GOIN SOMEWHERE?

Rather than jumpin ahead at this point I thought it'd be a good idea to go back and expand on what we talked about in the last post. In part, because like so many of us, our son Tim would love little more than to shed a few extra-unwanted pounds this summer, thus for the past couple of months he's been tryin to eat better and exercise regularly. Yet so far it seems the only thing he's doin with any real regularity is hoppin on the scale, and from the discouraging look on his face it appears "the results" haven't always been to his liking.

Now I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm a diehard fan of The Biggest Loser, but my wife and I do watch the show on occasion, and while I tend to favor the competitive part of the program my wife prefers what's called "the elimination round." It's here at the end of every week that they announce who goes on and who goes home, and they determine this by calling on each of the remaining contestants to slip outta their sandals and belly up to the scale. He who loses the least amount of weight gets the boot.

What I've noticed again and again throughout this nerve-wrecking ritual is that despite one's revealing numbers and/or fate following the weigh in, regardless of their overall time spent on the ranch, when it comes time to pack it in rarely if ever does anyone do so with his or her head held down. Disappointed? Sure. Yet never defeated, but instead, with a renewed and resolved sense of commitment that seems to have em more determined than ever. I can only guess that's because it's become unmistakably clear to everyone at the ranch, as well as to the majority of us watching, that in the long run this is about more than just losing weight. It's about much more than looking better or even feeling better. It's about becoming better.

Singer songwriter Bob Dylan once said, "An artist has to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he's at somewhere. You have to realize that you're constantly in a state of becoming." After nearly nine years nowhere have I found this hard won lesson to be more true than behind the drum kit. With a dizzying blur of mixed results in my wake, there remains but one clear-cut goal still worthy of my time and effort, and that's to constantly improve and progress. If that means some lackluster returns along the way so be it, I realize it's all simply a part of the ongoing groundwork toward becoming a better drummer.

"We are at our best, and we are happiest," said co-founding Father of Personal Achievement Earl Nightingale, "when we are engaged and on the journey toward the goal." 3E for me is all about that journey. One that not only continues to take me in a direction I wanna go, but repeatedly brings me back to a place I desperately need to be. A place that astutely reminds me if I just stay focused on the task at hand, the rest, the results, both good (and yea) sometimes not so good, will take care of themselves.

I have no doubt that Tim will eventually reach his weight loss goal. In fact I have every confidence that wherever he sets his sights he'll see great things come his way many times over within his lifetime. And if not today, someday recognize that a disciplined effort far outweighs a measured result. Of course as a concerned and caring Father I can only hope that day comes a tick sooner than later, because to be quite honest with ya, that discouraging look on his face is anything but becoming. See ya next time. Till then, keeep it up.