ALL OUT

ALL OUT

Hi all!

The weather has been absolutely amazing these past few days, and its a reminder of how mood altering it can be after a few cold/cloudy/icy days. Its also a reminder that attitude is everything. If you don't prepare your mind, it will fail you. When your mind fails, you will only accomplish a small fraction of what you are capable of. Athletic coach, Ace Percival, once said, "Most people, athletes as well as non-athletes, are holdouts. That is to say they are always keeping something in reserve." You all know that I am a firm believer that our minds are our greatest enemies when something begins to get difficult.

We've all had the experience of doing something, and immediately saying to ourselves...."I could have done better.." Haha, thats also what makes people addicted and coming back for more. A few months back, my wife committed to run a marathon, her first. She "may" have run 20 miles in an entire week before trying to tackle 26.2 last Saturday. I also ran this particular race, and felt I had prepared almost as poorly with no speed work, tempo runs, and laughable weekly mileage. We had separate goals. Mine was to not embarrass myself, and at least place. I viewed it as a long run. Her goal was to simply finish. After a day of reflection (It takes at least a day after a marathon to say anything except "I will never do that again!"), we both said the same thing. "I could have done better". "Lets actually TRAIN for a marathon and do another."

I believe you have to do that because the taste in your mouth of knowing you "held out" is not a good one, and quickly needs to be replaced by:

I trained hard, smart, and sacrificed much. I had my nutrition dialed in and remained focused on the goal. I toed the starting line prepared, confident, in the zone, and crossed the finish line knowing I had given it my all both mentally and physically.

That can also be a goal for reaching the finish line of life. Don't cross the finish line with reserve fuel in the tank. Don't be a "holdout". GO ALL OUT.

Do this, and life will not hold out on you.

Accountability

Hi all!,

Thank you for your responses with goals for 2013. I believe in you, and know you will make it a great year!

A friend of mine reminded me about accountability. This is a very crucial component to accomplish any goal. In order for that to happen, you MUST surround yourself by people that expect the most from you. Too often, we compare ourselves to other people in order to trick ourselves into believing we are on the right track. An example of this is the popularity of TV shows like Jerry Springer or.......... heck, almost anything on TV these days. We see other people's lives in complete turmoil with all sorts of instability, and we think to ourselves, "It could be worse!" Even worse, are rumors, gossip, fabricated stories, and the like that paint a false "lesser" picture of someone else that may make themselves "feel" a little better. A story created about others takes the attention off of themselves. We all remember the lesson in elementary school where one person whispers something in the ear of the next person and the next person, and the next until it gets to the last person. Without fail, the story at the end doesn't have a single remote thing in common with what the first person "heard", which wasn't the "truth" in the first place. (Seems like we would have learned something in elementary school.) Ever ask yourself why that is? Making someone or something else appear worse, makes a lot of people feel less inadequate all the way to the point where they create their own reality and become forever blind to the actual reality in front of their own eyes. What about the news? Its all bad on quite a few stations. Based on surveys and studies, thats what people tune into watch. People watch Nascar for the wrecks. What about the arrest report? That is the number one viewed site on online newspapers. Obituaries? Does anyone else want to hear the good news? Does anyone else want to be inspired, encouraged, or challenged by people doing great, worthy, admirable things? Shouldn't we want to be motivated to be better, and not merely content that our lives seem better than the neighbor's across the street? What happened to "It could be a whole lot better!"? Surrounding yourself with positive, inspirational people with integrity that know you, your goals, and your potential FAR outweighs surrounding yourself with people that make you think sucking is normal.

On top of the goals I have for 2013, a key additional component will be surrounding myself with people that know more than I do, do more than I do, walk the talk, and challenge me to be better on a daily basis. The last newsletter included a picture warning of flat tires if you get off the path. Mentors that you look up to and respect can quickly direct you back to your set path when you take your eyes off the road and hit a ditch. The people 'in' the ditch will laugh it off, make light of it, and make you believe its okay. "Misery loves company." One good thing about the quest to be better is that you also serve to be a mentor to others. This, in itself, keeps a lot of people on the right path because they realize the impact they have on others' lives. You can pull yourself out of a ditch and take others with you. Once you're on the high and solid ground, be available to lend a hand. It makes so much more sense, and a whole lot easier, to pull someone from a ditch when your own footing is on solid ground.

We all need to stop comparing ourselves to others. For the most part, we don't have a clue what lies beyond the persona. There are cops that beat their wives when they get home, vets that kick their dogs, politicians that steal money, quiet soft spoken neighbors that murder.....on and on and on. There is ONE that we should try being like. In the end, that is the only pursuit that matters. Guess what....... We're going to fall short on that one, but at least the mark is accurately/perfectly set, and not one we are creating in order to make ourselves "feel" better. Stop believing a lie dressed in truth and start dancing with the naked truth.

So, along with our 2013 goals, we certainly need to take steps to surround ourselves with a team. A team full of love, understanding, patience, support, and........................ accountability.

SET GOALS

Hi all,

I've always been back and forth on the whole New Year's resolution thing. On the one hand, I believe any and every day can be an opportunity for a fresh start. On the other hand, I think most people don't take enough time in their daily schedule to evaluate their lives enough to spark a change that will stick on a daily basis.

That makes the New Year a very good opportunity for most people to (somewhat) take it seriously and follow through with some positive changes. That excites me! I LOVE to see people set some goals and shoot for the stars. It also breaks my heart a bit to see so few of us actually accomplish those goals and consistently press forward enough to set some new goals that will trump the last. I am also split on the magnitude of the goal. I hear that you should set attainable goals. But, I also believe that if you are a firm believer that the goal is "attainable", you did not set your goal high enough. When you set your goals this year, I simply ask that you set at least one that scares the absolute crap out of you. There is a HUGE difference in the preparation of that goal vs. one that you believe you can handle. The choice of the pursuit says a lot about who you are at present and who you aspire to be in the future. We've talked about this before....... There are a few steps to make any goal, regardless of magnitude, happen.

• Commit (Think about that and its definition.)
• Eliminate obstacles (This can be self placed or placed by people around you that may not be the best influences)
• Let as many people around you in your close group know your goal. They will will lift you up, motivate, and enjoy the journey with you. (Be aware though that A LOT of people in this world have big erasers and ready to erase any attempt of you making any sort of positive mark due to their own self worth issues.)
• Place a reminder of your goal in as many places as you can to be constantly reminded of its importance and your commitment. (I also think its a great idea to place the reasons WHY you want to accomplish your goal in order to constantly re-evaluate WHY you're doing what you're doing. If the WHY is solid, then you're far more likely to stick to it.)
• Seek out mentors that have "been there, done that". (This also may mean ignoring people that try to give you advice, but know nothing about what they are talking about. There are a few people out there that "think" they know a lot, but know absolutely nothing.)
• Forgive yourself if you screw up and keep pressing forward. (Use the motivation and energy from the screw up" as fuel for the redemption.)
• Plan the celebration or milestone with a specific date. (External "prizes" motivate a lot of people. Maybe a vacation you've wanted or anything you've neglected to reward yourself with. Make yourself EARN IT)
• Pray. (And often)
• Take time to take your eyes off the prize at the end long enough to enjoy the journey and its transforming power.

(This is my own compiled list, and I'm going to follow it bullet point by bullet point. This may not be "your" way. If its not, create your own bullet point list.)

I'm also throwing some accountability into this one. I want to know what that goal is. If you're daring, you can hit "reply all". (MINE: I have a confirmed registration into the Leadville 100 this Aug............ I'm so scared I want to vomit each time I think about it)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Lets make it EXTRAORDINARY!!