Looking Back at April

Each month, I do a recap to measure my progress while keeping myself accountable to my goals.

Here is my look back at April…

THE PURSUIT OF HEALTH

After going off course in March due to a change in schedule and some extenuating circumstances, I was determined to do better in April.  Unfortunately, April started off much the same way that March ended.  While I am disappointed overall of my progress for the month, I am happy to say that I wrapped up the month on a high note, which will lay the foundation for May and the months ahead.

Part of the reason that it took until the end of the month to “right the ship” is because I was waiting for a new workout video to arrive.  Of course, that is no excuse for not doing something else until it arrived.  But since I can’t go back in time, I’ll just have to look ahead, and stop worrying about mistakes that I made early in the month.

The video finally arrived just as I was about to go out of town.  My wife and I decided to start the new workout when I got back, although we watched it a few times just to see what we needed to do to prepare.

Since the video was made by a friend, and we are acting as “testers,” it did not have the full workout to follow along with the instructor.  We wrote out each exercise and a list of things that we would need to do the workout.  I was happy that the workout could be done at home without having to spend a lot of money on equipment.  As we watched the video, I thought that it would be a good, effective workout, but one that I would be able to finish the first time that I tried it.  WRONG!!!

This workout is going to whip me into shape, but it is not something that can easily be finished coming off of the couch, largely because it is about going all out for a short period of time rather than being able to pace yourself.  It is going to take several tries before I can complete the entire workout in the way that it is intended to be completed.

Always one to look ahead, I asked the creator of the video what happens when I start to plateau.  His response was interesting, and something that I never thought about.  He admitted that the workout is going to start to feel easier at some point, but then it will start to get more difficult again if done properly.  Because the workout centers on a lot of jumping, and giving maximum effort in short bursts, it can actually build upon itself.  This is because, as the muscles start to develop, it will allow me to jump higher and move faster, so the same exact workout will end up having a higher degree of difficulty.

Of course, all of this exercise wouldn’t be as effective without an altered diet as well.  But unlike many “diets,” this one does not tell you what to eat, when to eat it, and how much to have.  It doesn’t have that feeling of dread, and it can be modified depending on your lifestyle and your goals.  This nutrition plan is more about what not to eat than what to eat.  I won’t say that it is easy, especially if you want to eat meals outside of the home, but it is manageable.

In addition to the 3-day-a-week exercise plan, and nutrition guidelines, I will also be incorporating fun exercise into the mix on the off-days.  Thrilled to hear that swinging a bat is good exercise for the off-days, I immediately found a batting cage nearby.  I went for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed myself.  The best part is that it is much cheaper than what I am used to paying (it’s only $1 for 20 balls).

I believe that May will be the month where I take a huge leap forward in my pursuit of health.

THE PURSUIT OF WEALTH

Because I have to rely on other people to get my projects off of the ground, there have been unforeseen delays.  If I had to sum up April in a word, it would be “progress.”

One of my projects is finally ready to take a big step forward, and I will actually be reaching out to others to see if they would like to be a part of it in the next week or so.

The other project took a slight step backwards, but in some ways, I think that the step backwards may end up being the most progress that I made this month.  I’ve learned that not everyone makes an ideal business partner.  And while I had hoped to be moving along with this particular project, I think that things may work out much better by partnering with someone else.  I guess time will tell if I was right.

THE PURSUIT OF “HAPPYNESS”

With the difficult month of March behind me, I thought that April would be better…and it was.

While I found some frustration in my pursuit of wealth, I made progress.

While it took a while to get my pursuit of health back on track, I finally did it.

And, as usual, I had a lot of fun with my wife and kids.  Ultimately, this is what it all comes down to anyway.

But when I look back at April 2010 in the future, the thing that I will remember most will be the first-ever fundraiser for the Olivia Grace Armand Foundation called “Bowling For Cookies” (which I wrote about recently).

I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child.  Even worse, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child and having another child with the same terminal illness.  But that is the hand that my friend Trish has been dealt.  And while no one would blame her for falling apart, she has boldly taken a step in the other direction by launching the Olivia Grace Armand Foundation.

I proudly serve as a board member for the foundation, and was thrilled to have been a part of the first fundraiser.  It is hard to believe how much has been accomplished since Olivia passed away in December of 2009.

Without going into too much detail, I can honestly say that the results of the fundraiser blew me away.  If you want to see why, please read “Bowling For Cookies.”

The work that I do with the foundation truly makes me happy.  Part of it is because of the good that will come as a result of our collective efforts, but for now, the best part is supporting a friend in something that means so much to her.

“While her life was short, her impact will last a lifetime” is the tagline for the foundation.  The first fundraiser already proved that this is true.  The next fundraiser is planned for August, and it should be great as well.

I encourage anyone who hasn’t done so yet, to please check out www.OliviaGraceArmandFoundation.com and www.OliviasCookieJar.com.

CONCLUSION

April was much better than March (as anticipated). A lot of good things started to fall into place.  Hopefully the foundation that has been laid in April will result in a great May!