Sergeant Tony's Blog

Ray was a real estate attorney. Vic was a crew member on a river boat. Both became my friends when I was 10.

I moved into the same apartment complex where these two characters lived. Since there were no yards for me to cut, I cleaned apartments to earn spending money. Vic and Ray were my first two clients.

They took me under their wing because they said I was a “cool little kid!” Vic was a muscular 6′3″ with blond hair and the profile of his Scandinavian ancestors. His girlfriend thought I was “cute.” (Very perceptive woman!)

Ray, dark hair, average height and build, could have been a network anchorman. He was a pretty boy with perfect hair, gleaming white teeth, and constant energy! And there seemed to be a steady parade of beautiful women hanging out at his place! He was GQ before I knew what GQ was. Always dressed like he was at a photo shoot. (FOP would not do for Ray. He was a Dapper Dan man!)

The real appeal of these guys was not real estate closings or Arkansas River barge traffic. The real appeal was that Ray was also a professional magician and Vic was a former Navy Seal. Ray could make things disappear and Vic was prone to jump off the roof of the two story apartment complex into the pool.

Vic taught me how to snorkel and the value of spit in your diving mask. And he regularly put me on the back of his motorcycle, or in his small airplane, and tried to kill me. (Ten minutes into my very first plane ride he purposely stalled the engine, sending us into an immediate and, I was sure, fatal dive! Ten minutes after that he flew us UNDER the Arkansas River bridge!)

Ray took me to the magician’s guild meetings and introduced me to local illusionists. That group was the most eclectic gathering of people I’d ever met. From them I learned the value of mistrust! You simply could NOT trust those people. If one of them gave you something, it would probably blow up, shock you, scare you, bite you, electrocute you, or turn into something else that would harm you. I loved those people!

Ray’s place was full of magic props and wizardry. His apartment was like going to Hogwarts. And Vic’s place could have been a special ops supply shed, full of cool gear and gadgets that Jack Bauer would have envied!

These guys were perfect role models for a boy, I thought. They were accomplished adult men having fun and living life to its fullest! Before I met them I associated adulthood with the end of fun. That somehow becoming an adult also meant becoming uninteresting and boring. There was nothing uninteresting or boring about either of them!

I learned valuable things from Vic and Ray. Vic taught me the importance of expanding my volume of life experiences. “Ignore the fear and do it anyway … watching is for chumps,” he’d say. And from Ray I understood that things are not always as they seem. “Misdirection and distraction will take your eyes off the real trick, Little Man.” he told me.

The older I got, the more I appreciated the impact that my two friends had on me. The Marine Corps was an environment full of Vics and I felt right at home there. And Ray’s lessons were invaluable, especially when I moved to Japan, where nothing was as it seemed to these Western eyes … but everything meant something … and nothingness meant everything.

How are you implementing your goals and dreams for 2010? Were you timid and fearful when you wrote them? (Didn’t write them??? What are you waiting for?) Have you been distracted by fearful shadows and too little courage to be bold?

Why not dream big? Why not swing for the fence? Why not take your eyes off the illusion of the temporal and boldly step out in the direction of living with fearlessness and passion?

What do you want your life to look like in a year? In three years? In five? What steps are you taking now to ensure that it looks that way?

Seriously. What are you doing?

I had a dream of living in Japan when I was only 6 years old. But it took time to get there. It took a plan. By the time I moved to Tokyo I was a full grown man, married, with three little children who were 7 years old, 4 years old, and 15 months old. I was out of the Marine Corps by that time and this wasn’t a military move. This was my dream. Tons of people warned me about doing it. They said that taking my kids out of their culture, language, and country, away from their family and friends, would ruin them. They said that I was making a mistake. People told me that I was being reckless, foolish, selfish. Dreams are for people who sleep, not for the reality of the real world, I was told. Neither of my parents were supportive. The nay-sayers said my kids would be damaged, stunted. There were statistics, they said. Studies.

They were wrong.

Ten years in Japan didn’t ruin my children! You don’t have time for me to boast about my kids! The oldest two are college graduates, married, and successful in their careers. And the youngest is about to take on the world! You can see pictures of my “damaged” kids on my Facebook page.

Most people will dream small, if they dream at all. Most are afraid to fail, or afraid to succeed. Most put too much weight on the opinions of others, living their lives on a short leash by committee permission.

Ease, predictability, comfort, fear, materialism, boredom, social convention, feebleness of resolve, laziness, and routine will suck the life out of your time on this planet. And you’ll hardly notice it happening. The infection of mediocrity will set in without detection, never tripping the alarm.

We get one shot. One life. And wasting time — living a “default life” on someone else’s terms — sounds like monotony and misery on the slow-motion lockstep march to unhappiness, irrelevance, and the grave.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that breathing is living. Neither is “living” vicariously through someone else.

Be bold, my friends! Keep your eyes on the life you want.
Don’t settle!
Don’t settle!
Don’t settle!
And don’t expect everyone, or anyone, to approve.

Bottom-line, this is YOUR life! Yours! Live it on your terms!

Live it like you own it!

Because you do.

Thanks Vic and Ray … wherever you guys are! I hope you’re still crazy after all these years!

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SCHEDULE CHANGE - BOGA ANNOUNCEMENT!

The 0530 class will meet every Thursday inside the gym (the one we always use). We’ll do the “Boga Workout.” If you’re new to that workout, it’s a combination of Boot Camp and Yoga! You’ll need your dumbbells and mat.

And until further notice, the Tues/Thurs evening classes are on hiatus. We’ll crank them back up soon … probably in March. Stay tuned!

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LOSE THE WEIGHT — The Body You Want in July Begins With a Strategy Today!

Take Shape For Life — weight loss program!

Take Shape For Life is an awesome plan!
The program calls for you to daily eat 5 Medifast replacement meals and one “lean and green” meal that you prepare or have at a restaurant.

* It’s simple
* It’s scientific (Johns Hopkins endorsed)
* It takes the guess work out of the process
* It’s goof proof
* It’s very affordable!
* IT WORKS!
* It’s delivered right to your front door!
* You’re not hungry!
* You learn the habits of long term weight loss. No yo-yo’ing!
* And best of all, you get ME as your coach!

Last week we had our first get together of “Sgt. Tony’s Take Shape For Life Battalion” and it was awesome! Everyone has lost weight! It was like being at a revival meeting hearing everyone “testify!”

You can go directly to the Take Shape For Life website (below) and poke around there. Plenty of detailed information. You can also sign up there as well.

Go to: www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com .

If you’ve got questions, let me know.

I’m really excited about this! The success that those who are on the program have had has been awesome!

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SNOW DAYS!!

In the event of snow and/or ice, we will follow Memphis City Schools. If MCS shuts down, we will stand down.

If the snow comes while MCS is on a holiday break, check the blog on the USMC Fitness Boot Camp website where I’ll post my decision at 0500 of that day.

Also, if MCS shuts down in the morning and we stand down, but the streets clear and are fine by the afternoon, I’ll post my decision regarding the evening class on the blog by 1600 (4 PM).

If MCS hasn’t made a decision by 0500, I will decide and post that decision on Facebook and on the blog page of the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

Q: “Tony, what if the Memphis City Schools have a delay in their start (like starting 2 hours late) what will we do?”
A: “We will meet as usual! We will be rockin’ and rollin’!”

I will also post the announcement to the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP group on Facebook.

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FACEBOOK

Find me on Facebook and make me your friend! (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=629618416)
I’ll make you mine! Then join the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP Group! I can communicate snow day decisions through that group too!

While you’re on Facebook, you might see an ad for USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP pop up. Do not click on it! Facebook charges me for every time someone clicks on it. That’s an ad for prospective Boot Campers! You knuckleheads already know how awesome it is!

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BOOT CAMP SWEATSHIRTS

The black and gray zippered hoodie have arrived! Embroidered BOOT CAMP sweatshirts are the way to show your coolness! Sizes are available in S to XXL!

Get yours ASAP! $35 each or two for $65!

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FLEET FEET IS HIRING!

If you’ve thought that Fleet Feet Sports would be a great place to work, now’s your chance - great pay, excellent benefits, fun co-workers, and the best customers in the world! Drop by the store for more info.

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Be bold, my friends! Keep your eyes on the life you want. Don’t settle! Don’t mark time!

To your continued good health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com
http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/