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Rick Saldan is an excellent
inspirational speaker who tailored the seminar to the needs of the
individual students being instructed. This office thanks the Mayors Office
of Information Services for having such a vendor.
Timothy K. Lynch
Office of Fleet Management
City of Philadelphia
Rick has a magical approach that provides a clear and
concise message specifically designed to the needs of his
audience. Rick will provide all the motivational magic you
will ever need, propelling your organization to the next
level of greater success.
Thomas Mulhern
Frontier Communications
Rick Saldan is a compelling and absorbing motivational speaker and
magician.I have been to five of his
Motivational Magic presentations and it is amazing how he keeps our
college audiences on the edge of their seats.
A highly entertaining performer with great comedy flair. Rich content to
increase students' productivity, peak performance and motivation. If you
need an outstanding motivational speaker for colleges, Rick is definitely
one of the world's greatest speakers and magicians!
Dr. Rob Gilbert, Sport Psychologist,
Montclair State University
Rick Saldan has the wit, wisdom and sorcery of a wizard. He
has a dynamic personality, and all will enjoy his
captivating stories, comedy and magic!
Dennis Slaughter
Credit Suisse First Boston
Rick Saldan delivers a first-class show! A pro in every
sense of the word. Funny, unique, entertaining and polished.
Brian Letscher, Actor
Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Cold Case, Law & Order and The Mentalist.
Rick Saldan is a wonderful combination of master magician, comic
improviser and first class speaker. The audience loved his program, which
was music to our ears. If you love celebrity motivational speakers such as
Tom Hopkins, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar, then you'll love Rick!
Dottie Burman, President
Burtley Productions, Inc.
Rick Saldan
is an incredibly talented performer and motivational speaker with great insight. He shares many powerful
motivational messages that will enhance your life for the better!
Jack Murray, President
Dream Illusions
Rick is one of the best inspirational speakers on
the scene today. Funny, fun loving and highly energetic. If you want to
make your next event into an extraordinary one, then invite professional
speaker Rick Saldan and his amazing Motivational Magic.
Andres Lara, President
Inspiration Times Magazine
The Tao of Fitness Author: Darren Stehle
Have you found yourself at the gym suddenly wondering, ‘Why the heck am I doing this?’ For whatever reason you question your motivations and reasons for working out. It’s important and valuable to ask yourself this type of question, not just for working out, but for all things in life. This is your ‘Why?’ Why are you performing this goal, task, activity? To what end? What will you achieve as a result of your consistent actions?
You may be an athlete, preparing for a bodybuilding competition, or working out to loose body fat and get in shape. These are reasons. But what about the ‘spiritual’ component for working out? What about ‘working within’? Can you achieve higher self-awareness and inner peace at the gym?
Before you think I’ve fallen off my exercise ball, knocked my head and gone a bit crazy, I want you to understand that life is a journey. You can choose to swim with the current and flow to your objective or you can struggle against it causing stress and a high energy cost. If you don’t have a clear ‘Why?’ for working out, you will struggle against the current, and most likely give up or fail.
I recently read the book, ‘Working Out, Working Within. The Tao of Inner Fitness Through Sports and Exercise” by Jerry Lynch and Chungliang Al Huang. The book looks at exercise and sport through the eyes of Tao teachings and wisdom, the ancient Chinese spiritual philosophy.
‘Tao’ means the ‘Way’ and is a non-denominational, non-religious way of interpreting the world around you. Tao cannot be seen or explained and the more you try to understand Tao the further away you are from clarity. Tao is an experience, an awareness and a perspective, a deep understanding on the spiritual level.
When applied to sport and exercise you can “…use your physical life as a meditation, a way to develop stillness in motion and give in to your more creative self.” This is a paradigm shift for most people, shifting from competing against others, to seeing physical activity as a tool for personal growth and transformation. Not only are you exercising for external fitness but you are also developing your ‘inner fitness.’
The book promotes a different perspective on ‘winning’ or ‘achieving’ than what most people are taught. We have been taught to compete, usually against another person, team or enemy. The Tao of competition is the game you play against yourself, your inner game of bettering your past performance, of achieving your goals with higher, realistic standards you set for yourself and performing at your personal best.
Yes, we can look to others for comparison. Facts or images of reality can help motivate us to our goals, e.g. a picture of a body-type we aspire to; a weight we want to lift in the deadlift or squat; a time we want to better on the track. These are ‘values’ to aspire to, not individuals to compete against.
We can only measure success against our own expectations, not against the dreams, values, judgments, goals or measures of others. This is your life and your goals, not someone else’s. The only person who can truly motivate you is you! Understanding this will save you time, energy and possibly protect you from injury. One of the biggest mistakes I observe in practice, are people who push themselves against unreasonable expectations, or worse, against the expectations of others. As the Tao says with respect to moderation: ‘Do less yet achieve more.’
If you are wondering, ‘why fitness’ in any sense, if you would like to be active in a way that makes you feel good about who you are, excited and working towards your own goals, I suggest you order a copy of this book at: http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874779685/integratedfit-20"
Darren is a Physical Fitness & Wellness consultant in Toronto, Canada. You can visit his websites at http://integratedfitness.ca and order the Health, Weight-Loss & Skin Care products he uses at http://stehle.usana.com
