I never feel so strong and confident as when I'm helping kids to find their own strength and confidence. That's my motivation with Operation Pull Your Own Weight.

In a very real sense it's selfish. I'm doing it because I feel so good about myself when I'm doing it. The vibes of appreciation I receive when those kids get stronger and stronger, week after week, and more and more confident in their own natural abilities to set a goal and achieve it in small but relentlessly persistent increments of progress is unique in my life. Under these circumstances, I suddenly feel like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Indiana Jones, Wyatt Earp, Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, and Elvis all combined in the eyes of these kids. I am unique in their lives.

If I Got This Kind of Lift From...

If I got the same kind of lift from climbing some corporate ladder, from running for public office, or from anything else, I'd be climbing a corporate ladder, running for public office, or doing something else that gives me the same amount of return on my investment of time and effort. But to date, nothing else compares.

There's no thrill of victory like the one I experience when seeing a young boy or girl learning to say "Oh yes I can," in the face of a real challenge, tackling it with unreserved enthusiasm, giving it 110%, having learned, and knowing in their heart of hearts that if they relentlessly persist, they will inevitably cross that finish line.

In the words of the late Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never, never, never, give up!" Not quitting is one very important form of winning. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that counts.

The Moment The Catch Their First Glimpse...

And the moment a child catches their first glimpse of the potential sitting out there on their own horizon, as long as they get a little stronger every week, every month, every year, is the moment they start approaching life in a different way, with a different attitude, with an excitement and an enthusiasm that was never there before. Let's just say, "For most everything else there's Master Charge."

And by the way, when I say kids, I'm talking about kids from 3 to 93. The fact of the matter is, when you help someone become stronger and more confident, no matter how old they are, you will have created a relationship that's unique. There aren't that many people in anyone's life who produce that kind of experience. And if you're one of them you will stand out from the crowd. You will hold a unique position in the life of that person, whether they're an elementary school student, or a rock and roll star.

The Clock Keep on Ticking

So in answer to all those folks who have wondered why the OPYOW clock keeps on ticking inside me, it's because doing it makes me feel so good about me. To repeat my original statement, I never feel so strong and confident as when I'm helping kids to find their own strength and confidence. So there, I've said it out loud. If that were not the case, I'd be unable to persist. The flame would flicker and die. But it has not and now you know why. It's all about me and how it makes me feel about myself.

Rick Osbourne is a Chicago based writer who currently serves as Executive Director of Operation Pull Your Own Weight, an informational web site that's dedicated to naturally immunizing kids against obesity for a lifetime without pills, shots, or special diets. If you're interested in childhood obesity prevention, then check out either http://www.pullyourownweight.net or http://www.pullyourownweight.com any time. Osbourne is also a public speaker, and he's recently published a book entitled "Operation Pull Your Own Weight: A Radically Simple Solution to Childhood Obesity," (on the web site) that provides practical minded parents and educators with a simple, functional, affordable, and infinitely measurable antidote to childhood obesity. Osbourne can be reached by email at Osbourne.rick(at)gmail.com