Hopefully you all know what my P.E.A.C.E. acrostic stands for.  Many years ago I simplified (for myself) what I thought were the most important activities involved in leading a successful life.  The EagleLaunch definition of a successful life is; “a continuous journey of setting and attaining worthwhile goals that will positively impact your life as well as the world around you.”

I believe in having a Plan, putting forth productive Effort, with an effective Attitude, with a willingness to be helped and to be of help to the Community of people we surround ourselves with; all while taking care of our spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of our being in order to have the Energy required to effectively carry out our plans.

Since I started this blog four years ago, you may recall how I often refer to my morning devotion time.  My morning devotion time involves my quiet time with God where I talk to God (pray) and he talks to me (through his scripture) and then I reflect on my day ahead as well as my roles and responsibilities.  It is during my morning time where I take a look at my goals and reflect on how I am doing.  Then I place everything in God’s hands and go off and hopefully do his business through me.

It is during my morning devotion time where P.E.A.C.E. comes alive for me.  It is where I ask God to live in all aspects of my P.E.A.C.E. acrostic.

We are starting our fourth week of 2012.  Maybe you are losing your edge in staying on top of your goals you set for the new year.  Try gaining the edge back by taking time to talk with God about your goals (sounds corny but it works).

God wants us to seek his help, he wants us to gain an edge so we can share with others where we get our edge from.

Thus, one of the primary purposes of my blog.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch

Psalms 121:2, “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

(This is a continuation of “Yes or No”)

A phrase I often say to myself is “the only thing separating success from failure is a plan reduced to writing.”

Although having my priorities straight and in agreement is a huge part of keeping commitments to myself, the difference between 100% follow-through often lies in whether or not I have a plan.  Having a plan requires the discipline to sit down and “do it” and as I’ve mentioned before, many of us in recovery are not real disciplined.

After 24 years of putting a plan to my priorities, I can tell you it works and it is not rocket science.  It simply entails writing down what your commitments are and then on Sunday noting the things you need to do throughout the week in order to follow through on your commitments (goals/plan) and then each evening writing down tasks for the next day while reviewing your successes and failures.  The  final step and a huge step is to submit your plans to God…“Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.”  Proverbs 16:3 (NKJV)

One thing to note when submitting your plans to God is don’t sit around waiting for the answer (i.e. procrastinating), most of the time the answer comes through action

If you read my previous blog on let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no” I believe you will agree with me that the difference between yes and/or no and maybe is a plan.

In order to K.I.S.S. the last couple of blogs…Prioritize–> Plan–> Place the plan in God’s hands–> Execute–>Review–>Continue the process.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

Anyway, some of my blog topics I didn’t write about the past 10 days:

• Why do some get to go to heaven and the rest of us have to experience the pain from his or her departure from earth?
• Heaven; both man’s view and the biblical view.
• What I would like my funeral to be like whether it be next week or in another 50 years.
• The fact we should live our life in anticipation of eternal life and not death (i.e. there is no eternity without death).
• I would like to know who started the “great assumption” that life is supposed to be fair.

(All of these blog topic-thoughts are by-products of the sudden death of my friend Skip as well as the sudden death of a good friend of mine’s Mom.)

So what is this particular blog about?

It’s about the 10th verse from the 4th chapter of the book of James, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

If you want to know the key to handling all of the crap life may throw at you, it is found in the words of James 4:10.

Or if you want to know the key to handling the blessings God throws your way, it too is found in the words of James 4:10.

Humbling myself before the Lord is the act of surrendering and letting God know-I know-I am not God, and He is.  The by-product of this simple act is being lifted up and filled with the strength to handle the curve balls of life and/or the ability to humbly acknowledge the creator of the blessings of life.

Whatever the case, the more we humble ourselves to the Lord the less control our life circumstances will have over our attitude and outlook upon life.  Let me repeat…the more we humble ourselves to the Lord the less control our life circumstances will have over our attitude and outlook upon life. People, places, things, past experiences, resentments, jealousies, abuse, pain, guilt, shame, addiction, failures, losses, ego, successes…none of this has dominion over God’s power unless, of course we allow it to.

To simplify this even more:

• When bad things happen we need to get on our knees and say “help me Lord.”
• When good things happen we need to get on our knees and say “thank you Lord.”
• AND before anything happens we need to get on our knees and say “lift me up and lead me Lord.”

Whether you hit your knees or not is not as important as humbly submitting yourself to the One who has all power.  The creator of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2).

On the flip side of this coin is the devil…ever patient and always trying to convince us God is behind the bad stuff that happens in our life and we are behind the good stuff that happens in our life.

…if you have a Bible I encourage you to read the entire chapter of James 4…and get lifted up.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

I was working with a client I am coaching last evening and he shared an acronym with me:  FEAR=False Expectations Appearing Real. 

Nothing leads to defeat or a life of average to less than average more than fear.  Fear is of the devil and the devil will do everything in his power to get someone to fail.

As a lifelong  jock I’ve had the opportunity to feel and deal with jitters.  The jitters is a pre-competition feeling that takes place physically inside the body.  You know what I’m talking about, a strange feeling shows up in your stomach, and often the bathroom becomes your friend on “game day.”  But once the competition begins, the jitters turn into adrenaline and off to the races you go.

We all have jitters and they can be dealt with, but the difference between great performances and poor performances often resides between our ears.  When jitters turn into fear, we begin to produce negative thoughts and there is nothing more paralyzing in the world than negative thoughts. 

How many times have you walked into a room full of people and prior to walking in, you felt the jitters?  And then before you even take a step into the room the jitters begin to inhabit your brain and fear sets in?  You begin to think less of yourself and more of others.  And as you walk into the room, people you don’t even know become your “enemies” because they didn’t look at you the right way and then you “freeze” on that particular moment and the entire evening is ruined.  Take the same jitter to fear to paralysis scenario from above and apply it to your job, your sport as an athlete, your responsibility as a Mom or Dad…whatever causes you to have jitters.  How often does it turn into a False Expectation Appearing Real?

I know a ton of Christians that profess Philippians 4:13 as their signature verse, yet they walk around in fear.  Thoughts like “he or she is out to get me,”  “I’ve always been a failure,”  “I sure wish I had his or her courage,” constantly inhabit their brain space.  They like the verse in Philippians and they really want it to happen, but they do not put it to work.  Jesus beats the devil everyday of the week if we call upon Him. 

Over the years I’ve had my fair share of public speaking engagements and prior to any of these I always have the jitters. but I replace the jitters with the strength God affords me through Jesus as I say “Lord let my words be Your words for I know I can do anything through You.”  He’s never let me down.

What False Expectation Appearing Real is holding you back today?  Name it and ask God continuously to replace it with courage and strength (read Joshua 1:9) and you will be amazed at how you suddenly begin to effectively handle situations the devil once caused you to become paralyzed over.

Jitters are tolerable and all a part of “it,” fear is disabling.

P.E.A.C.E. 

jay@eaglelaunch.com

My August 4, 2011 Thought For The Week; “A person in constant conflict with others is a person in constant conflict with himself,” came to me as I was observing some Facebook posts the other night.  I love Facebook and try to use it as a medium to keep up with family and friends and to also share positive messages with others.  One of my pet peaves of Facebook is when people air their “crap” to the world and take cheap shots at others.  Of course in the grand scheme of things doing that is no different than people airing their “crap” about other people secretly behind other people’s backs.

I used to get into crap stirring and was pretty good at it.  But, like you’ve heard me tell the story; when you are 28 and 1/2 years old going through horrible withdrawals in a drug treatment center from an opiate and barbiturate addiction and facing several felonies, and the only future you see for yourself is the hope of spending minimal time in a minimal security prison and you realize your decisions have caused you to lose almost everything you’ve worked for…well…you quit worrying about peoples’ crap and you begin to look much more deeply inside yourself and lo and behold you find you are so full of CRAP that any time spent getting into other people’s crap only lends to adding more dung to your pile.  Dang I wish they would have let me write this way in high school English .  But it is the absolute truth!

People who are in constant conflict with others are in constant conflict with themselves.

This is why I love the 12 Steps and the 12 Step community.  When you read the scripture verses above, ask yourself, “am I doing this or am I at least trying to do this?”  If the answer is yes, good for you.  If the answer is no, it is time to get to work.

When I decided to follow Jesus back in late August of 1987 while sitting alone late at night in Greene Hall Chemical Dependency Center I was anticipating an instant change and a miracle and it didn’t happen.  You see I had accumulated so much crap over the years that it was totally covering the light (Jesus) inside of me.  Jesus was in there but it was up to me to find him.  So I began using the 12 Steps as my “crap digger” and slowly but surely things started to change.  I can remember going to AA meetings every day for almost 3 years.  My AA meetings served as another form of digging through my crap and I cannot tell you how many times someone would say something, and they probably had said it a dozen times before, but because my pile of crap was getting smaller, I could finally hear it.  Sayings like, “live and let live,” “let go and let God,” “we’ll love you until you can love yourself.”  But my favorites were:  How important really is it? and GET OVER IT!

People…yes I am talking to my blog readers…life is too short to be in constant conflict!  I know today that at the center of every conflict I am in (oh yeah I still have my moments) is ME!  Let me repeat that…at the center of every conflict I am in–is ME.  You’ll know you are starting to get with the program when you are able to admit you are the problem and begin speaking phrases to yourself like “How important really is it? and Get over it!”  These phrases along with the 12 Steps, meetings and the help of others create a great crap cleanup system that will eventually take you to that place in Colossians 3:14, “Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity,” more than you ever thought possible.

Take a few minutes to sit back, relax, reflect, enjoy and watch this video that says it all.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p8qxGbpOk

it’s easy…but some of us are so darn complicated

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

A couple of my blog followers have contacted me wondering if I am still alive as it’s been almost two weeks since my last blog. 

I am still alive and feeling pretty relieved right now.  Over the last couple of weeks I have poured all of my writing energies into finishing my devotional book I’ve been working on for the last 18 months.  The rewrite is complete so now (hopefully) we are down to getting everything proofed, refined, tweaked and in place for a fall or winter publication. 

On Monday I begin a new season in my life with Aileron.  If you haven’t heard about Aileron check out www.aileron.org.  I’ve been facilitating some of Aileron’s management courses over the past 12 months and now I am about to take on more responsibility.  Aileron is an unbelievable resource for entrepreneurs and small businesses and is a real blessing for the Dayton area as well as the United States. I totally agree with a quote Aileron’s founder, Clay Mathile, made in a recent CNN Money article; “Entrepreneurs can solve almost all the problems we have in this country and the world. It’s just that they have to be allowed and afforded the opportunity.”  Needless to say I am excited about this new season in my life as I love helping others maximize their God-given talents.

Back to my book…it will be a year ago tomorrow that I received my final email from my buddy Brandon Haskins, a partner at Clay Bridges Publishing.  He was informing me I had one week to get my rough draft manuscript to him and his partner Melissa.  Little did I know, less than three hours later, Brandon’s life would tragically end.  Very seldom does a day go by that I don’t think about Brandon and his family.  The thoughts quickly go from “dang it” to “do it.”  In other words life is so darn short…don’t ever get up thinking “there will be time” because your time on this earth may end that day…just speaking the cold hard facts of reality.

…thus the reaon I decided to start on a new season.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

January 23, 2012:  “In order to get to what will be from what was, you have to get thru what is.” ~Anonymous

January 16, 2012:  “If you begin cutting corners at 9am, you will be running in circles by the end of the day. Excellence is a process, it is not an event.” ~Jay Meyer

January 9, 2012:  “The key to leading others effectively is to know when to kick them in the butt, pat them on the back and let them do what they are doing.” ~Sparky Anderson

January 2, 2012:  “In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” ~Robert Heinlein

December 26, 2011:  “The difference between making things happen and letting things happen is a choice.” –Jay Meyer

December 19, 2011:  “An expert not only knows what he knows but he also knows what he doesn’t know.” –Jay Meyer

December 12, 2011:  “The only difference between a rut and a groove is how long you choose to stay in it.”  –Unknown

December 5, 2011:  “Second-guessing is one of many ways to avoid the responsibilities of the present by dwelling on the past.” –Jay Meyer

November 28, 2011:  “Not everything that is faced can be changed.  But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” –James Baldwin

November 21, 2011:  “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  –Winston Churchill

November 14, 2011:  “The only thing standing between you and doing what you know you need to do is you.” –Jay Meyer

November 7, 2011:  ‎”Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” – Ambrose Redmoon

October 31, 2011:  “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” –Robert Kennedy

October 24, 2011:  ”Dream as if you will live your earthly life forever; live as if you only have today.” –Jay Meyer

October 17, 2011:  ‎”For the most part, the difference between success and failure comes down to how effectively you manage the 24 hours you are blessed with each day.” –Jay Meyer

October 10,2011:  “The biggest difference between those who succeed and those who fail is a well thought out plan.” –Jay Meyer

October 3, 2011:  “The days I choose to put God in front of me instead of behind me are the days doors seem to be opened for me.”  –Jay Meyer

September 26, 2011:  “Some of life’s greatest blessings take place as a result of not getting what we want.” –Jay Meyer

September 19, 2011:  ”Be grateful for change, for without it there would be no “good old days.” –Jay Meyer

September 12, 2011:  ‎”I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” ~Jim Carrey

September 5, 2011:  “The more I let God be God the more my solutions outgrow my problems.” –Jay Meyer

August 29, 2011:  “FEAR = False Expectations Appearing Real” –Various

August 22, 2011:  “True contentment and serenity evolves when our personal measure of success is not based on what we’ve gained, but instead on what we have given.” –Jay Meyer

August 8, 2011:  “The first step in allowing your lamp to shine upon the world is understanding and accepting the fact you are not the world.” –Jay M

August 1, 2011:  “A person in constant conflict with others is in constant conflict with himself.” –Jay Meyer

July 25, 2011:  “Anybody can become successful at the expense of others.  It takes a special kind of person to be successful for the benefit of others.”  –Jay Meyer

July 18, 2011:  “If you think God is giving you more than you can handle; you might want to try turning “more” over to God…”

July 11, 2011:  “A MESS is a life challenge minus God.”

July 4, 2011:  “Serenity is a wonderful by-product of controlling only what we can control; our attitude, our effort and our faith walk.” –Jay Meyer

June 27, 2011: “Finding one’s purpose in life very seldom happens while doing nothing.  Purpose is found somewhere along the path of doing something.” –Jay Meyer

June 20, 2011: ”If God only used perfect people, nothing would get done. God will use anybody if you make yourself available.” — Rick Warren

June 13, 2011:  “Success is a by-product of worthy action exceeding worthless action.”  –Jay Meyer

June 6, 2011:  “Success demands that our roots be as strong as our branches.” –Ron Reynolds

May 30, 2011:  “If the devil can’t make you bad he will sure make you busy.  Know when to say no to too much.”

May 23, 2011:  “A vision without execution is hallucination.” –Thomas Edison

May 16, 2011:  “Thankfulness depends on what is in your heart, not what is in your hand.” –Anonymous

May 9, 2011:  “Allowing others to stand between me and my serenity, is simply allowing others to stand closer to my serenity than I am.”" –Jay Meyer

May 2, 2011:  “The more I choose to see the good side of things; the more good-sided things I have in my life.” –Jay Meyer

April 25, 2011:  “Talk is cheap, action is priceless.” –Jay Meyer

April 18, 2011:  “Once you finally understand and accept the fact that failure and challenges are important components of the success equation; failure will no longer control you but instead serve as a catalyst to grow you.” –Jay Meyer

April 11, 2011:   ”Having the discipline to do what we don’t want to do, helps us to stay away from doing what we know we shouldn’t do.” –Jay Meyer

March 28/April 4, 2011:  “There is nothing quite as useless as doing, with great efficiency, what should not be done at all.” –Peter Drucker

March 21, 2011:  “The way things are going in the world these days it seems as though the best investment I will have ever made is my investment in salvation; oh…wait a minute…that was a gift and all I had to do was accept it.” Jay Meyer

March 7/14, 2011:  “Living a “reactionary” life creates a life subject to others’ dreams and goals. Be proactive and create a life subject to your own dreams and goals.” –Jay Meyer

February 28, 2011:  “The more my focus on my wants and needs is replaced with a focus on the needs of others; I find my wants go away and my needs are always taken care of.” –Jay Meyer

February 21, 2011:  “I think more people would want to go to heaven, if they weren’t afraid it’d be like church when they got there!”  “Jones” from Andy Andews’ book “The Noticer”

February 14, 2011: “Don’t prepare the path for your child, prepare your child for the path.”  Brian McCoy–chapel Feb. 2011 AdvoCare Success School

February 7, 2011:  “Each day I choose to face my fears and anxieties head on, is a day I am choosing to live life instead of allowing life to live  me.” –Jay Meyer

January 31, 2011:  “So if you’re tired of the same old story, turn some pages.”  –REO Speedwagon Roll With The Changes

January 24, 2011:  “There are basically two types of people in the world; complainers/consumers and contributors/difference makers.  You can tell them apart pretty easily.  The complainers/consumers suck the energy out of a room when they walk in and the contributors/difference makers inject energy into a room when they walk in.” –Jay Meyer

January 17, 2011:   “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” –Jim Rohn

January 10, 2011:  “Spending time trying to recreate the past is the best way to miss out on the blessings of tomorrow.” –Jay Meyer

January 3, 2011:  “Don’t be pushed by your problems.  Be led by your dreams.”

December 27, 2010:  “Any belief worth having, must survive doubt.”

December 20, 2010:  “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” –Jay Meyer

December 13, 2010:  “Don’t miss a miracle because it is not packaged the way you think it should be.” –Jay Meyer

December 6, 2010:  “If you are always trying to be normal, you lose out on how extraordinary you can really be.” –Jay Meyer

November 29, 2010:  “Winners use the past to grow from, the future to grow towards and the present to grow.”  –Jay Meyer

November 22, 2010:  “The road to becoming a champion is paved by the ability to remain focused on ”the goal” no matter how bright or dark your circumstance.” –Jay Meyer

November 15, 2010:  “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” –Gandhi

November 8, 2010:  “A genuinely enthusiasic approach to life is a natural by-product of a state of being where your outward focus exceeds your inward focus.” —Jay Meyer

November 1, 2010:  “If you truly believe this is the first day of the rest of your life; let your life be an excellant example of that belief.  There are no guarantees…” — Jay Meyer

October 25, 2010:  “Straddling the fence and being skeptical guarantees you 3 things:  1. You will very seldom make mistakes.  2. You will miss out on the adventures a journey creates.  3.  Your crotch will hurt!  Get off the fence today and make that change you are thinking about.” –Jay Meyer

October 18, 2010:  “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”  –Jim Rohn

October 11, 2010:  “If the past is not being utilized as a means for creating a better today and tomorrow…try your best to let go and let God.”  –Jay Meyer

October 4, 2010:  “Serenity happens when we control what we can control (our attitude and effort) and let someone else’s ignorance and actions be…someone else’s ignorance and actions.”  –Jay Meyer

September 27, 2010:  “The only person who never makes a mistake is the person who does nothing.”  FDR

September 20, 2010:  “Winners make things happen while losers watch things happen.” –Jay Meyer

September 13, 2010:  “Excellence is a dynamic, ever-evolving state created by those willing to continuously redefine and stretch their potential.”–Jay Meyer

September 6, 2010:  ‘The greatest lives are spent sowing seeds and not getting hung up on when the harvest will come…sometimes the greatest harvests are reaped after we leave this world.” – Jay Meyer

August 30, 2010:  “Painful life experiences transformed into acceptance, knowledge and wisdom has the ability to create a life of gainful experiences for the world around you.”  – Jay Meyer  .

August 23, 2010:  “If you aren’t happy with the direction your life is headed; change your thinking.” – Jay Meyer

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine sent me a text message and reminded me about a time in high school where I had included a less-fortunate schoolmate with a learning disability into our group.  The friend who texted me told me he remembered me telling our new friend he was cool and how he had never forgotten that moment.  Back in those days “retarded” was a common term and making fun of those who were handicapped was acceptable behavior.  (For my younger blog readers…I am talking 30-40 years ago…yes I am an old man).  I think my behavior towards this kid shocked my friend, because he knew I loved to joke and poke fun at people.  But with the people who were challenged and behind in life; I always had a place for them in my heart.  I thanked my friend for the kind text message and texted him, “I think God was preparing me for my future life with my son Jordan.”

Although God tells us it is our responsibility as Christians to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to ensure justice for those being crushed and to speak up for the poor and helpless; what he doesn’t tell us in this Proverb is the gifts we receive by taking care of the helpless.  I’ve had many great learning experiences in my life but I’ve learned the most and been blessed the most by caring for my son Jordan.  I’ve always struggled with selfishness and self-centered behavior and when caring for Jordan those behaviors cannot exist.  Jordan has become my ego deflator and for that I am blessed (EGO=easing God out).  I cannot count the number of times I’ve walked through the door of our house after a big victory at work and Jordan is standing there greeting me with a “deuce” in his diaper.

It is not “cliche” when I say, “Jordan is a blessing”…sometimes a “pain in the butt” blessing (tongue in cheek), but truly a blessing.  You haven’t “lived” until “normal” is combing two heads of hair, brushing two sets of teeth, showering two people, fixing food for two people, hydrating two people, being someone else’s eyes and ears, using your hands to protect another’s hands, preventing one from falling while you are walking and last but not least…wiping two butts.  After being “retired” for this past year with a goal of helping more with Jordan, I’ve figured out why my wife is so strong, selfless, humble, balanced and full of love.  She’s been living Proverbs 31:8 for the past 25 years, and living it with grace.

Jesus tells us in Matthew our treatment to the less fortunate is our treatment towards him.  Matthew 25:40, “…and I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.”

If you are someone who battles with selfishness and a bigger than life ego and you really want to learn some things about life, get out of yourself and help those who can’t help themselves.  You will grow and be blessed in ways you never thought imaginable.  But more importantly you will actually be caring for God as he reminds us in Matthew.

…nice plan God!

This ends my daily Proverb writings for the time being.  I hope this has helped give you a desire to read the Proverb for the day on a daily basis.  King Solomon is considered the wisest man to ever live, but in spite of his wisdom, he fell to sin with the best of them, but he arose and through his faith in God became one of the most frequently read and respected writers in the Bible.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

I remember the first time I ever stayed at a Hampton Inn several years ago.  Back then I didn’t realize that all hotels were not the same.  Most of my previous experience with hotels took place during my college basketball days and those hotels were simply a place for us to get rest (and play cards) in preparation for the game the next day.  Anyway, when I checked in at that Hampton I was told by the desk clerk that they offered a free warm breakfast in the morning.  I’ve always been a breakfast eater and when given this news I felt like I was just given a dozen eggs and a pound of sausage for free…maybe that doesn’t appeal to you…but I love eggs and sausage.

A few weeks ago our teaching pastor taught on the verses above and pointed out that Jesus was with God from the beginning and if you believe in God you are automatically believing in Jesus whether you intend to believe in Jesus or not.  Sort of like getting a free breakfast at the Hampton Inn whether you intended to eat breakfast or not.  

Just something to think about.  God does not give us the ability to think on His level but how can you dispute His first three sentences in the book of John?  Am I saying everyone who believes in a God is therefore “saved”  because they are believing in Jesus?  One of the nicest human beings I’ve ever known in my life is a Morman and according to most “Christians” he and his family will be going to hell because of their differing beliefs about Jesus when compared to Christianity.

Here is the deal; nowhere in the Bible does it give me the right to judge and determine whether or not someone is going to hell but God/Jesus sure does challenge me to love and bring others to eternal life.   

I think I will let God be God and share with others the free “breakfast” they receive by believing in Him.

P.E.A.C.E

ja@eaglelaunch.com

My last 1/2 ironman in August of 2009.

I am preparing to do two-1/2 ironman triathlons this summer/fall.  I will spend anywhere from 8 to 15 hours per week training and the events will take me somewhere between 5 and 6 hours.  One of my “bucket list” goals is to do a full ironman before I die and if I die doing it…then I will still consider myself an ironman.  The ironman distances include a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run.  By doing two 1/2′s this year, I am proving to myself mentally that I can do it.  Obviously training and nutrition are important components of successfully completing an ironman, but after that it comes down to sheer will power.   I’ve done four 1/2 ironmans and in each one of those races I reached a point where my ability to finish the race was simple “mind over matter.” 

I’ve always been mentally tough.  I know there is nothing I can’t do if I put my mind to it.  I am not boasting, I am just telling you I understand the importance the mind plays in making anything great happen in life.  The key is to always nourish the mind with positive, healthy thoughts and having personal anchoring techniques in place when the negative thoughts come creeping in. 

Ok, you may be wondering what this is all about.  Well here is the deal.  The last few months I’ve had more phone calls from people struggling with various forms of addiction than I’ve had in the last couple of years combined.  But when I tell them what they need to do in order to get their act together they either don’t hear me, don’t want to hear me or actually they are in denial about the fact that they are in the throws of a disease that wants to not only kill them but destroy everyone around them.  There are some who do listen and they are doing pretty well right now (you know who you are).  

The disease of addiction (includes alcoholism) is cunning, baffling and powerful.  If not handled it causes insanity…been there done that.  When diagnosed as an addict or alcoholic you are told it is a disease and no amount of human will power will help you overcome it, thus the reason for my introduction about my triathlons…I have a tremendous amount of will power and it didn’t do jack-crap to help me handle my disease. 

I’ve been asked several times over the years; “why can some people, who once seemed to be in the throws of alcoholism or drug addiction, just quit and never pick up again, where others require treatment, counseling, 12 Step meetings and God?”  My experience tells me that those who quit and stay quit, either never crossed the line into the world of addiction (but were probably pretty close), have switched addictions, or they are living the miserable life of a dry drunk and/or addict.  I believe we all have so many drinks, drugs, bets, porn exposures, compulsive buys, food binging and purging experiences, etc…  prior to stepping over the line and some of us have a higher propensity for addiction than others. 

The bottom line is this.  If you or a loved one can’t quit whatever you are in bondage to then there is a good chance you have an addiction and just like any other disease, there is treatment available in order to keep the disease in check one day at a time.  When a person is told they are diabetic they are normally put on medication for the diabetes.  And if the diabetic takes his or her medication the way they are supposed to take it, and combine it with the correct diet, there is good reason to think they will keep the disease in check a day at a time.  The same holds true for any addiction and the best treatment for addiction is a daily dose of surrendering to God, walking the 12 Spiritual Steps and acquiring the willingness to listen to and be helped by others. 

Here is the deal, if you are wondering whether or not you have a problem…people without an addiction problem normally don’t “wonder” if they have a drinking or an addiction problem.  Let me repeat that, people who don’t have a problem do not call me wondering if they have a problem.  People without a problem don’t get drunk everytime they drink.  People without a problem don’t have to sneak, lie and cheat.  People without a problem do not let their marriages and relationships with their kids get destroyed.  People without a problem, do not ever swear “this is the last day” and then break their promise to themself day after day after day. 

When I was in the throws of addiction I would have taken a bullet for anyone in my family because I loved them so much, but I could not stop drinking and drugging for the same family I loved so much.  Addiction is a disease and  can only be whipped a day at a time with the right “medicine” just like any other disease…believe me, I tried whipping it with will power and mind over matter and it darn near cost me everything. 

Now I need to get to bed and get some rest in preparation for a 2 hour workout in the morning. 

P.E.A.C.E. 

jay@eaglelaunch.com