GarthWunsch.com

Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

What an honour to listen to Frank O’Dea, co-founder of Second Cup, at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce President’s series luncheon held at the Caruso Club in Sudbury, Ontario today. Mr. O’Dea epitomizes the “can do” attitude so necessary to our success as business people and as humans “being”. Mr. O’Dea’s story of useless alcoholic to successful businessman to world stage humanitarian and ultimately to Rideau Hall and the Order of Canada,  is one I won’t soon forget. As I listened, I had one prevalent thought… how I wish more young people who are seeking purpose in life could hear this message.

Should you ever get the opportunity to hear Mr. O’Dea, do yourself, and maybe the world, a favour… get there. Who knows what might grow from being in the presence of true greatness.

Since this blog is intentionally very eclectic, no topic is really off topic for me. Makes blogging a lot easier, a lot more fun, and I hope a lot more interesting for my readers. Sooo, since we’re just past the season of too much good stuff and into the season of heading for the gym, I thought I’d add my experience with losing weight. It was easy and painless and required very little discipline.

One year ago I weighed in at 194 lbs. This morning I weighed in at 183.5 lbs. Don’t ask me how many kgs. that is because I don’t know… well actually, it’s exactly the same weight, just with different numbers I didn’t feel real comfortable at 194 and my shirts didn’t fit the way I thought they should… had this funny round protuberance out front. So what’s to be done? I started watching this protuberance, just to see if it was going to grow for another nine months or so. It didn’t! Thank God!

I needed to do something, and I knew diets don’t work. Then I discovered a little book through the self improvement and gifting section of my greeting card company, titled The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson. Olson talks about making changes in our life philosophy, doesn’t talk much about eating, but about the outcomes we expect from life, and how to make them a reality. I took Mr. Olson’s advice and started applying it to a lot of things, my eating habits included. I eat ice cream (real stuff – hate all that low fat food), use whole milk, eat butter tarts, mashed potatoes and gravy, use real butter, even had a couple of Poutines during the year… you get the picture… big fat guy… NOT! Well at least not real fat. Still some room for improvement, but I’m content with my progress. Let’s see what another year brings. So did I think myself thin. Not really. But I did have to have the right mindset. I wanted to do something about that protuberance so I just started eating a little bit less of everything. It was that simple. And I went from a size large to as size medium. shirt. Never thought just ten lbs. would make that difference.

Just had a stress test and that showed clear. Blood pressure is sitting at 125/60 or thereabouts. Cholesterol is way down, (but my MD doesn’t like the ratio… never satisfied). I intend to keep it that way too. No use wasting good genes.
One more thing has to be added to the mix this year. ALL of my health care team are telling me to get my butt into a gym. Staying active with yard work doesn’t seem to cut it for them… and I know they’re right. So once the post Christmas rush is over at the gyms, there will be room for me.

Well dear reader, I don’t want to make an essay out of this. So I’ll continue to apply Olson’s words here, as at the dinner table, and just say fewer of them. Thanks.

Many thanks to all who participated in this very successful event to raise money for the Irish Heritage club‘s support of organ transplants at Sixth Avenue Golf & Country Club in Lively. Special thanks to Reggie White and his team for all the work they put into this very worthy cause. It was really inspiring to see money donated to worthy recipients and also to hear Sudbury Councilor Russ Thompson relate the story of his successful kidney transplant. Thanks Russ. Big thanks also to Councilor Jacques Barbeau for his great support. I can’t begin to tell you how much he contributed to this event… and always does.

Have you signed your organ donor card? I have!
Does your family know your wishes? Mine does!

None of us is in a hurry to become organ donors, but we don’t know what tomorrow holds. And maybe, just maybe, someone will live on even if I don’t. Just as a note of information, I have a sister-in-law who is a double lung transplant recipient. She is having a tough time right now, but she has survived long enough (six years) to see one of her life’s goals achieved… living long enough to see her two children grow up.

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Thanks so much for visiting. You can check out the other sections while your here, and I would be especially pleased if you visit my Fine Art gallery… it’s what I believe I do best… and I love doing it.
Garth