Apple-Pip of Her Eye

Continued from Giant Wee Apple-Pip, the story of The Apple-Pip Princess:

“Well, the truth is that she was little and shy and quite ordinary. And she was rather afraid of the dark and crumbling royal dungeon.

While Suzanna and Miranda rushed about, Serenity sat in her favourite  place and looked in her mother’s wooden box.

My sisters are clever and pretty, but I am no more important than this little apple pip. What can I do to make Father proud of me? Serenity wondered, gazing out at the barren land.

Looking at the seven magical treasures in the box, she heard her mother’s voice telling her how she had carefully collected each one in her wanderings through the nearby hills and forests. Serenity remembered how wonderful the kingdom had been when the queen was still alive.

And slowly, the tiny seed of an amazing idea began to form in her mind. She began to smile. And then she began to work.

On the first day, Serenity took a trowel and began to dig in the ground. It was difficult work, because the earth was baked hard by the sun, but she kept digging until it was crumbly and brown. Carefully, she took the tiny apple pip from its embroidered bag and planted it in the earth.

On the second day, Serenity planted the pips from her breakfast pear next to the apple pip. Then she watered them with the scattering of raindrops.

On the third day, she planted the pips from an orange she had for lunch and let the splash of sunlight dance over the earth. Then, she watched in amazment as green shoots pushed their way through the soil.

On the fourth day, Serenity planted pits from her suppertime cherries. Then, she took the fragment of rainbow and flung it high into the blue sky. The little green plants turned their leaves to the sun and smiled.

On the fifth day, Serenity noticed a boy from the village watching her and called him over. He brought her a plum pit and began to help. They worked together all day, digging in the hot sun, and by evening they were firm friends.

Before they went home, Serenity took the starbird’s feather and let it fan a soft fresh breeze over the earth.

The boy’s name was Joseph, and on the sixth day he returned with olive pits from his mother. Word began to spread, and the people came to offer gifts of orange and lemon pips

They helped Serenity and Joseph dig and water, plant and sow, and taught them all they remembered about tending the land.

Before the sun began to set, Serenity draped the spider’s dewy web over the bright young leaves and buds of the tiny apple tree.

By the seventh day, the land beyond the palace walls was covered in the misty green of little seedlings. But Serenity had a problem. Although she could easily imagine how lovely all the trees and plants would be when they were fully grown, she realized that they would never be ready when the king made his decision the next day.

As evening approached, Serenity suddenly put down her trowel. ‘It’s no good,’ she said.’My father can’t possibly choose me.’ ‘The plants will grow,’ Joseph said. ‘Look how strong the little apple tree has grown. We must just be patient.’

And the the finale…..

Giant Wee Apple-Pip

Continued from Selfish Secret, the story of The Apple-Pip Princess:

“Inside the box were seven magical things that the queen had collected when she was a little girl.

There was a scattering of raindrops, a splash of sunlight, a fragment of rainbow, a starbird’s feather, a spider’s dewy web, a burst of nightingale song, and at the bottom, an embroidered silken bag that held a tiny apple pip.

Serenity liked to look carefully at all the things inside. They helped her remember her mother and how beautiful their land had once been.

Time passed, and one day the king called his daughters to him.

‘I am old now, so I must choose which of you will be the best ruler of our kingdom after I have gone,’ he said. ‘I have decided to set you a task. You must each do something to make your mark – something to make me proud. After seven days and seven nights, I will look at what you have done and I will make my decision.’

Suzanna was clever and knew straightaway what she wanted to do. ‘I will build the tallest tower in the world,’ she said. ‘It will be so tall that it will reach the moon. People will see it and remember what a very important person I am. They will be so proud to be ruled by me that they won’t mind being hungry at all.’

She sent orders for people to bring her all the wood in the kingdom – even if it was the roof over their heads or the fences that kept their animals safe. And if anyone even thought of arguing with her, she would throw them into the dark and crumbling royal dungeon!

Miranda was clever, too, but rather vain and far too busy admiring herself in the mirror to have any ideas of her own.

‘If Suzanna is building a tower tall enough to reach the moon, I will build one to reach the stars,’ said Miranda. ‘If her tower is made from plain old wood, mine will be made of shiny metal. People will see my lovely tower and rememeber how beautiful I am. They will be so honored to be ruled by me that they won’t mind being poor at all!’

Immediately, Miranda sent orders for people to bring her all the metal in the kingdom – even their cooking pots and tin pans, copper bells and birdcages. And if anyone argued, Miranda would stamp her foot and throw them into the dark and crumbling royal dungeon!

Now, I expect you are wondering about Serenity, the youngest princess. Maybe you think that I’m going to tell you that she was the cleverest, or the most beautiful. or her father’s favourite, because that is often the way with fairy tales.”

To be continued….

The Selfish Secret

I have the joy and pleasure of reading to my son every evening before he goes to bed. In fact, I miss it when, on the odd night, I can’t. There have been a couple occasions where the story really stood out, with a great message or lesson being conveyed. We recently read just such a story called The Apple-Pip Princess (by Jane Ray).

What amazes me is how a truth shines so clearly when striving to be conveyed to a child. All the theoretical, heady explanations must, out of necessity, be set aside. What’s left is the core of the message that anyone can plainly see, combined with the element of igniting ones imagination.

How different it is when done for we as adults. For example, many are familiar with“The Secret”. I watched it a couple years ago on a recommendation. And there was alot of great stuff being said. Alot that I could relate to. But it left me feeling very off. Very empty. I knew immediately what it was. Touted to hold universal truths to happiness, the source for acquiring it was still being sought in materialistic means. And it pressed the notion of using these truths to continue doing for yourself. I think we’ve all seen many examples in our lives and our cultures where doing for yourself (unless it holds a higher purpose) leaves you unfulfilled,  dissatisfied and unhappy. Somehow the message of finding happiness and “wealth” in our lives got lost in the translation. Or in order to make loads of money, they decided to sell us on gaining riches, keeping us further from the path, on their way to being “happy”. Okay Shane, that’s enough. Okay.

Although it seems simple, common sense and obvious, sometimes it takes looking through the eyes of a child to grasp the treasure at hand. Without further a do, The Apple-Pip Princess:

“Let me tell you a story about something that happened a long time ago in a land far from here – a land ruled by an old king who had three daughters.

Their kingdom had once been covered in forests filled with birdsong, and the palace had been a busy and bustling place. But since the queen’s death, the heart had gone out of the kingdom – the winters were bitter, the summers were scorched, and the palace was filled only with sadness.

The people lived in tumbledown cottages and scratched a living from the dry earth. The animals were so skinny you could hear their ribs rattling, and the birds were too hungry to sing.

Now, before the queen had died, she’d asked each of her daughters to choose one of her possessions to remember her by.

Suzanna, the eldest princess, picked a pair of fine scarlet shoes, with heels that made sparks on the cobblestones. When Suzanna put them on, she felt tall and important.

Miranda, the middle princess, chose a magnificent mirror made of silver and pearls. She spent hours gazing into it, thinking herself quite the most beautiful princess there had ever been.

Serenity, the youngest princess, chose only a simple wooden box that she had loved since she was a baby.”

To be continued…..

Forging Ahead

So this years “theme” has gone through an interesting transition. I wrote in “Humble Before the Giant” that although I was still feeling strongly connected to the metaphor of riding giant waves, the quality that I was focusing on had shifted. Instead of the previous year of connecting with joyfulness, it became apparent that the quality I was feeling drawn to was humility.

As it turns out, riding giant waves just needed a couple months more before letting in the new theme that would accompany Humility for the rest of this year. And it came on with full force!

Images are a powerful component of these themes for me. I’m a very visual person and so an image will often form, as the metaphor for where I’m at coalesces. And over the last month, the image of a blacksmith, strong and powerful as he forged the tool he was creating, kept pushing itself to the surface.

The last year has seen me, as I worked towards being capable of riding those “giant waves” and the sheer joy it brings me, patiently and systematically turning up the heat. Smelting off the unnecessary slag that would weaken my ability to take that next step. Now, feeling in a place to test my metal. Or rather, forge it. Even my physical transformation goal seems to fall in time with the pound of this hammer.

And wouldn’t you know it,  a couple weeks ago, two days after having all this crystallize before me, the forging process started in earnest. I caught the flu, worst I’ve had in about 3 years. And for 24 hrs, I lay in a dark room, sweating like mad from the internal heat, cold from all the sweating and an incessant pounding in my head. At one point, while lying there, trying to relax and find the calm center as I rode this out, I started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. I thought “Well, I asked for it”.  Having my sprite physicality  stripped completely out from under me for the next two weeks, tempering my spirit, definitely humbled me. It let me know what it would mean to enter this process.

With an open heart, a fertile mind and humble spirit I step into the black, my path lit only by the glow of the forge…

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

The Heart of Why

Why does anyone do what they do? What motivates us? What ignites the drive to strive to be better than we already are? To put in the precious time, honest effort, the mental/emotional struggle, the humbling work? It would be nice to think it comes from within and that we do it for the sake of doing it. When I look around, however, if I’m really honest about what I see, that’s not the case. We may be able to start, riding the initial spark of excitement. But before long, we stutter, stall or stop all together. For most of us, an external motivating force that fuels and sustains our efforts is needed. We need a reason to do it.

“Because I should” may be reason enough, but lets face it, it doesn’t connect with us emotionally. It doesn’t inspire the transformation of the hero within each of us. Accepting right off the bat that we need an external motivator that means something to us, enhances our chances of finding a solid one, thus resulting in greater success. Now the search for what lays at the heart can begin.

What motivates me? The unity of mankind.  I’m not talking about some blissful, monochromatic utopia. I mean the unity of mankind, with all it’s enriching diversity. Yeah, yeah, sounds altruistic, but it’s true. This lies at the heart of what motivates my personal development. It lies at the heart of my service towards my fellow man. This is what keeps me going.

But isn’t this kind of….broad, generalized and just plain HUGE!? Yes it is. And because it’s so, it can be difficult to feel a tangible connection to it on a daily basis. But it hit me last week. I found something very real and very important to me that I know lies at the heart of why I do what I do. It was while I was holding my youngest son, Will.  His nose was running, he was coughing and had a fever. In fact, my eldest son and wife were sick as well. I was manning the ship. And in putting alot of the work aside, to take the time to be there and care for them, it struck me what an honor and a blessing it was to do so. This is why I do what I do. My family lies at the heart of why. My love for them and their well-being is my motivation.

The unity of mankind must first see the unity of nations. The unity of nations must first see the unity of states and provinces. The unity of states and provinces must first see the unity of cities. The unity of cities must first see the unity of communities. The unity of communities must first see the unity of families. The unity of my family. And the only way I can make my best contribution to it, is to continually be the best I can be.

What’s your motivation? Is it working? If it isn’t, dig a little deeper. It’s there. It’s right in front of you. It’s real. As real as the blood in your veins. It’s at the heart of “why”.

Old Is A Choice

As my Coach, Scott Sonnon, is fond of saying, you can’t stop the aging process, but you can stop from getting old. I’ve also always felt the same, very strongly, as I’m sure many of us do.

We can allow ourselves to get old. Or….

Hoppipolla

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

The Goal

In follow up to the last post, regarding undergoing a physical transformation, the goal is to gain weight (no, this won’t be a burger binge ya’ll, health is still the number one priority here).

I’ve never been a fan of “gaining mass”. Never interested. Actually, it makes me angry. For those who are into “bodybuilding”, this is not geared to you. You train with that purpose in mind. For me it revolves around the Fitness Industries manipulation and mis-education of the general public as to what it means to be fit and healthy, using the bodybuilding paradigm. It is a misrepresentation that is so hyper-focused  on outward appearance, that other aspects such as health, vitality, mobility, energy, function (all of which a strong, graceful physique spring forth from) are left in the shadows to collect dust. Yes, I’ll admit, we’re slowly shifting to incorporate them, but it’s still mired in the muck that leads people to fail at achieving the goals they’re being led to believe are attainable in the way it’s being marketed.

With that in mind, I’ve stayed clear and always been much more focused on enhancing function and attributes (speed, endurance, strength, power) for greater performance in my chosen physical activities. And the methods to gaining mass, in conventional training terms, never aligned with those goals.

That has seen me maintain a weight of approximately (literally within a couple pounds) 170 lbs for the last decade. The only exceptions were a couple times when I got sick and dropped some weight and a period of 6 months where I put myself through the training regime of the U.S. Navy S.E.A.L.s ( minus the screaming instructors) and as a consequence hit 183 lbs (heaviest I’ve ever been). A training regime, however,  that’s not so optimal for health and longevity.

Although we choose to make the change, the process, at least initially, is not always attractive or desirable. And really, neither is the “standard” we are constantly being hounded into believing should be our destination. Therefore, I’ve chosen a goal that has negative associations for me. One that has a process which I’ve found, for the last 15 years, to be undesirable and unattractive.

It is also a goal that is really hard for me physically. I’m a lean dude, and for all the eating and training that I do, very difficult to put on that weight. And I recognize for those who go through the process, that a hard part of a physical transformation, IS the physical transformation itself (everything else that comes along with it aside).

Alright, a tough goal with negative connection to it. Now, the food. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a 6-8 meals a day kind of guy. Became habit, as well as part of the common training wisdom, especially if training  hard (not to mention if you’re trying to gain muscle mass). As we’d mentioned in the last post, physical transformation usually also requires a change in eating patterns. A change which usually flies in the face of how we’ve eaten for years. So I’m going to make that change. I’ll be changing my eating patterns from 6-8 meals a day to eating only 3 meals a day.

I have the goal, the change in type of physical activity (to encourage muscle gain) and the change in eating patterns (also for gain, but in a completely counter-intuitive manner) . I will not be performing “bodybuilding” routines as we know it. I will still be training purely through Circular Strength Training , continuing to develop quality of movement and athleticism through a system that promotes health-first fitness and pain-free longevity. And there is no ridiculous “in 10 weeks” time limit, as transformation is a lifelong process with constantly new layers being revealed along the way. But I’ll say we’ll see where I get in the next year and check in from time to time with an update.

Finally the numbers. Thought I’d forgotten? The more specific you can get with your goals the better. “Gain muscle mass” is too generic. So I’ll set a number to strive for. Because 183 lbs is the heaviest I’ve ever been, I wanted to go for something higher. This needs to be challenging right? So my aim is to gain 20 lbs of muscle which would put me at 190 lbs.

Only, I did my official weigh in on Oct. 29 and came out at……160.5 lbs! I’d been fighting a stomach flu for two weeks prior and apparently it took a little more out of me then I thought. I’m still sticking to the end goal of 190

lbs, which means I now need to gain 30 lbs. With that:

October 29, 2009

Before:

Weight – 160.5 lbs
BodyFat % – 11%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone want to join me in a transformation?

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

Transformer, More Than Meets the Eye!

What is truly involved with a physical transformation? To be absolutely honest….I don’t know.

I’ve never had to undergo one. Moving through the process of an emotional transformation? Been there. Mental transformation? Done that.  Spiritual transformation? Check. Actually, all of these never end, and if I play my cards right, never will. But a significant physical transformation, I can’t say that I truly understand what that’s like to go through for someone. I’ve been fortunate enough to have instilled in me from a young age, habits and patterns that allowed me to stay healthy, energetic and active to this day.

As a trainer, I help others make that transformation. You want to lose weight, trim down? No problem, I can help you do so. Everything I’ve incorporated in my life and continue to improve upon, works. It will get you to where I’m at physically; lean, strong, mobile.

Only it’s not that black and white, is it? Because a physical transformation is only one piece to the puzzle. True transformation includes all aspects of ourselves, the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual. They are all inextricably linked and each plays a role in the expression of the other. So how can I be optimally attuned to the needs of those I assist, when I’m missing one of the spokes to the wheel? And the primary modality I’ve chosen to do it through, at that?

Among Circular Strength Training Instructors, Coaches and Head Coaches there is a saying, a standard of integrity which dictates: You cannot take someone where you haven’t been.

As part of my commitment to continue bringing the best tools and the best coaching to helping you achieve your goals, I’ve recognized the need and decided to undergo a significant physical transformation myself. To go through the process, so that I understand, not theoretically, but internally.

If one is undergoing a physical transformation, it involves a change in how we eat and a change in the level (or type) of physical activity we partake in. Just not as simple as it sounds, because what we are in fact changing are patterns and habits that have been cemented in over the course of a lifetime. In order for this to have the desired effect, this transformation is going to have to be so completely different from what I’ve been doing over the course of my lifetime.

And completely different it shall be.  Stay tuned….

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

Fun=Work=Fun

I came across this great clip of a group coming up with a creative means to engaging people to use the stairs, instead of the escalator. The results are pretty impressive:

And it got me to thinking about how exercise or “working out” is not always seen as fun. It tends to actually be viewed as a chore. One we have to do, rather than want to do. Okay, I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t take some effort. Neither am I going to suggest we’re always going to jump for joy when we attend to our training.  But I also won’t diminish the importance of improving and maintaining our health. The health of the whole, which the body, as the vehicle that move us through this life, plays a crucial part.

So how do we make this task, this necessity of exercising for our health more fun. Because many of us can attest to being slowly pushed away by the eventual boredom that sets in. Well guess what? You’re not the only one. So does your nervous system.

Our nervous systems are wired to adapt, master and increase the level of  complexity and sophistication in whatever endeavor we undertake. In fact,  it craves it! Once mastered, our nervous system gets antsy, giving us the cues to give it more. What’s the next puzzle? Where’s the new mystery to solve? Based on conventional training wisdom, when we get those cues, we add more weight, do it faster or longer.  But we’re still doing the SAME MOVEMENT! Nervous systems looking at you saying “I can do this bigger, faster, longer. No problem. I’ve already got it figured out. But where’s the good stuff? The new challenge? When do we get to have some fun?”

Yes, we still continue to manipulate weight, speed and duration. However, if we continue to provide our nervous system with increasing sophistication, big brother to the other 3, we will nurture deep within us at a neurological level, an excitement and anticipation that will have us actually looking forward to the fun of being the healthiest we’ve ever experienced.

The strongest system I’ve come across in offering this, with it’s Health-First focus and principal of fitness through movement mastery, is RMAX International’s Circular Strength Training.

It is the method that has seen me recover from a  serious back injury. Through it’s diligent application, it caused other old injuries, and any residual ill-effects they may have created, to clear up, rendering them now obsolete.  I’ve gained access to a far greater “palette” of movement potential than ever before, which just means a richer depth of notes to play through life with. And to top it off, it’s made consistent training with noticeable progress far more engaging. Exciting. Fun.

Go for it, make some music…… have fun!

Dare To Evolve,
Shane.

You’re Already a Masterpiece

The rest of the world just needs to see it.

When an artist is creating a work of art, there seems to be two primary approaches to doing so or variation thereof. The first is with a specific vision in mind and forging ahead in a deliberate manner to bring that creation to fruition. The second is more of the discovery through the creation process, not knowing what the result will be, only that a masterpiece lies within and you must begin.

Which approach do you jive with? Not just ideally, but truly. Take a moment to reflect on it. Often the process is associated with the outcome. We see those who achieve “great things” and refer to how they got there as the road map to achieving it. Which is good. We’d be seriously limiting ourselves if we felt we could get there completely on our own. Where the hitch comes in is when we try to mirror that exact process. For some, it will be really close to their own and thus bring them a long way. But for the majority of us, it won’t, causing us to run contrary to our natural instincts and  making forward progress feel like swimming in molasses.

With a greater understanding of our process, we can pull the useful tools and strategies from the journey of those who succeed and use them to augment our own.

So if you misstep, fall or fail in your attempts to “create great works” with your life,  don’t simply write off what you have to offer as inept, inadequate or valueless.  Maybe you just need to reacquaint (or acquaint for the first time) yourself with the form through which your creations come to life.

There’s no such thing as an empty canvas or a formless stone. For the masterpiece already exists. Will you pick up the brush and uncover it for the world to share in it’s inspiration?