Are You Hooked On Empty Calories?

Weight loss advertising is sweeping the country now more than ever before. One can hardly look at a magazine, newspaper or television show without the constant advertising of supplements or excercise machines. Why is this great phenomenon occurring? Because too many people are consuming empty calories. One of the greatest reasons that people fail on their diet plans or begin gaining weight in the first place is due to their love of “empty calories”. What are empty calories? An empty calorie is simply a calorie that comes with no other nutritional benefit. To lose weight effectively you must eat foods that provide calories with other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins. The best known empty calorie foods are sugar and alcohol. These two ingredients are found in the foods that people who are battling weight loss love to eat. The foods taste fabulous; however there is a price to pay for consuming them. They provide you with temporary satisfaction, but they contribute tremendously to obesity and other life threatening problems. Just because something taste good to you does not mean that it is good for you. To even begin to make an impact on a successful weight loss journey means ridding yourself of the empty calories as much as possible.

The empty calorie syndrome also parallels our pursuit of happiness and our significance for existence. Many people are accepting empty calories in their relationships. They search their whole life for “Mr. or Ms. Right” They want the person with all the great looks and gorgeous body and believe that is the person that can make them happy. Over time people become disappointed because that right person was all wrong for them. They accepted the empty promises that they were hoping were going to be true. They held on to that so-called special person to change their ways. They now understand that they were looking for love in all the wrong places. They sacrificed their dignity for the sex. Again, every thing that feels good isn’t always good for you. Some people fall into consuming empty calories through their careers. They figure if they can just get that dream job they will be happy and their life will be fulfilled. They find themselves climbing up the ladder of success only to discover that they climbed up the wrong building. They discovered that even their dream career could not give them the happiness they were striving for. They enjoy their job, but they do not know how to effectively handle life outside of the job. What they felt would be a nutritionally-rich job turned out to be empty calories. Some people felt that if they had enough money and could afford the finer things in life that would make them happy. They consumed themselves with empty calories. They purchased the finest clothes and had the latest name-brand material play toys. They spent the money for these items to keep up with the Joneses so that they could be head and shoulders above everybody else. On the outside they smiled, but on the inside they were crying. That found out material possessions are not what life is all about. Some people seek meaning through spirits and I’m not talking about the Holy Spirit. I learned a long time ago that everybody who’s at Happy Hour isn’t always happy. People try to escape the challenges of life through alcohol and drug abuse. It’s all empty calories. I condemn no one because I was once the biggest consumer of empty calories. I strived for significance through relationships, sex, drugs and career moves. Although some of these things provided some temporary joy it did not provide long-term happiness, purpose or peace of mind. It is my opinion that the only way to truly transform your life is through a spiritual transformation. I have found that God is the rock and foundation of my happiness. When people, loved ones and friends let you down, God is there. When your job lets you down, God is there. If you really want to avoid the temptation of consuming empty calories in your life whether it be through people or things I suggest you invest in a spiritual change. Allow your relationship with God to be the foundation of your happiness. That relationship will truly be fortified with all the nutrients that you will ever need.

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Goals versus New Years Resolutions

Greetings!

 

Now that we are in the third month of the new year many people have developed New Year resolutions in hopes that they may change a particular habit or some aspect of their behavior. At the gym that I work out at, there has been a predictable increase in the number of people who start working out at the gym. I know by now that I will probably see the new faces around for about one more month before they all begin to stop coming back to the gym. I see this phenomenon occur year after year.

 

If people make New Year resolutions why do most people fall short of achieving them? Are they just not motivated enough to succeed? Are they just too weak-minded? I believe most people are truly sincere and serious when they develop New Year resolutions. The problem is simply this, just because you say you want to change does not mean you will. It is not enough to want to change. That is called wishful thinking. In order to truly make a change in your life you must have compelling reasons why you should do so. People fall short of achieving their resolutions because there is not enough passion and purpose in wanting to succeed. They have also not calculated the sacrifice that comes with the cost of thier resolutions. The first sign of adversity comes along and people are ready to give up on their aspirations.

 

I am a messenger of positive and successful living. I am a strong advocate of setting goals. In order to succeed in meeting your goals you must be real with yourself and determine whether or not a particular goal is truly worth going after and are you prepared to pay the price to make it happen. First, you must WRITE your goals down on paper. This is one of the most important aspects of establishing and achieving your goals in life. We live in an age where we are constantly filtering information in our minds throughout the course of the day. There are too many things to remember, too many deadlines to meet, too many errands to run. All this “stuff” can become very distracting and can easily take your focus off of your goals. That’s why it is important to write them down on paper so that you can constantly remind yourself of your course of direction, despite the constant distractions you will encounter. Writing your goals down helps to increase your focus. Without focus we can easily get side tracked and knocked off course.

 

Once you have established your goals, you must determine if they are worth achieving. You must determine if it is worth paying the price for the success of your goals. You can do this by asking and writing down your answers to the following five questions: 1. How will I benefit from this goal? (There has to be something in it for you.) 2. Will this goal benefit others? (If others cannot benefit from your success it is not a goal worth having.) 3. How can I reach my goal? (Make a realistic assessment of how you can accomplish reaching your goal.) 4. Where can I get information and guidance? (Who or where will your competent sources come from?) 5. Date you intend to complete accomplishing your goal? (You must have a target date for reaching your goal.)

 

If you can answer all five questions with confidence and conviction then your goal is worth going for. The answers that you come up with will sustain you and keep you motivated during the tough times. Your answers are the reasons you will remain encouraged even when you may want to give up. They are the reasons why you will NOT give up. That is the difference between setting goals and setting New Year resolutions.

 

Once you have established what goals you want to achieve, the process to reach them must contain three requirements. Your goals must be specific, realistic, and measurable. Try out the format mentioned in this article and I am confident that you will find the necessary reasons to succeed at achieving your goals. May 2009 be your best year yet!

 

DeWayne Owens and Doug Parker, CEO of RMCN, Credit Services, Inc.

DeWayne Owens training employees of RMCN, Credit Services, Inc.

DeWayne Owens training on "Goal Setting"

 

 

 

 

 

 

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