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Addictions – Fighting the Fire Within

Sep 11th, 2008
by Gary N. Larson.
1 comment

Millions of people all over the world struggle with addictions every day. There are many kinds of addictions such as drugs, alcohol, smoking, pornography, or food. In this article I share a simple concept that can help in dealing with addictions.

Fire Analogy

When I was a kid I liked to play with matches. It was fun. I loved to watch things burn. But as you know, playing with matches can be very dangerous. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that my family had two homes burn down during my growing up years. (I have solid alibis!)

I like to compare addictions to fire. Think about a match. You can strike a match and how hard is it to put out a match? One little puff of your breath and you can blow it out. No problem. Another match lights, puff, blow it out. No problem. However, when you let a fire go, it can quickly rage out of control where there is nothing you can do about it. At that point you’re basically lost, it’s out of control, and it’s beyond anything you can do about it.

I know about this concept personally. Let me share with you two stories from my life. (more…)

13 Life Lessons from Running My First Marathon

Aug 13th, 2008
by Gary N. Larson.
4 comments

The Finish LineI have run nine marathons so far in my life and each was an amazing experience in itself. However, none of the marathons I have run compares with the experience of running my first one. It was one of those events in life you never forget. I would like to share with you that experience and the life lessons I learned from it.

Many years ago I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish sometime in my life. On my list were things like traveling around the world, getting a pilot’s license, running a marathon, and visiting the pyramids of Egypt. I put the list away and promptly forgot about it.

A few years ago my wife found my list and was surprised to know that I had a desire to run a marathon. She stole my goal, trained for it and ran a marathon. I was totally amazed that she actually did it. In fact, I was so impressed I said to myself, if she can do it so can I. And I did.

Running a marathon is no small thing. A marathon is 26.2 miles long or about 44,500 steps. To get a grasp of how far that distance really is, I suggest the next time you take a drive in your car to set your trip meter. Watch the miles tick off and when you get to 26.2 miles think about running that distance. Again, it is no small task.

Running a marathon is a unique experience. It is the only sports competition that I am aware of where the greenest beginner can rub shoulders with and compete with the elite athletes of the world. You don’t find that in football, or basketball, or golf or any other sport. But in a marathon, I was running with the Kenyans!

To train properly for a marathon you must begin nearly a year in advance. When I began my training I couldn’t run two miles. But week after week, month after month, with the training and guidance from my sweet wife, we gradually built up our miles. This means running 2 or 3 miles a day for four days a week, resting on Fridays and then running a longer run on Saturday mornings. (more…)

Self Mastery Hero – Lisa Larson

Jul 30th, 2008
by Gary N. Larson.
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Ramona, Lisa, Erika, out for a run

I’ve decided that from time to time I would put the spotlight on individuals who are great examples of self-mastery in some area of their lives. I feel we learn more and gain more confidence in ourselves when we see what other people are able to accomplish. I’ll call these people I spotlight “Self Mastery Heroes.”

The first person I would like to shine the spotlight on is someone I know extremely well – my wife Lisa!

My hero!

There are those people who call themselves runners and then there are the true runners. Lisa is a true runner. There is absolutely nothing that stops her from getting out in the morning and doing her daily run. Every morning, as faithful as the sun rising, but long before, Lisa is up and out there running. You could set your watch by her. She has been doing this for ten years and there is no sign she is stopping. (more…)

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