My Dog Ate My Computer (Excuse #21 for not blogging)

Okay -- I can hear you breath a collective, "well dadgum, it's about time..."
I've not placed a post on my blog in a minute (ok -- nearly two weeks or approximately 17,279 minutes :-) but I've been working on book #2, and the way I see it ... better late than never ... I promise in the future I'll try, try, try to do better!!!! Now that's it for the mea culpa ... let today's posting begin ...

Matt from NBC's THE BIGGEST LOSER

I don't watch much reality tv, but on Tuesday nights I do watch NBC's, The Biggest Loser. Anybody out there watch it?

Anyway, the episode from October 18th has stayed with me awhile. During the show, I could literally feel America's collective hearts break for "ex athlete" Matt, a former NCAA championship wrestler who has been struggling with weight issues for awhile.

During the episode, Matt worked his butt off trying to lose weight by increasing his exercise. But as he BURNED OFF more calories through strength training and cardio, he offset it by TAKING IN more calories -- the result of giving into late night snack attacks.

I've been there. It's called self-sabatoge.

And whether it pertains to losing weight, handling relationship issues, pursuing a dream or anything else, I'll bet many of you have been darn near swallowed up whole by the self-sabatoge monster.

Be honest. Ever done it? Ever sabatoge yourself?

Anyway, when it came time for the weigh in, Matt lost a big fat ZERO pounds. This was from a man that had previously had several weeks of double digit weight loss. Matt was so upset he literally had to leave the building. I could feel his pain through the tv.

Again...been there.

Have you ever wanted something so bad and tried so hard to obtain it, only to be left with a door slammed in your face? You know, to the point where it left a doorknob imprint? Be it a job, relationship, dream home .... whatever, we don't always get what we want, no matter how hard we try. That's just life, it's not always what we expect. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try...right? Heck the less progress we see, the harder we should try...right?

Is the motto: 'if at first you don't succeed..try, try again' ever just BS? At what point should you give up? When should you stop trying? They say that 'failure is just a sign of God telling you you're headed in the wrong direction.' But how does one define failure as opposed to just not trying hard enough?

I consider myself a tenacious, persistent person and I've written what I think is a great never-told-before-on-film screenplay about the Buffalo Soldiers, but I've gotten absolutely nowhere as far as interest by deal makers & breakers in Hollywood. I've been at it for awhile now and I'm wondering is it time to just give up?

Like Matt, I'm sure I'll be back next week, pushing myself, giving it my all, trying to reach another goal...realize another dream...

But dang...really...at what point should I just be honest with myself, admit this may not be God's plan for me and just stop trying?

What advice do you have for determining when enough is enough?

Back to The Biggest Loser ... Kudos to Pete Thomas, the only black man on the show who was voted off the October 25th episode! He started at 401 pounds and lost an amazing 140 pounds and is featured in the current issue of PEOPLE MAGAZINE looking pretty darn good! Congrats to Pete for holding it down and reaching his goal by embracing a healthier lifestyle! His CAN-DO attitude and his "I may be out, but I'm not OUT-out" spirit is something we should all embrace and aspire to.