Eating Healthy

I was looking at a friends Facebook post recently and it said...

"Food is healthcare and Drugs are deathcare."

That comment really hit me. Over the last few years, Kelly and I have been learning more and more about what we put into our bodies. We really started to learn more when our son was born. We read what was good for him and what wasn't. We were amazed to learn how much is sold in stores that are terrible for you.

I remembered going to a golf tournament with my friend Scott. Smuckers was there handing out free samples of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches call "Crustables." Wanting to be healthy I asked for their Peanut Butter and honey sandwich. Before I opened it, I read the ingredients. I was amazed to find no peanuts or honey listed in the ingredients. How is that possible?

We started reading articles and books. We watched every documentary we could on food and eating healthy. The consensus? The Standard American Diet (SAD) is really sad. Our foods are so processed and full of chemicals, we are killing ourselves every time we take a bite.

We started eating cleaner. We started cooking from scratch more. We now eat very little processed foods, we buy organic as much as possible and we've cut our meat consumption. Guess what, we feel a lot better. It was kind of crazy to think that we would eat foods that our son couldn't eat. As parents we want him to have a bright future. We learned that the foods we eat have a better effect on our health and how we feel compared to drugs and vitamins. If you eat right you'll feel right.

The problem is society has so programed us to buy whats convenient or cheap, we sacrifice our overall and long term well being. Food has become a profit item, so companies are cutting corners and producing crappy food full or products that are unhealthy or even disease causing. It's almost like the drug companies, medical world and food companies are working together. Eat crappy food and you need to see the doctor more and take more drugs. Which means they make more money. As I told Kelly, doctors and companies don't recommend that you eat better because they can't make any money off of healthy people. The worse you feel the more money companies and the government make. Remember, companies put lawmakers into office and the government is run on tax money. So they want you to spend more. Why do you think crappy foods cost so little? So you can buy more.  It's something how when our food quality got worse in the late 60's and early 70's the quality of our health got worse.

I read another comment from John Maxwell it said...

"In life you always pay, you either pay now or your pay later."

People make fun of us or question how we can spend so much money on organic and fresh foods. We here jokes about how empty our fridge is. But it's refreshing when the same people make comments about how much energy we have, how we look good for our age, how our son eats his fruits and veggies etc. Why do we do this, we would rather pay to eat good quality food now then to be drugged up and in hospitals as we getter older.  So, we're paying now to have a brighter future.

Why am I blogging about this? I want people and my readers to open their eyes and take more control of what they put into their bodies. You may think that the places selling you food and drinks care about you, but many don't. You wouldn't eat poison knowledgeably, so pay more attention to how they take care of their possessions than they take care of their body.

There is scientific proof that almost every major health problem can be prevented just by watching what we eat. I think it's funny that the people making many of the popular food and beverage items in this country won't eat it themselves or are fighting states like California and Vermont to prevent them from labeling what is really in the ingredients.

As my one friend says...

"We take better care of the items we have temporarily than the one item we have our entire life...our body/health."

Take care of yourself mind, BODY and soul!

What is success?

I've recently been talking with people about achieving their dreams, being happy, being successful and not feeling like a looser. The sad thing is, our society, culture and media seemed more focused on making people feel worse about themselves than feeling good about themselves. We find more ways to tear someone down, than to build someone up.

I recently made a post on twitter where I stated the following:

"Success is the achievement of a dream or dreams...not the dreams of someone else, your dreams."

It's a simple statement but true. Success isn't about how much money you make, what type of car you have or what type of house you live in. It's about you doing what you say. It's about you putting a plan with your dream to make it a goal. It's about you following your plan to make your dream a reality. The reality...living your dream.

Right now, we have people, magazines, television, shows, movies, the internet, etc. telling us what success is. There all lies. All there trying to do is sell you something. Making you feel worse about yourself because you don't have what you see.

True success means we open our eyes to see the stories of the person who learns how to read, the child who learns how to take his or her first steps, a student walking the stage at graduation, finishing a project you've always talked about, solving a level on a video game, helping someone achieve their dream and making a positive impact on your community.

It's easy to focus on all the negative in life. It's easy for negative comments from people to bring us down, but to be happy, we need to remember on the successes we've already had in life and focus on the next success we plan to have. Not the success others are telling us we need to have.  No you need to focus on the dreams and passions you want to come true. The dreams and passions you want to live. That is success!

"Do as I say, not as I do!"

How many times have you heard people say, "Do as I say, not as I do?" I know I've said it a few times. Now that I'm a parent, I realize that comment makes no sense what so over.

My son, watches everything I do! He tries to imitate me and do it the way I do. I am his role model. I need to model the behaviors I want him imitate. I can have a positive or negative effect on the behaviors he displays and the life he will have. The other day, I was cleaning some pots.  He came over to see what I was doing. I was using a rag to clean the dirt had collected at the bottom. When I put the rag down, he grabbed it and attempted to wipe out the second pot. He looked just like me. My sister saw this and took these pictures. "She calls them, anything you can do, I can do better."

My mom (she's a teacher) told me that 80% of what you learn in life is learned by the time your turn 4! You spend the rest of  your life perfecting what you've learned. My one year old learns something new everyday. It could be how to pet a dog,  how to walk on a moving walkway at the airport, how to use a fork, how to turn on a faucet and how to treat people. Most of his learning comes from watching what others do and say. If he sees you doing it, it must be right, so he does the same thing.

The phrase "Do as I say, not what I do," should be "Do as I say and as I do."You have to model the behaviors and actions you want others to replicate. You have to be the role model. If you are going to give advice to others, you have to model the advice you're giving. If you don't model what you communicate you confuse the person you are communicating with, which will lead to the question, "Why?"...."Why don't you do what you what you say?"...."If you don't have to do it, why do I?" Your actions can have a negative or positive effect on others...how they feel about themselves and how they feel about and treat you. You can build their trust in you or you can loose their trust.

So, remember "Do as you say," be a role model and others will attempt do the same too.

Speaking is my dream and speaking full-time is my goal!

 Before the show in Orlando

 During the show in Orlando...3,000+ student leaders ready to learn and be entertained

I read a great fortune cookie statement the other day. It said...

"A Goal is a Dream with a plan."

It really opened my eyes. I have lots of dreams, but how often do I really put a plan to paper to make them happen. The ones I do generally do happen, the ones I don't,  I keep dreaming about.

I made up a statement I shared with a young entrepreneur I recently began working with:

"The more you dream about something happening, the farther away from happening the dream becomes."

It's true, we can talk about what we want to happen or we can talk about the plan we have to make things happen.

My dream is to be a full-time professional speaker.  My plan is for my speaking to provide the resources I need to provide for my family. My plan is to work with a variety of youth leadership groups around the world to provide them with the inspiration to build and develop their dreams in creative ways.

I have spent a lot time this years "living my dream" and not just talking about it. The results are starting to show. I just returned from speaking job in Florida. While I was there, I was turned down for a few speaking opportunities, but I was also asked to accept several. I have a lot of hard work left to do, but by this time next year, I'll be posting more blogs about living my dreams and how I'm helping others live their dreams too.

Here's a list of where I've been so far this year and some of the places where I'll be.

March 3 - Phoenix, AZ - Ventricle Hiking Tours Team Building Hike
April 3&4 - Orlando, FL - Florida HOSA State Leadership Conference
May 17 - Phoenix, AZ - Best Buddies Arizona Awards Luncheon
May 28 - Chandler, AZ - Arizona Correctional Education (ACE) Conference
June 27-29 - Orlando, FL - National Association of Student Councils (NASC) Conference
July 5 - Las Vegas, NV - Lambda Theta Alpha National Convention
Sept. 12-14 - Chicago, IL - Lewis University Leadership Retreat
TBA - Best Buddies AZ Leadership Training

I'm waiting to finalize deals in OH, PA, NY and NM. Great things are going to happen just have to work my plan for the plan to work!

Dreams do come true!

I have a list that I call my "Grocery List." It's a list of all the things I feel I need to do in life and all of the things I want to do in life. I cross things off as I do them and I add things to the list when I get inspired.

It's a pretty long list. I've shared the list with people near me. The amazing thing is, when I share my list with people, many times they help me make things on the list become reality.

Recently a huge dream came true. I went to a practice round of "The Masters" Golf Tournament. My grocery list has the comment, "go to the Masters with your Best Friend Scott." Well, after 15 years of trying to get tickets, Scott won the ticket lottery. I was excited when he called me to ask if I could join him.

Going to the Masters is a once in a lifetime experience for many people. Words can't describe the experience of the sounds, smells and feeling or being at one of golfs most sacred places. And I got to go because of a GREAT friend.

Never fear sharing your dreams with people, you never know what might happen.

Enjoy the pictures and stories from my Masters experience. THANK YOU SCOTT!

 Me and my Practice round Ticket

 Clubhouse at the practice range.

 Enjoying a non-alcoholic beverage. Food costs are amazing at Augusta National. We ate like kings for less than $10!

 Practice rounds are amazing because you can bring your camera and get close to the players. 

Sergio Garcia

 Famous Hole 12 "Golden Bell"

 Scott and I infront of Hole 12

 Scott really enjoying his seat.

 Hole 13 "Azalea"

More Hole 13

 More Hole 13

 Golf great Arnold Palmer...he drank a lemonade not an Arnold Palmer

 Amazing moment...touching an actual Masters Flag on an actual Masters Green

 Amazing moment...my hand in an actual Masters Cup on an actual Masters Green

Scott with one of his favorite golfers...Miguel Jimenez

He's Walking

Being a parent is an amazing experience. It's really been amazing for me, because I do most of my work from home. Many of the moments parents miss while at work, I get to experience while I'm at work.

About 3 weeks ago, Elijah started standing by himself for the first time. A week later, he took his first steps. Today he's walking all over the place. It's amazing how fast things happen. It's really been enjoyable, because the day he took his first steps I was there to take photos and video of the moment. All I needed to do was listen for Kelly saying, "Come here!"

Life is short. Be sure you take the time to really enjoy the little things because many times, little things are really big things and really big firsts!

Climb your mountain

I moved to Phoenix, Arizona almost 7 years ago. I told myself that I was going to do a lot of hiking and exploring. I wanted to do to keep healthy and wanted to bulk up my "Chicken Legs." Have you seen the legs of hikers? Jealous! 

I did a little bit of hiking and went to a few local parks, but I didn't really follow through on what I said.

For six years I drove by a mountain known as Squaw Peak (now know as Piestewa Peak).  I saw people climbing to the top. I kept saying to myself, "I'd like to climb that mountain"...all 2,610 feet of it. I said those same words for almost six years. Finally my sister moved to town and asked to go hiking. I asked her if she wanted to help me achieve my dream of climbing to the top of the mountain. She said yes.

We woke up early on a Friday morning last July and headed for the mountain. From the base of the mountain to the top is about 1,208 feet. A good pace will get you up the trail (1.2 miles) in about 30-45 minutes. It's a steep climb.

When I got to the top of the mountain and saw the views, I was excited to achieve my dream. I was also upset with myself. It took me 6 years to get off of my butt to make the climb happen. While I was reflecting, I met a lady in her late 70's.  She told me how she climbs the mountain everyday. She waits at the peak to greet climbers and she "friends" many of them on Facebook. I talked with Sandy for awhile and she and her husband shared their great perspectives on life with me. They also took a few pictures of me and "friended" me on Facebook. They were living proof  that you're never too old to do something.

For those of you wondering, my sister made it to the top too, before heading back down the mountain to do some more exploring.

I'm sharing this story with you, because February is almost over. That's right almost 2 months down in 2014. I've been reflecting on all the things I said I want to do this year and all of the things I said I wanted to do in the past. There are great things I have accomplished in my life, but so many that I haven't accomplished because I didn't get off of my butt or take action.

I told my wife, "The more we dream about something the further away that dream becomes." Many of us talk a good game. We talk about what we want to do, but we don't do it. It's great to dream about something, but you have to take action to make yours dream come true. Many of our dreams may look like a unclimbable mountain. We make the mountain unclimbable in our minds. We push things off, make excuses, or choose not to climb. 

Making our dreams come true takes a lot of work. The work isn't exciting, it isn't glamorous, it definitely isn't easy...ask my sister how easy the climb was, but when you get to where you want to go, the views are amazing. The reward is worth the work. 

Since that morning in July, I've hiked the to the top of 3 of the highest peaks in the Phoenix area. I still have A LOT of work to do on my "Chicken Legs." The keywords are "work to do." I have to take action.

As I look back at the climb that day (photos are below), I realize there are a lot of unclimbed mountains in my life that I need to go climb. Some I can do on my own, others I will need support of family and friends. The main thing I have to do, is take action and do it.  I can't just dream about it in my head. I can't make any excuses. I can't say "I wish I would", I hope I can" or "I wish I could."I just take action and make it happen.

Good Luck with making things happen the rest of this year and in the future. Remember this great quote from my friend Rodger Campbell..."Share your vision and live your dream!"

Information on Piestewa Peak

Appreciate the little things!

Children make your life important. ~Erma Bombeck

Our son having a great time playing with puppies at a local farmers market. Time with him and my wife make me appreciate the little things life has to offer!

Success

Every year I go to my friend Ron's print shop. I ask him to help me design and print my very own growth journal. The journal helps me notate my dreams and track my growth to producing my dreams.

We all want  to be successful, but do we really know what success is? For me, success is the achievement of a dream. It's not easy work, but when you achieve what you set out to do, it feels, so good.

This morning, I'm looking through my journal to reflect on what I've done so far this year, and how much I still have to do. On the first page of the journal, I have a quote from a book I wrote last year.

The quote has me very motivated today. I want to share the quote with you:

"Do BAD Things!"

BAD = Success. When you "Do BAD Things" you are doing successful things. You are not just doing things for yourself, but you are helping others experience success. You are being a mentor and a role model. Achieving your dreams is amazing. Helping someone else achieve their dreams is magic! To "Do BAD Things" means you are Building And Developing your skills, your relationships and your community."

I plan on doing a lot of BAD Things this week. I hope this post encourages you to do the same. Remember you define your success, no one else!

Remember the Amazing things you have done.

 My mom was recently in town to help celebrate my sons birthday. While there she mentioned to a friend, "Frank has been in lots of videos and publications." For a second I thought, not really. Then I really thought about it.

I've done commercials for Toyota, Goodyear, Nike, Applebees, Amusment Parks, Radio Stations, Colleges, Major League Baseball, Bus Company and Waste Management to name a few. I really wish I had copies of all the videos.

There are times we don't think the best of ourselves. We get down and think less of who we are. That's when we need to look in the mirror and reflect on who we are and who we can be.  Don't compare yourself with others, strive to be the best you. When you don't think you can do something, reflect and remember the amazing things you've done in the past and think...if I could do that, I can do anything if I work to make it happen.

Thanks to Youtube, I can share with you a few of the videos and commercials I have been in. Enjoy!

Lebron James Nike Commercial



I can see the top of my head at the :10 mark. Also I took the second pass he made when he enters the church.

Felix Hernandez MLB Commercial



Look for me in the background at the :16 mark. You might even see me on the carousel

Geauga Lake Commercials





If you look really good, you'll see me on the water rides and rollercoasters. I must have a face for radio

Kelly Chapman Music Video



Look for me at the :58 mark. I'm part of the couple on the date in the background.

Wednesday Wisdom

Our little guy turned 1 year old last week. Family was in to town to celebrate. It was an amazing experience. One year flew by so fast. There are people who say parenting is a great experience and others who say "don't do it."

I'm one is will say parenting is a great experience. It's not easy, but it's very fulfilling. There are time our son gets very upset at me and his mom. There are other times where we are his favorite people in the world.  There are times when his body language and actions let us know that he likes what we are doing. There are other times where we have no clue what is wrong, because he can't talk.

Life is just like parenting. It can be an amazing experience. It's choice you decide to make. There isn't an instruction book on how to do things. Everyday is a learning experience. You learn from personal experience and you learn from others who have experience.

I was told by a friend that life is about experiences and relationships. Positive experiences lead to positive relationships which lead to more positive experiences.  The reverse is true too.

One year ago, my wife and I made a promise to do everything possible to positive role models for our son. We made a choice to role model the behaviors we feel will give our son positive experiences and relationships. Everyday we notice our little guy observing us and soon after he's repeating what we do.

Here's is my Wisdom for this Wednesday. You never know who is watching you. Life is not easy, no one is perfect, but we do have a choice to build positive relationships and experiences. When you do, time flies by fast and you talk about how amazing things were, even if things weren't perfect. How much you enjoy the experience is a choice you decide to make. You choose to make things happen, or you choose not to do it. The choice is yours.

Looking for more blogs?

I'm running 2 blogs. Lots of information to share. If you want to read blogs that will help you have the Belief, Action and Determination to Build And Develop your dreams. Click on the link below:

http://thebadbadapples.blogspot.com/

Yep, I'm 40!

On September 4th I turned 40 years young! 40 is a scary number for a lot of people. For me, I think "really?"

Growing up you think of 30 and 40 being old. You think of it as looking old. You think of it as you can't do anything.

For me, 40 is a rebirth. It's the start of
a lot of new things in my life. Lots of possibilities. I'm a brand new dad. I'm still a new husband. I just got a new job. I'm also looking to make my speaking into something big.

I completely understand what people mean when they say that "age is nothing but a number." I've had 40 good years do far, but I'm looking to make the next 40 amazing!

Thank you everyone for all the emails, phone calls and Facebook posts.

Enjoy the pictures of the cake Kelly made for me and lunch I had with Kelly and some friends! I had 3 other friends who share the same birthday with me. I had lunch with 3 if them and congratulated the 3rd, who just happens to be a new dad too. Funny how life works

The BAD BAD Apples Facebook page!

To learn more about my speaking and to get even more inspiration, be sure to follow our facebook page too!

https://www.facebook.com/BADBADApples

My other blog!

Did you know I've got two blogs? I have a blog for my BAD BAD Apples speaking. With my friend Rodger Campbell, we travel the country encouraging people to grow personally and professionally. I don't have any hair on my head or neck, but if I did, the work I do with BAD BAD Apples would make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It's my passion!

They're is a lot of great information on the blog. When you're looking for a little extra Education, Inspiration, and Entertainment to be "Something Else" take time to read out blog!  

http://thebadbadapples.blogspot.com/

Inspired by Movies

 

 "42 - The Jackie Robinson Story"

"Wreck-It Ralph"

My sister recently gave Kelly and I a great gift. She gave us a date night. Being new parents, we haven't had a night where it was just the two of us since Elijah was born. Spending time together and knowing that Melissa wanted to help with Elijah was inspiring.

Melissa even gave us a Gift Certificate for dinner. After dinner we went to see the movie "42." The movie is about the life of Jackie Robinson. I do recommend seeing the movie.

That same week, we rented the movie "Wrek-it Ralph." I also recommend seeing this movie too. 

After watching the movies, I came away inspired. Both movies had great morals. The movies focused on what society expected the main characters to be. You witnessed the characters wanting to be something else but realizing that what made them different made them great.

Our life is our movie. We are the stars of the show. The movie doesn't need another star or actor to play our part, it needs us. We need to believe in who we are and what we can do. We have to stay mentally strong. 

In life, we often wish we were someone else. Why would you want to be someone else. Stop worrying about other people and worry about who you are and what you can do. Think about what makes you special.

I love this line from "Wrek-it Ralph." 

I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be 

than me.

Go live a great life. To do that, focus on the last part of the line form the movie. There's no one I'd rather be than me! When you do this amazing things will happen. When you focus on others, you can't do anything to make you better and live your life.

Vision

I recently published my third book. I wrote with my friend and speaking partner Rodger Campbell. When you write a book,  you have to read it so many times during the editing process that you can get a little sick of your own words.

This book was different.  Every time I re-read the book, I did get sick, but it wasn't why you would think. The book is designed to inspire people to live the lives they "in-visioned." I was sick, because I wasn't following my own words. I told myself "You're not living your vision."

In the book, we have the comment that reads "Share the Vision live the Dream." It should read "Share the Vision...Live the Vision."  Rarely does a vision come true if you don't share it with someone. If you keep the idea only in your head, that's probably where it will always stay. When you don't see it happen, you will get sick.

That's me. My vision is to change people's lives in a positive way. I'm going to do this by speaking, entertaining and writing. I'm told I'm a confident person. Friends and Family tell me, "When you say you're going to do something you do it!"

That's where my problem starts. Lately, I haven't mentioned my vision or I just talk about what I want. I need to put my into positive and affirmative words. I shouldn't say "I want to do....." I need to say " I will do..." That my sound arrogant, but it's not.  You're saying to the world what you're going to do. You are sharing your vision. You're being clear and concise. People will believe in you and help you achieve it when they know you have the confidence to believe in it.

So, to my readers...I will blog more...I will turn my speaking and inspiration "hobby" into a adventure that more than provides for me and my family...I will educate, inspire and entertain people around the world...I will do this because I want to creative the positive environments everyone desires to be in...I will do this to help make the world a better place.

Happy Birthday Mom

The biggest fan of this blog is my mom. She has reminded me lately that I haven't been posting much.

She told me how much this blog inspires her and keeps her going in tough times.

That put a big smile on my face. Thank you mom for inspiring me all these years.

Good times are coming soon!

Happy Birthday Mom! Wish we could be the to celebrate with you!

Hope you like this picture of your Grandson with your favorite number.

Who is Frank Kitchen?

Today is July 1st!

It's the middle of the year! 6 months ago I blogged about all of my goals for the year. 6 months later, I've accomplished a few of my goals and there are more that I am way off on, or won't have a chance to accomplish.

I could give up, but that's not what life is about. Why bother living if  you're going to just quit or give-up on things that are important to you.

Half the year is gone, but half the year is left. I'm refocusing, reviewing the goals I set and rewriting what I'm going to accomplish the next 6 months.

It's one thing to set a goal, it's another to set the goal and make a plan for that goal to happen.

One of my goals this year was to read more. To read one book a month. I am actually keeping up with that goal. One of the books I read was the "4:8 Principle - The Secret to a Joy Filled Life" by Tom Newberry. The book focuses on the bible verse Philippians 4:8. In short the verse and the book says we must feed what we focus on. If you focus on the negative, negative things happen. If you focus on positive things and things you want to happen they will. What you reap is what you sow.

One of the best parts of the book is the chapter that talks about motivating ourselves. It says we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and compare ourselves to only one person and this is our self.

That chapter has been a HUGE motivator for me lately. It's easy to quit on your goals when you compare yourself to someone else. You can make a long list of excuses of how someone else is better than you. When you compare yourself to you, watch what happens.

The book suggests you write down a list the things you do best and add the things that you want to do well. Then you look at that list everyday. This list is who you are. When you look at this list, you're seeing everything you want to be. You're seeing what you want to sow. It's amazing.

Here is the list I made for myself. If I'm not currently doing what is on the list, I work harder each day to be that person...ME!

1. Frank is healthy mentally, physically, and spiritually
2. Frank is a loving and supportive husband to his wife Kelly
3. Frank is a loving and supportive father to his son Elijah and future second child
4. Frank does what he says he will do!
5. Frank has no debt and is financially independent
6. Frank gives back to the community
7. Frank lives a mostly vegan lifestyle
8. Frank is a successful Entrepreneur 
9. Frank has multiple business ventures including several with his wife Kelly
10. Frank will have over 10 published books
11. Frank is a well known and sought after professional speaker, entertainer and fundraiser
12. Frank weighs 170-180 pounds
13. Frank is world traveler with a passport full of stamps
14. Frank and Kelly  get to make their own decisions and aren't forced into them
15. Frank owns a house with his wife Kelly
16. Frank finds opportunities to work with people and not for people. Win-Win Situations

That's my list. 16 is a special number for our family, so the list is great there. The list is who I want to be. It's a list I need to look at everyday to make sure I make my dreams and goals come true.

New BAD BAD Apples Video

Gearing up to fall. Looking tor speaking calendars and the first way to start is to produce new videos. Here's the first of several to come over the next few months. Enjoy.