I am pleased to announce that I am down 12 pounds since I submitted my YouTube video. This actually came as quite a shock. I have yet to implement a workout schedule and I have failed to update my change plan with feedback from my support team on changeanything.com. That being said, my nutritional choices have been noticeably healthier and more intentional.

In these early stages, I have received really encouraging feedback from the other VitalSmarts Changers like Terri Moore and Steven Stout. Joseph Grenny’s advice and continued support has set the stage for me to sustainably change my life. From the outset, Joseph made our conversations safe—allowing me to identify important facets of my story that impact my plan. Instead of feeling embarrassed or ashamed, we talked openly about sensitive issues like depression and fear of failure. As a result, Joseph made better informed suggestions and directed me to additional resources that can increase the likelihood of success. My colleagues from The RAD Group, Philip Ragain and Michael Allen, have also given excellent advice. In terms of identifying my Crucial Moments and Vital Behaviors, I feel like my first effort was pretty accurate and will serve me well after a few refinements.

Original Crucial Moments
1) The hunger moment—the moment when I choose to not care about the promise I made to myself to plan meals and eat according to that plan.
2) The tired moment—the moment in the early morning when I choose to ignore my alarm and sleep in instead of going to the gym.
3) The quitting moment—the moment when I decide to quit either temporarily or completely during an exercise.

Original Vital Behaviors
1) Plan my meals 2 weeks in advance and use the plan for shopping and calorie counting.
2) Every night, prepare the next day’s meals and snacks.
3) Call my accountabi¬lity network when I am tempted to eat outside of my nutrition plan.
4) Wake up at 5:30am every morning and drive to 24 Hour Fitness.
5) Take only planned breaks during a workout.

Based on Philip Ragain’s advice, I am going to eliminate Crucial Moment #2. Because mornings are already a lifelong nemesis and there is no reason to schedule my exercise time (already an historically undesired activity) during another undesired activity (waking up early). I think a more appropriate Crucial Moment is the moment when a friend or my “inner good-idea-fairy” suggests I add another project or commitment to my already overwhelming schedule.

With this refinement, I am going to eliminate Vital Behavior #4 and replace it with two others:
1) Don’t schedule personal and business commitments that conflict with my lunch-time workout.
2) Respond to new time/resource commitment requests only after having consulted with a member of my support team.

The greatest insight I have gleaned during this process is that my schedule is out of control. Over time and with the best intentions, I have made commitments to my church, to the Boy Scouts, to friends, family, colleagues and the like. Deep down, I am warmed by the reward that comes from serving others. However, I can’t make even the smallest commitment to my own health with so many potential warm feelings taking up my entire day.

Now, I need to revise my action items. An action item that makes sense is worthless if you lack the time to actually take action. Some of the items will stay, but reality requires I tone down the overall aggressive posture of the plan. My immediate focus will shift toward realigning my calendar to facilitate nutrition planning, a personal workout time during lunch, and a family activity on Saturdays. I am not yet prepared to cancel my existing appointments, but I am committed to restraining my future schedule to align with my health priorities.

I’d like to thank my friends, family, and members of the VitalSmarts Community who have supported me on this journey. I know your continued support will lead to better results than what I could have achieved on my own.