Tag Archives: Type II Diabetes

BenSpark’s 2009 Commitments

Last night I posted that there was a stack of items next to my desk. It is a big stack. And since then I added to it.

BenSpark's 2009 Life Changing Commitments
Photo-A-Day #1363

In the coming year I have committed myself to taking care of a few things. These are in no particular order as far as importance.

I Commit to Having more contests on my blogs.

XShot 2.0. is on top of the stack. I received it as a contest prize or by mistake I haven’t quite figured it out yet. Apparently I was supposed to receive something else but the labels got mixed up. Well, since I have an XShot 2.0 already I think I’m going to give this one away. I have XShot as one of my affiliates and I have been using the XShot longer than any other blogger I know of, plus I introduced many of them to the device (i.e. Ted Murphy). Yet, I’ve only been able to get one person to buy one from my blog. Maybe I will give this one away to the blogger who has the best idea on how I can sell more XShots through this blog. Leave a comment with your best idea and I’ll choose the one I like most. That person gets the XShot. So it is purely subjective as to who wins, so, amaze me. That is the top of the stack.

I Commit to Learning Chinese

The things on the stack are two books are on the Chinese Language, Learning Chinese Characters and Learning Chinese The Easy Way. I am committing myself to 15 Minutes A Day to learn Chinese in 2009. I’ll be documenting that journey on my new blog 15minaday.com. If anyone does know Chinese could you please let me know if the header is correct, I don’t know a thing about the language yet.

I Commit to Getting my Diabetes Under Control

I have Type II diabetes. It sucks. I have made many changes to my diet to help control the disease and I am on a medication for it as well as for the neuropathy in my feet. Foot pain I thought was Plantar Fasciitis was actually neuropathy that went undiagnosed for a long time. It sucks, I can’t go barefoot at all because of the pain (I suck it up in the shower). I have three books that I am reading to help get me on better track with my diabetes. The first book is called Conquering Diabetes by Anne L. Peters, M.D. The next book The World’s Fittest You by Joe Decker. I bought this a couple of years ago and haven’t cracked the spine. Another diabetes book I received from my sister. It is called The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan.

I Commit to Being More Charitable, and Support Those People Who Inspire Me.

The next four books are copies of Combinations by Ed Gerety. Ed Gerety is probably the one guy online that I get inspired by more than by Ted Murphy. That is primarily because I’ve known Ed longer and he is a motivational speaker. I purchased four of Ed’s books to give to my high school. The book is on student leadership but it certainly can be adapted to being a blogger. Ed was offering those books for $4.00 each, a complete steal. The offer was supposed to end by December 19th but it still looks like they are available at $4.00. I suggest you check it out as well as Ed Gerety’s Dream Big Blog. Ted, if you are reading this post all the way down to here look into getting Ed to speak at IZEAFest 2009 to get the crowd excited, motivated and ready to dream big.

I Commit to Becoming a Better Photographer

I’m inspired by my friend Andrea because she knows so much about how to use her camera in all situations. I point and shoot at what I like, I sometimes venture beyond auto but not often enough. The next book is the Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide (not sure what makes it digital as it is a book but whatever). I was going to use 15 minutes a day blog to talk about digital photography but that was a bit of a cop out since I know a thing or two about it, but not enough. I bought this book so I could get better and more technical with my photography. I know what to shoot but what is the best way to shoot it.

I also have a very old book from Kodak called How to Take Good Pictures. I also have Digital Photography for Dummies and The Kid’s Guide to Digital Photography. Each of these books will also be part of my commitment to learning more about photography and how to improve. The bottom of my stack is filled with Photography Magazines, Popular Photography, PCPhoto, Rangefinder, AfterCapture. I must commit myself to reading them when they arrive from now on. I find that when I read them later I often miss things that have already gone past that I could have been part of. I’ll look through each magazine and write at least one blog post a week on what I learned.

I’m also following a number of photographers that inspire me. I don’t always read their articles because there is just so much. So I will try and pick an article a day to learn from and blog about. I’ll start with learning something from these 10 Hot Photography Tips and Tutorials from 2008 from Digital Photography School. I want to learn as much as I can because I will be saving to go on a Nikon Mentor Series trip in 2010.

I Commit to Finding Opportunities for Creativity

I bought The Imagineering Workout in Disney World and want to read a bit of it each day to inspire myself to be more creative. Along with that is a book I won at IZEAFest, the CSS Cookbook by Christopher Schmitt. I can’t believe I didn’t get him to sign it at IZEAFest 2008. I’ve got to think of things like that. So, what will a book on coding do to make me more creative? Well, it will allow me to code better blogs that are more dynamic and eye pleasing as well as functional.

I Commit to Stopping the Drowning Spiral of Personal Debt

Leaning on the stack are two books. One I’ve been meaning to read for years but it was pretty dense, that is Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. I’d just like to read it and see the theories. The other is a book that my friend Meghan (Happy Birthday Meghan) let me borrow, it is called The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. While I buy into most of his principles I do have to agree with John Chow that you should never live on cash.

Will I accomplish all of these goals? Better subscribe to this blog to find out.

Help for those who need diabetic supplies…

You may not know it but I have hinted in the past that sugar is not my friend. And that is because I am a Type II Diabetic. Some people might not be happy that I am sharing this online, but it is a disease that many Americans have and one that can be managed. I am not going to be embarrassed about having it because that will hurt my steps that I take to manage the disease. I have garnered much support from my online friends and feel comfortable with sharing this with them. Maybe what I have to say is going to be helpful to someone. I knew quite know who is touched by my writing.

I just learned that I have Type II Diabetes at the beginning of this past year. I had a hard time at first adjusting to all the changes that I needed to make in my life to live with this disease. I was also pretty upset about having to stop eating some of my favorite things. I was also upset at myself for contributing to this disease by my poor habits while traveling all these years. But I have made the changes and have begun losing weight and eating much better, even on the road. I however am still addicted to M&Ms from time to time.

Type II Diabetes is a disease that is rampant across the country. There are approximately 21 million people with diabetes and many do not have health insurance. And that is just in the US. This is a disease that continues to gather strength. And if you do not have health insurance the diabetic supplies like diabetes testing strips are wicked expensive. Even with insurance they are very expensive. I could not imagine not having insurance and having to pay these high expenses for needed supplies.

I use the OneTouch Ultra testing device. And I have to buy testing strips. They are expensive but if I had no insurance they would be near impossible to be able to pay for. The cost at American Diabetes Wholesale.com is between $30 – 60% off the regular retail price. A box of 50 test strips on American Diabetes Wholesale.com goes for $36.99. The retail price is $52.99. That is a 30% discount on the price of testing strips and having to test many times each day adds up quick. You can also get volume discounts on supplies as well.

While I believe that all people should have access to health insurance. However the reality is that not everyone has health insurance. Diabetes is a hard enough disease to deal with without having to worry too much about the cost of treatment and management. Diabetic supplies are very important and needed for all those with the disease. I am glad that there are places like American Diabetes Wholesale.com that provide a place for people who do not have health insurance to get their needed supplies at discount prices.

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