Dear Twitter Friend, @burgessdave:

It happened. It happened just last week. Those six words you talk about in your book Teach Like a Pirate under the Ask and Analyze section. Those six words that you intensely and energetically told your audience about in Brookings, SD. Those six words that you stated raises your blood pressure up about 50 notches every time you talk about them. Those six words that sound like a compliment at first…and then, WHAM, they actually discredit our years and years and years of hard work.

Last week one early morning, we were out walking and talking about eating right and exercising. One of the walkers mentioned she would not drink a glass of her favorite beverage—chocolate milk. She exercises a lot so she was told chocolate milk would be good for her after a hard workout. She said if she had one glass then she would drink the whole gallon and that gallon would make her gain weight back. We told her we believed she had better self-discipline than that. We told her that we had faith in her. Then it happened…she uttered those 6 words…It’s easy for you. You’re skinny.

At first, it sounded like a compliment.

Thank you.

Glad you think so.

Then reality hit and the thought occurred to us… Really? Are you serious? NO, it isn’t easy. It has never been easy. For the past 30 plus years, exercise has been a daily routine—early morning walks, early morning swims, early morning boot camps, late afternoon bike rides, more late afternoon walks. Easy? NO, not easy at all. Years and years of hard work and commitment and determination and perseverance are not easy. Making the decision every morning that ‘exercise is not an option’ has no correlation whatsoever to the term easy.

So, @burgessdave, it is now crystal clear why you get so fired up when you tell your story of those six words. When those six words are used against us, thanks to you, we are now better equipped to make a solid comment back. Kindly and gently but firmly, we commented “no, it is not easy for us. Whether we enjoy exercise or not, we can either choose to do it, or we can choose not to do it, and we choose to do it. Or as Yoda would say, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

Exercise is like marriage, we must commit 100% to it before we begin. We make the choice every morning to dedicate at least 60 minutes of our time to exercise. It’s not easy, but it reaps a better life style. Here’s to another 30 plus years of exercise…! ~Wendy

What’s your story? Fill in the blank and tell us about it. “It’s easy for you. You’re ____________.”

Editor’s Note: Sonya did not say this to Wendy. 🙂

Stay Calm & Lead On!
Profs Dr. C. & Dr. V.

On Monday, July 21, 2014, Wendy will turn 20,000 days old. In September of 2031, Sonya will turn 20,000 days old. No, Wendy is not her mother (although she is old enough that she could be! 🙂 ) What does 20,000 days old look like? What does 13,725 days old look like? What does living that long mean? What does the future hold? Have we made a difference in life?

Below are five thoughts that we believe could possibly accessorize your life as you move closer to and then beyond your 20,000 days:

Relationships: Building relationships, lasting relationships, will bless your life!Focus on your family and your friends and your colleagues. Do everything possible to NOT let anything come between you and those you love! Let go of any “me, me, me” mentalities! Make sure life is about others and not about you!

Wisdom: If you were asked to go back and do it all over again, would you? Not that life wasn’t enjoyable “back in the day,” but we certainly like where we have arrived! And we certainly like the fact that we are moving forward. With age comes wisdom! It is one quality that is worth the wait in gold!

Contentment: Someone once asked “I just want to stay home and watch a movie. Does that make me old?” That is not being old, people, that is being content in your circumstances! What a great place to be!

Volunteer: Volunteering to bless others will bless you ten-fold! It will make your heart swell with appreciation and gratitude. Volunteer at a nursing home. Volunteer at your local Hospice House. Volunteer to drive cancer patients to their chemo appointments. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Volunteer at an elementary school. Your heart will never be the same if you do!

Enrichment:  Relationships, wisdom, contentment, and becoming a volunteer all enhance our lives. And isn’t that what all of us want? To have a life that has made a difference? Life experiences can enrich our lives. We just need to live our life to its fullest!

Robert D. Smith wrote the book, 20000 Days and Counting. In his book he writes about “living each day as if it were your last.” We agree. Want to know when YOU reach YOUR 20,000^th day? Download the app Reminder & Countdown (Free version). It is kind of fun to watch the time tick away—heavy emphasis on “kind of.” 🙂

A favorite quote is one by Andy Rooney. He said:

“Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.”

Yup, that basically sums it up! Enjoy life, readers!! It goes by much too quickly. How did Kenny Chesney sing it? Don’t Blink!

What are some ways you have enriched your life?

Stay Calm & Lead On!
Profs Dr. C. & Dr. V.