Happy Mick's up New Year

3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!!

How did you bring in the New Year?

It was fun to think of where around the globe it was turning 2013 at different hours throughout the day.  Even while I write this, it's still not 2013 where I am, and when it's completed and the first readers see it, the count-down will still be going in other parts of the world.


We look ahead, and the usual thing to do, of course, is to set goals for success and self-improvement.  I don't like to make New Year's Resolutions, because of a fear of failure, I think.  However, I do admit that I consider what habits I plan to change.  We all know, though, (don't we?) that a person is more likely to accomplish the goals, when they are written down. Maybe that should be my New Year's Resolution for 2013:  write down the goals!

However, not only is it good to look ahead.  It is also good to look back and see how we've grown.


This week, I have seen and heard several wonderful bits of advice for how to ring in the New Year.  As my 100th post in this Mick's up Life, what better way to celebrate than to be an encouragement for anyone wishing to make the most of the upcoming 365 days?!

Here are the tidbits I collected from some very wise sources:

• List out what God has done for you over the past year. Thank those who have been influential in your life. Forgive. ("How to End the Year" by Doug Phillips of  Vision Forum Ministries)
• Put on the right "clothing," as listed in Colossians 3:12-14: "... clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience... forgive... And over all these virtues put on love...." ("My New Wardrobe For 2013" by Rev. William Dillon II)
• Praise God for the history of His marvelous deeds. ("He Has Done Great Things" by Michaele Lavigne in Reflecting God: Devotions for Holy Living) 
• Keep focused on the big picture!  Don't let little stresses take your eyes off the real goal and what is truly important overall.  As Romans 15:13 says: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  ("The Big Picture" by Joni Eareckson Tada)

"Reflect upon your present blessings,

of which every man has many - 

not on your past misfortunes,

of which all men have some."

(Charles Dickens)

Take some time right now to reflect, praise, and move forward!

Happy New Year!

Enjoy this song I was just introduced to today:
Happy New Year by Steven Curtis Chapman.  

"The God who made everything is making everything new."

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

the new creation has come:

The old has gone,

the new is here!"

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

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Mick’s up with Emotional Toxins

We have learned that stress can come from all different areas, and it can affect our health.

We kind of touched on this with Mick’s up with Accountability, but let’s take a look at how the people we hang out with can be toxic.  Not only can they influence us in our eating patterns and our fitness, but they can also influence our attitude.

I’m sure you’ve heard about it.  A very popular topic that has been around is Toxic Friendships.

Like I’ve said before, I do believe that God wants us to be a blessing to everyone we encounter.  So, I’m not saying you should be selfish and think only of yourself and your own well-being.  However, it is important for you to stay as healthy as you can, so you can keep on efficiently doing work for God as long as possible.  You do not want to have to take time away from what God wants you to do, all because you didn’t take care of yourself to begin with, and then you have to concentrate on yourself more, so you can heal from being sick.

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“Those who fail to take the time to be healthy

will ultimately have to take the time to be sick.”

(Dr. James Chappell)

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You know all the warnings we give our kidderz about being careful in choosing the types of people they hang around.  Why should it be different for us?  We can be bombarded by emotional toxins (negativity, discouragement, pessimism, worry, fear, put-downs and verbal abuse, etc.), just as easily as chemical toxins. 


At the same time, true friendship can be a great antidote to what ails us.  What a blessing!

Be a friend to those who need a friend, but make sure your relationships remain healthy, so that you can remain healthy.

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

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Mick’s up with Accountability

As we look at our stress levels and attitude toward each day’s events, let’s also look at who we hang around.

Dave Ramsey says in his lessons in Financial Peace University:  If you want to be rich, talk to rich people, and do what rich people do.

Why don’t we look at that for our health and wellness, too.  Doesn’t it make sense to seek out people you want to be like?  I’m not saying you should be judgmental and snobbish.  We certainly are placed in people’s lives to make a difference, for the glory of God.  However, you can’t constantly give without refueling… and how you refuel is important.  We can view this in a spiritual sense as well as in a health sense.

Think about it.  If weight loss is your goal, but you are regularly joining in get-togethers with friends who eat out constantly… and not healthily… then isn’t that going to have a negative impact on your health?

That’s why it’s always helpful to have an accountability partner… again, spiritual and wellness.  You know how difficult it is to “diet” and cook healthy meals at home, when the rest of the family is still eating the same stuff you are all familiar with… the stuff that you now realize is keeping you from being fit.  It’s not easy stepping out of that comfort zone with your family… so you can imagine it seems almost impossible to make the necessary changes without the support of your family.

Bring somebody along on the journey with you.

I explained this concept to my 8-year-old daughter last month.  After spending time with friends, I asked her if she noticed how addicting the munchies seemed to be to those we were with.  She did.  I then pointed out what ingredients made up the munchies, and I asked her if she thought those were what we like to include in our foods.  She knows they are not.  I asked her if she thought the friends seem to be a healthy bunch.  She understood that they are not.  I then explained that, just because the munchies had the word “veggie” in the name, the friends thought they were healthy.  To them, healthy and tasty meant they should eat more!  By not paying attention to the ingredients, the friends got pulled into thinking they were eating something good for them, and they allowed themselves to get hooked on the taste.

The moral of the story is:  Just because the name sounds healthy, and just because your friends are eating it, does not mean the food is guaranteed to be a healthy choice.  As I’ve said before, look at the ingredients, and know what you’re looking out for!  If you’re hanging around people with similar health goals, you can help each other out, and you won’t get drawn to bad eating habits… at least not without facing your accountability partner.

Seek out an accountability partner today!

…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

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A Mick’s up of Mountains

Do you ever hear a song that takes you back to another time and place?  I have a song like that.  Toby Mac’s "Burn for You" helped me hike a mountain, and I remember that experience every time I hear the song.

It was a climb that took me 2000 feet higher than the starting level of 6530 feet of elevation I was already not used to.  The place was Colorado Springs, and the mountain was the  Manitou Springs Incline.  Amazing!  It was quite a workout, going that high in the span of 3/4 of a mile, in less than an hour, and in air thinner than my lungs are used to.  We hiked the Standard Loop, jogging back down the mountain in rocky terrain.  What a rush!

That kind of sounds like life, doesn’t it?  We might find ourselves in unfamiliar circumstances, climbing and working hard to reach the summit, but it seems like forever while it’s happening.  We don’t know what to expect when we get there.  What does God have in store for us?  Why are we going through this trial?  We are huffing and puffing.  We are stopping part way up, trying to get the cramps out of our muscles, trying to keep from whining about the pain.  We might have someone there by our side, cheering us on, motivating us to keep moving, because it’s worth it when you reach the top.  They know, because they’ve been there.

Sometimes knowing someone is there along side of us helps.  We'll take all the help we can get.  We want to have secure footing on the heights, don't we?  Maybe you've heard of a book with a similar story:  Hinds Feet on High Places  Don't let things distract you.  Don't let discouragement drag you down and cause you to bail out.  Keep with it.  You'll feel great when you finish!

When you finally take those last grueling steps at the top, you turn and see a beautiful sunrise.  Think about it.  Would you have seen such a spectacular sight, if you hadn’t gone through what you just did?  You’re seeing the sunrise sooner than you would have if you stayed at the bottom of the mountain.  What a treat, and what a relief!

Now that you reached the top, don’t collapse and lay there doing nothing more.  It’s time to use that momentum to go on to the next stage of the journey.  God just might be using that experience to send you on to someone else going through something similar.  It could be that you’ll be cheering and coaching a brother or sister in their journey.

Whatever the mountain you’re climbing today, hear me and others around you saying, “Keep climbing!  It’s worth it!  You can do it!”

“The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.”

Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)

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The fun after the climb

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Mick's up on the Race

Am  I  winning  my  race ?   Are you winning your race?  We're not racing against each other.  This isn't the rat race I'm referring to.

We each are here… not to take up space and drift through life… but… to glorify God.  Can you look at your day and confidently say that is what you've accomplished?  Let's do our best to live life to the max, for the sake of our Lord God.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.  Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

There is an approach to life that my family and I were blessed to find out really works!  Living something called The 5 Essentials is that approach. 

So far, these Mick's-up posts have been focusing on the Maximized Mind:  Wisdom, Dreams, Goals, Stress and Anger Management, Relationships.  The list goes on.   Each post builds on one of these 5 Essentials.  Imagine how your life can change for the better with these little nuggets of information!

You can be winning your race.  How badly do you want to win?  If you really want it badly enough, you will look into these 5 Essentials even further.  Maximized Living doctors around the country are holding events called Winning My Race to give you just such information!  Find a Winning My Race event nearest you.  Until then, read up on the 5 Essentials of Maximized Living.

"When he was talking about these 5 Essentials, it was like he was talking about the Gospel.  He was talking the truth!" - John - Winning My Race promo video from Health From Within


August 2011 Winning My Race Promo
from HEALTH FROM WITHIN on Vimeo.

"Where there's health, there's hope.  Where there's hope, there's everything.  Thank God there's Maximized Living. I thank God for the 5 Essentials." - John - Winning My Race promo video from Health From Within

Excerpt from Winning My Race website:

Winning My Race is your invitation to embrace God’s “Big Why” for your life and your roadmap to complete it! Winning My Race is more than a nutrition and fitness book. It is a comprehensive guide to the health strategies, nutrition tips, and exercise routine that will give you the energy to finish your race—and win it! This is more than just a “how to” book that’s packed with the practical information on the spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of winning your race. It’s a “why to” book that will inspire you to be your very best for the God who has saved you, the family who loves you, and those around you who depend on you. The pain of work and discipline is nothing to compare to the pain of disease and regret of never reaching your God-given potential. Start today on the pathway to outrageous health, incredible joy and happiness!