BHAG #2

Without any further ado, I'd like to tell you a little bit about my second big BHAG.  Not only am I aiming to lose 50% of my current body weight.  I'm putting a little bit of an incentive behind it. 

Last year after my mom was diagnosed with cancer, my family signed up to participate in our local Relay for Life.  We were so incredibly blessed by people offering support, meals and such that we wanted to find a way to pay it forward.  That seemed like an excellent opportunity.  Our team collectively was the highest fundraising team in 2010 and we raised just shy of $10,000!  My mom was (quite frankly we all were) completely astounded by people's generosity.  She was touched beyond measure that people would take the time to support this important cause.

This year we participated again and though we didn't raise quite as much it was still a wonderful experience for our family. It was only 3 months after she had passed away and I confess that my heart wasn't in it the same way.  However, I also have an aunt battling cancer so we were all committed to participating and we raised over $2,500 this year.

At the kick off dinner one of the American Cancer Society staff members told about a recent trek he had made to Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal with ACS.  He raised $2,500 for ACS in order to participate in the trek with a handful of other people.  The group also did treks to Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Marcy. That dinner was literally days after my mom passed. I heard what he said, thought it was interesting but basically didn't think much more about it until recently.

In 2010 I had become sort of obsessed with learning about Mt. Everest. I watched a couple seasons of the reality show Everest: Beyond the Limit on the Discovery Channel (isn't that channel so addicting sometimes?).  Then I read several books including Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air that told the stories of people who had climbed Everest and K2 (the 2nd tallest mountain in the world).  I was fascinated, I admit it.  It was both easier and much, much harder than I imagined. I had no desire (still don't) to try to climb Mt. Everest, don't worry.  However, I admit that I suddenly had a desire to see it in person and to travel to this mysterious part of the world...the roof of the world as its called to see all that was there.

So my second BHAG is quite simple: I'm going to join a 2013 Journeys of Inspiration Trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp. I've talked to the local company who is running it and they feel that as long as I stick to my plan and start training I should have no trouble participating.  Base camp is 17,500 feet but not a technical climb in any way.  However the altitude is a challenge as is having the endurance to hike for many, many days in a row. 

I admit, it's absolutely crazy for me to set this goal out there.  And though I am not climbing Mt. Everest, with the shape that I am in at this very moment, even this adventure could be just as crazy.  But I think it's excellent incentive and a wonderful way to continue to honor my mom.

By the way, the photo on this blog is actually not Mt. Everest but it is from the Himalayas. It's Khumbu Himal but it's close enough to inspire me!  Wish me luck!  Here's more about Journey's of Inspiration.  More to come soon....

Goal #1

I promise I will share what my second goal is soon.  I'm trying to be deliberate in how I tell this story so you will know that this decision isn't just a whim.  That one will be a bit of a surprise for people...so I want to make sure I share my thought pattern behind it.

My first BHAG is to lose weight.  Well actually to 'lose weight' isn't really a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).  My BHAG is how much I want to lose.  I have a number, which I'll share at the end but to put it into a percentage, I am trying to lose 50% of my current body weight.  Yikes!  Yes, that's a lot of weight but it wouldn't be a BHAG if it wasn't Big, right?

I've given this a lot of thought and want to make sure that the process is healthy, realistic and attainable. I've been tripped up many times in the past by trying to do too much at once.  My goal is about 6 lbs. per month or 18 lbs. per quarter.  It will probably come off faster than that at the beginning and much slower than that at the end. I'm not too concerned with the exact timing as long as I trend that way over many months.

I want to say right now that I'm NOT ON A DIET! :)  I'm making a healthy lifestyle change.  A diet is a short-term thing and this is something that I'm doing that will impact me for a much longer term.  As such, nothing is off limits (so please...no food police - "are you supposed to be eating that?") as long as the portions are in reason.  Of course, over time I will naturally start to select healthier eating options but I'm not making any drastic cuts. I am trying to limit my intake of some things (ie. mochas only on special occassions-drink hot tea instead, and severely cutting down on pop).  In mid-August I plan to go back to Weight Watchers with my dad who is also joining me on this journey of weight loss.  I've had success with their plan before and they follow my theory of nothing being off limits as long as you account for it.

I do have some exercise goals as well but those are more related to my other idea so more on that later.  Since I'm doing this in honor of my mom, I've decided that every quarter that I reach my goal I will donate some $$ the American Cancer Society to help find a cure for that nasty, nasty disease.

So friends, I have a much more detailed plan, but I'll be weighing in on Wednesdays and plan to keep you updated. I'm pleased to report that the first week of this (which started before the blog) I lost 2 lbs! :)  Making healthy choices, taking one step at a time and having an undiminished faith that with God's blessing I can accomplish this I believe will bring me success.  Thanks for all the wonderful support.  More to come soon!

What's in a name? BHAG's

I've always dreamed of writing a book.  I probably never will, but I'm looking at this blog as the next best thing, a chance for me to tell a story.  As I mentioned yesterday, the story will unfold in the coming months and years, however I want to take a couple days to outline the overall themes.  When you read a book (a good one, at any rate) you generally get the outline of the plot within the first couple chapters.  A boy finds out he's a wizard (Harry Potter). A hobbit inherits a great weapon (Lord of the Rings). A single man moves into the neighborhood and encounters a fiesty and independent woman (Pride & Prejudice).

In my story, I have a BHAG.  What is a BHAG you may ask?  No, it's not a typo, nor a character in Harry Potter.  A BHAG was coined by author Jim Collins in the book Good to Great.  It's a business book and not necessarily one you might naturally turn to when trying to transform your life. But I have achieved a moderate level of success in my career and organizations that I led by having a BHAG so I figured, what can it hurt to have one (or two) for my personal life?

A BHAG is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal.  In my humble opinion, a BHAG is thinking beyond what you think you can do and figuring out how to accomplish your dream.  It should stretch you to a limit and ultimately take you out of your comfort zone.  It should challenge you to reach to new heights and not accept the status quo.

I have 2 BHAG's on this journey. The first is the promise I made to my mom (which if you've read the description to the blog, you've already figured out).  If I cannot accomplish the first BHAG I have no hope of accomplishing the second one.  So what are they and how do I plan to accomplish them?  Rest assured that I've already taken the first steps on my journey and more will come...the plot begins to unfold and even I as the author can't say for sure which turn it will take.