Why I Go Public

It's pretty noticeable that as I work on my health, weight, and fitness goals I'm making it all very public. Not everyone is so open about their before and after shots and their continued progress, of course, and I don't claim that it's necessary, or even a good thing, but it is something I do and it works for me in several ways.

Here's the latest photo I posted:

The major reasons I publish photos of myself with my shirt off and with my weight and body fat numbers are:

• It helps keep me honest in my fitness journey - if I know I'm going to put up a photo monthly, that's another reason for me to stick with it.
• The support I get from family and friends is not only gratifying, it also encourages me to keep to it.
• Fairly often I get messages from people (some in person, some on social media, some on the phone or by email) that I've inspired others to make changes for better in their lives by being public with my efforts.
• I like to connect and keep in touch with people including sharing photographs of what folks are doing, so this lets me be very personal - these aren't the only types of photos I post, but probably the ones that get the most (positive) reactions.
• It's also true that as a Team Beachbody Coach I get business by being out there with my results, but that's fine with me as long as I'm open about it and not endorsing something in public while benefitting in private. So yeah, I do make money if people buy Beachbody products via my website: www.BrucetheCoach.com. I'm using (and selling) the products because they have worked so well for me and I'm healthier and stronger than I've probably ever been ... so why wouldn't I want to share that with people I care about?

So that's it. I'm out there with my photos and progress. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but as I wrote above, it works for me.

My Shakeology Videos - How I Lost Weight, Reduced Body Fat and Got Off Drugs

As many  know, Marge and I have both been having Shakeology as a meal replacement for lunch since late January this year.

As Team Beachbody Coaches we wanted to personally experience the benefits of the Beachbody's highly nutritious (and totally delicious) shake. I also wanted to lose weight and improve my overall fitness, so I was eager to start.

The results we've both experienced with Shakeology have exceeded our expectations and as we've continued to work with Team Beachbody, we've spoken with many, many customers and other coaches who've had great results as well. 


We still get some pretty basic questions about Shakeology so I made these three short videos to address the most common ones. Of course if you have more questions or want more information, contact me via phone, text message or email, or just go to my Shakeology website: www.MyShakeology.com/BrucetheCoach.

Enjoy the videos. (And please, let me me know what you think about them or make comments at the bottom of this blog.)


What is Shakeology?

My Shakeology Story:


How to Save Money with Shakeology:

So those are my videos, I hope you did enjoy them. And again, if you have more questions or want more information about Shakeology, contact me via phone, text message or email, or just go to my Shakeology website: www.MyShakeology.com/BrucetheCoach.

Thanks for watching, 

Fitness Classes in Brunswick Forest

Fitness Reporter – September 2011

Let’s Take Some Classes!

By Bruce Brown

Independent Beachbody Coach, www.BrucetheCoach.com

As I’ve written before, we’re fortunate in Brunswick Forest to have plentiful exercise and workout choices. My personal workout favorite is P90X™, which I do in my garage, but during the first two weeks of August I took a recommended two-week break between cycles of P90X and sampled three different classes at the Brunswick Forest Fitness & Wellness Center.

I attended Zumba™, Pilates, and Stretch & Relaxation classes. Zumba is my favorite, because I like to dance, but the three different classes, each offered mid morning weekdays, together give you a varied program that includes cardio, core strength building and balance, and flexibility work.

“Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez in Colombia during the 1990s. Zumba involves dance and aerobic elements. Unlike a typical dance class where counts are used, Zumba involves following the music with repetitive movements. Zumba's choreography incorporates hip-hop, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, martial arts, and some Bollywood and belly dance moves. Squats and lunges are also included.” - Wikipedia

A typical Zumba class burns 500-1,000 calories, according to www.ZumbaCalories.com.

Lorrie Gregory, the Brunswick Forest Fitness & Wellness Zumba instructor, brings a wealth of experience in dance, gymnastics, and fitness. The 60-minute class is a lot of fun. The class capacity is 25 and the three times I’ve taken it so far it’s been about full. You can wear sneakers but most people seem to wear special Zumba shoes. I’ve done it with cross-trainers and barefoot and prefer the latter. There was only one other guy in the classes I attended so far, Lorrie’s husband Steve, who also tends the music.

If you like to dance and want an enjoyable cardio experience, zoom over to the Zumba class. You don’t need to be expert, btw, so don’t let that hold you back. None of the individual Zumba moves are difficult and Lorrie and the rest of the class are cheerfully supportive.

“Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. Pilates called his method Contrology because he believed that his method uses the mind to control the muscles. Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps to not only build flexibility, but also strength, endurance, and coordination in the legs, abdominals, arms and back.” – Wikipedia

While Pilates isn’t a weight loss program, per se, according to this article, http://thinkpilates.com/pilates-exercise-and-weight-loss/ a calculator on Self.com shows a typical burn of 240-420 calories depending on the intensity of the program.

Mary Wooten is the Pilates instructor with whom I took the 60-minute classes at the Fitness & Wellness Center. Mary has loads of experience in many forms of group fitness training. As of this writing I’ve taken two classes with her that have been very different, one using a small ‘squishy’ ball during most of the exercises and one with a large exercise ball.

Mary shows plenty of modifications for different exercises and, because Pilates can be tough for beginners, she’s very attentive to and helpful with people who need it (as I did) - even after completing a full cycle of P90X I found myself referring to my “Killer Pilates” class. Most people don’t wear shoes during the class and loose clothing is also probably a good idea.

The Fitness & Wellness Center Director Brooke McCarthy teaches a 45-minute Stretch & Relaxation class once a week. A Certified Health Fitness Specialist, Brooke’s class also varied the two times I attended so far. The first time we just used mats and the second time we also used large exercise balls and bands for stretching.

Against a background of relaxing music, Brooke gently leads you through a series of full body stretches and finishes with relaxation exercises. Stretching and flexibility are important components to overall fitness and Brooke’s very pleasant class helps with both.  This is another class most people do barefoot. Also, as with the Pilates class, some folks bring their own mats, but there are plenty of mats for student use in the equipment closet so you don’t need any equipment. So don’t let shoes or gear hold you back. Anyone can do this class.

There are many other classes at the Fitness & Wellness Center, but for me, this weekly combination of two Zumba classes, two Pilates classes, and one Stretch & Relaxation class was great during my break. In fact, I liked them so much that I’m going to continue taking the classes even while I do another P90X cycle.

How and Why I Use Social Media (a work in progress)

Ok folks,

Here's the overview (a work in perpetual progress)

Why - I use social media to:

• Connect with old and current friends and contacts
• Meet new folks
• Support and promote friends, companies, and causes
• Share who I am
• Share thoughts of others I find inspiring, interesting, beautiful, or just fun
• Share my thoughts
• Help others when I can
• Promote our business(es)
• Have fun
• Connect with the collective creative universe
• 
  

What - I use social media to:

• Recognize and celebrate others' birthdays, accomplishments and successes
• Draw attention to other people's businesses and efforts
• Quote others and myself
• Show off my writing, photography, video, graphics, and overall cleverness
• Express my love for my wife and my family
• Notice questions or problems others ask or state and, if I think I have something worthwhile to share, step up.
• Be witty
• Share specific examples of foods, exercise, places, people, animals, and nature shots I enjoy.
• Share tech tips that matter to me and I think have relevance to my circles
• Mention our (Marge, myself, and our companies) events, promotions, progress, missions, purpose, and fun
• Comment, "like", and engage with others' social media posts and updates
• 
  

Where - Social media I focus on primarily include:

• Facebook
• Google+
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Also Where - I also post with varying frequency at (selectively for the same purposes above)on:

• en*theos
• 3rd Street Plaza
• my BeingBruceBrown.com blog
• our HealthyHappyHotandFit.com website/blog
• my Team Beachbody websites: BrucetheCoach.com and Shakeology.com/BrucetheCoach

When - Daily:

• en*theos
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• BeingBruceBrown.com

When - Weekly:

• YouTube

Going forward, I intend to:

• Publish minimum of 2 Youtube videos per week (cuz video rules - and it's fun!)
• Develop a checklist for FB/T/Li/G+ posts that includes:
  • workouts
  • recipes
  • ingredients of Shakeology or other nutritious foods
  • team and coach successes
  • our physical and financial successes (general)
  • specific Team Beachbody and Beachbody events, promotions, new products, news, and opportunities
  • promotion of our 31 Days books
• Develop a checklist for:
  • LinkedIn recommendations
  • Comments and 'likes' on others Facebook posts
  • Follow more blogs and actively comment (this is pretty vague right now, I realize)
  • Actively seeking comments on blog posts, and book reviews on Amazon for our 31 Days books

So that's where it is as of now, folks.

Thanks for reading. 

And I would LOVE to hear what you do now and what  you want to do more of.

Exactly What Is Business Casual?

So what is "business casual"?

Our local Team Beachbody group is having a meeting this week and I sent out a note to our team members suggesting that coaches dress business casual.

It didn't take long before the question came up, "What is business casual?"\

Ok, so of course it depends on the region of the country where you live, your profession, and the occasion you'll be attending.

Of the four images in the graphic above, only one is a safe bet. There is another that, given the context, might work, but probably it's better to be safe.

So what do you think business casual means?

How Much? How Hard? How Often?

Exercise frequency, intensity, and duration are concepts everyone really should consider. While I'm not a big fan of the word "should", preferring to use "could" instead because it implies choice and personal power, when it comes to exercise, like eating and sleeping, you should know enough about the principles of frequency, intensity, and duration that you can reap maximum benefits of exercise while protecting yourself against injury.

To continue the comparison with eating, most people know we should eat every day (frequency), that it's better to eat the proper amounts of the right kinds of food (duration), and also that it's best to have several (3-5) small meals during the day rather than one huge meal (intensity). The difference between intensity and duration may be a bit fuzzy with the food comparison, so let's switch right off to exercise.

Frequency - How often you exercise is the most important of the three factors. Bottom line, you should exercise every day. You don't need to do every type of exercise every day, but every day you really should have a plan to include some form of exercise. Certainly cardiovascular exercise and stretching are good every day. Strength-building with the same muscle groups isn't a good idea because doesn't allow time for muscles to rest, recover, and grow. If you exercise every day, no matter how long or how hard, that's the first and most important step.

Duration - Once you're in the life habit of working out every day, even if that means a 20 minute brisk walk on some days, duration is the second most important principle. How long you work out depends on many factors, certainly including other things in your life like work, family, social obligations, and rest, but for many it's too easy to skimp. Certainly 5 minutes of cardio every day is better than nothing every day, but after a short while the benefit is minimal.

So figure out how long you need to exercise and make it a priority. Unless you're a competitive athlete, whose long, frequent, hard workouts are the rule rather than the exception, you'll likely find that as you get older,  the optimum recommended amount of daily exercise increases. When I was in my 30s and 40s, an hour workout a day seemed sufficient. Now that I'm older, two hours a day just seems right for me, split into one long workout and one or two shorter sessions (remembering that as I'm defining it, a workout can be a brisk walk, not always something intense like Insanity or P90X).



Intensity - The third and certainly not the least principle in exercise planning is intensity. To continue to get benefit from exercise, as you get stronger and more fit, you have to increase the intensity, otherwise you will start to backslide - no joke, that's just the way it is. As your bodies accommodates new levels of intensity, the benefits diminish.

You also need to be moderate with increases in intensity, however, because increasing too much can be harmful. Weekend warrior-type injuries and both soft tissue (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) and hard tissue (bone) injuries can results from doing too much too soon, especially if intensity increases aren't accompanied by increase in frequency and duration.


The Sensible Combination - So the smartest, healthiest, and best combination of these three exercise principles for long term health and fitness is firrst to schedule work outs every day, next to increase the duration, and finally to gradually increase intensity. Simple, right?

Shakeology Success Stories

Shakeology is certainly working for us, but we're not the only ones.

Team Beachbody held a photo contest asking customers and coaches to "snap your success" and send in photos that show how Shakeology has changed their lives. Check out this video and see for yourself how one shake a day is making a BIG difference!

A Quick Video Look at Team Beachbody

Team Beachbody Coaching

I Finally Found Use for My Real College Major

I'm quite relieved to discover what I was really doing in the 60s! (We probably don't need to get in to a lot of detail on this point, I'm talking about college majors ... sorta.)

I was an English major and Sociology minor at the University of Connecticut. Officially, anyway. That's what it says on my transcript. However, I now realize my real major was Coffeehouse Meetings.

I may have missed a few inconveniently timed, officially scheduled classes along the way, maybe, but I was consistent, eager, and at the head of the class in attendance on my daily rounds at coffee spots in the dorm, at the student union, and at a marvelous, hanger-size basement called the Campus Restaurant (which I think never closed).

And that's what I do a whole lot in my social and work life now. I hang out in coffee houses.

I suppose back in the day I could have taken a big hint from UCONN Dean Hewes at the end of the semester in the spring of my Freshman year.

Dean Hewes said, "Bruce, if we had a major in extracurricular activities and meeting people, you'd be on the honor roll. But we don't. And you're not only NOT on the honor roll in your real major, but we're going to have to drop you from the Honors Program."

Wow, he knew what I was all about!

He was, of course trying to motivate me to fight my way back into the Honors Program, but the message I might have picked up was .... "Do what you love." Which was indeed what I did, for three more years.

And what I love to do is meet people in relaxed, congenial, convivial settings to talk about their lives, their dreams, their plans, and what's going on to move them in the directions they have chosen. And these days, as a Team Beachbody Coach, often we talk about health and fitness, of interest to just about everyone.

So what better place to hang out and meet and talk with people than in a coffee house? In the Wilmington area I spend a lot of time meeting people in Port City Javas and at times at Atlanta Bread. I like to move around (can you say "moving target"?) and along the way find new coffee places, especially independent spots where everything comes together just  right.

One of my new fav coffee places is Courthouse Coffee in the small city of Burgaw. Burgaw is also notable for its wonderful town green and friendly people, but I'm not doing a travelog here, this post is about places to drink coffee and meet people. Courthouse Coffee is the dream fulfillment of Donna Best-Klingel and her husband Barry Klingel and it's a nifty spot. They sell used books, too, which is a big draw for me, plus they have healthy food and snacks, indoor and outdoor seating, wireless Internet, and wicked good coffee. Yay.

So that's actually where I'll be this coming Friday morning, at Courthouse Coffee, 106 Courthouse Avenue in the Historic District of Downtown Burgaw. I'll be doing some post-graduate work in my college major, you see. Stop by and say "hey" if you're in the area.

Here's a link to the Courthouse Coffee Facebook page with info and directions.

And, for those who have the same major, where do you hang out?

Going Bare(foot) with Chris and Rebecca

Do you exercise with shoes on?

I always did, but thanks to a suggestion from Chris Roberts, a Wilmington area guy I met a few months ago at a networking event, I decided to try barefoot exercise and after two months I am loving it.



Chris and I were talking about P90X and he mentioned he'd done the Plyometrics workout that day. I said something about needing really good foot support for that (I usually wore some old school, highly air shocked Nikes). Chris said, no, that he always did Plyometrics as well as most other exercise barefoot.



So we talked about it a bit and I realized that dancers and gymnasts workout and perform barefoot so obviously it wasn't a totally crazy idea. So the next day I started doing my P90X  sessions barefoot.


I also recently also started taking exercise classes in our neighborhood in addition to my early morning P90X workouts. I regularly take Zumba classes and sometimes (depending on how I'm feeling from P90X) I'll take a Pilates class. The Zumba instructor and folks all wear special Zumba shoes, though some wear regular cross trainers. I thought about it and after a few classes started doing Zumba barefoot.


And I love it! I do get some funny looks and more questions about why I'm not wearing shoes and doesn't it hurt my arches and aren't I afraid of slipping. I do pay attention to the very smooth gym floor  and to that end I'm also working to toughen up the soles of my feet a bit by walking on safe rough surfaces outside a bit most  days, but I love how my feet and toes seem to be more actively involved during exercise. (Don't have as many socks to wash either, lol).


Yesterday after I got home from a Zumba class I posted about doing it barefoot on Facebook and how  another  barefoot participant was in the room. Turns out she's always been a dance exerciser and never wears shoes either. I got a fast response from another Wilmington area friend, personal trainer and kickbox instructor Rebecca Verlangieri, who commented, "I love working out barefoot. Its become a common misconception that we cannot." And then she sent me a couple of links to articles and sites that address the health and rightness of working out barefoot:

http://corefitnmotion.com/

http://movnat.com/

So thanks to Chris for waking me up to barefoot exercise and to Rebecca for added support and the web links.

I've also noticed a bunch of my friends around the country talk or write about some nearly-barefoot athletic footwear called Vibram 5 Fingers and more recently in magazine ads and on websites I've seen loads of ads for the New Balance NB Minimus line.

(Btw, I don't work for or get anything for mentioning Vibram or NB products, I just think they're interesting.)

Here's a little more about each line:

Vibram Five Fingers -

The most noticeable feature of the Vibram Five Finger line is the individual toe pieces. Here's what Vibram says, "Our revolutionary design makes feet healthier by allowing them to move more naturally and freely.
The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised." Website: www.VibramFiveFingers.com




NB Minimus -

I read somewhere that the NB Minimus line is based on the Vibram Five Finger design, but I don't know that nor does New Balance mention it. Here's what they do say, "Inspired by barefoot running and designed to be used with Good Form Running principles, NB Minimus introduces an entirely new running experience. A challenge for experienced runners. A great starting point for beginners looking to develop good form. NB Minimus offers the comfort of a running shoe in a minimal, low-to-the-ground package."
Website: http://www.shopnewbalance.com/minimus

Both companies offer men's and women's shoes in a variety of styles for different athletic or lifestyle purposes. Loads of color combinations, too.

Back in the day when I was reviewer-boy I'd get busy contacting the vendors to get some product to test and write about. Now, however, I'm hoping I can get a pair for my birthday or Christmas (hint) or may even eventually buy some myself. I'd love to try both styles, actually, but that's reviewer-boy talking. I think either would be cool to compare to barefoot exercise (and since winter's coming, even in temperate southeastern North Carolina, I don't think I'll be going barefoot outside too much). Oh, and if anyone is so inclined, I like the red and black combinations (can you tell? lol).

Getting Ready for P90X2

I'm in my fourth week of P90X. I took two weeks off after finishing the first cycle of P90X at the end of July and now I'm back at it.


I found that I started this second round a bit slowly, but now I'm fully back into it (for example, I can feel yesterday's workout a bit in my shoulders, lol).

There are many reasons I'm working P90X hard, but one of them is I want to give myself a good chance to be ready for P90X2 when it comes out later this fall.

I pre-ordered P90X2 the first day it was available (September 1st) so hopefully I'll be among the first to receive it. I know the demand is high and people who delay in pre-ordering P90X2 may need to wait till 2012 to receive it.

The other good things about pre-ordering P90X2 are:

• free shipping (saves about $40)
• your credit card isn't charged till the order ships
• as with every Beachbody product, you can return it in 30 days if it's not right for you and get your money back (except for any shipping charges)
• two extra workouts are included in pre-order versions
• weekly sweepstakes drawings from among the people who preorder - the earlier you order, the more often you're in the sweepstakes (works for me).

So now I'm off to workout again, enjoying the workout, enjoying the day, and getting ready for P90X2!

If you want  to pre-order P90X2, please feel free to visit my website, www.BrucetheCoach.com to get your order in early!

How Much Exercise Is Enough?

People often ask, "How much exercise is enough?"

If there is one answer that fits most occasions when the question is asked, it's probably this: "More than you're doing now."

Are there people who exercise 'enough'?  Most certainly yes, but they wouldn't ask the question that way. They might ask how  they can get more from their exercise time or programs but the word 'enough' as used in the opening question implies that exercise is something unpleasant that the asker wants to minimize. That's akin to someone asking, "How long to I have to eat vegetables and skip what I really like in order to get to a healthy weight?" Sometimes folks who ask these questions keep asking till they get an answer they like, whether it's valid or not."

Another question, "How much exercise is too much?"  might reveal another concern. It certainly is possible to overdo exercise, possibly at the cost of or to avoid other elements of one's life. Exercise can also be addicting, so there's a concern there as well, best measured I'd say by if exercise interferes with other elements of a healthy, happy, relatively balanced life. You run all the usual addiction tests to discover for yourself if you might be addicted to exercise, such as do you keep exercise sessions a secret from family or friends who are concerned, have you lied about exercise, have you actually tried to cut back and failed?

If someone inquires about "too much" exercise chances are others have suggested it may be an issue. As with the folks seeking just the opposite, people who exercise in excess will also keep asking till they get the answer they want and are then outfitted with justification from someone who may or may not know what they're talking about.

I have a sense of how much exercise is right for me. And it varies at times. Right now I'd say that, in addiction to living a moderately active life, about 90 to 120 minutes a day of exercise is about right for me. Now, of course, that's not all on a treadmill or spinning, or even in Zumba classes (now there's one I'd totally dig as a universal only-do-this exercise, but of course there's no such thing). But that's what's right for me now.

Perhaps in another 10 years the amount will change, possibly it will lessen, but more likely it will go up by another 30 minutes a day. Sounds like a lot, right? Of course it is, actually, but the reality is that as one hits middle age, and beyond, it takes more time and more work to get in shape and stay in shape.

You may not like the prospect of long workouts every day, and not everyone may need as much as I currently think and feel is right for me. However, faced with a choice of living a longer, healthier, happier, more vital life versus giving in to gradual declines in strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular conditioning, why not chose health?

There are lots of articles about how 15 minutes of daily cardio can vastly improve conditioning and that's true, for folks who are mostly sedentary. But then once that 15 minutes gets easy, it's time to add on some minutes and look for some strength building, flexibility work, and stretching as well.

We're used to food groups and pyramids and pie charts (tell me why a country struggling with obesity and diabetes type II uses a 'pie' chart for the new food group graphic, please?); perhaps we should develop and exercise graphic as well.(In fact, that sounds like a task for someone I know.)

For now, however, think about the question you'd most likely ask:

• "How much exercise is enough?"
• "How can I  get the most out of my exercise time?"
• "How much exercise is too much?"

What does that tell you about you?

I'd love to hear what you think is your optimal daily exercise allotment, and why.

*************  Ad ***************

And, if you're looking for a new workout, don't forget that P90X2 is coming out this fall (remember I have a vested interest in this since I sell it on my Beachbody site). Right now P90X2 is available only for pre-order in limited quantities.

If you pre-order P90X2 now  here are the advantages:

• Free shipping (saves you about $40)
• Two additional workouts included
• Shipment before December 25 (once the pre-order inventory is gone, most people won't be able to buy P90X2 until 2012).

And here's where to order it:

www.BrucetheCoach.com

Mix It Up, Baby! Multi-Plane!

Dear You,

Don't do just one thing.

Should be simple, right? Makes sense, right? 

Well, if that's the case how come some people do only one form of exercise, consistently, persistently, day after day. And in many cases, they think they're getting great exercise, all they need.

Nuh-uh, it doesn't work that way. 

In fact, if you only do one form of exercise, especially if it's single plane exercise like spinning, treadmill running, stair climbing, or working out with weight machines, even if you vary the frequency, duration, and intensity, you "Hamay strengthen one set of primary and secondary muscles just fine, but because they operate only on one plane of movement, other secondary muscle groups in particular are liable to injury.

I'm not a medical guy or a certified personal trainer  (used to be the latter, but not now), but it doesn't take much knowledge, sophistication to understand that if you only practice running forward, for example, that the muscles to run backward won't get strengthened. ("Ha!", you say, who wants to run backwards anyway? Okay, then how about moving quickly sideways, think that might be useful sometimes?)

Anyway, I  could go on and on with plenty of obvious examples, but the point is you need to mix up your workouts if you want to maintain your optimum fitness or even just to kind of stay in shape.

So not only do you need cardio (daily, please!), strength training,  flexibility, and stretching, for the best overall effect you also need to vary what you do in each of those categories, and realize, that  just because one type of cardio exercise or one weight machine may be your favorite or the most convenient, you could be fooling yourself into thinking your getting adequate workouts and, even worse, you could be setting yourself up for injury.

So mix it up, try different stuff, frequently. You're less likely to get bored, you 'll be less likely to plateau in your conditioning, you could very well have a lot more fun, AND you'll improve your overall fitness and injury prevention levels.

And don't just take my word for it, ask a real trainer or health professional.

In fitness and health,

Why It Helps to Know I Suck as a Manager and Administrator

It feels better and works better when I make the most of who I am, what I'm good at, and what I enjoy. When I try to do things I don't really dig and aren't really among my core strengths, I stumble, scrape my ego, and basically have a bad time. Even when I can actually do that "stuff that isn't really me", it doesn't come easily and it's not as effective or good for others as when I'm on my own "channel".


I recently posted the following thought:

"I soar with wings of passion when I inspire, motivate, and connect. When I try to manage others it's like breathing gravel." - Being Bruce


I was responding to some feelings, some intuitive-like sense that I needed a course correction, and even some thoughts. I was ably assisted by my wife Marge, who can "read me like a road sign".

The details don't matter a bit for this post , but the point was that I was drifting into some management and administrative tasks and found the road a little bumpy and un-fun. I was so involved that I didn't get outside myself to check myself out  (had I done so earlier, I might have realized it sooner), but Marge helped by pointing out that I just wasn't as happy as I normally am when I'm doing my thing, which is connecting with folks, sharing strong positive energy, and in some cases inspiring them to make positive change in their own lives.


For me, management and administrative tasks and roles are possible, but when I do them I'm running solely using my mind. And that causes me trouble as my mind second-guesses, seeks problems, mis-communicates, and basically performs in a substandard fashion.


When I'm connecting with people, focusing on their purpose and success, having fun by sharing enthusiasm and energy, that's when I'm most effective and when I help others (and myself) most. 


Many have said that it's important to use one's "emotional barometer" to stay on one's proper path. For me that's totally true. Roughly translated that means when something I'm doing feels bad, that means I probably shouldn't be doing it, because it's outside my true purpose. So the more quickly I recognize that and get back to feeling good about what I'm doing, the better it will be for me, and for others. 


So thanks Marge, and thanks to other valued friends and colleagues, for helping me see, once again, that managing and administering are not in my core purpose, not even close, so I can get back to what I love doing, and  live in alignment with my passions for connecting with and helping others become successful in their own lives.