Tag Archives: growth

Thought for today 2/23

Posted on February 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.  That’s the day we truly grow up.”  John Maxwell from The Maxwell Daily Reader

One of the things I have been working on is, to control the things I can control.  What is in my control?

I will use my foot as an example, although it is probably one of the easier things I am dealing with right now.  My foot is the situation that it is.  I can rest and rehab the foot but most importantly how do I react and what is my attitude toward the situation?

My attitude towards the situation is essentially the only thing I can control and more than anything else has a direct impact on the situation as much as anything else.

Relationship challenges.

Leadership challenges.

Everyday setbacks.

These are all things we deal with on a daily basis.  The question is, “How do we respond”?  Do I use sideways energy and spend time developing a negative attitude?  Or do I concentrate on the things I can control?

For me, sometimes it depends on the day.  It is a work in progress.

Happy running….

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You do what you really want to do.

Posted on February 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

There are always a few questions that we as runner’s get more than others do. 

There are two that I get on a weekly basis. 

Questions:

- How many mile a week do you run?  (“I don’t know, it depends” is my new standard answer.)

- How do you find the time?

I don’t remember the first time I heard this below, but it is a quote I heard from my Dad years ago and I think it stands the test of time.

“People do what they really want to do.”

That for me explains it all.  We can each come up with many excuses but at the end of the day the quote above reigns supreme.  I know when I am making excuses and I know the truth is not the excuses, but I do what I really choose to do.

You make time to do the things you want to do.  You save the money to do the things you really want to do.  You make time to be with the people you really want to do.  You did not get too busy or run out of town, you made a choice.

The opposite is also true.  You don’t make the time to do things you don’t want to do.  You don’t save the money to do things you really don’t want to do.  You don’t make time to be with people you don’t want to be with.

There are usually two answers to the question.

1- The answer most are looking for.  You get up early!  You sacrifice a little sleep.  You sacrifice other habits.  You might have to sacrifice some things that mean a lot to you. 

2- The second answer is one most don’t want to hear.  You end up doing the things you really want to do.  You make time to do the things you want to do.  That is it.  You can find excuses and make up your own rational but the truth is that none of us has a surplus of time.  All of us are a little bit stressed.  All of us have demands from every direction.  All of us have choices to make.

There are many things you just have to say no to, if this is important to you. 

I used to laugh because we would talk so much about this, that when someone would not show up at a gathering and found some excuse we would both say, “you do what you really want to do.”

So, when you choose to train for your first 5k, you do what you really want to do.  When you train for the half marathon, marathon or ultra you make time for the things you really want to do.  We all have to make a choice.

At the end of the day you simply do the things that you really want to do.

Happy running….

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Tying the Knot

Posted on February 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

I was at a boy scout meeting with my oldest son this week as he was practicing a bowline knot.  (I had to look it up)  I don’t think Bear Grylls would be impressed that during the boy scout meeting I am looking on my phone to figure how to do this knot.  He might not be calling me to replace him on his show!

Well, my son did really well.  It took him some time but he got it.  Being a person who prefers control I kept wanting to step in and do it for him.  Wouldn’t it be easier if I just did it myself?  This is a lesson I have been repeating for weeks in my head.  I constantly battle this in every area of my life and especially with my family.  This can be done quicker and easier if I did it myself.

Do I teach them how to wash the dishes?  Actually it is quicker if I just do it myself.

Do I show them how to put up a tent?  It is much quicker if I do it myself.

That bring me to the question I kept reminding myself of last night.  Is the goal for this knot to be done quick or for him to learn how to do it?  Well the answer is simple.

This has been a real lesson that I have been struggling with especially the past month in several areas of my life.  I read a blog post from Dr. John C. Maxwell yesterday that really hit home for me.  I will post it below and it might give you a minute to pause and think.  The questions I need to remind myself of are:

Am I too busy trying to do things quick or trying to raise men?

Am I too busy trying to do things quick or do I see the big picture?

Am I too busy that I forget to invest in others?

Am I too busy to do the important things in life?

What is important and what is the goal?

The goal was seeing my son with a huge smile as he succeeded in tying the knot.

Happy running….

 Enjoy below from JohnMaxwellonLeadership.com

As I wrote in the chapter, people development enables a leader to lead larger. In other words, when you have leaders working with you, they accomplish much more than non-leaders do. However, developing people to become leaders takes a lot of time, effort and resources. That’s why most people don’t do it. Your challenge this week is to help the people in your group to understand the return on the investment, so that they will commit to putting in the effort and sustaining it during the delay between investment and return. Busyness, short-sightedness and insecurity are often the greatest barriers to people-development. Help the people in your group to recognize and overcome these.

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Thought for today 1/27

Posted on January 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”  Roy Disney

It is interesting for me to think about that above.  As a new runner or a veteran runner we each know how to make decisions.  We established our values and what is important to us.  The start line and finish line mean something different to us and many times is how we can measure our training.  That is why we debate less than others about using discipline to get out the door and get in the miles.

Happy running….

 

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The only way I know how

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 2 Comments

A lesson I have learned in the past few weeks reminded me of an old Sammy Davis Jr. song, “I’ve gotta be me”.  One thing I am certain of, is that we are each gifted in a unique way and designed amazingly different.  I can’t do what you do best and only I can do what I do best.

When you are a little banged up you have a tendency to read a lot and try to fix yourself.  When you do too much of this you can get confused.  My recovery has had to be done my way and it seems to be working.  I actually got in back to back runs this week and feel solid.

I had to quit reading so much and listening to others and do what works for me and my recovery.  The rest has done me well, and I will continue to ease into it.  I will be ready for Tybee next weekend.

I also had a chance to take an introspective look into others areas of my life recently and just remind myself of what I do well and make sure I am doing it my way.  I think it is easy sometimes to lose your way.  When you are always searching for the best way, there can come a time that you can get away from what you do best and your natural gifts.  It is always good to remind yourself that you need to weigh those ideas with the scale of your natural gifts.

I have heard it said, push yourself out of your comfort zone but not out of your gift zone. 

If I fail and fall on face and don’t do it my way, I will be full of regret.  However, if I fail doing it my way those are results I can live with.  Just a random thought from the sidelines the past week or so!  But I am running again! 

You gotta be you baby!

Enjoy below from Sammy and Happy Running….

I’ve gotta be me

Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am

I want to live, not merely survive
And I won’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am

That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less
As long as there’s a chance that I can have it all

I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I’ve gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I’ve gotta be me

I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me

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Ownership

Posted on January 25, 2012 | 3 Comments

One of the things I talk with my oldest son about is the remote control idea to discipline.  As any older brother he gets his fair share of being tested by his younger brother.  We often talk about who has control of his emotions.  Does he give the remote control of his emotions to his brother or does he take charge.

I know it bothers him but the concept is also liberating to know that he controls his destiny, not somebody else.  Each time I seem him battle with this I try to think about the same battle for me.

Who has my remote control?

Does the weather when it gets cold and does it keep me from running or getting to the gym?

Do I give my remote control over to food and temptation?

Do I turn the remote over to leaders in my life and wait for them to lead, or do I take control and be the influencer in our relationship?

The question boils down to, who is in control?  Well, I love control!  I love independence.  With control comes freedom but also restriction.  As I take control I can no longer blame others.

We are now in week #4 of 2012 and I try to remind myself who has my remote.  Who has my remote control over my 2012 goals?

Does the weather, a warm bed, competitors, excuses, food or any other outside factors?  Or have I taken over the remote?  It is a constant battle for me, and my son!  I have to tell him I can relate!

Happy running….

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Thought for today 1/23

Posted on January 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”  George Washington Carver

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Changing it up

Posted on January 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is the first time in many years that I have been in January and I don’t have a real goal race on the horizon that I am preparing for.  I do have the Tybee races in two weeks, but after that I really have nothing until this summer.  I will be running the Georgia Marathon but the goal is just to finish and enjoy the run.

My foot has dictated some of this but I will say the rest of my body of taken advantage of it.  This is the first real down time I have taken in quite some time.  The thing I am happy with, is that it has allowed me to do some things differently.  For instance if you take away weight training my cross training the first 5 months of last year was 30 minutes!  30 minutes total!  Seriously.  I could not believe it once I looked back at it.  I was just running, nothing else.

So far this month alone I have just over 8 hours of cross training!  That is called changing it up.  I really feel like it is making a difference.  I am trying to keep mixing up what I am doing to keep it fresh.

This was one of my goals for 2012.  Some of my training has plateaued and not improved by a lot in the past year.  I have proved I can run a lot of miles during the year but what kind of miles are they?  What I wanted to do this year is to become a better athlete to help make myself a faster runner.  Sometimes less is more.

My training since 2007 really has not changed much.  I have used different plans but my yearly mileage and how I run those miles has not changed.  This year will be different. 

This is just one area where I am trying to change things up a bit in my life.  If I truly want something different I have to make different decisions and take different actions.  Have a great weekend!

Happy running….

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The start line of your year

Posted on January 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Looking at your new goals for 2012 can be a daunting task this early in the year.  Many of us have made our goals and have begun to set off to achieve them.  A word that comes to mind for me in running and goal setting is Perseverance.

I read this in a John Maxwell book the other day and thought it was perfect for me in trying to wrap my head around going after my 2012 goals, “Perseverance means succeeding because you are determined to, not destined to.”

I have a few little things that seem to help me throughout the year and encourage me to press on to reach me goals.  I thought I might share those today just in case it helps.

1- I have to measure my progress.  I think it is vital to establish reality, track reality and know where you finish.  You have to be able to track your positive momentum.

2- Celebrate the small stuff.  It can be very tough in the midst of a big goal to get discouraged when it seems to far away.  I love to create little celebrations along the way.  If your goal is to lose 20 pounds find a way to celebrate each 5 pounds you lose.

3- Don’t do it alone.  You can be so much more effective with accountability.  I was able to reach my end of the year weight loss goal and a big reason for that was doing with others.  There is nothing quite like positive peer pressure of hopping on those scales with them each Monday morning.

4- Keep the end in mind.  Remember your why.  Keep in mind what a changed you will look like at the end.

I hope your 2012 is off to an amazing start.

Happy running….

 

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What is in a goal?

Posted on January 6, 2012 | 2 Comments

Goal setting, new years resolutions, turning a new leaf.  How many times have you read, seen or heard these talked about in the past week?

Until a few years ago I did no such thing.  I hear most people who don’t do any type of goal setting or those who are not successful all focus on the wrong thing.  For years, I did the same.  I know it sounds strange, but it is really not about the goal.  Say what?

I know, I know.  It sounds crazy but it really is not about the goal.  I have heard for years John Maxwell and others talk about the journey and not the destination.  If one of my goals is to qualify for Boston, think about the things I have to do in order to qualify.  I had to lose a little weight.  I have to hit the gym more and strength train on a regular basis.  I have to do more race pace training.  If I reflect back once I am ready to make my attempt and I did the things I had to do in order to put forth the BQ effort, how much better of a runner will I be?  Holy smoke!

That is really it for me.  I want to set some very lofty goals and expectations because, I am not presently the person I need to be to hit the goals.  In order to hit my goals I need to become something and grow into something that I am not currently.  That is the reality of setting the goal.  I need to become the type of husband, dad, friend, runner and co-worker that will be able to make a run at my goals.  It will require me to stretch myself in ways I have not before.

Will I be disappointed if I don’t qualify for Boston?  You bet.  However, if I do the things I need to do that will help me qualify I will be thrilled with what the journey has done for me.

I am looking forward to the journey in 2012.

Happy running….

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