I’ve been a massage therapist for more than four years, and to this day, I am still amazed at how many different ways this beneficial form of therapy contributes to overall health and wellness. Here’s a list of 10 reasons why you should get into the habit of restoring your mind, body and soul through regular massage.

Massage therapy contributes to overall health and wellness.

1. You don’t have to live with aches and pain. Relieve it!

A frequent massage can provide a considerable reduction in pain. Whether you have pain in your back, neck, shoulder, joints or muscles, or suffer from arthritis, migraine headaches, Fibromyalgia or muscle injuries, coming in for a regular massage can release all of this unnecessary tension.

2. Say goodbye to stress!

Stress is something we all encounter – but how we manage that stress is key to living a healthy, balanced life. According to Ronda Del Boccio, a Nationally Certified Therapist of Massage and Bodywork, experts believe that stress accounts for 80-90% of all illness. Can you believe that? We could significantly reduce much of what ails us today if we listen to what our mind and body is telling us – it’s time to RELAX!

When you come in for a massage, you allow your body and mind to delve into a deep state of relaxation, which relieves muscle tension and lowers your blood pressure. In addition, you’ll feel more alert and revitalized – not just physically, but mentally too.

3. Banish your body’s built-up toxins.

Massage helps remove waste products from your muscles, tissues, and skin more easily. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, a massage can release the lactic and carbonic acids built up in your muscles during exercise (these acids are the reason you feel pain and occasional cramping post-workout), thus increasing muscle recovery rates. Why do you think pro-athletes receive regular massages? (Hint: It’s not because they are spoiled!

4. Find your inner R&R.

I can’t recount how many clients I see who benefit from a regular massage as an alternative to coping with depression. When you treat yourself to a regular massage, you’re doing more for yourself than you realize! A massage can boost your self-esteem, improve your mood, reduce the symptoms of depression, diminish anxiety, and alleviate insomnia. Moreover, there’s a bonus for all of you ladies – massage also can ease PMS symptoms.

Massage can improve your mood, reduce unwanted stress and eliminate toxins from your body.

5. Get your groove on with better flexibility and mobility!

Massage therapy is a fantastic way to improve one’s motor skills, and it maintains posture in the skeletal system. Think of how much better you’ll feel with all of the “kinks” worked out!

6. Fight the signs of aging.

Perk up your immune system functions. Alleviate muscle aches and stiffness. Improve your tissue elasticity and joint flexibility. Enhance your blood and lymph circulation. Renew your once-healthy, vibrant skin. ‘Nuff said.

7. Get better – faster.

Accelerate the healing process when it comes to your muscles, tissues and skin. Massage therapy is great for athletes, as well as for those recovering from surgery or workout soreness.

8. You won’t just feel better – you’ll LOOK better!

A regular massage invigorates skin gland production. What does that mean? Clear, healthy skin. Studies have also shown that massage therapy can help reduce cellulite and superficial scar tissue.

9. Duh! It also feels AMAZING.

Who doesn’t love a good massage? Seeing your massage therapist on a regular basis can be a wonderful experience for deep relaxation, leaving your body and mind feeling rejuvenated and at ease.

10. It’s a healthy investment in you.

If the first nine reasons didn’t convince you, then think of it this way – when was the last time you were able to take a vacation and retreat from the everyday stresses of life? A regular massage will not only make you look and feel years younger, it’s an opportunity to give your mind and body a mini-vacation without leaving far from home. Cheers to good health!

I grabbed this off the T-nation website…thought it was a great exercise to post here for you all to try…

The Push-up Pyramid

Start in a push-up position. Do 1 rep, pause at the top for two seconds, do 2 reps, pause for two seconds, do 3 reps, pause for two seconds. Try to get up to 10 reps, and then work your way back down. You’ll think this is easy, until you’re about halfway through. That’s when the real fight begins!

Our favorite variation is to pause for two seconds in the bottom position instead of top. Ouch.

In a prior post, “Reawakening the body,” I discuss toe mobility and the possibility of developing “yoga feet” by willpower and lots of practice. Those of us with spreadable toes might feel relieved of further effort. But, let’s face it, grabbing fallen objects and opening cabinet doors is mere child’s play.

For real dexterity, check out Jessica Cox*, a phenomenal young woman born without arms, but who can eat, handwrite, type, play piano, put in contact lenses, do black-belt-level tae kwon do, swim, drive a car, and fly a plane … all with her feet! Seeing is believing, and this video of her flying a plane is mind-boggling. (Besides being adept with her toes, she’d probably be a natural in asana, don’t you think?)

It’s clear why she can capture audiences as a motivational speaker. She has zero self-pity and instead creates adaptations to function as effectively (or more so) as the rest of us. Watching her interviews and reading her essays, I’m also struck by her refreshingly pleasant demeanor and, well, her normalcy; she’s neither a martyr nor a misfit. Don’t miss her bracing story about going for a swim at the University of Arizona pool and finding herself in a crowd of frat and sorority types going wild at Greek Body Fest 2007.

Knowing about Jessica Cox makes me feel ridiculous for ever complaining about my lot in life!

*Acknowledgment to yoga teacher and friend Barbara Uechi for mentioning Jessica Cox in her blog.

I’ve spent over 30 years in the army, martial arts, self defense and fitness industry and I’m pretty sure that I’ve heard it all.

I’m talking about reasons people give for not starting a program or not getting the results that they wanted.

Some of the reasons that I have heard have included:

• I don’t have the time
• It’s too hard
• I’m just too old
• I’m bored with the training

These are only a few of the reasons that I’ve heard as I watch people sell themselves short of achieving their fitness and lifestyle goals.

To be honest these reasons are nothing but a load of BS.

Take for example the 64 year old grandmother who came to my class with a walker and had to deal with her knee replacement surgeries and with numerous other physical ailments. Talk about dedicated and unwilling to take no for an answer. I must tell you that I wondered about whether or not she could ever hope to make it through my training.

She was a great example of not giving up and being willing to work through pain and discomfort as long as the goal is big enough. In her case, it was. She managed to overcome many of her ailments and because of her hard work was able to experience a better quality of life. I am really pleased about her dedication and single mindedness.

I’ve put together a few pointers that will help you to enjoy and continue on any training program that you have or might start

• Remember, you’re there for you. There is no need to compare yourself to others. It’s a sure way to lose sight of the prize. Look hard enough and you can always find someone who can do it better then you.
• Go at your own speed. You know what you are capable of. Realize that you can only do what you can but always seek to improve in some way.
• Don’t stay frustrated too long. All of us experience frustration in our workouts. Do your best to not stay in that state for too long. You can always find something that you can do to make you feel that you are making progress. Achieving success in your workouts is as much mental as physical.
• Keep learning and ask questions. There’s lots to learn. Learning how to do the old stuff better and learning new things gives you the edge that you need to keep on track

Keep on keeping on. Sitting around and doing nothing or overanalyzing what you are doing can only lead to self doubt and unanswered questions. Movement creates an energy and excitement.

Decide what you want to do and get going.

All the best.

Martin Day
http://www.MartinDayFitness.com.html

As you might now be aware Nia includes elements from three different movement forms from three different arts. One of the arts is the dance arts and one movement form is Modern Dance.  With Modern Dance concepts added to Nia it allows us to play with balance, play with shapes, and play with space.  We can form any shape we want.  We can use arms and legs, fingers and toes, torso and head to make the shapes we envision.  We can allow gravity to pull us to the ground, or gravity to pull us heavenward.  With all that Modern Dance inspires us to do we can gain strength and flexibility.  Agility plays a part also as we shift our weight and change our speed.

Jazz Dance allows us to play and be showmen, and Duncan Dance allows us to play and use our imagination, and Modern Dance allows us to play and in addition really use our bodies.  Muscles get a great workout as we expand and contract, shifting our weight, and making shapes.  An invitation to experiment with all planes, directions, and levels only helps to confirm that our muscles will be used as we dance and play.  Bringing Modern Dance into your workout can also be an exercise in timing and speed.  Modern Dance can be the encouragement to make different combinations.  For example, walk across the floor, walk high, walk low, walk fast, walk slow, stumble and recover.

This movement form is a great way to explore the floor, you could fall gently to the earth, then rise up slowly, fall gently and spring up.  Again, multiple combinations can be a result of letting Modern Dance into the workout.  This form also suggest moving one body part and allowing others to follow, so maybe as you are on the ground your hand rises into the air and your body follows and your hand takes you around the space you are in.

Modern Dance really allows for freedom in Nia.  It gives you permission to mix things up and make the steps of a routine your own.  It is another form that gives us permission to play and make the workout fun.
 

The Nia Technique Book and The Nia Technique – White Belt Manual have additional information regarding the movement forms that were blended to create Nia. The books are by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas.

In several SOA projects in which I was engaged, it was quit hard to convince managers of the business architects and business analysts group that SOA had impact on their work (in this context SOA was understood as an architectural design of software). Of course, they understood the statement that SOA would deliver a flexible IT environment and they were happy about that. But their final statement was: “SOA is an IT issue, it has nothing to do with business modeling or business architecture”.

The question is: “are these managers right?”. Is SOA just a IT concern, is it an IT solution in order to get IT better aligned with the business or is it also a business concern. Does it have impact on the way the business is modeled?
I explained the situation by considering business-IT alignment. According to the famous article of Venkatraman, business-IT alignment of two different types has to be considered. The first one is strategic integration of business and IT while the second one is operational integration of business and IT. Strategic integration is the link between business strategy and IT strategy, it deals with the IT capability of IT functionality to both shape and support business strategy. Operational integration means that the infrastructure and processes of business and IT are aligned: the organizational requirements and expectations should be coherent with the delivery capability of the IT functions. This means that tasks executed in business processes should be supported by appropriate IT services, which is the common way to define IT services by the way.

From an operational integration point of view, this means that the required functionality by the business should be delivered by the IT function. Users of applications should be supported in executing their tasks. It doesn’t matter how these applications are designed and implemented (e.g. service oriented, component based, object oriented). From this point of view the manager is right. It doesn’t matter how the IT function support the business, as long as it does support it properly. The IT function may be wise to design and build according a Service Oriented paradigm, but then it is still an IT issue.

However, we have a different story if we consider this from a strategic point of view. A strategic business requirement may be flexibility. A tacit assumption is that modularity leads to organizational flexibility. Therefore, the business should be defined in terms of business modules. These business modules are commonly referred to as business services. Defining business services is a business issue and depends on the desired flexibility. The IT structure should be aligned to this business structure. The IT structure should have at least the same level of modularity as the business structure. In other words, the software services may be more fine grained but may not be more coarse grained than the business services. If flexibility is required as it is in this case, it is obvious that the business services have to be defined before the proper software services can be defined.

The conclusion is that SOA is supports business-IT alignment (operational), but on the other hand SOA requires business-IT alignment (strategic). In order to define the right software services, the business services should be defined.  In practice, businesses are commonly not structured in terms of services because there seems to be no need from a business point of view. However, there is a need to model business services to get truly (strategically) business-IT alignment: Time for business analysts and architects to come up with the right business services.

After reading the announcements about the final two classes in Bioware’s Star Wars MMO (for more info, read Moon over Endor’s excellent summary of the Total PC Gaming article), I’m still stuck on the notion of only having four classes on each faction. Even allowing for subclasses, it’s hard to gauge how differently they all will play.

There are some great advantages to having lots of different class choices. It’s more likely that a player who strongly favours one style of MMO play will be able to find a class that suits them. Love bow users but hate pets? Like melee healing but want to be able to shape shift too?  Only play healers but want something a bit different, yet still familiar? Dual wield rapiers? Want a class that’s exactly like some other class in a completely different game or genre? And if your favourite class gets altered via patches and stops being fun (for whatever reason), is there another class you might want to try?

Players will also get to mix with a wide range of classes and class abilities when they group. So grouping might be deeper and more complex, with more emphasis on having to adapt because you can’t assume all classes will be present. And because some classes will be rarer than others, people who like to be different should be able to do it. It also means that designers can allow for some classes being more complex than others; so for example the stereotype hardcore gamer with the more casual partner can both find fun classes, even if one of them doesn’t want the same level of challenge.

Not only that but if the classes play very differently (different mechanics, different lore and class quests, etc) then the game adds some extra replay-ability. It is also easier to manage group invites when a class  represents a role, as any hybrid will tell you who is tired of being asked if they’re specced to heal.

A lot of those factors could work with  fewer but more customisable classes. More flexibility within a class means that people can adapt better if their tastes change. It means more flexibility in forming groups too, and a higher skill cap if people want to really master their class.

For me, more flexibility in a class is also more fun, and means more time spent learning to play the different roles without having to reroll. But it’s also nice to have a strong class identity, and to have the widely different replayability options.

With Star Wars, I keep coming back to the thought that I have a lot of friends who like to play support classes, and there’s one option for that on each side. I wonder how that will work out.

Do you like games with a lot of classes to choose from? Or do you prefer fewer classes with more flexibility?

In yoga, it’s an advantage to have stretchy, elastic muscles. Touching the toes is not enough; yogis strive to clasp behind ankles, with forearms hugging calves and forehead pressed low on shins.

But is such flexibility good for anything else?

In the New York Times’s Phys Ed column, Gretchen Reynolds wrote an intriguing article, “How Necessary Is Stretching?” on November 25, 2009. She questions the common belief that stretching and maximal flexibility enhance physical fitness. In one study of distance runners, the least flexible (based on a standard sit-and-reach test) athletes showed the most economical running strides and the fastest race times. In other words, being bendy did not help athletic performance (in running, at least).

According to exercise physiologist Malachy McHugh, who was quoted in the piece, flexibility depends both on the muscle anatomy itself and on the mind, which controls a stretch based on perceived discomfort. Apparently, when we increase our stretching capacity, it’s not the muscle itself that’s changing but the mind: we increase our tolerance for the discomfort of a stretch.

McHugh adds that actually changing muscle elasticity would require hours of stretching, over months or years. The conclusion: Most people aren’t willing to do that, and most don’t need to. As long as you can touch your toes in the sit-and-reach test, you’re fine.

Perhaps so. But here’s my take on two points:

Is stretching for flexibility worth the effort?

We all lose flexibility as we age. (Same with strength. And speed. And power.) So it behooves us to preserve it. In my 20s, I met a slim woman in her 40s at the gym. Over the ensuing decade, she continued to swim and work out. While she retained her leanness, however, her posture seemed slightly stooped and her gait, slightly jerky. I could see the trajectory of her aging. In contrast, committed yogis seem to retain their suppleness and smoothness of movement, probably due to their flexibility (and body awareness).

As for hyper-flexibility, I say “why not?” While average flexibility will get us through life, maximal flexibility (short of pain and injury, of course), gives us extra leeway for everyday actions. It’s akin to developing aerobic capacity through wind sprints or any interval training: You might never need to run for your life, but isn’t it nice to climb stairs or romp with your dog without gasping for air?

Does stretching change our muscles or our perception of discomfort?

Probably both. The mental component explains why longtime yogis welcome a degree of “pain” in stretching. I don’t mean dangerous pain, but the delicious pseudo pain of pushing to your max. With higher thresholds for stretching sensations, we can go deeper.

The mental limit is also illustrated by stretching methods such as proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching. Here, one can stretch a muscle farther (much farther, in some cases) after strongly contracting that muscle. That’s because the contraction initiates a relaxation reflex in the muscle, to protect it from strain. Obviously, the muscle is not changing after a single PNF exercise, but the mind is allowing a deeper stretch.

That said, I believe that muscles can become more elastic with regular, long-term stretching. Commonly tight spots such as shoulders and hamstrings can markedly improve in poses such as sarvangasana and uttanasana. Often, people cannot even approximate a pose at first. The issue is not merely tolerating discomfort in a given pose; rather, tight muscles must be lengthened to a baseline level. The muscle must actually change. Of course, I have no proof.

All I know is that stretching simply feels good. That’s reason enough for me.

Image: tanakawho

Monday mornings aren’t so bad…

Especially when you wake up and shake out those tight, sleepy muscles, with 12 minutes of AM Yoga, to invigorate the muscles and the mind…  Namaste!  (Hot coffee helps too!)

Follow that with 45 minutes of circuit training with Jari Love.  A nice refreshing way to get the heart rate up…  With innumerable repetitions, and short bursts of aerobic conditioning between circuits, you’re sure to “come alive”.  And since I’m performing high reps with less weight, I’m not going to bulk up, just BURN.  Truth be told, I like the pain!  ;D

As no morning is complete, without Pilates Abs, I did my 20 minutes of abdominal torture exercises with Ana Caban.  She’s tough!  Seriously tough… but you’ll feel the burn and see results!  Ahhh, there’s nothing like a little torture before breakfast…  ”I‘ll have a plate of corkscrew with a side of teaser please”.

Then it was time to relax…  on a steady 5 mile run…  in the rain…  with a smile…  and a spring in my step that had me wondering where all the energy was coming from!? Averaging a nice 7:49 min/mile steady pace over 40 minutes isn’t too shabby… no?

And finally, the most relaxing and refreshing part of my Monday Bootcamp was Yoga for flexibility with Rodney Yee.  Mountain pose, up dog, down dog, triangle, and warrior…  All the poses coming together to help bring the heart rate down and quiet the mind.  The improved flexibility is merely a bonus.

Whew.  Bootcamp sure is fun!

I feel Great.  Strong.  Fit.

Wherever your workout takes you, enjoy it!

We do not stop exercising because we grow old – we grow old because we stop exercising. -Dr. Kenneth Cooper

I really don’t think I need buns of steel.  I’d be happy with buns of cinnamon.  -Ellen DeGeneres

I had an experience this morning that reminded me of some EQ skills. Social Responsibility and Flexibility.

From time to time, I ride public transportation to and from work. This morning, I rode the bus. Instead of taking the suggested route, I took a riskier route that makes my transfer between busses very short. I’ve made the transfer each other time I’ve chosen this route, but this morning, a vehicle in front of our bus chose to wait for an unusually long time letting vehicles leave a busy parking lot. This minor delay was just long enough that I missed my transfer.

I had no choice but to be flexible and find a different way to work. Other than arriving later than planned, this was no big deal.

While it isn’t a perfect fit with social responsibility, this got me thinking… I wonder how often I make a decision or do something that negatively affects another. The driver of the car in front of the bus was trying to be kind by letting a bunch of cars enter the road at a busy junction, but it caused me to miss my transfer. Surely the driver was completely unaware of some of the consequences of his/her actions.

Luckily for me, there really was no one to blame for this circumstance, for it was no ones fault (although, you could argue that if anyone were to blame, it’d be me). Knowing when to roll with the punches and when to fight back is a great EQ skill to develop and one that I constantly have to work on.

Also being aware of how my actions can affect others is an area that need to be better in. Luckily, I’ve got things like the EQi and DISC to help me know what areas I can work on.

Everyday, I consider myself lucky to be able to work with such great leaders and consultants who help companies and individuals become more efficient, engaged and profitable.

Rapid developments in technology, ever increasing competition and focus on innovation in everything – products, services, performance etc. are forcing organizations to be more flexible.

When we say flexibility, we are essentially referring to:
- new product introductions with faster time to market
- ability to change product mix quicker
- more options to customer to choose product features, services etc. (Flexible product options and services)
- producing to customer demand rather than to seller demand
- ability to respond to demand in an effective and efficient manner

The question is how “How do businesses become more flexible (agile and scalable)?”.

The very first thing in moving towards flexibility is to identify and take out all the waste in the sytem – be it operations, product functionality, service delivery etc. This is a continuous process starting right from product architecture and design to production and providing services.

Lean principles come handy here. Traditional lean principles which focus on value (and eliminating waste) and developing a pull mechanism as opposed to push will definitely help in creating flexible business model. Our focus here is whether there are any additional things that one needs to look at apart from lean principles for creating a flexible organization model.

I am in the process of publishing a white paper on this. While I work on this paper, appreciate your views and comments on this topic.

You can reach me at kscs04@gmail.com

Wanted today to highlight the complexity a typical CIO faces in his everyday work (by far, not all dimensions were actually listed …)

Above challenges become even more daunting when relying on simple geometry concepts. Adding a node (or a new technology component) has often a snowball effect when attempting to integrate it within existing components

Key issue becomes then: if your company is conceptually close to the third Red scenario, will you continue to run the risk of having one or several dual combinations impacting at some point in time your long quest for trouble-free IS/IT operations?

or will you get ready to proceed with ‘Lean’ IS/IT initiatives where simplification brings rapid cost savings and leaner operations conducive to greater overall corporate agility?

On Wednesday, I gave my own lesson/activity in chemistry. I had each student create a poster of a given p-block element (they picked out of a hat) with certain stipulations, including orbital notation (which they had just learned) and a drawing of the element, including the nucleus and the valence electron orbitals (which they had been learning for the past week). I thought it went really well, and the students seemed to have fun while working on school work (they usually see only direct instruction). I did notice that, especially in 2nd period, the students were asking very basic questions, such as “is this right?” They seemed to need a lot of hand holding, even though what we were asking them to do was not super difficult. I feel like the students expect to spend a long time on specific topics, so they can put off learning it. I asked them to apply orbital notation the day after we taught it, and they were not used to that, but I do not think it was over their heads. I had a lot of fun and I think they did too. They worked hard all period, but did not finish, so even though I had planned to have them turn it in at the end of the period, I asked for them to finish by Monday. We will follow up on the poster by having the students line up in the order of their elements and compare the similar elements they listed to see if they can see a pattern.

No run today. A little break before the Turkey Trot tomorrow, but an early morning gym workout instead.

In the gym with Mike:

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Training Partner: Jae

Shoulders & Arms

One-Arm Kettlebell Squat, Clean & Press: 5 lbs x 12 (per arm); 10 lbs x 12; 15 lbs x 12; 20 lbs x 8

supersetted with

Scaption: 3 lbs x 12; 3 lbs x 12; 3 lbs x 12; 3 lbs x 12

Upright Kettlebell Row: 15 lbs x 12; 20 lbs x 12; 20 lbs x 12; 20 lbs x 12

Tricep Pressdowns (Cable): 40 lbs x 15; 50 lbs x 15; 60 lbs x 10

Underhand Grip Cable Triceps: 30 lbs x 15; 40 lbs x 15; 50 lbs x 12

Incline Preacher Curl (per arm): 7.5 lbs x 12; 10 lbs x 12; 12.5 lbs x 12

Barbell Curls: 25 lbs x 12; 35 lbs x 10: 25 lbs x 10

Core/Flex on My Own:

Hanging Straight Leg Raises/Tucks: Raises x 12 no straps; Tucks x 15; Tucks x 15

setted with:

Planks: 1 minute; 1 minute; 1 minute

setted with

Hamstring Curls off Ball: 15; 15; 12

Side Leg Drop and Stretch: 90 seconds per side (hold)

Lying Hamstring Stretch: At full stretch, 60 seconds per side

Standing Calf; Standing Quad; Standing Hip/Glute; Standing Forward Bend

]]> http://saffirm.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/5-key-traits-of-an-entrepreneur/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:15 +0000 saffirm http://saffirm.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/5-key-traits-of-an-entrepreneur/

1: A Vision

can be described as a person or thing of extraordinary beauty like my wife…… or a business idea of course!

You must have a dream you want to achieve. If you are not working towards something, you are effectively working towards nothing, it’s your choice!

Have a vision of where you want to be in 1, 3,5 and even 10 years!

2: Persistence

“There is no Giant step that does it, it is a lot of Little steps (Cohen, Peter A).” There is no shortcut to success. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!

3:  Flexibility

An entrepreneur must be able to adapt to circumstances in the same way water adapts to the shape of the vessel that contains it. Learn to change to suit the nature of the business.

4: Effective Negotiations

This involves getting what you want from another person whilst creating a win win situation so that the other person is left smiling as well.

5: Passion

If you cannot come across as a believer in your produce why should anyone show interest in you. You must have an unconditional conviction for what you are doing.

This is a demontration of some very potent breathing and bodyweight exercises that are part of the KetYoga system.  Breathing is the most vital process of the body, but it is frequently overlooked in today’s training protocols.

Have a quick read of this article below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1228129/Healthier-lifestyle-stop-80-000-cases-cancer-year.html

Stay healthy.

All the best.

Martin Day

This is part two of my day one blog. Later on in the day, at the Big Room event (the main session where everyone is together), Andy Stanley brought an excellent message about uncertainty that I will not soon forget! Now I know that Andy usually preaches pretty fast, but what he brought was like a machine gun with the trigger held in. It was non-stop goodness. I typed over four pages of notes on my computer and my fingers were aching afterwards.

Andy started off by giving us the following statements: “I may be in charge but I don’t always know what to do. I may be in charge but I don’t have all the answers. If I knew what was going to happen, then I’d know what to do. Every leader to some extent is clueless (we just don’t want the people following us to figure that out). When it comes to leadership, there is so much uncertainty and it never ever ever goes away!” He went on to say that we will always have limited information and we will never know what the future holds. And then he had us repeat the following statement: “I will always be uncertain, I’m certain of it!”

One of Andy’s main points was that we will always face uncertainty as leaders. It is a normal and permanent part of leadership. If everything was predictable then there would be absolutely no need for pastors (leadership). God always got the best mileage out of uncertainty. When God does amazing things, it usually isn’t during a day when nothings is going wrong…it’s usually when there is some degree of uncertainty.

In the midst of uncertainty, Andy said that there are two things we should turn to: clarity and flexibility. In times of uncertainty there is a need for leadership to retreat back to being clear and flexible. Clarity trumps uncertainty in an organization every single time. When times are uncertain in our local church, family, organization, etc…that is the time for the leaders to step up and be absolutely crystal clear about what God has called us to do. Clarity in the time of uncertainty is what positions and surfaces leaders in an organization. An illustration of this comes from the scriptures in the transition between Moses and Joshua. Joshua was good at wondering because his mentor was (Moses). And then God wanted him to lead an army into battle. Talk about uncertainty!

Joshua had no clue what to do so he told the people that there is stuff that he doesn’t know, but in three days they would be crossing the Jordan and taking the land that God has promised them. That’s leadership in uncertain times! It’s the definition of pure leadership! Next, Andy gave us a quote/philosophy/vision from Steve Jobs (former owner of Apple) that said: “We’ve got to focus on what we can be good at and stop everything else…we are going to build easy to use computers.”  Steve Jobs did what every leader has to do in times of uncertainty. He stepped back into what he knew for sure…stepped back from the numbers and chaos of a hurting/dying company and reinvigorated them!

What has God called us to do in our ministries? What has God called our student ministries to do in our communities? What has God called our church to do in our community or our world?

Andy said that clarity in times of uncertainty will move your organization forward. You don’t have to have a cute phrase for your vision, but you also shouldn’t have a huge paragraph. We need to figure out what the one thing that God has called us to do is. For Steve Jobs, it was to build computers that are easy to use! Certainty around the calling of God is extraordinarily powerful, and that’s where we have to retreat. It has to be crystal clear what God has called us to do, in our mind and on our lips!

Next, Andy talked about flexibility. In times of uncertainty, there needs to be incredible flexibility. Plans change, but vision should stay the same. What Andy said next was great. He said: “Fall in love with your vision, but date your plans. Marry your vision and just fool around with your plans. You’ve got to stay extraordinarily committed…plans are going to change!” If we ever confuse our vision with our mission, we are sunk…because plans WILL fail!

Another quote that jumped out at me was: “Fundraising is a plan; church planting is a mission and a vision…if you get them confused, you’re in trouble!” We can’t abandon the mission and vision because of a failed plan.

We must help our leaders, elders, and deacons to understand the difference between vision and approach. Approach may change numerous times…plans change…but vision always remains the same! Andy says we need to be stubborn with our vision and flexible in our plans.

There was so much good content in Andy Stanley’s message to youth workers but one of the most important things that I snagged up from it was what he said about leadership. He said that leadership is not about making decisions on your own, but standing up and owning the decisions as a team. He went on to tell us about the wisest man in the world (Solomon) who had the most to say about seeking counsel from others. Even though he knew the most out of anyone ever, he still saw it wise to seek the teams’ advice on things. Leadership is about owning decisions once you made them with a multitude of wise counselors, not alone!

-          paulg

Stretch Like a Cat

Go on then, answer this question – What is one of the first things that you do in the morning?

Well, what you do in the first few minutes of your day ahead regulates the tone for the remainder of the day.

I have always done this and I advise all my students and friends to do this:

Start your day with positive thoughts of happiness, health, success and prosperity.

So as soon as you kick the sheets back and land your feet on the floor then you want to be launched into success mode – the ‘achieve something today’ ingredient.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you should do today. So no more excuses and delaying tactics.

One of my essential ways to keep me focused on this course of action is to always have a daily goal – especially a daily health and fitness goal.

And when you achieve that goal first go in the morning, then the remainder of the day is going to be great!

I carry out a 15 minute exercise goal when I wake which includes mobility exercises from head to toe and some:

Combat Alpha’s – squats and leg lifts

Sit ups

Press ups

I also work on some Combat Charlie pushups and leg lifts and other stretches.

I not only stretch my body – I stretch my mind as well.

The Combat Charlie press up is similar to a cat stretch – when you see them stretch every time they wake up you will see and ‘feel’ the benefit of what they can do – so if they do it so should you.

It’s not just domesticated cats but wild cats as well. Everything from lions to tigers to cheetahs to leopards, panthers, puma’s and lynx

The speed and strength of these animals is amazing.

So watch how these wild – as well as domesticated cats (and dogs) stretch. They stretch backward hundreds of times per day. And they do it as soon as they wake up.

Can I advise you to do likewise.

Doing so will not only increase your strength and flexibility – but it will also give you massive amounts of ENERGY that lasts for hours.

I’m betting you’d like some of this ENERGY. Just move your body the way it wants to be moved. Stretch like a cat and you’ll know why cats stretch the way they do.

By the way, you can learn all about this form of exercise in my Fighting Fit Conditioning book and DVDs. Have a look at them here

http:/www.MartinDayFitness.com.html

Til next time.

Train like a cat!

Martin Day

The following was sent out yesterday from the Superintendent’s office to all school employees and parent teacher group representatives:

Yesterday, Mark Taylor, California’s Legislative Analyst released his department’s fiscal forecast for the remainder of the current fiscal year and next year.

“Our forecast of California’s General Fund revenues and expenditures shows that the state must address a General Fund budget problem of $20.7 billion between now and the time the legislature enacts a 2010-11 state budget plan.” The projected deficit consists of a $6.3 billion projected deficit for 2009-10 and a $14.4 billion gap between projected revenues and spending in 2010-11. The complete report can be found on the Legislative Analyst’s Office web site.

At this evening’s Board meeting our Unaudited Actuals will be presented, which detail our calculations of actual revenue and expenditures for the 2008-09 school year. The State has made numerous changes to school funding, both during the 2008-09 school year and two months after the fiscal year ended (adjustments to the 2008-09 fiscal year were made in August 2009). Due to these changes, we experienced a higher than expected ending fund balance, as did all California school districts.

The attached article is taken from a three part series from School Services of California. It is being forwarded to you to provide factual information, as it is critical to putting our current budget status in perspective. Please contact my office if you would like a copy of the entire three part series.

During the coming weeks as we move into developing our First Interim Report, and we learn what the State has in store for school finding for the current and next school year, we may once again be confronted with a significant loss of State revenue. It is and will continue to be our mission to work collaboratively with all of our employee groups to avoid loss or our valuable staff and programs.

The Frequently Asked Question page on our web site is sorted by topic (general, budget, personnel, necessary small schools and archived FAQ’s).  These FAQs contain a wealth of answers to a variety of issues of interest.  Please take a moment to look them over.

As always, please contact me if you have questions.

Please forward this article to other interested parties in Mariposa.

Thanks,

Randy

Randy Panietz, Superintendent
P.O. Box 85082 Old Hwy. N.
Mariposa, CA 95338Office # (209) 742-0250
Cell# (209) 456-4867

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Putting the 2008-09 Ending Balance in Perspective (This article is a condensed and edited version of a three part article from School Service of California.)

MCUSD is closing out its books for 2008-09. For MCUSD, like most school districts (SDs) in California, there is a sizeable jump in its ending balance. This is not a windfall or a reversal of fortunes, but rather a result of the timing of the state budget; a few one-time, state-approved accounting changes known as “sweeps” and “flexibility;” the late 2008-09 receipt of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF); and required, multi-year fiscal planning.

Timing: In its May Revision of the governor’s draft 2008-09 budget, the state legislature had warned school districts to expect a reduction in revenue limit funding. Revenue limit is the funding model used by the state in which a per-student dollar amount is multiplied by a district’s average daily attendance (ADA). In light of this announcement, MCUSD, like most every other SD, began to scale back and implement cuts to address this anticipated revenue reduction for 2008-09. However, the 2008-09 revised budget was not ultimately passed until August 2009, which was too late to impose the reduction for the 2008-09 school year. As a result, the legislature voted to impose the reductions in the 2009-10 budget year rather than in 2008-09. In other words, the expected loss of approximately $500,000 for 2008-09 did not materialize in that budget year, but was pushed forward to affect this (2009-10) school year. The result is a revenue limit funding reduction of approximately $465,623 which is the result of an increase to the deficit factor from 17.967% to 18.355% ( Meaning, out of $100 promised we actually get $81.64) and a one-time reduction of $250 per ADA for the 2009-10 budget year.  Because MCUSD had prudently planned for the reduction in and for 2008-09, the district’s ending balance for that year reflects an inflated amount—it includes revenue limit funds that were not expected to be there. Those funds are not “extra” monies, however. They are needed to fund the 2009-10 school year when the budget is updated at First Interim. The state will implement these reductions by releasing smaller monthly apportionments to MCUSD.

Sweeps and flexibility: At the end of the 2008-09 school year SDs were allowed to sweep the ending balances (unspent money) of many state categorical (restricted) programs and redirect those funds where needed elsewhere. This was done with the expectation that it could help SDs weather the economic crisis for the next several years. Additionally, the state temporarily eliminated more than 40 categorical programs, allowing those monies to be allocated, at the Board’s discretion, “for any educational purpose.” The state implemented this as another tool to support fiscal solvency in SDs. MCUSD operates 20 such programs. MCUSD’s Board of Trustees voted to take these steps, and these funds are also reflected in MCUSD’s 2008-09 unrestricted ending balance. From an accounting standpoint this means that funds which had been on the restricted side of the budget are now on the unrestricted side.

State Fiscal Stabilization Funds: The federal stimulus package, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, provided the state of California with funding for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF). MCUSD applied for and was granted federal SFSF funding, which was received late in the 2008-09 budget year. As such, MCUSD, like most SDs, ended up carrying over a significant amount into 2009-10. These are one-time funds with specific spending guidelines that are also reflected in the ending balance. These funds are intended to implement school reform and improvement efforts, while also saving and creating jobs. These one-time resources are to be spent in ways most likely to improve results for students, long-term gains and school system capacity. Districts are required to submit a quarterly expenditure report to ensure accountability.

Cash flow, deficit spending, and multi-year budget projections: The state is expected to make additional cuts to funding mid-year and to continue to delay payments to educational agencies. Furthermore, it is expected to take the state several years to restore lost funding to education. In addition, most of MCUSD’s unrestricted general fund 82.4% supports personnel costs. Typically these costs rise every year, due in part to salary and health benefit increases that deservingly come with years of service. Given these factors, MCUSD, like many SDs, slowed down spending and made cuts to build 2008-09 reserves. This was done in order to make required multi-year budget projections that show economic solvency for the current and two successive school years, plus ensure enough cash on hand (cash flow) to meet payroll needs, and other expenditures. Even so, the MCUSD, current year, 2009-10 budget reflects deficit spending (more expenses than income), which cannot continue indefinitely. Moreover, experts warn that seemingly high 2008-09 ending fund balances are unlikely to carry SDs through the next few years. Careful budget management is imperative.

MCUSD continues to investigate other cost saving measures, with a committee now formed to study the option of implementing a four-day school week and another soon forming to investigate school consolidation if it becomes a financial necessity.

The financial challenges facing SDs throughout the state will undoubtedly continue for the next few years. And while MCUSD’s budget reduction efforts in 08-09 have resulted in an ending balance that will help to address the 09-10 funding reductions, careful multi-year budget planning will continue to be a crucial element to the district’s ongoing success.

Please be aware that on Saturday, November 28th Body Defined will begin at 11:00 a.m. instead of at our regular time.  Please mark your calendar so you are not late for class. I’m sure many of you will be ready to burn some calories, especially if you’ve been hitting the leftovers!

Please check out my Thanksgiving Schedule for a full list of my classes during the week of 11/23/09.

Hope to see you at Body Defined on Saturday.  Contact me if you would like a guest pass!

Body Defined
Saturday, November 28
11:00 a.m. – Special Thanksgiving Weekend Time
San Francisco Bay Club
150 Greenwich St
San Francisco, CA 94111

Click here to view the San Francisco Bay Club’s Thanksgiving schedule

When it comes to empathy, women tend to excel.  Our innate propensity toward empathy serves us well in our role of nurturer, mom, confidante.  These have to do with the giving of empathy – it’s outward manifestation.  Women, in general, are good at this.  It seems, though, this very natural ability creates problems for us on the receiving side – meaning, that because we are so fluent in giving empathy, we tend to automatically expect it in return.

Case in point:  I am sharing with my husband some frustrations I have with a particular pattern of response I’ve observed from him during recent conversations.  I want him to not only know how I feel, but to empathize, recognize and validate my feelings.  In essence, I’m looking for an organic, emotional connection and acknowledgment of the reality of my emotional experience. In other words, my emotional brain is looking to connect to his emotional brain, because that is what my female brain naturally does – but, guess what?  This is not what happens.  Instead of our two brains connecting on this same wavelength that is so innate to me, my husband responds from what comes naturally to him – via his rational brain.  It’s not that he doesn’t understand what I’m saying; he can accurately paraphrase my words – but his understanding often comes from an intellectual place that can leave me less than satisfied.  Sound familiar?

The female default response tends towards empathy; the male towards logic.  It’s akin to “asyndetic listening”, when two people are completely disconnected in their conversation .  I say, “What do you want for dinner?” and you say, “Did you put gas in the car?”.  We are on two different tracks, focused on two different aims.  As long as we stay on separate tracks, we will never have a full meeting of the minds – and hearts. So, how to bridge this gap?

It seems the first step is to understand our natural propensities from a brain-based perspective, realizing that our brains literally feel better functioning in our respective preferred modes.  As a woman, what I really want is a level of understanding that my girlfriend would naturally provide, because this is where my brain is most comfortable.  Not a realistic expectation from a male, so I’m most likely setting myself up for disappointment if I cling to this outcome.  The male brain, with less wiring to its emotional center, is most comfortable in its logical, analytical, problem solving mode. Providing what my girlfriend does will most likely never happen.  In fact, from his perspective, listening with empathy can seem like being trapped in a endless cycle of emotional exploration with no way out.  Something his brain doesn’t handle very well.

So, foundationally, it’s about expectations.  Our expectation of empathy and his of rationality.  The good news is that they’re not mutually exclusive.  Both are attainable.  But, it takes a willingness to let go of our expectations and understand each others natural inclination without judgment – and with a healthy dose of patience.

Just as important as understanding our own propensity, having awareness and acceptance of our partner’s natural tendency is probably even greater.  That doesn’t mean we forfeit our own, but that we accept what is natural within each other, and then work from this perspective. I let him know up front when I’m seeking empathy and periodically ask him to share with me what he thinks I’m feeling. This will help his brain to stay more focused on my feelings.  On the flip side, I need to couple my emotional expression with exploring strategies that will move me to action and help resolve and bring closure to my feelings.

Together, this is step one to better aligning our “tracks” and bridging the empathy gap.