Friends, first and foremost, I want to thank you for all the support you’ve given me when I’ve needed anything before, including helping us in our search for a nanny for our kids.

We’ve had a mixed blessing recently - we have a wonderful human being serving as our nanny / household assistant, and we couldn’t be happier. Sadly, because of circumstances out of any of our control, she needs to move on to her home state (which is in a galaxy far, far away, known as ‘New York’, heard of it). Anyway, we need to find a replacement ASAP to start ideally by Jan 5th, 2012.

Here’s the job description. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas / NYE and you deeply appreciate any help you can provide. For those of you that know me well, you know that we’re great employers and we take care of our own (sometimes to our detriment! :-(

Thanks again:

“Looking for the perfect long term fit for my family. Hours are Monday - Friday 2-6 pm with one night each week till 7 pm instead. Extra weekend, along with date night “babysitting” hours are needed as well, including occasional overnights. Pay is competitive and will be discussed at time of interview.

We are looking for you to treat our home as if it were your own, including weekly grocery shopping, household cleanup (we have a cleaner, we are not asking you to be her :-) ), laundry, and general household chores throughout the week to go along with childcare. Our current nanny will be giving you the full rundown and a couple days of training to get a hang of the routine, but official hours begin on Monday, January 9th, as our current nanny is moving out of state.

This is absolutely a 50/50 household management/childcare job.

Thanks for reading - we look forward to hearing from you.”

We have a P/T Nanny position for 20+ hrs per week + optional nights and weekend work.

What you need to bring to the table:

1. Integrity, lots of it.  You’ll be privy to our personal lives and my business life.
2. Prior experience with kids, great references, and clean background check

What you’ll get out of it:

1. Spending a couple hours a day with 2 adorable children, Reva (3.5y/o girl) & Rahm (1.5 y/o boy)
2. Competitive pay

What your typical day will look like:

1. 7A-9A: Come to our house in Lakeview, get the kids fed & ready, drop off at school (which is less than 1 mile away)
2. Sometime b/n 9A-3P: 1 hr of Light errands; picking up / dropping off dry cleaning, ironing, etc.
3. 3P-5P: Pick kids up, play with at home

How you can get extra hours:

1. Running errands - yes
2. Babysitting - yes - we typically need a sitter 1 night during the week and again either Friday or Saturday

The Bad News: Our Nanny is moving on in 3 weeks.  We wish her the best of luck in her new endeavors!

The Good News: We have the opportunity to help someone who is looking to transition into a professional office role but mainly has experience in childcare.  We can achieve this by creating a job that’s 50% childcare / 50% office work.

What you need to bring to the table:

1. Integrity, lots of it.  You’ll be privy to our personal lives and my business life.
2. Prior experience with kids, great references, and clean background check
3. Comfortable on the phone and on a Computer, including using MS Office.
4. Great attitude, and have a thirst for learning, and be coachable.

What you’ll get out of it:

1. An above-the-table W2 job, building up valuable social security and proof of income.
2. Spending a couple hours a day with 2 adorable children, Reva (3.5y/o girl) & Rahm (1.5 y/o boy)
3. Learning important office skills, including communication, organization, MS Office, various web sites, typing.

What your typical day will look like:

1. 7A-9A: Come to our house in Lakeview, get the kids fed & ready, drop off at school (which is less than 1 mile away)
2. 9A-10A: Light errands
3. 10A-3P: Office work (w/a 1-2hr break as needed)
4. 3P-5P: Pick kids up, play with at home

How you can get extra hours:

1. Office work - yes
2. Running errands - yes
3. Babysitting - yes - we typically need a sitter 1 night during the week and again either Friday or Saturday

Many people are telling me great job, but are you malnourished?  Are you getting nutrients?  Etc.

Time to set the record straight on what I am consuming on this Vision Quest I’m on (Day 70, BTW).  I am not on one of those crazy water + lime diets or really a “cleanse” in the traditional definition.  (Although this is definitely a mental “cleanse”)

Below please find a breakdown of what I’m consuming over the course of the day

1. 6 - 7 Low Carb Protein Shakes (Atkins / Slimfast Low-Carb)
2. 6 CLA (w/Omega 3 Fatty Acid) pills (simulating seafood)
3. 2 Multivitamins (GNC “Mega-Man” Sports Version)
4. 4 Acai Berry Extract pills (anti-oxidants)
5. 2 Chromium Pills (metabolism support)

So, over the course of the day I’m consuming about

1. 1,000 calories
2. 100g Protein
3. 55g Fat
4. 10g net carb
5. Enough vitamins/minerals to kill a cow (for the record, I do not condone the killing of cows)

Yes, this diet is mentally extreme and yes it does require a paradigm shift in thinking “what, no food, you must be losing it!” BUT rest assured I am giving my body what it needs to give me the best performance back.

So relax, and if you’d like, be inspired.  Most importantly, have a great day!

Neel

Did I leave anything out?

I’ve had 8 people contact me letting me know that because of this blog and my twitter / facebook updates that they are reassessing their eating habits and exercise.  Wow.  If only 1/8 people makes a permanently life change, that’s 1 person that’s going to live longer for their spouse, kids, friends, etc.  That feels great.

Oh, and on a TOTALLY selfish note, this is good for me.  The next time I’m feeling weak, in the back of my mind I know that there are people tracking this adventure I’m on and the last thing they want to read about is a crazy setback.  So cool.

It’s interesting.  Being on this fast (Day 65), I’ve really learned a lot about myself and how much of my personality is rooted in what I’m putting in my body.  Apparently I listen better now, talk more deliberately, and am much less lazy at home.  I find myself being more easy going and mild-tempered.

I think the biggest thing is that this liquid fast, which is all about moderating the need for short-term fixes for long term gains, is flowing into every aspect of my life - whether it’s spending extra money at a convenience store for water when home is 10 minutes away OR actually training my people @susco rather than just do the 5 minute task myself.

It will be interesting when I re-engage food (probably after 35 more days) to see how I do it in such a way that is still an act of self-love, not food-love.  Definitely seeing a nutritionist.  I really really don’t want to lose this feeling…

In Part 1, I explained how I essentially got on this diet by accident.  In summary, I wanted to do a 1 or 2 day fast, but I just never stopped.

So why continue?  This really has evolved quite a bit over the 59 days I’ve been on it.  As I mentioned before, the I really wanted to beat the cravings I got on days 3 and 4 because they were the same as the cigarette cravings I used to get last year before I quit.

So on Day 3 I said, “I’m going to try to do this for Lent”.  Why not? I thought the bragging rights would be cool (“Hey, what did you give up for Lent?… Really, chocolate?  That’s funny because I’m a heathen and I gave up FOOD!” LOL). 

I am a firm believer in “Stretch Goals” (a goal that you don’t have 100% chance of reaching).  The beauty of stretch goals is that if you believe you can reach them you’ll come close enough so that your still satisfied with the result.  For example, during engineering at Tulane, I wanted to have a 3.9 GPA.  (This was a stretch goal because I partied a lot).  I ended up with a 3.8. Technically, I “failed”, but no one, including me, would define that as failure.  Had I set my expectation to 3.6, would I have gotten a 3.8?  Probably not.  “Objectives determine Results” - a somewhat country and very bright former boss of mine used to say.  (This phrase sounds much better with a twang).

I also really felt like getting away from food for a couple weeks would be good for my food addiction.  My plan was (and is) to have stopped eating for a while, and when it’s time to start eating again I can do so the RIGHT way!  I by that, I won’t be eating out of compulsion eating to fuel my body.  It’s very simple, when I eat it’s either an act of self-love or self-loathing.  I choose to love myself, not food.

Moving on - so Days 3-7 were total hell. Really.  I felt good but I was hungry all the time.  I can tell you that during this spell there was no spiritual discovery or enlightenment, just me fighting to not eat the office manager’s arm off or totally go crazy.  Again, I have to turn back to me quitting smoking in Aug 10 (after my boy / heir-apparent was born).  I knew this “pain” would subside, just like the nicotine cravings did.  Each day was worst than the last.  But now it was Me vs. my Id, and I knew I had to win this round.

Something clicked on Day 8.  For one, I had lost like 10lbs (probably half water…) and my focus started to shift.  As I worked through the day, I found myself having to set reminders to drink my shakes.  Two days before you could here the sucking sound of me trying to get ever last drop out of the shake can down the hall!!!  So, I got home, spent time with the family, doing chores while Ruchi ate and then we settled into bed.  I remember telling her that I went through the whole day NOT thinking about food, or what I wasn’t eating, or what I was going to eat once I got off this ridiculous fast.  I just thought about whatever I wanted to think about at the moment. 

Holy Cow!!!  Is this what it’s like to not live with addictions?  Not to plan out the next smoke break or snack.  Not to get up in the middle of doing something you desperately want to procrastinate* on but can’t b/c you’ve ran out of excuses.

*As a side note, as an entrepreneur it is MUCH easier to fall into the temptation of procrastination b/c there isn’t a task master constantly in your ear about your work.  I try to push excess short-term pleasure to make medium-to-long term gains in business and learning to do this w/eating has made this easier.  And when you’re focused on making payroll every week minimizing procrastination (i.e. maximizing cashflow, is critical.)

This is when I knew in my heart of hearts that I had no choice but to keep doing this.  Not sure if I was calling it a Vision Quest at this point, but that’s how I was thinking of it…

Ok - this is getting long. I’m writing this at night, not sure if it’s negatively impacting the quality of the post.  Let me know!  More to come later…

Today’s takeway: push through whatever you’re stuck on, and I promise the craving to eat the office manager’s arm off will fade.

You’re going to hear this term a lot from me in this blog.  So rather than wonder what I mean I’m going to define how I use it now.

A food addict is someone that eats for the wrong reasons - when depressed, anxious, etc, as opposed to when hungry.  Another sign is eating secretly, bolemia, etc. We all sometimes eat for the wrong reasons but the big qualifiers are 1) how often and 2) is it too the detrimental of your health?

As an aside I want to mention that to a certain extent it’s not our fault that food addiction is so prevalent.  Man has been around for millions of years.  Until a few thousand years ago the human diet consisted of meat, fruit, and vegetables.  The human body simply is not engineering to eat processed sugar, plates of spaghetti, and high-fructose corn syrup.  There even have been recent studies citing that junk food addiction is real.  Also, food used to be a scarce resource (and still is in the developing world) and because of this we have a strong evolutionary desire to consume whatever we get our hands on.

It is not a euphemism for overweight, obese, etc.  As a matter of fact, I know many thin food addicts and some overweight people that aren’t food addicts.

I am a food addict.  I was a food addict when thin, then obese, and now (somewhere in the middle).  I’m not ashamed to admit it.  We are all imperfect beings.  Some people are total flakes, some people don’t return calls, some people are jerks, some people are lazy, some people even have bad hair <gasp>. 

The same core character traits which contribute to being a food addict also make me a very emotional, passionate, exciting person.  I have a hunger for life that is unparalleled.  It’s a package deal.  I can’t have one without the other.

What is your big flaw you hate about yourself?  Is there a hidden strength it’s hiding that you can harness?

Gotta go belt out a couple miles.  See you on the other side.

I’ve been answering this question a lot, and oddly enough the answer seems to be evolving over time.

Let’s break this down into 2 sub-questions, and the first on is why/how did this start?

Totally by accident.  It’s really kind of interesting how I “fall into” some really great things in life.  (NOTE 1: I strongly recommend keeping the balance in the Karma account high so these things happen more; NOTE 2: When you see an opportunity, seize it, ask questions later, remember luck = opportunity + preparation). 

As most people in New Orleans, I totally overindulged between Thanksgiving 2009 and Mardi Gras 2010 (2/16/10).  Let’s remember, the Saints run to the superbowl (God bless you boys) essentially eliminated that productive month we like to call January. 

When I woke up on Ash Wednesday (2/17), I went to the gym to hit the elliptical (as I have 5+ days/wk for years) and on the way home I said to myself, only protein shakes today.  Let’s just try to really clean out my GI system and get the excess sugar out of my body.

I’ve done this before, and what usually happens is that I’ll have a shake for breakfast, one for lunch, but for dinner I would crave some food, so I’d eat.  But for whatever reason, not this time.  Had another 2 shakes at home and went to bed.   

Thursday - I woke up and said “What the hell, let’s do it one more day”… and I did.  So Friday comes around, and after breakfast shake I’m getting really hungry.  At this point I really had gotten the crap out of my body and it wanted more!

I found myself really pissed off at the power of this craving.  Really.  It reminded me of how I felt when I quit smoking in Aug 09, and then it hit me - it’s time to beat this.  So I decided I was not going to eat for the duration of Lent.  I know I’m not Catholic, thank you, but it just made sense.  Catholics give up something during the Lenten season for spiritual reasons and now, so was I…

Why I am still on it???

Because I’m not done yet.  That’s the only way I can put it.  This started as a journey to break an addiction, kickstart some weight loss, and get killer bragging rights, and its now turned into a Vision Quest.  I’m discovering a lot of things about myself and others around me.  I’ll expand on this in my next post…

(NOTE: I’m late my AM workout :-)

Everyone knows I manage the Susco Solutions blog which (hopefully) provides good content but this is the first time I’m writing a personal blog.

There are a couple reasons I’m doing this; to look back on my perspectives / positions in life, to provide a “log” for my children, and to build my personal brand (saw Gary Vanyerchuk at SxSW an am listening to Crush It audiobook WHICH is just awesome).

I’m also really hoping to provide some value for others.  There is a reason I named the blog “No Limits…”. I have an unwaivering faith in myself and 100% believe with every fiber of my being that I have No Limits.

I know, I know.  Kinda sounding like a brag-a-thon.  But here’s the thing - I don’t feel like I have No Limits b/c of some special gene factor or trait unique to me, it’s because I CHOOSE to have No Limits.  I CHOOSE to believe that as long as I am on the righteous path that I can do anything. I CHOOSE to believe that every failure in my life is a lesson to prep me for a greater success. 

I CHOOSE to believe that this is contagious.  Maybe 100 people will read this blog, maybe 70 will think I’m an arrogant jerk, maybe 25 will yawn, BUT I know this.  At some point, a few people will realize that there is no need for them to have limits on themselves.  And they will act.  And they will infect those around them.  And so on, and so on, and so on…

Example #1: I’ve done a couple amazing things in my life.  Most recently, I’ve been on a low carb liquid diet since Ash Wednesday.  That’s right - it’s been 54 days so far, of which I’ve had solid food on 3.  I’ve lost 35 lbs and now can run 10Ks again. (I’m going to expand on this in a later post).

Takeaway #1: Next time you’re worried you’ve got no chance on your next pitch or that you can’t do that next mile or whatever; remember that your buddy Neel, who’s a food addict with 3 businesses, 2 kids in diapers, and 1 very loving and hard working wife is finding the energy, will, and time to fast, run, and crush it in business.

If I can do it, so can you - so get on it!