31 Mar 2018 Where’s The Discipline?

Where’s The Discipline?

I have a big challenge maintaining my workout and nutrition discipline while on work travel.  Each day I say I am going to focus on what is important and for one excuse or another that fails.  I am travel this week and next.  If I continue as I did today, it will negate any progress I made over the past 3 weeks.

It is funny how “hard” it is to make progress and how easy it is to lose it.  This is nothing new.  I have had this challenge with travel for a long time. You would think I would know better.  I do know better but it has not stopped the poor choices. 

I actually had dinner with a few people who are on low carb programs.  However, today their carbo allow day.  I had a salad with chicken on it, but the appetizers negated any good from it.  At least I don’t like beer which they have a few glasses of.  I stuck to unsweet ice tea. Yeah me.

I had every intention to work out after work, but I was riding with people who wanted to go to dinner early.  So we left the work site and went right to eat.  I could work out now if wanted see my dinner again.

I have to come up with better techniques to keep me on track during travel.  My current ones are not helping.  What is my goal and how badly to I want it?

30 Mar 2018 Should The President Meet With Dictators?

Should The President Meet With Dictators?

There are a lot of bad leaders of countries.  As much as we want everyone to have a representative democracy, that is not reality.  We should still maintain a dialogue with leaders of countries we don’t like.  You can still have a working relationship with someone else even if you don’t personally like them. 

I think it is critical that the President meet often with leaders even if they are dictators.  Only bad things can happen if you have no dialogue.  The more interaction there is, the better chance at having peaceful relationships. 

We may try to support efforts in that country to groups who advocate democracy, but still work with the regime in power. 

Besides having face to face talks, the best way to influence a regime is to have a lot of cultural exchanges.  The more the youth in the country see how others in the world live, the better chance for change.  Now these exchanges are just “planting seeds” that may take years to bring results.  However, they need to be done.

The President can be firm in his/her handling of a dictator but should not try to threaten him.  The dictator did not get to be head of the country by being meek.  A President needs to keep it professional and recognize that like it or not this person leads that country. 

It is the work of the people at levels below the leaders of each country that set the groundwork for any success.  The more interaction there is with these groups the better. 

Relationships between the US and countries run by dictators can be manageable if both leaders respect each other and each offers something of benefit.  It can’t be all “demands or else.”  I hope that the President does talk a lot with leaders all over the world.  

29 Mar 2018 What Do I Want?

What Do I Want?

It seems like a simple enough question.  However, I spend untold number of months/years trying come up with an answer.  It is not a question of wanting something in a material sense.  It goes much deeper.  What do I want to do so that I can say I served and helped make this a better place? 

I am not looking to do something for the recognition.  No, I ask what I can do to just add value and not just consume in this world.   I know that there are untold number of organizations that want and need volunteers. 

At times I ask myself if I am looking for something that is not there.  Or, am I even asking myself the right question? Should I look at it from other viewpoint, that is, what is it that I don’t want?  I have done a fair amount of thinking on that too. 

I have found that my desires have decreased with time.  The bucket list gets smaller.  Not because there is not the time, but because what I thought meant a lot to me has in fact proven otherwise.

It is important to understand that I have a great life.  I have nothing to complain about.  I am extremely grateful for all I have.  This is not any type of depression that I have.  

I just continue to search for the answer to one of the fundamental questions in life.