Aug 14 2008

What Are Your Motives?

Tag: Fitness — Mike @ 6:53 pm

I think that most of us are pretty lousy judges of our motives, and those of others, and of our desires. It’s not that we don’t have good motives and desires, it’s that we don’t really know what they are.

Here are a couple of examples from my own life. As I walked down the hall to my room in a treatment center in 1983, where I was to spend the next 28 days, I thought for sure that my life was over. I thought I was going to live a miserable existence from that day forward because I had to drink to be happy. I actually learned that I could become a wholly happy person without alcohol. I was wrong about what would make me happy. When I was entering the BFL contests, I always wanted to win the jacket, the symbol of that great award. Today, the jacket just hangs in a closet. It’s nice, and I like it, but by itself it doesn’t make me happy at all. In fact, what makes me truly happy is speaking and working with people about body for life. Again, I really missed understanding what truly satisfies me.

And, as far as motives, those things that make us tick, and make us do things, I am probably no better judge of my true motives than I am of yours.  That worries me. In fact, it is why I do certain things so I don’t have to worry about my own motives.

I do something “nice” for somebody at least weekly and don’t tell anyone. It can be giving money, by putting it where they’ll find it, or just doing a task for them without them knowing who did it, but it has to cost me something. Compliments are no substitute for working the universal law of reciprocation. I do this so that I will remember that true joy comes from having pure motives, motives that can only benefit another in a material way, and that actually cost me something. The other thing I do regularly is examine myself. I write down my failings and shortcomings; I keep short accounts–quickly apologizing where I may have offended another; and I write down other ways I have fallen short. I spend time in prayer, and I try to encourage others. This helps, because if I still somehow form a selfish motive inconsistent with what I force myself to practice, I’m sometimes able to see it coming, and nip it in the bud.

I think that to the extent we do not know our true motives, we are handicapped in our abilities to be effective in this great society. We can also encounter sudden and strong feelings that throw us off when something unexpected happens if we are not aware of our motives and desires. Every year, when the BFL champions are announced, many noble and dedicated contenders are shocked to find out just how depressed and upset they are  when they are passed over as champions. They are shocked because they failed to read their true motives and desires, not because they are petty or evil in any sense. If we have some understanding of what really makes us tick, then we are usually far more effective in helping those around us. That, after all, is the best reason in the world to transform–in order to help transform the rest of the world!

The finishing of a challenge, and the announcement of champions, should be a source of joy for all of us. When failure to truly know ourselves causes us to nosedive at that news, we have shortchanged ourselves. I hope this encourages all of us to work on ourselves–to do things for others without getting caught, and to examine our actions in light of our perceived motives. We’ll all be happier if we do–and far more effective as transformers as well.

Aug 14 2008

What’s Your Capacity?

Tag: Fitness — Mike @ 6:24 am
Title: What is Your Capacity?
Description:I used to do legal work for companies that built nuclear-fueled, electric generating plants in this country, and one of the things we were always dealing with as we worked with regulatory agencies was “capacity.” Because these plants were extremely expensive, the regulators had to determine not only whether the proposed plant had enough capacity to warrant its expenses, but also how it would affect the capacity of the entire interconnected electrical system. An electrical power grid has to have built in some capacity beyond its normal “peak use” of power, or else it will not be able to meet customer needs as emergencies arise. The consequences of failure to do that are referred to in the papers as “brownouts” or in rare cases “blackouts.”

A personal transformation shares some of the characteristics of that system I just described above. Done right, a transformation will allow you to increase your capacity or “reserves” of strength, stamina, immune system resistance, and even emotional stability. AND, your extra strength, stamina and increased physical and emotional health will contribute significantly to the overall capacity of the organizations you are involved in. Your family, your work groups, your church, and any social organizations will benefit from your desire and willingess to contribute at higher levels than before.

On a personal level, other things will happen. You’ll see less of doctors, pharmacists and rehab specialists, as you will be ill less often, recover more quickly, and will avoid injuries that used to befall you. These sound like extravagant promises, but they are the clear experiences of employees who did transformations in companies that offered them as part of employee wellness programs.

So, as hard as it is to imagine right now, in the midst of all this confusing and difficult activity called a transformation, one day your life, and the lives of many others, will be more constant, predictable, useful and enjoyable than they used to be–all because you decided to change your mind, change your body, and change your LIFE!