Bad Habit Busters

An object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to remain in motion.  They are simple rules of physics.  Habits, good or bad, also have rules that can be tough to change unless you're willing to exert effort.  The key is understanding what's needed to bust the bad habits hindering your forward progress.  Don't be afraid to get analytical.  Ready?

Ask yourself, is this the best way to accomplish my tasks?  It's like studying a river.  Why does it flow that way?  Is it because no one ever thought about reshaping it so it flowed more efficiently?  Unless someone comes in and paves a new course, that river is going to keep on meandering.  It will never change on its own.

Confront your bad habits.  Keep on asking yourself, is there a better way I can navigate through my to do list?  Should I change the list and add more productive tasks?  In fact, the best way to replace that bad habit is to try something new.  Your river of bad habits will fight you until you give your new habits a chance to become permanent.  Avoid changing everything at once.  Concentrate on one bad habit at a time.  Replace the bad habit with a new good habit and stay focused until the bad habit becomes nothing more than a distant memory.  Then move on.  Eventually you will be on cruise control and you will stay in motion all the way to the end of the river.  You will become the champion of the bad habit busters.  Have a great day.

Joy in the Trials

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything ~ James 1:2-4

Something profound happened to me when I decided to embrace my trials rather than run from them.  I really get this verse.  No race can be completed without perseverance.  Ask anyone who has done anything significant and they will tell you about the trials.  The more trials, the stronger you become.  One day you wake up and you say to yourself, "I can do this."  That's the moment when you know in your heart you have everything you need to fulfill your destiny.  It feels good to look in the mirror and see a toothpaste commercial smile of a joyful person who cannot be stopped.  Raise a toast to your trials.  Salute them.  Give thanks for them.  They're a part of you and they're what define who you are – mature, complete and happy, very happy.  Have a great day.

My Source for Nifty Kitchen Gadgets

One of my dad's favorite quotes was, "if you're gonna do it, do it right."  This mantra has served me well in all areas of my life including my new passion – cooking.  I'm no chef but I do know one thing – the secret is in the proper kitchen gadgets.  I'm ordering the veggie spiralizer pictured above from my buddy Terry, a retired golf pro turned pampered chef.  His no-nonsense tools make food preparation feel like a pleasant day on the golf course.  Make sure you have everything you need in your bag when serving an 18 course meal for your friends and family.  Here's the link:  https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/terrystable.  Tell the chef that Mulligan sent you.  Happy cooking and have a great day.

New Food Recipes Coming Soon

One of my day job buddies is married to a golf pro who recently joined the Pampered Chef team.  She dropped off some amazing new recipes for my wife and me to try and I'm going to share some of them here once I upgrade my kitchen tools.  I'm most excited about the new veggie spiralizer that was used to create the greek salad pictured above.

Stay tuned.  Some of my recipes will be my own creations, based on my personal food journey to optimum health.  Have a great day.

Happy Easter

The tomb is empty.  He is risen.  Our Savior conquered death and set us free.  It's the ultimate mulligan – a second chance to be reunited with our Father.  The door is open.  Claim your inheritance.  Happy Easter.

It is Finished

Have you ever had a nagging debt that just wouldn't go away no matter how hard you tried to pay it off?  That's how it was for every generation since our fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.  Sin is one of those debts that takes an act of God to eliminate.  And Jesus did that with his last breath when he uttered the words, "it is finished." meaning the debt of sin is paid in full.  That's epic.  There is no greater climax to the story than what happened on the Cross.  We're free. 

The follow-up question is "what are you going to do with your life now that all your sins are forgiven?"  If you're having trouble coming up with an answer, here are some ideas:  Be thankful.  Show gratitude.  Share the Good News.  Refrain from activities that may get you in trouble again.  Have a great day.

God's Open Door Policy

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me ~ John 14:6

Today is a good day.  It's a turning point, thanks to what Jesus did on this day just over 2,000 years ago.  It's the day the door to Heaven was unlocked.  The door is open now.  There are no special qualifications or credentials needed to enter.  There are those who challenge the idea that what's behind the door really exists.  They may even dispute the thought that there's some kind of door.  They say, "no Heaven, no door, no Jesus.  This is it."  Jesus still did it, despite all the negativity in his time.  He died.  It was a horrible experience.  He didn't deserve it.  But he knew one thing in his heart – no death on the cross for our sins meant no way, no truth and no life for all of mankind.  So, he unlocked the door.  I believe it's real.  And anyone who desires to come to the Father can enter through the unlocked door.  It's God's open door policy.  Amen.  Have a Good Friday and remember the reason today is a good day.

The Truth About Dying to Yourself

John understands what dying to yourself is all about.  It's not really about dying but living.  He means abundant living – beyond your wildest dreams.  I was so self-absorbed trying to do things my way I almost missed his point.  Imagine that moment when you discover you're going to be a parent for the first time.  You're nine months away from a new life.  The focus is no longer on you but on your new baby.  Everything changes.  Like it or not, that kid is increasing inside the womb.  Budgeting is the new reality.  Conflict ensues.  Decreasing is your new mantra.  You must decrease in order to make room for your baby.  Jesus is the same.  He needs space in your life.  And once you commit to him the transformation begins.  Your transformation.  It's HGTV on steroids.

I trust Jesus with all my home improvement plans.  He is the architect of my life.  He's the one who can rebuild the temple in three days.  I like how he keeps things simple.  To me, decreasing means serving others rather than myself.  If my master, the creator of the universe, can spend his last days washing feet, I think I can find a way to follow his example.  And there's something really joyful about serving others.  Try it.  Don't do it to make yourself look good, do it to give glory to the one who must increase.  Watch what happens to your world when he's in charge.  I promise, you will never ever want to go back to your old life.  Just ask any parent or any follower of Jesus.  Have a great day.

Beat the Odds

Today's story is for the calculating types who stay out of the game because they don't like the odds.  This is my area of expertise.  I'm a survivor.  And the best way I know to beat the odds is to keep playing no matter how slim your opportunity for success may be.  Life is not about the low hanging fruit.  It's about the rewards you get when you refuse to throw in the towel and walk away.  You can beat the odds in any area of your life where you find yourself struggling.

Are you with me?  If so, today is the first day of the rest of your life.  Forget about all those past mistakes.  Pick an area of your life you want to improve and get to work.  Make a game plan and roll the dice.  Keep playing the game until your lucky number comes up.  Don't forget to come back and share your story about how you beat the odds.  Have a great day. 

Put Some Hope in Your Steps Today

My doctor says I'll have to slow down for a bit in order to recover from something.  It's not going to stop the dreams of a walking man who sometimes gets carried away with a quick pace usually reserved for the young and the restless.  Temporary setbacks have been on my menu for most of my life.  Appetizers, I call them.  They're best consumed with a generous serving of hope.

Put some hope in your steps today.  If necessary, adjust your pace to stay on course for the duration of your life.  Have a great day.

In Search of Contentment

There are three doors in front of you.  They represent your major decisions in life.  You're not sure which one leads to contentment.  Which do you choose?  Be careful with your answer.  Most will get it wrong.  They regret the door the opened.  The problem is with limiting beliefs.  Contentment is not limited to a specific door or choice.  It can be found in every choice you make and in every situation you experience.  It's not a location or a destination – it's a state of mind.  I found contentment far away from my comfort zone when all my assets were depleted and my only possession was hope.  Hope is the key to contentment.  It's a feeling of expectation for happiness to show up every time you open a new door regardless of what you find inside the room – even if the room appears to be empty.

Don't ever let anyone steal your key to contentment.  It's yours.  Take it with you wherever you go.  Have a great day.

Caveman Fitness Solution

Something's missing in our daily life that our ancestors got right – good health.  What went wrong?  Why are we suffering from modern day diseases virtually unknown in the caveman days?  I believe the wheels fell off the fitness bandwagon the day we started tinkering with the food supply.  GMO's and processed foods are killing us.  The solution is simple – stop eating processed foods and live like a caveman.  This includes giving up our favorite sofa or at least limiting our time sitting.  We need to get on the move.  Hunting for our TV remote isn't enough activity.

I'm visiting my physician tomorrow for my six month follow-up exam.  He's curious about how my caveman lifestyle is impacting my lipid panels.  My body is still adjusting to the permanent food changes I made in order to rid myself of future health problems including heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.  I'll share more when the results are in.  If you're looking for an answer to your health problems, give the caveman fitness solution a try.  Eat fruits, veggies, nuts, beans and seeds for 45 days and walk as much as you can every day.  Stay away from processed foods.  Let me know what happens.  Have a great day.

How to Disarm Angry People

I heard it said the best way to win an argument is to avoid it.  But what happens when it's too late and you're stuck in the middle of an ugly spat?  Here are a few suggestions...

1. Say "I'm sorry."  You can't change whatever you did to cause the anger for the other person or persons but you can ask forgiveness.
2. Ask, "why do you feel that way?"  Angry people want to be understood.  Seek to understand and listen for their response.  Be quiet while they talk.  Your silence while they vent is golden.
3. Ask, "what can be done to make the situation better?"  Listen.  Repeat their solution back to them to show you're listening.
4. Ask, "is there anything else?"  Real anger may be hidden down deep.  You need to get to the root of the problem.  Keep digging until you find what's causing the anger.
5. Agree with them.  The more you agree, the less hostile they become.  Example:  "You're right.  I should have been more considerate of your feelings.  I need to pay more attention to how my behavior upsets you."

Remain calm when dealing with angry people.  If these ideas don't help, consider ending the relationship.  Anger breeds anger.  You don't need it in your life.  Be happy.  Have a great day.

What Endurance Means to Me

Endurance:  the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially : the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity.

Every morning when I wake up I tell myself, "climb the mountain."  Not much time is spent trying to figure out how big, how many steps or how many days.  The focus is on climbing.  The mental challenge is the discovery of a false peak.  There's also the slips and the falls.  How does one stay on the journey in the face of setbacks?  The answer is endurance.  It's the refusal to accept defeat.  It's knowing that life is all about the journey which includes every peak and every valley.  I urge you to climb the mountain.  Have a great day.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

You're never too old to get a green frog for your birthday.  Just ask our daughter.  She kissed her frog and cuddled with him while napping during our trip home yesterday from Madison, Wisconsin.  We celebrated her birthday a couple of days early and the highlight was seeing one our our world famous cousins on stage with Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers.  What a blessing this trip was for our family.  I'm not sure if this little frog will ever become a prince but I do know that her fury friend will be cherished for a lifetime.  Happy birthday to a special daughter.  Thanks for spending time with your mom and dad.  We love you.  And Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my friends and family.  Kiss a green frog today and have a great day.

Happy St. Patrick's Month

I know.  I know.  St. Patrick's Month isn't really a month.  Neither is Valentine's Month.  But it sure does make the first quarter of the year fly by when you devote 28 days to celebrating romance and another 31 to celebrating all things Irish.  Three of my sisters were born in St. Patrick's Month and our daughter was born on March 17, a birthday she shares with her second cousin, Patty.

Go ahead.  Drink some green beer this month and keep on celebrating St. Patrick's Month all March long.  I'm raising my glass of gluten-free beer and offering you an Irish prayer as your St. Patrick's Month toast...

Got Gramblers?

If you're not exactly sure what a grambler is or if you may have grambler in your blood, the best recommendation I can offer is to go to the source.  That's what I'm doing tonight with my Mulligan clan in Madison, Wisconsin.  We're visiting our cousin, David Mulligan, a member of the world-famous band, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers.  According to urban dictionary, gramblers are spirited and fun-loving, rough around the edges, and tend to disregard societal norms in favor of a good time.  That describes my quality time with my cousins growing up in the Valley of the Sun.  Tonight will be a throw-back to the good 'ole days when we were min-gramblers.  I'm putting on my grambler boots tonight and venturing out into new territory.

If you would like to visit the source of all things gramblers, click here to get your ticket.  Bring a friend.  Have a great day.

How to Get Out of a Spiritual Slump

Ask yourself, "is something missing in my life?"  If the answer is yes and you can't figure out exactly what it is, you may be in some kind of spiritual slump.  It's that feeling inside your stomach that somehow you are disconnected from your purpose in life.  Maybe you feel like you're not the person you were created to be or you not doing the things you were created to do.  Here are some ideas to help you get out of a spiritual slump:

1. Exercise.  Your mind and body need an endorphin boost.  There's nothing like a refreshing swim to help you feel refreshed and energized.
2. Rest.  That workload bogging you down will go away faster when you are fully recharged.  I find that taking a fifteen minute break every two hours throughout the day helps me to be more efficient.
3. Sleep.  I force myself to get eight hours of sleep every night.  If you cheat on your sleep, you are depriving yourself of the opportunity to fully regenerate.  It's like being in quicksand when your brain isn't recharged.
4. Pray.  Your spiritual slump may be a result of feeling disconnected from God.  Prayer is the quickest way to get back in touch.  Ask God to help you with whatever is bothering you.  He knows the plan for your life.  Why not ask God to show you the plan?
5. Go with the flow.  Your life is like the ocean tides.  There are natural periods of highs and lows.  This is normal.  Spiritual slumps are simply low tides in your life that give you time to look for things you may not see when everything's going swimmingly.  Explore.  Keep your eyes open.  The high tides will be back at the appropriate time.

Your time on this earth is limited.  Use it wisely and don't fret if you're feeling like you're in a spiritual slump.  Every day matters.  Your ship will sail again soon.  Have a great day.

How to Give Your Goals Some Traction

Remember those New Year Resolutions you made two-and-a-half months ago?  Did any of them stick?  If not, perhaps today is a good day to re-visit them and get some traction going before the first quarter of the year ends.  Think about your goals in relationship to a football game.  What coach writes off a season just because the first quarter had a few too many false starts?  This is a great time to make some adjustments and start making forward progress.

I believe traction comes from passion.  If your heart isn't in the game, you flounder.  Maybe you're not having fun with your workouts or your food program is so boring that temptation for the unhealthy foods kicks in and becomes irresistible?  Find your heart for the game of life.  Review the game film from your past and look for patterns that need new play calls.

My health and fitness goals are now in high gear.  I'm an official member of Iowa City's men's 4.0 traveling tennis team.  For me, when passion and traction meet, the fireworks go off.  I find myself surrounded by a group of men who know how to have fun with their fitness goals.  They understand traction and they have big goals for the post-season.  I already know I need to step it up if I don't want to be left behind in the mud.  Just remember, find the passion and your goals will have all the traction they need.  Have a great day.

Sweet Spot Living

Sweet spots are like solar eclipses.  When certain parts of your life are in proper alignment, people notice.  I'm doing my best to live in a sweet spot and it goes beyond hitting tennis balls, my first passion in life I discovered in high school.  My hope is to combine the needs of my readers with my passion and gift of writing.  Before I could enter the sweet spot, I needed to repair my own problems first and there were two glaring issues – debt and health.  These are the same challenges millions of others are grappling with.  The red color in the needs area above represents the danger zone.  I believe those willing to read about my own personal journey may find similar success and join me in the yellow zone I call sweet spot living.  Stay tuned.  Have a great day.

Physical Limits are in Your Head

Got physical limits?  I have a feeling they're all in your head.  And your brain is a powerful adversary.  Beware.  If you're serious about changing your ways, you must win the mind game first.  It won't be easy, especially if you're at a stage of life where your peers already hung the white flag of surrender on their front porch.  They don't want you pushing yourself because they don't even want to consider changing their ways.  Your influence will force a mind shift from impossible to possible with all the couch potato heads. 

I know a little bit about head games.  I allowed faulty programming inside my mind and the only way I broke free was to show my brain that I could actually do something it believed was impossible.  The reprogramming continues.  I'm going to keep pushing myself without any regard to boundaries.  Sorry brain, you're not going to win this competition.  Reality trumps false beliefs.  I'm going to get real with my training.  My brain can tag along on my physical adventures to record everything it experiences.  Challenge yourself to beat your brain.  Eliminate all those barriers that reside in your head and just do it.  Have a great day.

Happy Wife Helps with Happy Life

Today is happy wife day in my household.  It started with her world-famous Mulligan smoothie just before sunrise.  Then, our local plumber stopped by to get our heater working properly, replace a couple of faucets and restore our water pressure which decreased due to some corrosion in the water heater pipes.  He installed a new faucet I found on Amazon.com that was discounted 50%.  Fifteen minutes after his departure, our water shop people arrived with a fully restored used water softener they sold at a bargain price.  The finishing touches on happy wife, happy life day, star date 26 yrs.7 months.10 days, will be an amazing barbecue complete with 6 ounce steaks, asparagus, and grilled potatoes.  A glass of California cabernet savignon will be waiting for her upon her arrival just before sunset on happy wife day.  Is my life happy?  You can ask Mrs. Caveman.  Have a happy life.

Eat Well – Live Well

I've been living well for six months now, thanks to some intervention from loved ones, and it's impacting my life significantly.  The source of my improved health is rooted in a diet rich in fruits, veggies, nuts, beans and seeds.  The pundits can debate over what food choices are healthiest.  I choose to stay on my current course.  It's working well for me and I'm thankful my body responded favorably.

The biggest surprise for me during my food experiment was discovering what happens to your body when you give up processed foods.  It's like putting on eye glasses for the first time when you never realized you had bad vision.  Suddenly, everything appears clear.  It feels so good to be thirty-three pounds lighter.  I know the secret to living well.  It's so simple.  Eat well.  Stay away from processed foods.  Fill your plate with greens.  It works.  Try it.  Have a great day.

Prepare Yourself for the Uncomfort Zone

Do you really want to go there?  It reminds me how I felt when I was a young boy watching episodes of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone.  Yes, it was scary.  I couldn't resist.  The same is true with the "uncomfort zone," that eerie place residing in the fog of the unknown.  Why would any rational person want to go there?  This is where Mr. Spock gets beamed into my blog story to say, "it's illogical.  Turn around."

The uncomfort zone is on the other side of the rainbow.  Dorothy found it after her head injury and said, "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore."  I found it four year ago when my wife woke up and said, "I don't want to live in California anymore."  Cue the Twilight Zone music.  Stand down, friends and family members who guard the door to the unknown.  I'm ready to be uncomfortable.  It's that necessary space you must pass through, like the neutral zone in Kirk's Star Trek, in order to find the meaning of your life.  Live long and prosper.  Have a great day.

Are You Aligned with Your Inner Warrior?

Do you ever get a strange feeling that comes from inside of you?  Maybe it's your heart calling out to you.  Can you hear that voice from within?  There have been many times in my life when I couldn't hear it or was too busy to pay attention to it.  That voice is always trying to be heard.  It's your call to be a warrior.  When you answer the phone something big happens.  The wheels are set in motion.  That voice says, "this way."  You lose all sense of fear.  Your heart pumps.  It's a great feeling.

I'm not sure where the voice comes from but I suspect it's something supernatural.  The more I trust it the more focus I discover in my life.  There are other voices too.  These are not the voices of your inner warrior.  They're the voices of distraction.  They come from the dark side.  They will attempt to keep you from your inner warrior.  They know that if you align with that voice from inside your soul you will become unstoppable.  These voices fear that and they will hit you with so many trials that it will make your head spin.  Focus.  Find your inner warrior and you will find your purpose.  Everything else is a distraction.  Quiet please.  You need some silence to look within and listen to your inner warrior.  Have a great day.

Diversify Your Training Portfolio

Your fitness matters.  The older I get the more I understand what my body needs to stay fit.  I like to mix it up.  Putting all your time into one sport or activity might get boring and certain body parts may get injured from over exertion.  Change your routine.  Try new activities.  Diversify your training portfolio to get maximum results.

If you don't have a training portfolio, start one today.  Get out a calendar and pick out 15 things you would like to do in the next 30 days – one new activity every two days for one month.  Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone.  Your body will thank you.  Repeat this exercise every month until the end of the year.  Have a great day.

The Take-away on Your Takeaways

Today's take-away, or main point, is about what happens when you take things away.  I'm referring to the things in your life or ideas in your mind that are blocking you from being who you really are.  This happened to me six months ago when I discovered certain foods I was eating wreaked havoc with my insides.  I removed them.  35 pounds disappeared.  My inflammation vanished.  What was left was a leaner version of myself I hadn't seen since my youth.

Here are some examples of things you might consider removing from your life:

• Grudges
• Unforgiveness
• Bad Temper
• Anxiety
• Fear
• Laziness
• Junk food
• Swear words
• Words that hurt others
• Clutter
• Pride
• Prejudice
• Resentment
• Jealousy

I have an appointment with our local water guy next week to help me with our water challenges in our home.  We've been having plumbing issues related to the high iron content in our water supply and our water guy assures me that removing the minerals from the hard water will cure all my problems with my pipes.  I'll let you know how the takeaway goes.  Have a great day.

Frugalnomics 101

Frugalnomics:  the economics of living frugally, as in making the most of your money and resources.

The one I follow is a champion frugalite.  Jesus fed 5,000 with a handful of fish and a few loaves of bread.  His clothing choices were simple and practical.  Jesus is the ultimate maximizer of human resources.  He changed the world using only twelve men most people in his time would have voted least likely to succeed.  How did he do it?  He mastered the art of teaching by example.  Here are five ideas inspired by the one I follow.   I call them Frugalnomics 101:

1. Don't be a slave to debt.  If you owe money, get out of debt fast.  
2. Pay as you go.  If you can't afford to pay cash for a car, walk.
3. Keep your diet simple.  Fish is good.  So are fruits and veggies.  Avoid processed foods – they lead to expensive health care bills later in life.
4. Buy your clothes at thrift stores.  You can look like a million bucks for just a few bucks.
5. Socialize with other frugalites.  They can help you avoid temptations and give you pointers to help you with your financial goals.

If you have any ideas you would like to share, please add your thoughts below in the comments section.  Have a great day.

Be Positive, Patient and Persistent

Want a healthy life?  There are three main ingredients.  Be positive, patient and persistent.  If you want to add a dash of secret sauce to the recipe, throw in a scoop of consistency.  This will make you unstoppable.  Never give up.  I'm cheering for you.  You know what to do – 3 P's and a C.  Every day, every time, without fail, no exceptions.  Have a great day.

Time for a Spring in Your Step

It's all about your walk.  Does is show confidence?  Happiness?  If not, concentrate on happy thoughts.  Spring is in the air (almost if you live in my neighborhood).  Show the world you are ready for anything.  This is a great time of year to add more steps to your day.  Get yourself in shape so you can tackle the big challenges in your life.  Nothing beats walking.  Get busy.  Spring into action.  Have a great day.

Benefits of a Positive Mindset

My wife tells me I don't act my age.  She's right.  I view the aging process as another opponent and I deal with it using the same proven strategy I use when confronted with challenging situations and people.  My favorite weapon is a positive mindset.  It begins with the belief that you can prevail against all odds.

Father Time may believe he's got the upper hand with me.  He's relying on historical data from the United States that puts his odds of success in the upper percentiles.  He fails to take into account what happens when his opponent refuses to play the game the same way previous generations played.  Father Time plays a short game.  He convinces his opponents to roll over too early.  Sorry.  I never acquiesce.  55 is the age where the game is just starting to get interesting.  It's the right time to push the game to its limits.  I only know one thing – I'm never going to act my age.  It's not too late to change your mindset.  Use it against any opponent, even someone as big and bad as Father Time.  In my book, you win by stalling.  Go for it.  Have a great day.