The purpose of The Fat Man in Paradise is to help with the work involved in the whole process of personal development. The spiritual, emotional, and mental aspects of creating habits that also lead to lifestyle change requires more than the simple steps taken when making short term goals; where the physical conditioning of a behavioral pattern is relevant and effective.
The mental aspect of the process is where IMO the majority of the effective work is done and is the most complicated to manage. In the mind game nothing is as simple as yes and no or right and wrong. Each of us is unique in the way we were raised and the role models that influenced us consequently what is good for one may be unacceptable to others. The attitudes we learned as children from our mentors regarding good and bad, right and wrong play a major factor in what we consider correct behavior today. When it comes to deciding the best method for living a well healed, balanced life, there is no black or white answer; everything has a shade of interpretation dependant upon our individual belief systems.
I feel fortunate to have grown up during a time of rapid development in the USA. When I was a child the country still had one foot in agriculture and another in space travel. In the post war 50’s and 60’s the country was in a period of transition and consumerism was the chosen path to national growth and development. The introduction of credit opened a whole new world to the average family; cars, houses, furnishings and luxury items could be bought and paid for over time. The need to be prudent and patiently wait for a purchase was eliminated with the introduction of the “easy payment plan”. I believe it was during this time in American history that impatience and careless behavior were sewn into the American cultural fabric.
My Father was my greatest role model, not by the great things he did but by the greatest amount of influence he had in shaping my attitudes and behavior. My dad was a party guy; he loved to have a good time; including the discos of Acapulco, to the Playboy Club in KCMO. I am sure his greatest reward was to be considered the life of the party. Typically pleasure boys don’t like to be adults. Play boys don’t like to follow the rules and often times do not make the most prudent decisions. I was just about 12 years old when his financial world crashed around him. It was interesting to watch him try to re-establish himself while at the same time physically showing the signs of defeat; leaving every morning with pep in his step and returning in the evening with shoulder slumped and dragging feet. It was also a very frustrating time for me because the guy was my friend and Hero and at 45 yrs of age he was done, beaten and defeated; he had lived as if there was no tomorrow; he played and rarely saved. He was impatient and imprudent with his lifestyle and his health and finances suffered for it; he passed away a degenerative diabetic, amputee and broke. The most valuable lesson I learned from my father was to think for myself and live by my own terms and rules.
It is much easier to sit around and contemplate, what should be rather than actually making something happen. Patients and prudery is a method that produces positive results however if I am doing something I don’t truly believe in, I won’t keep doing it. Finding a lifestyle that produces the healthy results I want and fits within my belief system has been a trial and error process. I am losing patience with my errors and am not being prudent in my choices. My wellbeing and belief system are at a point of conflict and I am having a difficulty in understanding what I truly believe in; training is a deep seeded part of my life and eating good healthy food is something I trust. I simply do not accept that I must stop enjoying the food and drink I derive the most pleasure from to get to where I want to be.
I am growing tired of the constant attention that my weight management receives yet I understand, prudent behavior dictates I must persist if I am going to persevere. At the end of the day patience is a virtue as is prudence and in my opinion both are enhanced when used together.
Go have some fun,
Geo
Live well and happy
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