The Spark

The Spark

What motivates us to be our best, to be the person we are meant to be? What is it that brings us joy and fulfillment?

When life becomes dull or routine, take a moment to think and look inward.  Think of the times you felt most alive, you were energized, moving toward a goal, and content in your life. Our passion is something we typically enjoy doing, comes naturally to us, is something we can share, and where we choose to spend our time. 

Nurturing that passion, using that talent is the spark to an enjoyable, satisfying life.  Spend your time there.  Let that spark create a burning desire inside you to create the life you want.  

The spark begins by doing.  Planning and learning is great, but we must begin now by acting. Whatever the endeavor take the small step of doing.  Write that first word, play the first note, take the first swing and build from there. 

My goal of wellness and health can include reading books, articles, and learning all about exercise and nutrition. But the path to optimal health requires doing, requires that first step called exercise, movement, beginning.  The power is in the doing. 

Give yourself that spark to reignite the fire and passion within you, it's there waiting to burn with desire.

With Love,

Coach K

Being A Dad - A Life Well Lived

Being A Dad

A good friend of mine's father passed away last week at the age of 82.  As we sat at the service and listened to his children speak about his life and accomplishments, it was really moving and I thought this should be required material for every person that wants to become a parent. 

Lee had served his country and raised multiple children, worked hard his entire life and gave back to his community.  He wasn't focused on big houses, fancy cars, or shiny new toys.  He had more important things to attend to, what are they you ask?  

Being a Dad.  Just being there day in and day out for his family. The daily grind is the hard part, the getting up every day to work, taking care of the house, taking care of the cars, teaching the children, meeting your responsibilities.  Being there for your wife and children when times get rough.  Picking them up when they fall down, disciplining them when they're wrong.  Showing them the right way to do things, and letting them see your flaws. 

Mundane perhaps, demanding at times, essential absolutely.  

Being without my father for much of my life, it really hit me how successful Lee truly was.  And now as father myself that has raised three children, you look back and think of all the things you may have accomplished in this life and nothing comes remotely close to raising independent, self sufficient, well adjusted children.  Simply good loving kids!

In our society today when it seems everything is so temporary and fleeting, fatherhood and motherhood seem to take on those characteristics at times also. 

Being a good father or good mother serves another extremely important role beyond that of one's own family, it helps other future parents understand what a good father or mother is supposed to be, how they carry themselves, how they act, how they live. 

Good families are the foundation of good societies.  

God Bless Lee! 

And thanks from all of us for showing us how to be an outstanding Dad.

With Love,

Coach K

Allergies - Cocunut Oil & Local Honey

Coconut Oil & Raw Honey - Allergies

It's that time of year again on the Eastern Coast of the United States, Spring is springing! For all you allergy sufferers out there, there is hope and a natural way to help beat the pollen. Many people have used saline nasal rinses with success, but few know about the power of coconut oil and local raw honey.

Coconut oil is an anti fungal and antibacterial.  Simply swabbing your nostrils with coconut oil will help with your allergies and stuffiness, try also massaging around your eyes since it makes a great moisturizer.  

Local raw honey is also supposed to help with the pollen.  Trying adding some to your diet, it's an excellent substitute for sugar and is packed with good nutrition. The thinking goes that since the bees pollinate the flowers and make the honey, that the local raw honey (unheated) acts as a antidote to the pollen. The honey should be local since it's made by the same bee that are pollinating your flower. 

So next time you want to reach for those allergy pills, stop and try a $5 jar of coconut oil and a good jar of local raw honey. 

To your health,

Coach K

Charisma

Charisma

Charisma is the beautiful Greek word meaning favored or gifted with grace.  My simple definition is likable and friendly. Cool.  Charisma is often hard to define, similar to "coolness" many people either have it or they don't. People with charisma attract others and are often leaders.  

With this raucous election season, and looking back on past elections you can see a connection between voters and charisma.  Not always, but in most instances try and determine who is the more likable candidate. You will find that person usually ends up winning. 

Charisma comes naturally to some folks while others can develop the trait by being self effacing, generous, and humble.  Leaders place others before themselves, have a genuine interest in helping their teams achieve and grow, and are invested in their success.

A little kindness, more listening, and a smile go along way to creating our own personal charisma.

With Love,

Coach K

How Do You See Yourself

What's Your Name

No, not the Lynyrd Skynrd song!

How do you see yourself?  What's your name.  Our labels are important, how we view ourselves is important to our self esteem.  How we see ourselves drives our behavior. 

If you see yourself as an athlete, you exercise, eat right, and take care of your body and mind.  The important thing is not whether you are a world class athlete or simply a weekend warrior that walks in the park or plays with the grandkids.  The key is to give yourself an empowering label and let it help motivate and move you forward to a better you.

We all have strengths and weaknesses, and many of us wallow in the things we do wrong or compare ourselves unrealistically to the phony images we see in the media.   

Choose a label that empowers and propels you forward.  Give yourself an inspiring title such as graduate, artist, professional, mom, dad, volunteer, inventor, author, philanthropist, or champion.  Again, cut yourself some slack and let your imagination run.  

See yourself as the person you want to be, don't beat yourself up or get stuck with where you are now. 

See yourself as the limitless, divine being, that has the ability to accomplish and achieve anything you want. 

Start with your name and make it empowering. 

With Love,

Coach K

The Blender

Blender

Eating well is so important and easy to our health and well being that we need to find ways to make it a priority and habit.  Took me a long time, too long to figure it out but I found an easy, convenient, way to eat better without the fuss and expense. 

The Blender. 

I buy the veggies at Produce Junction, cheap and good.  A bag of beets, carrots, spinach, garlic, kale, apples, lemons,and onions or whatever else comes to mind.  You get these foods for $20 bucks. Simply rinse the veggies and throw them in a blender.  Not too much cutting or chopping, throw the entire beet or spinach into the blender and drink it.  Yes, with the chunks and bit floating in the glass. Yuck!  

I know.  But your palette will adjust, a glass of beet or carrot juice is naturally sweet, yes it really is, and so good for you.  Spinach juice is so green and nutritious.  Soon you will be chugging this healthy juice and feeling better, maybe loosing the high blood pressure and cholesterol meds.  

Vegetables have the power to heal you, to cure you but we must do our part.  These meds while at times helpful comes with toxic side affects and are expensive.  A beet can lower you blood pressure, improve your circulation, and provide beneficial nitrates that provide more energy than caffeine, and cost practically nothing. 

You don't need an expensive juice or spend two hours cleaning it after juicing.  Throw it in the $20 blender and drink the whole thing.  Simple, easy, and inexpensive. 

Heal Yourself.  And start with the blender.

To Your Health,

Coach K

Making a Life

Making a Life

Winston Churchill once said we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.  For most of the first question we ask is what's in it for me, how much will I make?  Me, Me, Me.  More, more, more.

But there is another way, my man Zig Ziglar once said,

"You can get anything you want, if you just help enough people get what they want"

When we approach life from the concept of How May I Serve every thing we need comes to us. Perhaps not on our timetable or in the manner we expect,  but in some way better and bigger than we thought possible.  Churchill single handedly stood up to Germany during World War II while begging for help from U.S., and while London was being bombed to smithereens, he stood firm unwilling to surrender.  And after the allied victory and Churchill being championed as a hero, the people of England voted him out of office! That's gratitude for you.  From high to low, Churchill still goes down as one of England's greatest heroes.

Think back on your achievements and accomplishments what are the things you remember and are proud of, is it the new car, the nice house probably not.  The shiny baubles fade away.  The lasting moments of our lives, are the people we've helped, the good deeds done without fanfare or recognition.

Helping someone down on their luck, lending a hand to someone in need, or a simple smile or glance to a stranger on the street letting them know that they are not alone.

Many times our greatest accomplishment is simply doing our duty and raising our families, being there for the kids, the wives, and husbands.  Paying the bills, doing the wash, cutting the grass, going to the games, shuttling the lovebirds all over the place.

Sacrificing our wants and desires for the benefit of of others.

Very hard.  Very powerful.

With Love,

Coach K