow and serve others, then that fact alone (your belief –
your ability to conceive a worthy goal) is proof positive that it is possible for you.
Many sage individuals
back me up over the span of history, including the writings of the holy books. ALL the holy books of every religion.
“As a man thinketh, so is he” proclaimed King Solomon. And truly if “the fields are now
white with harvest”, then why aren’t we all reaping the benefit? Why can’t we see it and truly feel
it for ourselves.
Why so much fear?! Because we are focusing our energies, and fueling that energy,
with the wrong things.
First, before anything else can happen, we must Fuel our Faith through the Science of Enthusiasm.
If you are cold, do you “fight cold” while at the same time inviting heat? No, you can only effectively
do one or the other. You turn up the thermostat. You increase the heat.
Put wood on the fire.
To achieve an end, we don’t have to fight two things at once. Simply add the “solution principle”
and move forward in one direction, not two conflicting paths.
As easy as dialing up the thermostat.
In the same sense, you cannot become “positive” by constantly fighting the negative.
Simply
work toward the positive. Surround yourself with positive people. Positive thoughts and affirmations that you
write, speak and think about often. Your building the positive just like you’d build any other “muscle”,
and it will protect you and serve you like the strongest of muscles.
Don’t “fight fear” just
let it go. You don’t need it anymore. You’re not trying to travel north and south at the same time.
You’ve found your star and your moving constantly and consistently in that direction. Your quiet time in the morning
and evening will help you reinforce this knowledge.
And what fuels and builds your new positive direction?
Faith + Works thrives on enthusiasm.
But we cannot force enthusiasm. Actually, the first step is a quiet
one. Maybe Moses had it right when he told the children of Israel to “stand still” before the seas parted.
Too often we’re missing that still small voice from within, that inspiration that always leads us true, because of all
the chatter we’re creating from without. If you’re spending your day reading about negatives in the news,
you’re going in the wrong direction. Your focus must be on the solution. The positive.
Stand
Still. Get yourself quiet. This is a critical first step. Stop distracting yourself, especially with negatives.
Shut off the television. Eliminate chatter. This is especially important the first thing in the morning.
What you fill your mind with, faith or fear will have an impact upon the entire day. You cannot tell what inspired thoughts
may come if you don’t give them a chance by listening to a negative shock jock on the radio, reading the negative headlines
in the paper or business news. Watching what some crooked hedge fund fraud did will not help you serve your clients
more completely. Leave it behind.
I’m not speaking of some special “channeling” of thoughts
or other magic. I’m speaking of law. The principles I’m speaking of are just as much a law as gravity.
If “magic” ruled the universe, then we’d have to fear flying out into space when we walked down the street.
The sun would not necessarily rise and the stars would be optional at night.
No, this universe is run by
laws, and this is the most exciting – and truly “magical” aspect of our lives. It is a law, proven
over and over by those individuals who believed, as Eleanor Roosevelt proclaimed, in the “beauty of their dream”.
We do become what we think about – IF WE ACT UPON those thoughts and inspirations. But first let them at least
take root. Get quiet. Focus on your breathing (it will also improve your fitness training).
So many
people have magnificent ideas for themselves, for their own personal growth (like studying to become FIT with a CERTIFIED
FITNESS TRAINER in a magnificent palace of physical learning called A GYM) but almost as soon as they have the thought, they
kill it with “yea, but in this economy…but I couldn’t get the right people to help…yea, it’d
be great to finally start my own business, but my father never thought I was smart enough…”
Those
two words “yea” and “but” have killed more beautiful dreams and creations than any ten conquering
armies, or recessions could. If you are focusing on the negatives, you’ll bring more and more of that into your
life. Focus on the positive, the beautiful, the unique, the things that give you life and passion and a sense that you
are doing something more important than satisfying a temporary ego fix. You’ll discover that you have the power
within.
“You can change your life, by altering your thoughts.”
Eric Butterworth
It is unleashed by discovering that the following word MUST be seen as a VERB and not a NOUN.
ENTHUSIASM.
Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Enthusiasm is so misunderstood. Many people mistake enthusiasm as something you experience AFTER things
(magically??) happen to go your way. You had a “lucky” day, so you let yourself smile, and express what
you think is enthusiasm.
But this is not enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is not a RESULT of something going
well for you, but rather enthusiasm is a CAUSE.
Enthusiasm must be BROUGHT TO THE CHALLENGE, the dream you are
crafting for yourself, your family and those you SERVE.
Enthusiasm is something you build from within and
bring with you to that meeting and gym and patient and client and your family…. in full bloom.
Unabashed,
full and bright and exuding joy. What a great word to start using beyond the Christmas Holidays – “joy”!
Start your day with this (which is why I want you to get QUIET first thing in the morning), so you can listen for the inspirations
that may have come through your sleep, and consciously begin our day with Joy and Fire for Life. You can’t get
there if your filling your mind with negatives.
If you repeat a thought, negative or positive over and over
and over, eventually it will take root. Most of the “bad habits” we carry into adult life are holdovers
from our childhood. It is time to “put away childish things” as the bible says. And you have no more
time for judgment, of yourself or others. Let it go. Wish all well and keep moving forward. If these “yea…but”
negatives are no longer serving you well (and you must decide this in your quite time of meditation or prayer) then you can
let them go.
“Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life, from the highest point of view”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Grow through to a new life. If a parent or teacher placed some unkind or less than
constructive belief in your head as a child you can make the decision to forgive them, and let it pass like a breeze taking
away dust off a carpet hanging on the line during Spring cleaning. Let it go, and YOU choose what YOU WISH to focus
upon, henceforth.
Bring your new PASSIONS and ENTHUSIASM to your work and watch the change. Just by
just walking down the street on your way to that business meeting, you’ll see people you pass start to smile.
They can’t HELP but return your smile – your energy, your glow. Your enthusiasm.
The people you
meet will wonder what it is that makes you so happy, so “on fire”. The root of the word ‘enthusiasm’
is ‘enthos’, meaning literally ‘the fire of the gods’. They will want to know about you and
what you do. You’ll share your work, your passion and dreams and do so with passion. You can’t help
it! You’ll hand them your business card, which is special because your name and the name of your DREAM, your business
is on it, so you want it to represent you with ENTHUSIASM. In Japan handing someone your business card is actually done
with two hands, carefully and with a bow, as a way of showing respect for what you do (LOVE) and the person you are sharing
it with.
Why not try this the next time you reach in your wallet.
People will be drawn to you
and your glow. They’ll want to learn more. They’ll choose you for the service you render because they
want to feel that in their lives too. Everyone is attracted to that warmth and glow.
SO HOW DO I “BECOME”
ENTHUSIASTIC.
First, put down the crack pipe.
Got your attention, didn’t I?
You don’t find enthusiasm in a can of red bull, 8 cups of coffee or other stimulants. You set yourself up for
trouble. A study recently published (Durham University, Jan 14, 2009) stated that “hallucinations” were
not uncommon for those taking in too much caffeine. Their study concluded that beyond 7 cups of coffee, people would
“hear voices” that weren’t there.
Eating too much empty sugar (empty white flour, carbs)
combined with an excess of caffeine will certainly make you jumpy and unable to think clearly. To hear the “still,
small voice from within”, to act upon your inspirations. Hell, you cannot even sit still long enough to determine
what they should be?!
Therefore, we need make better choices with food. In my book, “an Authentic
Nutrition™”, I speak of food as being selected with precision. Each meal you eat, regardless of whether
in a three star Michelin Restaurant, or at home, on the road, etc is selected and (certainly by you) prepared with respect.
Your food choices are your FUEL CHOICES FOR THE ENTHUSIASM you hope to EXUDE in the hours, and yes DAY to come!
Without the right food / fuel, you’ll be trying to compensate with more and more caffeine and whatever other
stimulants are in that “energy drink”. Don’t look for your enthusiasm at the bottom of a bottle (it
never is there), but DRINK IN A FULL LIFE INSTEAD.
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…
Ralph Waldo Emerson
ENERGY creates ENTHUSIASM.
Get moving! Exercise is great for training the
body (again, through consistent input which is also necessary for our new ENTHUSIASTIC LIFESTYLE to take root). To mobilize
fat stores that it no longer needs to hold onto, because you are making better, more active (and energy filled) food choices.
Your walking, running, swimming – choosing a cardio activity that you LOVE. That you can LOSE YOURSELF IN!
Who do you think gets more out of their “fitness workout”? The person who “suffers”
and “sticks it out” for 20, 30, 40 minutes on a treadmill, distracting him/her self with ipods, mindless TV screens
and magazines.
or…
The person who remembered the THRILL they felt when they were 5 years old
and got their first BIKE! And they are feeling that thrill again as an adult (and maybe reintroduced to this old love
by a dedicated Fitness Training Professional). They’re cycling in the morning before starting their day and enjoying
it. They’re so happy (yes, even a stationary bike will do if the motivation is right). And a funny side
effect of approaching this with passion is that often during this “quiet time” we can use our “cardio”
to welcome the FIRE OF IDEAS, NEW SERVICES TO OFFER OUR CLIENTS, NEW WAYS TO GROW OUR BUSINESS (PASSION) AND, IN SHORT, NEW
REASONS FOR EVEN MORE ENTHUSIASM!
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters
compared to
what lies within us.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
ENDURANCE EXERCISE (Cardiovascular) helps us grow stronger in our
heart, our blood nutrient system and by extension, every cell of our body. We can “endure” better the challenges,
physical and emotional (too many studies to list here) and it fires up our METABOLISM. We don’t need the caffeine
jolt or the sugar security blanket. We are on fire with our emotions, and if we choose carefully the thoughts (and people…)
we permit in our life. Our “authentic” menu choices for energetic fuel. Endurance training for a strong
heart and clear mind.
ADD TO THIS AN INTELLIGENT PLAN TO BUILD POWER IN OUR MUSCLES, WHAT MY COMPANY TEACHES
AS, A SOPHISTICATED STRENGTH ™ , AND YOUR’LL CREATE A STRENGTH THAT ENDURES.
Strength training is poetry.
The Samurai literally combined poetry with their physical, “muscular” development. You can truly “find
yourself” by discovering, and truly uncovering the mystery and majesty of your muscles and nerves. Tendons, joints
and sinew all dancing together to create a power filled frame to give you the ability to live at your best, all the days of
your life!
Lifting the magnificent technology known as a “dumbbell” consistently, tells the body your
environment is “coaxing” it to a higher level. Don’t try to force it (the “energy in a can”
mentality of thinking change comes through a drink, potion, or magic pill) because the body will deem it a threat, and fight
back. You’ll hurt something terrible. You body will release the “defense” hormone “cortisol”
which will literally rip your muscles apart (for fuel), damage brain cells, alter your blood sugar metabolism and betray your
efforts toward energy, and instead make you sluggish and sleepy.
Train intelligent. Step by step building
toward your goals and you’ll add fuel to the FIRE of ENTHUSIASM with a strong, healthy body to support your dreams.
Now, you cannot create a fire and try to keep it in your pocket. By it’s nature, it must be shared.
Others need feel the warmth and bask in its glow. That’s what a fire is for.
Your work, now born and
nourished with the fuel of enthusiasm, will break out and need be similarly shared. And your old “fears”
of public speaking, traveling, learning new things, developing new skills and educational accomplishments will just fall away
with each step you take into the world. Bolstered by a faith which just like your muscles, constantly and intelligently
reinforced or “trained”, will grow into a “belief” and firm knowledge that it is right and good and
something the world needs to benefit from.
And as you share your gifts, you will become someone new. A force
for strength and wellness.
You will become a
Center for Strength
Think enthusiastically about
everything; but especially your job.
If you do, you’ll put a touch of glory in your life. If you love
your job with enthusiasm, you’ll shake it to pieces. You’ll love it into greatness.
Norman Vincent
Peale
Be bold enough to “get quiet” today, and believe that there is beauty and spirit and hope in
that still, small voice that you hear inside you. The one that has guided you toward your passion. Your life’s
work. Your mission. Your raison d'être – your reason for being.
Your work now takes
on a new glow. It evolves into a passion and yes, even mission. Sharing your best so others can achieve the best
hidden within them.
And in doing so, you’ve just passed the torch of enthusiasm to that person. And
this light is one that can truly enlighten as it shines for all to see.
And Fear won’t have a chance.
# # #
© copyright 2009 Dr. Jack Barnathan – All Rights Reserved
10:58 pm est
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