Don’t staple me bro!

In the 1980′s, Smith Barney, a financial services company, would run a commercial on TV featuring actor John Houseman.  John always ended the spot with his almost whispering raspy voice and the phrase, “We make our money the old-fashioned way.  We earn it.”  I can hear him in my mind even now repeating these lines.  I was living out my teenage years at the time, but I still thought this little phrase sounded cool.  At the same time it always left me a bit confused.  The pithy little saying implied that there were more ways than one to make money.  Maybe I was just a really naive teenager, but when this commercial was running I didn’t realize there was an alternative to going out, getting a job, and working hard to make money. [Read more...]

From the very beginning of this blog I’ve told you that you should allow your mind to rest once a week and have a cheat meal.  Eating healthy all week can be taxing, especially if you’ve just recently started a healthy eating plan.  It’s a different way of life and for some, like me, it can be a drastic change with numerous hurdles to overcome.  I’m just saying that I know it can be very hard.  I still believe that a cheat meal once a week is a VERY GOOD thing!  I think it’s good for your mind and I think it’s good for your body. [Read more...]

I know the overwhelming sense of urgency that people feel when they decide they want to lose weight.  When this feeling comes over a person there is only one thing on their mind: [Read more...]

If you’re anything at all like me in the way you think, then maybe this little bit of advice will be of big use to you.  My brain doesn’t like to think long term.  This is probably a weakness and strength depending on the subject matter.  When it comes to financial planning I have no doubt that long term thinking is very important.  But I think my brain was onto something when it rejected long term planning for fat loss.  My brain, all on its own, understood me better than I did.  It’s probably more honest to say that I simply don’t like thinking long term in general.  It’s something I have to force myself to do.  But with fat loss I’ve learned to live in the here and now. [Read more...]

Josiah hugging a bowling ball with a beard

The following sentence will give you a little insight into my nature.  I’m certain that I’ve written about this subject in another post, but I’m not even close to going back and looking for it in order to direct you to it, so I’ve decided to do a partial reboot here.  Quite a number of you have emailed me over the last few months with very kind words, but almost without exception you’ve all ended your emails with a variation of this question, “Michael, how did you do it?”  Well, I’m going to start that story today.  I will not get it all in a single post.  Actually, if I could get it all in one post I still wouldn’t.  There is a part of me that wants to reflect on the story as I tell it and if I move too fast then I lose some of the personal benefit and that’s something I don’t want to do.  When the time comes for you to tell your story you should take your time as well.  There is some real encouragement that you can give yourself by simply going back and re-living a story like this one.  With that said I’m going to give this out in small doses and let you chew on it a little at a time. [Read more...]