Training For Key West in September - Day 3

"You don't have to be sweaty and holding a basketball to enjoy a Gatorade. You could just be...a thirsty dude! Gatorade forgets about this demographic!" - Mitch Hedberg

Well, I'm shaking things up a bit, again... My DVD is finally out! You can purchase it now on my website, www.richjonescomedy.com

I have renewed motivation after this week & a discussion I had with my Mom about living more healthy. We both committed to do better. As stated I set a goal by my 34th birthday to make a significant difference. A good friend invited me to go on a group trip to Key West, FL in September, which is even more motivation for me because I want to look nice on the beach.

The clock struck midnight less than an hour ago, & I'm officially into my third day of training! How exciting it is. It's a wonderful thing when you have motivation. The idea of hope for a better tomorrow pushes so many people to do their best in all situations. Yesterday, I found out how determined I am. For crying out loud, I turned down the Sam's Club Sample Lady for food that wouldn't have helped me reach my goal!

This blog shares a lot about me, but I want to share something that's not about me. A former student I substitute taught for was in a very bad car accident that killed one of his friends, & injured himself & two other people. He's currently in an induced coma, & hooked to a breathing machine. I heard their could be possible brain damage. This same guy is the only student I've ever subbed for that made me loose my cool because he was pulling his car around & accelerated as if he was going to hit me. He always called me, "Funny Man", wanted me to tell him jokes & write him passes to get out of class (which I didn't). His name is Ricky. Please say a prayer for him, as well as the other in the accident, including the family of the girl who was killed, and the driver who caused the crash.

Thank you for all your support! Live the life & chase the dream!

Forever In Christ,

Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

Psalm 86:5 - “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You.”

Dreams...

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis

It's a brand new day, and as I've said before each new day is often a recommitment to the last, or an opportunity to begin again. Often, I'm a dreamer. I even have my own bucket list already, which has some pretty weird things I want to do before I bite the dust. Of course, they're not weird to me. It's important to write down your goals. How can you strive for them if you haven't even bothered to identify them?

One thing I'm desperate to do before I go, is to finish writing my first novel. I actually started on it almost two years ago, and I'm still working towards it. It's tempting to just take a week off from everything else and go hardcore to finish it. One thing that I'm going to be able to check off from the list looks to happen this week. My first comedy DVD will arrive in the mail & be available on my website, as well as shows.

It's often funny to me how your goals can change. Not just that, but when you can pinpoint the exact moment when you realized they changed. This interview I conducted with fellow comedian, Kenn Kington was a pivotal moment in changing how I view relationships.



Going to work out today & enjoy my celery & carrots. Thanks guys for keeping up with me! Have a blessed day!

Forever In Christ,

Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Friendship...

 “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”- C.S. Lewis

It feels like I'm thinking a lot more clearly than I have in recent years. Never engaged in drinking or drugs, but sometimes even food has a way of clouding your judgement. It's amazing how some people don't even bother to taste their food as they're eating it. Food is fuel for our bodies, but what's the point of eating something specific and more costly if you're not going to taste it? A few people in my past always complained about how slow I eat or when I get something at the drive-thru, they would just jump right into it, while I still had to drive. It's important to enjoy your meal and the company that comes with it.

Not sure where I'm going with all this, but think of others around you before you decide to stuff your face. Not only that, but think of the Creator who blessed you with the means to afford the meal or the compassion of the individual who paid for it. On this note I think I will end. Have a blessed day and don't forget to appreciate the little things!


Forever In Christ,
Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

1 John 4:11 - "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Baggage...

“Forgiveness does not mean excusing.” - C.S. Lewis

I noticed eHarmony is running a special this week. If you sign up now, not only will you get to review your matches for free, but they'll also throw in all your potential mate's baggage...

Used that joke a few times with little response, but the idea of baggage makes everyone cringe. We all want to meet someone who "has it all together", if that's even possible. Imagine scouring the earth to find that individual who agrees with you on every issue, is responsible enough to do everything right in every situation and have all of their emotions balanced to go off whenever the correct situation calls for them. Frankly, I don't believe it's possible. EVERYONE HAS BAGGAGE!!!

The difference is, how you handle it. Some choose to focus all of it on to someone else's flaws, and act like their own don't exist. Some choose to embrace their baggage and joke about it (often I take that approach.) Others might isolate themselves so that the disease as they view it, of anger, that penetrates their own perception will not spread to anyone else.

While I wish I didn't have baggage, it's totally fine because what happened to me up to this point has determined the person I am now. There's an old saying I actually heard from my Mom. "A situation can either make you bitter or better..." You don't have to take something meant to be a personal attack, personal. It's how you act when you're back is to the wall, which many people, myself included have reacted hastily in the past. Emotions can channel out in many ways. Eating an abundance is one of them, and one that's definitely affected me. So with all this said, I encourage you to forgive others and move on. Don't let the situation make you worse. Know that everyone has baggage, but it's what you do with it that matters.

God Bless!

Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

Isaiah 1:16-17 - “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

Tapestry...

"You know, I'm sick of following my dreams, man. I'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with 'em later..." - Mitch Hedberg

Another day in the trenches, so to speak. What trenches might you ask do comedians go through? Pretty much the same as everyone else, except we rely a lot on the sense of humor to get us through the day, and night for that matter. What we remember from the day before usually winds up in the act, and if we're smart, it won't date us to a certain year, so we can use it over and over again to different age groups.

The future is uncertain. That much is for sure. I'm slowly letting go of the past, while holding on to the pleasant memories and using the painful ones as reminders for how not to be. My all-time favorite Star Trek episode is from season six of The Next Generation. It's called "Tapestry". In the episode, Captain Picard dies and is in the afterlife with Q, who grants him the opportunity to change his past where he faught a group of Nausicans (an alien race that's much larger & stronger than humans) back in his academy days. The fight resulted in him being stabbed and having to have his heart replaced with an artificial one, that ended up causing him to die in the present from a phaser blast he had received.

Of course, Captain Picard jumps at the chance to change his past, but when he arrives back at the future, he's only like a junior medical lieutenant.  Since he never experienced the fight, he never had a brush with death, never siezed the opportunities that presented themselves and learned to play it safe.  The one line that rings out as he begs for his past back is, "I would rather die as the man I was, than live the life I just saw." He pulled at the fabrics of his existence and it unraveled the tapestry of his life. So while, I wish I wasn't bullied as a child, I'm grateful for it now. Had I not been, I would never have used my sense of humor to fight back, and probably never became a comedian as a result of it. Take chances!!! I believe God is sovereign and there is no such thing as chance, but in our world we seem to cling to that idea. I say grab the opportunity to make a difference, you may soon realize it was meant to be!

Doing good today as far as eating. Thank you to an awesome friend who hooked me up with a cheese pizza last night, cause she knew I'm weird about eating pork. (It's not a religious thing & a story for another day.) Hope you guys have a blessed day!!! BTW, my first official DVD release is on order and should be arriving any day now!!! Be sure to get your copy once it arrives!

Forever In Christ,
Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

Romans 15:4 "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope."

2012...

Here we are in the final year of the Mayan Calendar. Before this everyone thought there would be total anarchy over Y2K, which really had no effect on anything, except some data entry employees got overtime to change the digits. I'm not afraid in the slightest that this could be the last year I have to make a difference in this lifetime. A lot of changes have happened in me over the course of the last two years, but I couldn't be happier to embrace the unknown of what's to come. I've heard so many stand-up comedians who are now financially stable, being able to do what they love as a career offer some advice that I'm now adhering to. Enjoy the journey! Gosh, how many of us even think of that as we try to overcome adversity? I haven't been the most diligent with my weightloss journey, especially with the holidays & certain stress that was channeled toward things other than focusing on God.

Only recently, I purchased a year membership to my city's rec center fitness room. I've been going there frequently since October. It was very reasonable & there aren't a lot of muscle heads walking around with the tanktops & barbwire tattoos to make me feel inferior. In fact, it's quite the opposite. There's a ton of old people who think they're little kids & don't mind streaking in the locker room. (FULL BODY SHIVER!!!)

Only three days into this new year, and it rings true that this is my year of jubilee. Don't give up, and be encouraged you are not alone.

Forever In Christ,
Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

Psalm 40:11 - "Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me."