I weigh myself every day. It didn’t used to be that way. I had always been taught that you should only weigh yourself once a week. Then I joined a program called Omada. Omada is an online health system that provides a coach, lessons, a group of peers, suggested food choices, exercise motivation, and a scale that automatically transmits data. It’s a proven program that decreases diabetes risk and increases the potential for greater weight loss and a more healthy lifestyle. Now I’m weighing myself every day. It’s what Omada tells me to do.

Weighing myself every day has been a game changer. I have completely transformed my diet. Exercise is the first thing I do at least five days of the week. And I’ve lost fourteen pounds in twelve weeks. I can honestly say I feel so much better. But I believe one of the keys has been that daily weigh-in. Here’s what I’ve learned by doing it:

1. Knowledge is power. When you weigh yourself daily you know exactly where you stand. If your weight goes up you can reflect on the previous day and the (poor) choices you made. It helps you make improvements moving forward. If your weight goes down you can pat yourself on the back and continue making the same good choices. It’s true in every aspect of life: the more you know the better choices you make.
2. Trends are helpful. As I weigh myself every day I can look back at the chart of my weigh-ins. The trend has been very helpful to me as I see my weight decreasing. The daily weigh-in gives me daily knowledge. But the trend gives me an overall picture. It feels so good to look back and see from where I came. It’s true in every aspect of life: Take a look at trends and see from where you came. You might be surprised.
3. Motivation comes more naturally. I actually look forward to weighing myself every morning. Sometimes I’m not happy, and I scream (!). Just ask my wife. She hears it. Other times I look at the scale and it starts my day off brilliantly. It’s amazing how a simple number can make an entire day better. When I’m getting ready to eat a cookie I remember that I have to weigh myself in the morning. When I’m eating a salad with grilled chicken and everyone else is eating enchiladas I remember that I have to weigh myself in the morning. It’s a powerful, powerful motivator. And it has worked. It’s true in every aspect of life: accountability works. Why not set up some kind of accountability today?

Knowledge, trends, and accountability are powerful tools. They don’t only work when you’re trying to lose weight. They can help you in almost any area of life. When you use them you will be surprised by the goals you will accomplish.

What do you do to motivate yourself?

Do you know the name Brett Hundley? If you don’t know by now Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, broke his collar bone in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. You’re about to hear Brett Hundley’s name a great deal more. He’s the back up for Aaron Rodgers. He will now be the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. He is the so-called “next man up.”

I’ve always lived under the mantra that no one is indispensable. There is someone who can do your job, take your place, or bring something different to your current position. That thought isn’t meant to depress or discourage you. It simply means that there is always a way through a difficult time, even if it means another person having to step up. You may even be asked to be the one who steps up and takes the place of another person thought to be irreplaceable. It’s a difficult position. But the next person up may be just the key to a new level or a big breakthrough.

We have yet to see if Brett Hundley will in any way be able to fill Aaron Rodgers Hall of Fame shoes. But the games will go on. They still have to be played. And the Green Bay Packers need a quarterback. So Brett Hundley is the next man up.

Here’s what we can learn from Brett Hundley about being the next person in line:

1. Show your respect. The first thing Hundley did when Rodgers got hurt was go over to him and say, “I love you, man. I’m gonna do my best.” He respects the person’s whose shoes he’s about to fill. That respect goes a long way with the fans and with his teammates. It shows he knows his place. But it also shows he’s ready to step up.
2. Do the job. Hundley went out and had a good game. Not a great game, but under the circumstances a good game. He was feeling his way through a difficult situation. He did what he could to keep the team in the game. In the end the Packers lost. But Hundley learned some things he will take into the next games. When you find yourself in a “next person up” situation just go in with a good attitude and do the job.
3. Be confident. Hundley had nothing to lose. He went into the game with confidence. But more than that, in the post-game interview he expressed confidence that he’d be able to confidently lead the team in the coming games. Confidence will fill the gaps of his inexperience. Be confident but not cocky. It will help you, too.
4. Keep learning. Now Hundley will be practicing with the starting team. He will have the opportunity to learn even more In the post-game press conference he said, “I’ll prepare and I’ll be ready.” Life is a never-ending classroom. Never stop learning. It will do you will at the perfect time.
5. Stay humble. The one thing that really stood out to me was that Hundley was humble. He knows he’s got his work cut out for him. He’s confident because he’s a professional. But he knows that if he gets cocky he may not only lose his edge, but his teammates as well. Humility is a great quality. It helps you keep perspective while maintaining confidence.

When will it be your opportunity to be the next person up? You never know. But when it is, here’s the encouragement to do it with respect, confidence, and humility.

Sometimes those human interest stories at the end of newscasts really get to me. It happened tonight. The story told about a teacher who asked one of her students about her birthday party. The little girl told her she had never had a birthday party, or even a slice of her own birthday cake. The teacher said when she heard those words her breath was taken away. It moved her so much that she quit her job and started her own non-profit organization. Now she raises money so that low income, underprivileged, and homeless children can have their very own birthday party, gifts and all.

Now this woman buys the gifts, dresses up in costumes, and brings the cakes to the parties. Professional baseball teams have gotten involved. Volunteers help out. And the smiles on the children’s faces beam like the sun. The story brought a lump to my throat.

You don’t have to start a non-profit or even throw a birthday party to bring joy or uplift. The same can be done even in the most mundane situations. Walter Wangerin, Jr. reminds us of this when he writes:

Every time you meet another human being you have the opportunity. It’s a chance at holiness. For you will do one of two things. Either you will build him up or you will tear him down. There are no useless, minor meetings. There are no dead-end jobs. There are no pointless lives. Swallow your sorrows; forget your grievances and all the hurt your poor life has sustained. Turn your face truly to the human before you and let her, for one pure moment, shine. Think her important, and then she will suspect that she is fashioned of God.

So do something special today. Go with your compassionate idea. Throw a birthday party. Sit face to face with someone. Make the visit you promised you would. You might even come up with an idea that leads to a non-profit organization.

What will you do to make someone smile today?

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It’s the end of the first quarter at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ football game. Suddenly the entire crowd turns in one direction. Smiles cover the faces. The fans look up beyond the wall of the stadium. And they begin to wave.

It’s a tradition that just began this year. A new children’s hospital was built with windows overlooking the field. A fan floated the idea of waving to the kids in those windows. People thought it was a great idea so the word spread. The next thing you know every time there’s a football game a little bit of joy is injected into the lives of kids who are sick enough to be hospitalized. And all it takes is a wave multiplied thousands of times.

Isn’t it amazing what a little gesture can do? I love it when I take my morning bike ride and a motorist is friendly enough to gesture me across the street and follow it with a friendly wave. Our grandson is on the verge of learning how to wave. Don’t you love it when little babies do that? Waves can be emotional, too. I vividly remember waving to both of our kids when we dropped them off at their respective colleges and made our way home. If I’m being honest, more than a few tears accompanied those waves.

Sometimes a wave is not so much physical as it is emotional. Here in Florida we have felt the nation “waving” to us by sending financial support, their linemen and women, and their prayers. It’s almost as though the rest of the nation is turning their collective faces toward us like the fans at an Iowa football game. And we feel the warmth and love. It brings a smile to our faces.

Why not make it your goal to wave to someone today? Even if it may feel a little uncomfortable, give it a try. Especially if you don’t normally do it, wave to a fellow motorist, neighbor, or pedestrian today. You might just make their day. And your day will be better as well.

To whom will you wave today?

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We’ve been living with uncertainty for over a week now. Throughout hurricane season our local meteorologists keep an “eye on the tropics.” Already at the end of August they said we’d better watch Invest 93L because it could form into a major storm. Sure enough. Here we are making preparations for Hurricane Irma to hit the state of Florida. The projections have been going back and forth for days. The uncertainty is maddening.

Leading up to a hurricane uncertainty is all around. When you’re at the store buying the mandatory bread, water, and wine you hear people talking about how they’re going to evacuate if it comes this way. On social media you see reminder after reminder and myth after myth about what’s going to happen (or not going to). The weather channel incessantly shows the path’s track and the “cone of uncertainty.”

This is all really just a metaphor for life. As the old saying goes: “Nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.” Everything else is uncertain. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. It could be good or bad. There might be failures or successes.

So how do we deal with uncertainty about a hurricane…or anything else? What is a pathway out of it? Here are three things I learned in the uncertainty of a potential hurricane:

1. Don’t believe the best or the worst. In any kind of conjecture there will be those looking at it with rose colored glasses and those who always default to the worst case scenario. As far as the hurricane goes we are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Seems like a good philosophy for any uncertain time.
2. Seek advice from experienced people. We are relatively new Floridians who have only experienced one other hurricane. So we look to those who have had much more experience with this kind of thing. We ask them questions, seek their advice, and listen to them.
3. Place faith in the One who never changes. In an email to our congregation this week I wrote: “Please join me in praying to the God of creation for safety and protection. In His sovereignty, which is high above ours, He has allowed this storm to form and He has His purposes for it. But He is also the one who with only His words calms the wind and the waves. Let’s pray that if it would be His will He would do just that.”

What is your pathway out of uncertainty?

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The more I watch network news the more I think this world needs more encouragement. Recent events have shown that we are at each others throats both literally and figuratively. Everything from Berkeley to Charlottesville have revealed our country at its worst. I guess I should probably stop watching the network news. But then I saw the demonstrations of compassion and humanity after Hurricane Harvey. It was a joy to see people encourage Houston from all over the country.

But it all starts with one person taking the initiative to encourage another. Here are five ideas to help you do just that:

1. Send a handwritten note. A couple of weeks ago in our Bible class at church we decided that we were each going to send a handwritten note to someone. The idea was to provide some encouragement. Though it wasn’t my intention, I received a couple of those notes. They made my day. I truly felt encouraged.
2. Say something. If you’re thinking something nice about someone, say it. It does no good if you keep it to yourself. A few kind words go a long, long way. In fact, it just might completely improve someone’s day.
3. Pay a public compliment. In this day and age it’s so easy to do. Use your social media channels to tout a friend or family member’s gifts or talents. Create a post about their work, business, or artistic ability and draw attention to it.
4. Pick up the phone and make a call. I know, I know. A telephone call is such a throwback, such an inconvenient thing to do in this day and age of texts and emails. But a real phone call for “no reason” is just special enough to provide a proper amount of encouragement on any given day.
5. Pay attention. When someone in your office or home mentions something they like or use, make note of it. When you have the opportunity, purchase it as a gift and give it on a day other than a birthday or holiday.

Do you agree that we could all use a little more encouragement? 

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