Pushing Yourself Farther Than Ever Before.

Received this story from one of my oldest and favorite clients, Ward Smith, a senior executive with Stanley/Black & Decker. It's all about taking a dare (we've all been there) and ultimately training and competing in a Triathlon. It all started last year on a dare by my good friend and college buddy Tim Kowalewski.

Since last fall, I have been anticipating a race on Sunday June 12 in Cambridge, MD. I guess you could call me a “Tri Newbie”. It is a sport that has fascinated me for several years. As most of you know, I played competitive sports at an early age, all the way through college. The constant strive to get stronger, faster, and return the next season better than the last has been with me for most of my life. Then as all of us know, a new pattern of life begins after school.

Triathlon took a major hold on my life when my college roommate and close friend Curt Straub qualified for the 2009 Ironman World Championships in Kona, an unbelievable feat given his short time in the sport. I was determined to see what drove my friend to the insane level of training. Knowing that a full Ironman was not in the cards, Eagleman 70.3 offered a wonderful challenge in a race that attracts age groupers from all of the country.

Tim and I drove down to the Shore on Saturday morning after loading our equipment up. We traded our thoughts of what each of us was expecting for the race, neither one of us had competed in a race of this distance, but we had spent countless hours on the internet reading all kinds of blogs and websites about race strategy and what to anticipate.

Tri Columbia puts on a first class event. There was a pro open forum talk in the afternoon – defending Women’s 2010 Kona Champion Miranda Carfrae and several other top pros were competing in the race – which gave us regular folks a great insight into the world of professional triathlon. It’s always pretty cool to see people in person who you have read about and seen in magazines. It’s a very unique environment – everyone’s nervous for the early morning start, but there is also an understanding between everyone that the real battle tomorrow lays within the individual and the race course.

 

Race packets picked up, final check and adjustments on the bikes, and it was off to the transition area to rack our bikes. I knew that the race was big, but it really hit me when you saw how many rows of bikes there were, it went on and on. Off to the Farm to get some dinner and hopefully some sleep.

3:30am came early, needless to say I was pretty pumped to see what the day was going to bring. I had been training for this day for 6 months, now it was here.

The energy and atmosphere in the transition area was your typical race morning feel – experienced racers going through their checklists, first timers trying to remember where their bike was located, guys with nervous chatter, but mostly competitors anticipating a long rewarding day ahead. Once my bag was unpacked, I started to go through all of my race needs and making sure that my equipment was in the right place. I made sure to take the time and get my running shoes on and get a quick 5 min. run, trying to calm the prerace jitters.

It was now ready to get ready for the swim. I made a feeble attempt to put on sun tan lotion, as some of you saw after the race. Somehow, I missed entire areas on my arms that have resulted in the most unique sun burn I have ever gotten, lesson for my next race. Any way, it was onto the water for a practice warm up swim. The water was extremely warm, over 80 degrees this year, no wetsuits for this race. Usually, the swim warm up area is located in the swim exit, a nice way to get familiar of the exit area and the route to the transition area. One very unique aspect of the Eagleman swim is the fact that the end of the swim is a very shallow area, as I would learn later, very tempting to stand up and finish the last 25 yds standing up.

Now came the next challenge – finding my wife, Karen, in the mayhem of all of the friends and family that had come out to support their racer. Tim and I had been bouncing back and forth taking care of our own pre-race rituals; we linked up and made our way to the swim start area. Luckily, I ran into my beautiful and supportive wife, along with close friends Jim and Jess Lears. It meant a lot that Jim and Jess made the effort to come out so early, Jess is 8 months pregnant! They had signs and smiles, exactly what I needed to remind myself to relax and enjoy the present.

While catching up with Jim about the pre-race craziness, guess who we run into – a high school buddy, Jason Quenzer. It was great to catch up with him briefly about what he has been up to these days, his family, and his anticipation of the day. It is always amazing that at events like these, you run into people who you haven’t seen in a long time.

Swim start was at 7:34 am, a kiss goodbye to my wife, and it was time to enter the water. My goal for this day was stay in the present, focus only in my immediate sphere, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed with the totality of the day and of each discipline. It’s a long day, but you have to break it down into the areas that are immediately in front of you, otherwise, you will get overwhelmed.

Open water swimming is a very different animal than training in a pool for 6 months. The black lines on the bottom of the pool to help you go straight are gone, you can’t see 2 inches in front of you in the Choptank River.  We trended for only a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity. The horn sounded, and off we go. The first leg of a 70.3 is a 1.2 mile swim. The course for Eagleman is a rectangular course, there was minimal chop and very little current.

It took me all the way to the first turn buoy to get my breathing under control. I am not a swimmer, but I kept trying to focus on the present, stay within my sphere. My buddy Curt always reminded me in our phone calls and emails leading up to the race – “just finish the swim.” I figured it was pretty good advice from a guy who competed at Kona, where their swim leg is 2.4 miles.

As I neared the swim exit, I could see other racers starting to stand up – “YES, the swim is almost done.” With only 15 or 20 yards to the shore, I just stood up and walk in the rest of the way, it gave me time to catch my breath. Running up the shore, I saw the signs and heard the familiar voices – Karen, Jess, and Jim cheering and waving the signs. I did my best to acknowledge them, but I tend to more a bit serious when I am competing, but I did crack a smile, and hopefully a little wave – I was already on autopilot…

The Bike course at Eagleman is known to share many characteristics of the Hawaii race, a reason that so many pros come to Cambridge to race. It’s flat, hot, and windy. 56 miles is a long way, but I kept reminding myself the focus of the day – stay in the present, focus on my immediate sphere. A big race like Eagleman attracts talented age-groupers from around the country, and these guys and gals can fly on the bike. I stopped counting on how many people passed me at around 40. It reminded me how much your ego can get you into some trouble, the competitor inside what’s to react and fight. One thing I learned on the bike course – my bladder somehow shrunk to the size of a 10 year old. I made 2 pit stops, which obviously slowed me down, but I knew I need to keep up with my hydration to get ready for the run. The swim and the bike are only preparation for the beginning of the race – the 13.1 run.

My goal for the run – focus on getting to each aid station. The run is a straight out and back with aid stations every mile. It was time to bring you’re A game. Out and back runs are a different breed. For those who are starting the run, you see the guys and gals who are finishing or about to finish. They are more experienced, in better condition, and an immediate reminder of what’s ahead. Nutrition was going to be a big factor in how well the race was going to go. I had maintained my plan on the bike, and now, I was going to keep it simple of the run – Ice, water, and Pepsi. I knew that anything else in stomach could cause problems.

For the first 3 to 4 miles, I did the same thing – ice down the shirt, 2 cups of water, and a half a cup of Pepsi. I was surprised, I was actually feeling pretty good. My pace was slow, about 8:20 to 8:30 pace.

At about mile 5, I saw my good friend Tim up ahead. He is a very strong runner, and I knew the moment I saw him, he was fighting hard. He had been dealing with a hip discomfort and mild foot pain heading into the race. We ran together for several minutes, I asked him how the hip was doing. I could tell he was digging deep. We parted ways, and it was onto the turn around.

There was the infamous snowball stand at the turnaround, very much needed since the entire run is in the open, not shade. The run was half over. More ice, more water and pepsi… It was time to pick the pace up and finish strong. I was determined to have my best run. I have run the Baltimore Half the past 2 years, and I always had a bit of a struggle towards the end of the race.

Mile 10 – the race focus intensified, I was not going to let anyone run past me. It was an emotional journey those last 3 miles. I had set a goal of 5 hrs 30 mins to finish, with around 2 miles to go, my watch read 5:20, it wasn’t going to happen, but that was okay, it was probably more important to just set the goal.

The last 500 ft is quite amazing, lines of people cheering everyone on, there is a slight curve, so the runners never really see the finish line until the very end. I ran as hard I could, voices screaming and cheering, crossing the finish line at 5:35.

I found Karen, my Mom and Bill. It was great to see them and celebrate. It takes some time to gather yourself after such a long race, slow down the heart, cool the body, making sure you don’t cramp up.

Final Results: Swim – 45:24 T1 – 2:18 Bike – 2:55 T2 – 3:29 Run – 1:48

Total – 5:35

Onto the next race and adventure . . .

What dares have you undertaken which delivered this kind of satisfaction?

"What would you think if I sang out of tune?"

"What would you think if I sang out of tune,Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, And I'll try not to sing out of key. Oh I get by with a little help from my friends." - With a Little Help from My Friends - Lennon/McCartney

Yesterday was a powerful day for me. Thursday is my networking day and I met over 100 people starting at 6:00 AM all the way to 8:00 PM. A long day.

But I was energized when I got home.

Here's a quick synopsis:

5-6 AM - Commute (beat the traffic!) 6-7 AM - Blog at Starbucks, meet new people. 7-9 AM - BNI Networking Meeting - My Sales Force. 9-11 AM - Catchup Meeting with an influential force in Finance. 11-2 PM - Lunch and Brainstorming meeting with a future partner. 2-4 PM - Meeting with a new colleague - helping with his job situation. 4-6 PM - Mastermind/Networking Group - a great time was had by all. 6-8 PM - Client's Grand Re-Opening Celebration - lots of networking. 8-9 PM - Commute home (listen to motivational audiobooks).

I made a lot of new friends and deepened relationships with many current ones.

Bottom line — this is the life-blood of my business and career.

An esteemed colleague quoted Michael Gerber last night, "Most entrepreneurs fail because you are working IN your business rather than ON your business." He couldn't be more correct.

I came home last night with a pile of new business cards, a bunch of referral slips, and a small list of to-do's to get out by the end of the day today.

I made new friends. I deepened relationships with current friends. And I hope I helped a few people along the way.

That's the profession I've chosen — and I love it every single day.

What do you do to make new friends during the work-week?

When The Worst Thing You Can Imagine Happens.

"First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst." — Dale Carnegie Yesterday, I wrote about fear. Sometimes our fear of the worst that can happen paralyzes us. We don't move. We do nothing.

Here's the reality — the worst almost never happens. Maybe 1 time in 100 or 1000. But we act and react as it it's right around the corner. We act as if it's a certainty.

That's why I always fall back on my good friend Dale Carnegie and remember his incredible book, "How To Stop Worrying And Start Living". Link: http://amzn.to/mzAoSk

The writing style is classic Carnegie. To put it simply, the guy just writes like he talks. This makes for a very friendly and easy to understand book, rather like a good friend giving you a piece of advice.

And a lot of advice he gives. The book is divided up into ten sections, each one tackling some aspect of worrying. Let me just say that book covers just about every major "worry issue" that might be causing a troubled mind, such as your work, your finances, other people's criticisms- and them some.

• Deal with the worry.
• Prepare to accept it.
• Proceed to improve on the worst.

In other words, figure out what bad things might happen and put mitigation steps into place to ensure they don't happen. It's that easy.

What do frequently worry about? What steps have you taken to improve upon it?

Are Fashion Mistakes Hurting Your Career?

You know when you meet someone who not only knows their business cold, but they also are an incredible compliment to your existing business? I had the pleasure of meeting a woman yesterday who rocked my world! Ann Lindsay from J. Hilburn.

First impressions are so important and clothes do make a powerful statement about who you are and what you do. To be honest, I run into so many people who dress down so low that it's hard for me to take them seriously.

Ann made a powerful comment to me — even though you might shop at Brooks Brothers, Nordstrom's or Saks, it doesn't ensure the person helping you is motivated or qualified to dress you appropriately for your age, coloring, shape and profession. Ann will.

So go check out her site and hire her immediately — Style of Success - http://www.sosformen.com/

Milton Levine Died Last Month.

Flash of inspiration . . .

Milton Levine’s eureka moment came in 1956, when he spotted a mound of ants during a Fourth of July picnic at his sister’s poolside in Southern California.

Coalescence into an idea . . .

Recalling how as a boy he had collected ants in jars at his uncle’s farm, thought “We should make an antarium.”

Milton takes action . . .

The resulting product —  Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm — selling for $1.98, the original 6-by-9-inch ant farm was an immediate hit, soon selling thousands a week by mail order to children persuaded by commercials on after-school television shows.

The result . . .

It has been a staple in children’s bedrooms ever since. More than 20 million have been sold. Mr. Levine once said of his company’s success: “Most novelties, if they last one season, it’s a lot. If they last two seasons, it’s a phenomenon. To last 35 years is unheard of.” That was in 1991.

From a dream into a reality . . .

Last year, Uncle Milton Industries, based in Westlake Village, Calif., was sold to the Transom Capital Group for more than $20 million. Mr. Levine died Jan. 16 in Thousand Oaks, CA. He was 97.

Do you have a flash of inspiration? Do you have an idea or dream? Do you take action? Do you follow through?

Take a moment today to assess where you accelerate, where you sputter, and where you eventually stop.

Milton took a simple idea, made it into a novelty, and grossed $20M.

You can too.

Quotes taken and modified from the New York Times.

Want To Be The Best? Study Pixar.

Ask one of my clients. Or one of my friends. I can't stop talking about Pixar. From their first movie, Toy Story, in 1995, to their latest, Toy Story 3, in 2010, ask yourself, has any filmmaker or filmmaking collective had a run as glorious and uninterrupted as Pixar's? They've never missed. Never. Why?

In my observable opinion, because of a few rules:

• They take their time. Most of their films take three years to make.
• They look at the whole movie - not just the story, or the characters, or the voices, or the technology - they make it all work.
• If it doesn't work, they revamp and make it work (like Toy Story 2 or Ratatouille).
• They speak to all generations in their movies, not just kids. I've never laughed as hard, or cried (yes, cried) at their movies.
• They don't insult the intelligence of their audience.
• They do the BEST that they can. All the time.

So I have a present for you this new year — a young Brazilian filmmaker spent 11 days watching Pixar's assorted films, painstakingly selecting the more than 500 clips that make up this touching ode to the house that Toy Story built.

Leandro Copperfield is the burgeoning 21-year-old filmmaker who assembled these clips. And, for the most part, it's a moving testament to Pixar's technical artistry and emotional facility. (I say "for the most part" because of one or two ill-advised missteps: Did we really need a split-screen between Ratatouille and Goodfellas? No, as it breaks the spell that Copperfield was so effectively casting.)

When you are watching it — see how these business rules apply to your situation? Use Pixar as an exemplar to how you manage your people, strategize new initiatives, and grow your business.

It's the most magnificent seven minutes you will ever experience (watch it in HD1080 and full screen, you'll thank me).

This Is Broken (with Seth Godin).

Why are so many things broken? In this entertaining talk — Seth Godin gives a tour of things poorly designed, the reasons why they are that way, and how to fix them.

See also: Seth's Blog, where Seth writes daily on marketing, business, and other issues — sethgodin.typepad.com/​

The Man Who Is Changing The World.

By himself. Salman Khan is the founder and faculty of the Khan Academy. He started the Khan Academy as a way to tutor his cousins remotely — while he was a hedge fund analyst in Boston, and they were students in New Orleans.

He started posting videos on YouTube, and more and more people kept watching. It was clear there was a huge unmet need, so Sal left his hedge fund job and started Khan Academy with the mission of providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere.

Here's his impact:

Sal holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was the president of his class. He also attended MIT, where he received 3 degrees: a Masters in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, and a B.S. in Mathematics.

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit with the mission of providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Here's someone you might recognize touting his achievements:

He did this by himself. In a closet office. Using a computer.

Now let's turn that lens inward. How can you change the world? How can you change your life? How can you change your career? Like Salman, it just takes one Idea and Action.

What can you plan today, to then take action tomorrow, and change your situation?

RUN OUT and Get This Book Today.

I LOVE Michael Port. Okay, I've never met the guy, but I do love his book. When I run into a good business book (and there are a lot of stinkers out there), I promote it: The man is a genius. He not only develops and publishes the bible on "Book Yourself Solid", in it, he links to a workbook which is a very powerful way for one to really LEARN his techniques.

I am currently finishing up the book and I am frankly blown away with all the great ideas, tools, and practices he espouses.

First, he breaks up his book into three major sections (to allow my small adult brain to wrap itself around his philosophy):

• Your Foundation - he builds you up to allow you to take on the tasks he instructs you to accomplish.
• Building Trust and Credibility - the building blocks to allow you to get those key clients.
• The Book Yourself Solid 7 Core Self-Promotion Strategies - The seven activities that make things HAPPEN.

Let me get quite specific — here are some of the topics he covers:

• The Red Velvet Rope Policy - Only do business with clients that you really like (and need).
• Why People Buy What You’re Selling - The philosophy behind their actions.
• Develop a Personal Brand - Get specific on what you do.
• How to Talk About What You Do - Be a billboard and spread it to the world.
• Who Knows What You Know and Do They Like You? - Is your current biz model working?
• The Book Yourself Solid Sales Cycle Process - The basic process laid out.
• The Power of Information Products - What works, what doesn't.
• Super Simple Selling - How to sell.

He then covers in-depth:

• Networking
• Direct Outreach
• Referrals
• Web Strategy
• Speaking and Demonstrating
• Writing
• Keep-In-Touch

Bottom line — this book has numerous practical and achievable approaches for those that have an aversion to being sold to or look unfavorably towards the sales and marketing profession due to sorted bad experiences to date.

Pick this up today at Amazon. Michael's web site can be found here.

Slow Down. You Move Too Fast.

Washington DC Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After three minutes a middle-aged man noticed that was a musician playing, he slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 Minutes Later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and without stopping, continued to walk.

6 Minutes Later: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 Minutes Later: A 3-year-old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 Minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

One Hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as a part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing?

How To Be The BEST At What You Do.

All you have to do is watch this video:

What can you do RIGHT NOW to add this kind of focus and customer service to what you do?

Make It Happen. NOW.

I Haven't Been Sick In 6 Months.

Sounds crazy, but it's true. Let me be candid — I can't get sick. I have 25 clients that need me everyday, I do workshops all over the country, and I am in the middle of writing a new book. Combine that with running a full-tilt business — financials, taxes, marketing, miscellaneous — and you have a recipe for disaster — if I fall ill.

That's when I met Susan Nisinzweig. She turned me onto nutritional supplements that have revved up my immune system that rivals my health when I was 20 years old. I've always taken vitamins and I try to eat well - salads, grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. But she introduced a vitamin pack that makes me feel indestructable (like Superman) when I am out and about meeting people. It's a bit expensive, but weigh that against 1-5 days down with the flu. I choose my Optimal Support Packets EVERYTIME.

Look, I shake a lot of hands, meet a lot of people, I have children (who are flu petri dishes all their own) - so I frequently got sick. Now that I take her Optimal Support Packets - I don't. It's that easy.

Here's the kicker - when you take a vitamins on a daily basis - you expel them when you urinate. When I used GNC Mega Men vitamins, my pee looked like Prestone anti-freeze. Not with Mannatech vitamins - I know my body is absorbing all the nutrients.

I know this sounds like a commercial - SORRY - but it is. When I run into something that WORKS - I want to scream it from the rooftops.

So check it out, you'll thank me.

$14.27 Can Change Your Career. Guaranteed.

Every so often, a person comes along, writes a book, and changes the way people act. Napoleon Hill did it with"Think and Grow Rich". Dale Carnegie — "How To Win Friends and Influence People". Peters and Waterman — "In Search of Excellence". Stephen Covey — "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". And Keith Ferrazzi — "Never Eat Alone".

Seth Godin has been writing books, speaking, and blogging for over 10 years. I first was introduced to him with his first book, "Permission Marketing". I then drifted off from Seth after reading a few of his other books but have been following him lately with his blog.

Michael Hyatt turned me onto his latest read, "Linchpin — Are You Indispensable?". I bought it yesterday on my Amazon Kindle and proceeded to stay up most of the night finishing it. This book is going to change the way people think, act, and work.

Everyone knows there is something wrong with business today. Seth crystalizes what the REAL problem is and delivers to the reader clear instructions on how to find their way on how to succeed in the new business world.

Bottom line: Seth espouses what I do every day with my clients.

A short summary from Amazon: "Linchpin is a most unusual, well-organized, concise book about what it takes to become indispensable in the workplace - whether you work for someone else (at any level) or are self-employed. It's about how business has rapidly changed and how treating employees like factory workers (or doing your job like one) doesn't work any longer. We must make choices and take action to "chart our own paths" and add value that others do not. We cannot wait for a boss or a job description to tell us what to do, rather we must just take the initiative ourselves. Only then can we become indispensable "linchpins," rather than replaceable "cogs." "You don't become indispensable merely because you are different. But the only way to become indispensable is to be different. That's because if you're the same, so are plenty of other people."

Stop what you're doing right now and go out and buy this book. It will change your life.

I Love Michael Hyatt.

Who is Michael Hyatt? Well, let me tell you about a man called Mike in Tennessee. I first 'met' Michael on Twitter. The topics he spoke about and the 'traveling' tweets that he posted immediately appealed to me. There was an innate energy about him and what he was accomplishing.

I then visited his site. Two words: "Blown Away". This man — who not only is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, is an accomplished speaker, leader, and social media guru. He's also a devoted family man — married for over 32 years and has five daughters and four grandchildren.

But what really attracted me to him is his focus on Leadership and Ethics. You see — Michael is rare in today's business world. He actually embraces a strict ethical and moral stance (in business and life) and strikes a decided separation from today's "laissez-faire" attitude of business leaders.

Since I also write about these topics — I was happy to stumble upon a fellow traveler.

So check him out — he just launched a new site — and I love his quote about it:

"My personal philosophy is that if you aren’t continually reinventing yourself, your company, and your brand, it’s only a matter of time before you become obsolete, irrelevant, or go out of business."

Someday, I would like to meet and speak to Michael. I think we have a lot in common.