1. Moving video I re-watched this week…
I saw this story/video about ten years ago. I’ve never forgotten the gist of the story, but could not remember the details. Last weekend, I searched for it online numerous times, trying every combination of words, but could not find it. Finally, I found it… and it was SO MUCH BETTER than I remembered. It rocked me! I watched it at least three times, each time my eyes tearing up. Please watch it! And pass it on to friends and family, as everyone could use a reminder right now that the human spirit really is good. Here is that video…
2. Most impressive thing I saw/heard this week…
We were at a birthday party, and I saw Anthony (my girlfriend Lana’s niece’s boyfriend). In March, he weighed 330 lbs. Wanting to enlist in the Army, he was told he would have to get down to 230 lbs. A recruiter told him that if he lost the weight by October (this month), he promised he’d get him in. Well… when I saw him last Sunday, he weighed 223 lbs. WOW!!! That’s over 100 lbs. lost in roughly six months. How’d he do it? Following a ketogenic diet. Oh… and being laser-focused and ultra-committed. He said that eating that way took discipline and was tough, but what was even tougher was what it took mentally. I loved what he said next… Like how your hands hurt when working out until they get callouses, the mental part of passing up the foods he loved and was used to eating was hard until he formed “mental callouses.” He did something most people would think is impossible… losing over 100 lbs. in six months. Two other recruiters had laughed in his face when he said he would do it. This kid looked incredible! And is the exact kind of warrior I want defending our country!
3. TEDx talk I watched this week…
While writing this week’s blog, titled Living Eulogies, I came across a TEDx talk that I really liked. The talk is called Eulogies for the Living, by Andria Driessen. She explains what she calls grace notes as a “purposeful honoring of the living,” Some great insights in this talk. Check it out by clicking here. And read my blog by clicking here.