Mentalsidewalk

I remember those words ringing in my ear for days.  No one had ever spoken to me as such.  Little did I know that from this day on I would never look at life situations the same way again.

As a child I never had the fortune to have mentors I could look up to and be guided with insightful dialogue.  So when I heard the magical words,

 Success is on the other side of failure,  it was an internal validation to what I always knew to be true.

This is an amazing 1 min. video that reminds us how all those people that succeed also at one point in their lives were exactly where we all have been and at times are.  Only difference is that we chose to quit.

How easily we quit on our dreams

We so easily look for reasons to give up on what we started.  Instead we need to look for inspiration from others that were not willing to give up on their dreams.

This is a great video little video- well worth the time.

Please share with us the dream that you never gave up on – would love to read those.

Fred Sarkari

How my 10 km run turned into a 42 km marathon.  All I can say is OUCH!

The BMO marathon was last Sunday.  Taking a break from running for a while due to a calf injury, I intended to do the 10 km run last Sunday. The longest distance I have ever ran is 14 km and that is when I was running consistently.  so I figured if I dug deep enough the 10 km should not be too difficult.

8 km into the race I decided that I might be able to pull off the 1/2 marathon if I dug even deeper within.

Next thing I knew I was facing the fork in the road, by this point in time I was already feeling the swelling in my knees and back.  Go right for the 1/2 marathon and go left for the full 42 km marathon.  I have no idea what came over me but at an instant I hid my color coded race bib under my shirt and made a left towards the entire marathon.

As soon as I made the left it seemed like majority of the runners disappeared and the reality of my decision sunk deep into my heart.  Now I was committed and there was no turning back.

I knew I was in for some agony for the next few hours, just did not realize how painful these few hours were going to be.

I made 2 commitments to myself at that moment in time -

I will not give up and I will have fun till the end.

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Imagine the power of those 2 commitments in anything that you do in life.

The things you are capable of achieving.

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I was having the time of my life, singing, a little bit of dancing, telling myself some of my favorite jokes and never losing that smile off my face.  To my surprise I was doing better than ever expected, well until I hit that 19 km mark.

Than I felt a sharp nerve pain fire off from my hip to the back of my right knee. If you have ever had a nerve fire as such, you know that you instantly start singing a different kind of a song.  Once I realized that this nerve pain on every step was not going anywhere, my only option was to have fun with it.  So I started talking to it, laughing at it and the next thing I knew I ran 2 more km with (her) as a pain in my side. he he

It seemed like it was at the exact time when I saw the 22 km sign, my right knee started to swell like a balloon.  I still had 1/2 a marathon to run.

My 1o min. run and 1 minute walk intervals turned to a 5 min. run and a 1 minute walk.

It took me a few more km to figure out a perfect movement with my hip in order to be able to run without bending my right knee too much.  One of my happiest moments – I was back on the move again.

You see at this point as far as I was concerned I had already finished the marathon, only thing left was to run over to the finish line and get my metal.

There is a big difference to the psyche from thinking what you want to accomplish and verbally speaking what you have already accomplished, in the near future.

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Than came km 27 – my left knee decided to play a joke on me and started to swell up.  My first reaction was frustration at this point as I still had 15 km to go.  As soon as I got frustrated I started to realize how badly my body was really hurting, everything that could possibly hurt started to hurt at that point in time. And on top of that everything that should not be hurting also was hurting.

That was the best thing that could have happened to me

as it gave the the awareness how important my state of mind was at that moment in time.

Instantly I started singing again, moving my upper body like I was dancing to the music, put on the biggest smile on my face and visualized every molecule in my body crossing the finish line.  And magically the pain started to disappear, well at least lessen.

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Well until I hit km 32.  I can’t bend my right knee, I have a nerve firing off from my hip to my right knee on ever step and now my left knee was getting harder to bend.  My feet were swollen and every step made my feet feel like they were being tenderized by a mallet.  That is okay, bring it on I told my self as there is only 10 km left.

Then came the practical joke of the day.  8 km left and I cannot bend either of my knees, and every step was excruciating pain at the top and bottom of my feet as they both were swollen and tender.

The last 8 km truly tested how committed I was to the 2 things I promised myself.  I will never give up and I will have fun.

It took me almost 2 km to figure out that the awkward hip movement run I was trying to do without bending my knees was slower than if I just tried to walk.

So the rest of the way instead of saying ouch with every step, I smiled, I laughed, I stared at the true colors around me, I passionately listened to the birds that were cheering me on with their singing and I took one step at a time.

The last 6 km did take for ever to finish, but crossing that finish line in the end knowing that I can always count on my promise to myself made it all worth while.  To me the greatest satisfaction was not the stupidity of running a marathon without training for it.  The satisfaction is to know I can believe in my commitments to myself.  How can we expect people to reply on our word to them if we cannot even rely on ourself.

I would never recommend the above, as I would be the first to say it was a stupid idea.  That being said, never forget what you are capable of achieving, have the courage to stretch and to fight for what you want.  We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

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5 Things I Took Away From This Journey

1. Have the courage to jump in and than commit to your actions.

2. The sign of a persons true character is one that will keep their promises to themselves.  When I want to know if I can trust someone, I want to know if they keep their own promises to themself.

3. No matter what your journey, slow down enough to cherish the colors around you, to listen to the sounds, to smile, to laugh and to dance with every step.

4. Never give up.

5. You can have fun in any situation – Never forget that!

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I say to you, never give up and take every step towards your dreams, cherishing the fun in every moment of that journey.

Few days have passed and now I can ‘kind of’ where my shoes and ‘kind of’ walk again.

Happy Running

This weekend a homeless person and a child asked me the same critical question about Thanksgiving.

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I sat there on the street and shared a meal with the homeless man.  This man was more cheerful and happy than most people I know with an abundance in their lives.  I was amazed to hear of all the things he was grateful for in his life.

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The question I was asked by this man and a 10 year old child:

“What is the point of Thanksgiving?”

Thanksgiving has different meaning to different people, but in the end the message is consistent to all.  Be thankful and grateful for what we have, not just for the obvious like food, but also for all the little things in our lives.  No matter what our situation or circumstance in life, there is always something / someone to be grateful for.

Thats not always as easy as it sounds as we are not only surrounded by negativity, we have also created a culture focusing on what we don’t have, should have, why others have more…and in turn, we loose sight of all the precious moments we have in our lives.

First and foremost, I am so grateful to the friends that I had the pleasure to celebrate Thanksgiving with.  I just got back from over eating some great food with some great friends.  I was asked what I was grateful for?

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Three things came to mind:

1. Niece and Nephew:  Natasha and Zal have been the greatest gift I have ever received.  They have taught me more about myself, people, love, compassion and even pain than any other person or event in my life.

2. Old And New Friends: I have the greatest lifetime friends and so fortunate to meet some new friends this year.  No matter where my journey leads me I hope that they also one day will become my old lifetime friends.

3. World Is Full Of Compassion: I truly believe that this world is full of compassion.  When you truly believe it, you will also see the unlimited amount of small compassionate acts everywhere we turn.  I am so grateful to have the awareness for it.

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?

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Having a conversation with Mike Hassard, a few days ago, he approached me with a suggestion to collect canned food for the food bank at the Nov. 5th event in Kelowna. Now there is an example of a person taking the time to see how we can give back during our busy schedules.  Please bring food for the food bank if you are coming to the event.

Some fun trivia:

Do you know the answers to the following questions about Thanksgiving:

1. When was the first celebration of Thanksgiving?
2. What are the only 2 items known for sure that were on the menu?
3. In 2007 how many turkeys were eaten in the U.S.? (hint: in millions)

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Please, take the time to be grateful for what you have in your life.  Take the time to tell your family how much you appreciate them and love them.  Appreciate others in your life, be thankful for your health, feel fortunate for the food on your table.  Most importantly take the time to give back the little moments that we have grown to take for granted.

We would love to hear the things you are grateful for and the moments you are giving back.

Fred sarkari

Before you spend any time or money on your marketing,  you have to be aware of the most critical element that either makes your marketing effective or just blends in with all the other useless data dump.

We are in the Information Age, where the average person thinks 60,000 thoughts every day. 30,000 pieces of advertisement bombard our senses daily. Clients have less time, they are more frustrated and they expect more. Yet we give them the same as everyone else and we expect different results.

Your ads should be an education. Get your target market to see your company as superior to the rest. People intrinsically want to be lead but lead by experts.

Educate people to why and how things are done the way they are. And ultimately those reasons must translate into the benefits for the client; otherwise, it will simply be bits of trivia.

A prime example of using education to increase market shares is the Schlitz Beer campaign. The company went from 8^th position to 1^st within 6 months. Everyone else was claiming that their beer was pure. But what did that mean? Schlitz took it a step beyond and explained how they tested the ingredients, how they selected and processed them, and how each batch was quality tested. Suddenly the consumer was involved mentally with the making of the beer and that made it “their beer”.

The first person who tells the story on how and why they do something positions him or herself as the expert in the field and gains distinction in the marketplace from then on.

Instead of running ads shouting how good you are, try offering a booklet with practical advice and interesting information. For example, if you are in the mortgage industry, you could put together a list of “10 critical questions to ask before you purchase a home: a lifestyle checklist to determine the type of home that suits you”, now you have targeted people who are seriously interested in purchasing.

Increase the perceived value of your product through education. The more your clients understand how your product helps them or protects them the more they will want it. Remember, you are selling a lifestyle.

Educate educate educate educate…

Fred Sarkari

Losing weight is easy! The perfect diet is here –The Bucket Diet.

We have created a culture in our environment that consists of quick fixes, lack of delayed gratification and lack of awareness of the long term impact towards our health choices.

I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine that is highly respected in the Health and Nutrition Industry, Andrea Thatcher.  She put the basics on the plate for us “everyday folks.”

THE BUCKET DIET is as simple as:

Merely spit into a bucket until you’ve spat five pounds!  There…you’ve lost five pounds.  But…how do you feel?  You have indeed lost weight.  Is losing WEIGHT the real issue? Or is it losing FAT?

Three components make up your body:

• Water
• Lean Weight
• Fat

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Water: is the main ingredient of your body.

Second is lean weight:  Your muscles, bones, organs, and tissues.

Third is fat.

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Unfortunately, most diets disregard whether the weight loss is water, muscle, or fat.

Rapid weight loss will undoubtedly be from water that was stored in the body.  Unfortunately, results are short-lived: the body detects dehydration and responds with anti-diuretic hormones.  The result is subsequent water retention and bloating.  You’ll lose one pound for every two cups of water – and gain it all back when you drink again.

Layman’s terms: Absolutely useless and very dangerous for your organs.

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Low calorie diets (under 1200 calories per day) does not supply the food energy the body needs for normal function.

These diets can cause loss of muscle tissue – up to 45% of the lost weight, according to Dr. Michael Colgan.  Good muscle tone promotes a higher metabolism (the rate of burning energy) even at rest.

A low calorie diet signals “starvation” and triggers a fat-storing enzyme (YOUR BODY STORES FAT!).  This encourages fat retention (YOU GAIN MORE FAT).   Weight loss becomes unlikely (YOU DO NOT LOSE WEIGHT).  Clearly, a low-calorie, quick weight loss diet that leaves you listless, irritable, dehydrated and bloated, and ultimately fatter is not what you want.  It’s not just about the weight!

———–

Focus on losing fat while maintaining water and increasing muscle!

Decrease food intake calories (by no more than 20%) and increase your activity level to raise your metabolism.  Gradual weight loss of around one pound a week takes longer, but the loss will be FAT and is more likely to stay off permanently.

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Your body’s healthy, natural weight is determined by your

genetics and lifestyle.

At this weight you feel fit and able to participate in your chosen activities.  You’ll need between six months to a year of healthy lifestyle before your body settles at its healthy weight.

This means: eat healthy, exercise within healthy guidelines, get adequate rest and maintain a healthy attitude.

Dieting may cause a temporary weight loss,

but you’ll gain extra unwanted “baggage”.

By living a healthy lifestyle, you’ll lose fat weight, improve: energy, productivity, strength, endurance, sleep, SEX DRIVE, stress tolerance, immune system, risk from injury  – to name a few benefits.


Choose Healthy Living. Your Body Will Thank You.

For more information on healthy living visit:  Andrea Thatcher

Fred Sarkari

I received this email from a dear friend this morning.  She could not have picked a more perfect time.

I was having one of those mornings where you lose sight of the moment and your focus expands to the finish line of your tasks at hand.

Thank you for shaking my state of mind and bringing it back to enjoying and cherishing the present moment of the journey.

Enjoy your day, find the love and joy in what you are doing at the moment, take time to breathe for a moment, smile and laugh.

Below is the powerful email that was just sent to me.

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Hi Fred,

Came across this today…it was thought provoking and reminding me of your way of living…

hope you have a GREAT weekend =).

“You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.”   Shira Tehrani

Life is a funny thing. It’s an ever-going marathon, yet no one knows where his or her finish line is. We just keep running and running, hoping we still have a long way to go. We do whatever we can to prolong the run, but sometimes despite our best efforts, the marathon is cut short. So many of us are only concerned about the distance we are traveling, we lose focus of what’s going on during the run. And this is the important part, so take advantage. Stretch some personal boundaries, work outside of your comfort zone, try something new. There will be bumps along the road, shortcuts, and paths that lead into dead ends. These are all parts of the journey; how you deal with them will determine where you go in life. Remember, we don’t always determine the distance, but we can determine the path.

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I can now see why they say the Apple Triathlon is the most respected Olympic Distance triathlon in all of Canada, where even our  world class OLYMPIC Athletes come to race at this event. Simon Whitfield, kyle Jones, Paul Tichelarr, Lauren Groves, Kathy Tremblay.

Karina Clark, 3 time world champion triathlete, said it best “Of the 30+ races I have done, including 3 World Championships, Kelowna remains my absolute favorite.  The volunteers are second to none. They are all helpful, friendly, and just super!”

I have spent the last decade going from one kind of event to another.  This by far was one of the most impressive events I have experienced.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this event from all points of view, as a volunteer, exposure to the amazing organizers and as a competitor.  From the beginning to the end, the joyful experience will stay with me for all time.

From the first time I met Mike Hassard, one of the main volunteers, he was a true example of what it mean to be of service to all those that crosses his path.

Through Mike I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Montgomery, the president of the Apple Triathlon.  With over 846 volunteers, 20+ races, sight of 5000 spectators, 1600 racers, Richard at no point, through the organization of the event or at the event it self, lost his well mannered and relaxed demeanor.  With a million things to keep organized that weekend, he still took the time to give me some guidance on my race at the event.  (Don’t let this grey haired man fool you, he is a true triathlete competitor at heart.)

All that being said, if anyone has raced in the Okanagan then they have heard the name Randy Sparrow.  Randy is the living legend known as the Race Director.  Randy has the ability to keep all the above organized and making the event run like a well oiled machine.

Even Greg Peters from Tri-Canada mentiond a note about Randy: “You continue to do a fantastic job, and I have no idea how you can keep so much information about the event in your head and recall it so quickly.”

Triathletes are a unique group of people, they have tapped into their internal drive to push their limits, to study their bodies peak performance, to commit when others only talk, but what truly makes them special is their desire to help others succeed.

In my last half of the run, I was cramped and had lost too much salt leading to spasms in my legs.  A competitor running beside me not only took the time to guide me from his years of experience but also helped me dig deep within myself and pacing me to the finish line.

The amazing staff from Kelowna Cycle who always take the time to guide me and share little secrets with me for race day preparation, thanks Tannille, and their encouraging words “just go do it and have fun”, thanks Mike.

One of my favorite moments was my first race ever.  I had never set up a transition area before.  As I was obviously fumbling my way through it an amazing girl came over and said “I can help you with this, both my parents are triathletes.”  Yes, she was 11 years old and shared the secrets she had learned from her parents.  I think she even passed me that day at the races.

I would like to take the time to thank all the volunteers, organizers, directors, sponsors and racers for showing me not only the love for this sport but also why the Apple Triathlon is the most respected in all of Canada.

Looking forward to experiencing the Penticton Ironman Canada this weekend.  Good luck to all the racers.

Fred Sarkari

This man has more courage in his heart in these 3 minutes than most of us do in a lifetime.

There are times when we hit the ground so hard that we wonder if we will ever have the courage to get back up again.  After watching this 3 minute video, I cannot wait to fall once again just so I can get back up and live.

Look around you, truly look with all your heart and soul, and know that no matter what our situation or circumstance in life is – we are truly blessed.

Hold on to your precious moments, tell your spouse how much you truly appreciate them, hold your children tight and whisper in their ears your love for them, touch the hearts and souls of all those that cross your path and most importantly look in the mirror and know you are special and you have within you greatness that is just waiting to be reveled into this world.

We are capable of so much more.

I was taking a break having a coffee and reading a book at Good Earth in beautiful Kelowna.

That is where I saw a sight that put a tear in my eye.

A mother telling her child about the importance of always taking the time to look pretty before you walk out of the house.

Imagine the difference in the child

if she was taught the importance of always

trusting and believing in herself

before leaving the house.

We all face those times where we doubt ourselves, our image onto others or just who we are trying to be and grow into.

Everywhere you turn you see images and opinions of what society concludes as beautiful and worthy.

Have you ever really looked at yourself in the mirror?

Looked at who you really are as a person and an individual?  Do not just take a glance, what you are wearing, your hair style, the color of your skin or your fake tan.  Truly look at YOU.  Look at the reflection in the mirror long enough till you see within yourself and than ask yourself who you see.

I know most will role their eyes at this task, but I tell you this.  The ones that come up with any reason why they are not going to do it all comes down to the one main and real reason why not?

We are scared to know who we truly are

There is no hype clothing, hair style, look, color, what you drive, where you live or your chosen profession that can put value to your soul.

Stare at yourself in the mirror and just know that you are beautiful just the way you were created.  There is no end to your beauty in your eyes and those that cross your path when you start believing in yourself.

Live YOUR life to the fullest.

Live YOUR life for YOU and not others.

Fred sarkari

“Present with the passion of a child and your audience will transform them selves

from their seats to the playground.”

Fred Sarkari

(Coming Soon)

Just like with any successful communication, when you deliver a presentation you should keep two variables in mind:

• First, what is the message that you as a speaker are trying to relay?

• Second, does your message relate to the audience?

The goal of presenting should always be to communicate information in a way that connects with your audience. Your presentation should not just engage an audience verbally and visually, but more importantly emotionally as well.

Two critical aspects every presenter should never lose sight of:

1. Best way for an audience to learn is to link the message to an emotion.

2. People will never forget how you make them feel.

Any one can become a powerful presenter if they understand the key components of successful presentations and how to implement them based on their individual style.

Fred Sarkari

I had the opportunity to travel around the world in 3 days, living and feeling the  7 Wonders of The World.

What did YOU do this weekend? he he

An hour ago I just finished having a conversation with a friend of mine about the 7 Wonders of the World.  She was trying to remember what they were as one of her dreams is to visit them all in her life time.

How did I manage to see the 7 Wonders in just 3 days?

When she was going through the list I could not help but to notice that my mind kept journeying to a different list.

We have these great dreams of seeing parts of the world, experiencing events, achieving goals, creating financial success…

In doing so, how easily we lose sight of the true 7 Wonders of the World.

I remember a child, when asked the same question answered by stating that the 7 Wonders of the world are:

1. To See

Do we take the time to see the beauty around us?  Or are we so focused on reaching the next moment in life?  This Long-Weekend I took in the beauty of the lake and the mountains while relaxing on the boat.   When you stare at the lake long enough  you can see every drop of water.

2. To Hear

Going for a run, I remember just opening my mind to what ever wanted to come in.  In time all the noise of the world had deafened and all I could hear are the beautiful sounds of the birds.

3. To Touch

Our skin is the largest organ in the body.  I was fortunate enough to spend time with close friends.  A genuine hug from your friends can last a life time within you.

4. To Taste

Well those that know me, know I saver every bite of food, dance during every chew.  I do not eat for the sake to eating I eat cause I love to taste and experience the food.  Nothing better than a barbeque with close friends.

5. To Feel

We feel something every second of the day.  Unfortunately most people are not aware of those moments.  They only stop to feel when it is an intense emotion.  Being aware of all the moments during the weekend reminded me of all the great emotions that we go through on a daily basis.

6. To Laugh

The best way to stay young is to laugh, laugh more and than laugh even more.

7. To Love

If more people had the courage to love and be loved this world would be a different place.

I want to thank all those that helped me experience the 7 Wonders of The World this long-weekend.  Most people spend a life time traveling the world in order to experience them, meanwhile they are right in our own backyards.

Cherish the moments

Fred Sarkari

We are all in the state of struggle.  Struggle to learn, to become aware, revolt, find who we are, what is our purpose?

We are at times intelligent with our words that we not only give the perception that we have all the answers but more so we start believing the lie that we do.

As soon as our state of mind comes to believe such a lie, we have at that critical moment, stopped learning and growing as a person.

Do you know what it means to be aware? To learn?

The only time we are learning is when our minds are innocently open, aware, to the moments in life that face us at that point in time.

I have been asked many times, “who is your mentor your guru in life?”

There is no one teacher or guru that we learn from.  Once we put another person in that category, we have shut our minds to the greatest teacher in life; life moments them selves.

The greatest teachers in life are the birds, plants, the smile of a persons face, the laughter of a child, the pain of a loved one, the sadness of a stranger.

If you make life your teacher than you will always be in a state of constant learning.

I ask you this, what experiences in life has given you the greatest awareness and learning?

Fred sarkari

JAMES LARTER

March 4th 1976 – July 6 2009

The times I had the pleasure of meeting James it was evident that he was a gift to all those that were in his life.

RIP James, your spirit will live within all of us.

Statement by John Larter, father of James Larter

“My family and I stand in the centre of that dark nightmare that all of us with children have hidden in the back of our minds. It is even more painful than I feared. Our beautiful son was our very heartbeat and breath. We stood around his bed in the hospital where he was laying covered in knife wounds and slashes, too many stitches to number. There were tubes attached to him everywhere bringing him blood and helping him to breathe and cling to life. His 12-year-old daughter was kneeling on a chair beside him with her head resting on his broad shoulder. Her tears had soaked his hospital gown and made a perfect circle where she lay. In that safe and familiar place on her dad’s shoulder she somehow fell asleep. It was then we turned off the respirator, watched our son’s face turn pale as he slipped away from us while his little girl slept. As I stood there, I thought, if the young man who did this to my son and her daddy could stand alongside me and watch all this unfold, he would be so ashamed that the knife would fall from his hand and he would never use one again. And I would gladly forgive him.”

A day does not go by where we are not in conflict with two of the most powerful influencers in our life.  Every decision we make is influenced at some level by these two living “Organs”.

I was recently asked a very critical question:

“So which is more important to pay attention too your heart or head?”

We make decisions in life based on our ‘heads’ we make choices in life based on our hearts.

Decisions can be logically explained by anyone whether they are in that situation or not.

Choices made from the heart cannot always be logically explained nor make sense in most cases – they are just there to embrace.

As much as I believe great things come to those who wait. The other side, which I believe in more important but not necessarily lived by as much by most:

Great things are lost for those who do not embrace what is in their hearts at that moment in time – those are choices made from the heart.

Those are choices that have a high element of fear and a high price to pay.  In most cases that high price is not monetary but more so a way of life.  A person willing to swim against the current of normality and willing to let go the security in order to chase a dream.

You hear a lot of people say, I know deep inside I am meant for more.  I am different, there is a deep rooted purpose in my life that I can feel inside of me.

Let me clarify the obvious.  Every single person on this earth belongs within the above sentence.  The choices that we make at that point in time will determine what we will be saying and living years down the road.

These choices are not easy to make, if they were than everyone would be living their dreams instead of living vicariously through others.

That is why we as humans rely on decisions instead of living our life through heart felt choices.

There will always be a reason why we cannot, always.  You only need one reason to grasp on to that dream and never let go.

Start chasing your dreams, your passions in life.  Be willing to put it all on stake, be willing to lose it all in life for that one chance of living your legacy.

I would love to hear from people that have payed a price towards their dream.   Also ones that are paying a price as we speak.

Remember when you started chasing your dream, you were looking for anything or anyone to encourage you.  Your story, even if its one line, will touch the hearts of many reading this post.

Fred Sarkari

Oh my god! Can it get any more confusing?  Eat this, don’t eat that, carb’s give you energy but they shoot your insulin level up, meat is bad for you, meat is good for you, eat eggs, eggs are bad for you.  What the (*&%^&^*)*(, no wonder people fall off the “eating well” wagon.

This fast paced world we have created along with all the fast foods on every block makes it very easy to indulge in our cravings.  

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight – at least 300 million of them clinically obese.  

Those that have ever started in the path of eating healthy know that we start with enough enthusiasm that can move an army of people around us.  And most, within a week go back to their old habits of eating.  

Main Reason: We are confused with all the clutter of information making it too difficult to follow through. 

A few days ago I ate what I thought was healthy for me.  Next thing I knew the walk from the kitchen to my bedroom felt like I ran a marathon and 1.5 hours later I woke up from my sleep.   The food I ate was healthy but what I did not realize is that my body did not just want healthy food it needed the right combination of foods. 

I called my good friend Andrea Thatcher from BodySenseWelleness.ca, an expert in nutrition and fitness.

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I asked Andrea, “Why did I feel like I wanted to fall a sleep after a healthy meal?”  Here was her response:

When we eat protien foods, carbohydrate foods and fat foods that are not in the correct ratio for our own body and our activity level, the body will send messages to teach us not to do that again.  We often don’t pay attention to these messages, and disregard them because we are told certain foods are healthy for us. We continue to eat what we are told is healthy for us, and continue to receive these negative messages from the body  These signals will come in the form of food cravings, headaches, anxiety, feeling tired or lethargic, feeling full but still hungry, feeling jittery, or feeling mentally slow to name a few.
 
It is best to pay attention to what your body is telling you as your body simply does not lie, or tell jokes or try to fool you. It is sending these messages to encourage you to stop doing what is causing harm – even if you have been told these foods are healthy.  For example, some will have negative responses to meat, others will have a positive response. It is unrealistic to suggest that all meat is all bad for all people all the time. 
 
When you eat in the right ratio you are left feeling happy, with no cravings, clear mental focus, good energy levels and will last comforatably for 2-4 hours between eating. 

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Wow! makes so much sense.  At times we do makes things too complicated in our lives.  Most of us know what foods are over all considered good.  

The most important question to ask yourself is:  How does it make you feel?

I suggest everyone to do what Andrea put me through, a metabolic testing.  It tells you what kinds of food your body favors.  Are you more of a Carb or a Protein person.

Keep 2 things in mind as you start this journey.

1. How did it make me feel?

2. Test test test test – see how you respond to different foods and combinations of it. Keep your mind open as you are unique just like your DNA. One of a kind – so the only real way to know is to try it out and refine for the next time.

Stay healthy

Fred Sarkari

Mr. T’s Turtle Head Triathlon.  This was one of the most humbling experiences for me in a very long time.  It was  a great adventure from drinking margaritas the day before to getting 3 hours of sleep the night prior.  Thinking I was going to drown at one point, heavy rain fall prior to the race, losing my swimming goggles 30 min. prior to start time, cramp from eating too big of a breakfast… well you get the point.

The most inspiring part of it all was to see people of all ages and athletic abilities.  People did what they had to to start and finish the race.  They showed up, which is more than what most people can ever say and the gravy was that they finished no matter how deep they had to dig within.

When was the last time you dug deep within yourself to finish something you started?

It was great to see entire family participating together.  Husband, wife and children. These little 10 year olds were so adorable.  I was telling my niece and she is all excited to do one together one day.  You cannot imagine the joy within to hear that.

There was a lady that got a flat in the beginning of the bike route and was not equipped to fix her flat, so another individual gave her his rim from his spare bike so she can continue the race.

How often do we go out of our way to help complete strangers reach their goals?  truly wanting to help others with nothing expected in return.

Leading up to the event it seemed like I did everything to sabotage my success.  From drinking the day before to eating bad and lack of sleep night prior to the race.  Oh yes, forgot the most critical part – finding every excuse not to train. Doubt will always be a variable in the path to our success.  That cannot be avoided, what you do from that point on will determine your outcome.  I let that doubt creep in and in turn did everything possible to be able to have my excuse ready just incase I did not finish the race or had a bad standing.

In the end, as long as you are never willing to give up you can accomplish anything you desire.  Of course there is always a more effective way of doing it. p.s. avoid margaritas the day before.

I ask you this, what was the last vision, hope, dream that you walked away from or keep putting off due to doubt?

This was  a lot more difficult than I expected it to be.  When times get though along the way look for inspiration in the right places and just keep moving forward.  I saw so many people that had less athletic ability than I did yet they just kept moving forward.

Everyday, do something to inspire yourself and just keep moving forward.

How often in life do we quit on our dreams, big or small, at the last minute. That critical time of decision and we find a reason to walk away.  Let me tell you, I was ready to go home when I was standing there at the start line in front of the lake for the beginning of the swim.

When you feel like quitting, just do it anyways.  That is how simple it really is, just do it anyways.  keep moving forward, one inch at a time.

There was a point in the swim that I was thinking, “what the heck am I doing here?”  Not even half way through the swim, I feared, “will I be able to finish this?”  The answer is always yes.

It is amazing how much we have within ourselves.  Never lose sight of that belief.

Be prepared to let all strategy and tactic go out the door.  A month prior to this I cut my foot open and ever since I made every excuse not to do any training.  Prior to the last month, I had gone to the pool to work on my technique and I must say, I was very impressed with my new swimming technique.  I truly believed I would glide through that water during the race.

What we have to realize is that in the real world our strategy, tactics, techniques all can go down the drain.  As soon as I hit the lake all technique vanished, it was swim to survive mode.

In the end, you do what you need to do in order to finish what you started, even if it does not unfold the way you expected it to.

Running through the finish line was all worth it.  The sense of accomplishment will always over power the price we have to pay to get there.

To everyone that stood by me, thank you so very much.  Sarah D., thank you for your weekly calls to check in on me and your enthusiasm and belief even though I was not training.  Derrick Shirley, a man you did his first triathlon at 350 pounds, you are an inspiration.  Sarah Hart, thank you so much for waking up at 4 am to come to the race as my support.

The list goes on and on and that my friends is the beauty of this sport.

Fred sarkari

“Should I do the right thing? No one will ever know if I didn’t.  Is it really worth it? Does anyone really care?”

These are the questions we ask ourselves everyday for the little moments that cross our path.  Unfortunately there comes a time in most peoples lives that they even stop asking them selves these questions and in turn take the path of least resistance.

Life is not about doing the easy things, it is about standing up and doing the right things.  No matter how big or small, no matter if no one will ever know.

If you have ever seen the movie Radio with Cuba Gooding Jr and Ed Harris, it teaches us the lesson of standing up to what is right even when others will resist.  In fact it is more critical to do so when others resist.  

In the movie the Coach, Ed Harris,  goes out of his way to help a student that is mentally challenged.

The coach stood up for what was right, not what was easy to do.  One part of the movie, the Principle ask him, “why do you do it?” The coach answered, “It just seems like the right thing to do.”

There are a lot of right things to do does not mean people always do it.

More reason for us to do what we know is the right thing to do.  Right thing is hardly ever the easy thing.  Unfortunately at times it feels like not many are doing the right thing when it is not easy to do so. 

Have the courage to swim against the current.  Stand up for the right things in life.  No matter how small or insignificant they seem.  

Fred Sarkari

Why do women put on make up everyday even though they do not like the process?

I had some friends over from out of town last weekend.  One evening prior to going out one of the ladies was putting on make up, but during the entire time she was complaining about how she did not like the process of putting on make up everyday.

Why do we take the time to do the things we so clearly do not enjoying doing?

The answer is very simple, be it in our personal lives, our relationships, business, clients, the decisions we make on a daily basis.  Everything that we do is driven by two variables:

Pleasure and Pain 

Even though most women dislike the process of putting on make up (pain), feeling good (pleasure) after the fact over rides the frustration and pain of doing so.

People do not buy the best product, they buy the ones that is associated with the most pleasure and reduce pain.

The most impactful marketing is always linked to pleasure and pain. 

AT&T commercial:

Poor lady: “my son has not called me.” (pain) 

Than they show the son calling.  (pleasure)

Credit card commercial:

Father gets a heart attach. (pain)

Credit card pays for flight. (pleasure)

Always keep in mind when interacting with others, are you instilling pleasure or pain within your communication?

Fred Sarkari

She send me a message that said, “Thank you for a great afternoon, we will remember it for a long time to come.”

I had a small house warming yesterday and it was the perfect day. A beautiful sunny day, almost 30 deg. cel.  What made it perfect was being surrounded by great people as we all sat on the veranda, over eating and having a few drinks.

When I received that message above, it reminded me of how some events in our life gets etched into our memory for a long time.  These events consist of how we were treated, good or bad.

It took me back to a precious moment with my nephew.  

How he described the moment with 3 words.  She loved me.

My mom and I were trying to remember a persons name we had met at a party.  We asked my 8 year old nephew if he remembered her and her name.

His first remark was she loved me and he walked away.  After a belly full of laughter I asked him if he remembered her name and he said no, but she loved me.

The beauty of a childs mind.  All he remembered and cared to remember is how she made him feel in the few moments that they shared together.

In our busy lives, when we share those few snapshot moments with people, be it in our personal and professional lives or strangers; do we take the time to leave behind an emotion they can feel good about?

people make decisions in their lives based on emotions.  These emotions are based on their past experiences.

Therefore, the most important questions you can ask yourself after every shared moment is;

“What emotions did I leave behind?”

Fred Sarkari

I was asked this question the other day by Andrea Thatcher, a fitness and health consultant.  Is your eyeball made out of a McDonald Big Mac or a Certified Organic food?

Andrea went to explain the complexity of our cellular regeneration in the most simplest terms:

When you cut your hand, do you need to do anything to make that cut heal? No, the body will heal that cut for you, and you don’t have to do a thing.
With that in mind, we need to ask why does the cut heal?  Well, it heals because the body is in a constant state of cellular regeneration.

We produce hair, nails, skin etc as the body repairs and rebuilds itself, and we don’t need to do anything to make this happen.

With that in mind, we need to ask what is fueling the body to regenerate all cells?

When you drive your $75000 car through the McDonalds Drive through, remember, that Big Mac could become your eye ball tomorrow…

Wouldn’t you rather a Certified Organic, all natural apple or steak regenerate your eyeball?

Andrea Thatcher
www.bodysensewellness.ca <http://www.bodysensewellness.ca>

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3 Choices we make on a daily basis that impact who we become from the inside out:

ASSOCIATION: One of parents greatest fears is their children associating with the ‘wrong crowd’ as we know that they are a product of their environment.  Always be aware of who you associate with on a regular basis.

FEED THE MIND: We live in a negative environment.  Just like we take 20 min. a day to shower ourselves clean.  It is as critical to take 20 min. a day to inject positive thoughts into our mind.

REGENERATE YOUR BODY: Make sure your eyeball is not made out of greasy, unhealthy fast food.

Fred Sarkari