Sometimes it's a matter of baby steps

Making changes in life doesn't mean you need to jump in with both feet. Granted, that can be the most effective method if you want big changes and you want them NOW.

I heard an analogy once comparing taking on a large task to having to eat a frog. Usually the story is told if the task is particularly onerous, implying that eating a frog would be something rather repulsive. You are asked to consider the task at hand as if it were the frog. You may not want to do the task, but you know you'll benefit from it in the end. So the question is asked, if you are forced to eat a frog, do you want to do it a little bite at a time, thereby extending the unpleasant experience; or would you rather shove the whole thing in your mouth, munch it up and swallow, getting it over with quickly.

Personally, I've never tried eating a whole frog. I think I'd have a problem with the bulging eyes. Frog legs are different matter. I've had them once. If you haven't, image tiny little drumsticks. You can hold them by one end, stick the rest in your mouth and slurp the meat right off them. Sort of like a frog-cicle. Of course I don't have to tell you that it tastes like chicken. Doesn't everything that's out of the ordinary? Alligator? Oh, that tastes like chicken. Rattlesnake? Yup, definitely tastes like chicken. KFC? Okay, you got me there. Tastes more like grease than anything else.

But I think you can change your life without eating the whole frog. Sometimes, it's a matter of baby steps.

In my last blog I noted that I'd launched a home-based business. It's been fun so far. Imagine being the only guy in a room full of women who want to get their hands on your tools. No, it's not that kind of business. Get your mind out of the gutter. Though I know some women are having a lot of success with those type of home-party businesses.

I've started a Pampered Chef business. There are not a lot of guys doing this, but those who are seem to be having success. I intend to join them. The objective is generate additional income that can be applied to my retirement plan and goals. I've done two shows so far and it's been a lot of fun. I try to make my approach a little different. I strive for audience participation, so I have 'volunteers' come up and help with food preparation. Food and fun is my objective. So for a few hours work, I made a couple of hundred dollars in profit. That's being invested back into the business.

Other changes are underway. I belong to a Toastmasters club here in Lethbridge. I missed a lot of meetings over the summer, but I'm getting back into the swing of things now. I'm embarassed to admit that I've only completed one speech and have taken steps to rectify that. And these are baby steps. I've entered the Table Topics competition that takes place Oct. 3. I'm competing against five other members. The format is simple. All of the contestant leave the room. Each returns individually and is given the same topic, unknown to anyone until they hear it for the first time. You then have two minutes to speak to that subject. What's really fun is if you don't know a thing about the topic and have to wing it.

I've also entered the humourous speech contest that takes place Oct. 10. That's a prepared 5-7 minute speech of my own creation that should be, logically, humourous. After that I've scheduled myself for two more speeches in October. That will get me up to four completed speeches.

On the weekend I picked up application information for the Y. The men's club membership looks pretty good. Access to the steamroom and private hot tub. Exercise bikes, a lounge and a TV. Yup, sounds good to me.

I'll be checking that out pretty quickly and sharing the experience right here at the Life of Bly.

Time for a life makeover

I'm not living the life I want.

Maybe that's a sad thing to realize, but it's better to realize it now than 20 years in the future. I'm a middle-aged guy with a decent job and an average family. At 50, I'm working as the Manager of Communications and Marketing for a mid-sized college in Alberta. I've been married for 26 years. I have three children and one grandchild, with a second on the way.

My eldest son, daughter-in-law and grandson live in my basement. My middle child is attending university. My youngest, my daughter, moved out when she was 16. She dropped out of high school, moved in with her boyfriend and is now pregnant.

I'm overweight. My hair is turning grey. I'm earning a decent income, but I'm still living paycheque to paycheque. (Please note: it is cheque, not check. As a Canadian, I try to stick with the British spellings. They seem classier.) I'm nervous about my retirement as I have very little set aside for it.

I drive a minivan, for God's sake! A 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. It's windshield is cracked and it came out the loser in a parking lot war I did not witness.

I enjoy the occasional beer and glass of wine. I don't smoke and I've never done drugs.

Throughout my life, I've done little of great consequence. I've been content to let life take me where it will and have done little to actually guide it in a direction of choice. That's about to change. And I'm going to track my changes with this blog. The good, the bad and the ugly out there for all to see.

Why do something like that? A few reasons, actually.

I'm a procrastinator. Without some form of accountability, I'll keep putting things off. Writing a blog will help keep me honest and help keep me on track.

Inspiration. Perhaps I can inspire others to start tackling life now before it gets away from them completely. Don't like the way things are going in your life? Take charge of it now. Start researching how it can be different. Set some realistic goals and actually go after them. Not exactly earth-shattering advice. But it's what I'm going to do and it's really the only answer to breaking from a life you're not enjoying.

Let's face it. Life is what you make of it. You can either sit around and moan and groan or you can actually do something about. That's what I've chosen to do. Yes, I imagine this will be a little embarassing, but I expect it will be good for me as well.

Things I plan to achieve and share through this blog:

Physical makeover. I'm going to lose weight and shape up, finally. At this writing, I weight 194 lbs. I've been heavier, and I'm not proud of that. I'm 5' 9" tall and have a smaller bone structure for a guy. My goal is to get down to 170 lbs. I'm going to attempt to accomplish this through exercise and watching what I eat. I'm not going on some weird diet, just controlling portions and content. I will likely follow the 90/10 weightloss plan. It involves eating regular food proportioned to fit within an overall daily caloric intake. The '90' refers to eating 90 per cent healthy food. The '10' is the guilty food stuff. A special little snack allowed each day.

I am also going to join the YMCA and workout on a regular basis. I'm going to check out working with a personal trainer for a bit to get started. I have to be careful due to a back issue I have, but I know I can still do what I have to do to succeed.

Financially, I know I need to take action and take it now. I'm currently reading 'Start Late, Finish Rich' by David Bach. One of the things Bach stresses is that those starting later in life need to save and invest faster. Makes sense. In answer to the question, how can one invest money when living paycheque to paycheque?, Bach suggests looking at the 'latte' factor in life. Simply put, how much money to you waste each month without even realizing it? Five dollars here and there adds up.

He also suggests continuing to work at your job while building business on the side. On of the ways to accomplish this is through direct sales. In other words, becoming a consultant for a reputable company and working this as your own business. I've dabbled in the past. Now I'm getting serious.

Recently, I've decided to combine my interest in cooking and gadgets together to start a Pampered Chef business. I've had two shows so far. They've been fun and profitable. My plan is to use profits from PC to pursue investments and self-education in that area through another opportunity that I'll get to in time.

I'm also planning to grow spiritually. In my life I've gone from being an atheist to belonging to a fundamentalist Christian church to where I am now. And that's somewhere in the middle. I see a lot wrong with organized religion and I don't believe in the literal biblical interpretation of God. I say I am spiritual, but not religious. To me, God is not a separate entity waiting to reward or punish humanity according to his/her whims. God is a positive creative energy found within every one of us. That's the direction I will explore.

There are also personal areas I intend to examine, some of which I'll share here, others will remain private. So stay tuned for the Life of Bly - The good, the bad and the ugly.