January 2010

It’s not about you…

January 29, 2010

…when it comes to social media.

Twitter is not about your lunch.
YouTube wasn’t designed to make you famous.
LinkedIn isn’t for you to get a job.

Are they used like that? Sure. You can also use books as paperweights, email for spamming, and food for overeating. But that’s not the intended purpose.

Photo provided by Matthew Field: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfield/

In reality, however, when it comes to social media, it’s about everyone but you.

In business it’s about…
Connecting with your customers
Listening to their concerns
Providing an outlet for more information
Linking your fans together

In your personal life it’s about…
Helping spread ideas
Developing relationships through a different channel
Inspiring knowledge-seekers with insight
Drawing connections others wouldn’t see

For everyone it’s about…
Bringing people across the globe closer together
Changing the way information flows
Providing relief when disaster strikes
Making a difference in the world

Social media is not your stage.  It’s your chance to connect with the crowd, bring people together, and create change.

11 To-Dos and Don'ts of Making Lists

January 28, 2010

You have a ton of things to do today. You’ve got post-it notes up to your eyeballs. You have a prison tattoo of reminders all the way up your arm, and you’re losing track of what you tied the ribbons around your fingers for.

I’ve been there. So, while it’s totally unlike me to do something so organized, I’ve become a list maker.

Photo provided by Ali Nassiri: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alinassiri/

It takes some getting used to, but I promise you’ll love it once you start.

    Do

  1. Sort by importance. If you have to turn in a project by tomorrow, but you need to redesign your blog (tell me about it), you should probably shelf some things that don’t need to be done immediately. Break up your list into urgent and long-term categories.
  2. Set dates. If you want to have the house repainted sometime this year, don’t settle for rolling it mid-December. You’ve got to attach a date to things to make sure they get done before your list turns into a scroll.
  3. Be reasonable. You don’t wear a cape, Superman (and if you do, you should probably stop). It’s impossible to do all that you want in a single day. Set reasonable goals according to how much you already have on your plate.
  4. Track your progress. I highlight things once they are done on my to-do list. The more I see that I have accomplished, the more I want to take care of the rest of the items.
  5. Prioritize. There are some things in life that you probably don’t put a to-do list (like calling your mom or taking a bath) but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do them. Understand the difference between priorities and tasks.
  6. Be flexible. Don’t lose sleep if you said you were going to write a blog post Tuesday, but you don’t get to it until Wednesday. It’s alright if you skipped out on it to help a friend, build a relationship, or get a little rest.

    7. Don’t

  7. Procrastinate. If you need to email someone or give them a call to answer a question that will only take a minute, be like Nike, and “Just do it.” Don’t put something that will take longer to write on your list than it will to take care of it. Knock. It. Out. Keep moving.
  8. Get confused. Don’t use post-it notes, and ribbons on your fingers, and the back of your hand (or up onto your arm), and Google Tasks, and a planner, and a legal pad. Pick one method and stick with it. When you’ve got 100 different ways to remember what you need to do, you’re going to forget where you even put them. My personal preference is a legal pad, because I feel like a hero when I mark something off. My second choice is Google tasks. If you’ve got access to the web wherever you go it’s a great option.
  9. Get overwhelmed. Your list is going to be like your waist over the holidays—it’s guaranteed to grow, and you’re going to feel like you’ve lost control. You haven’t! Take a deep breath, start with a quick task or the most important, and just work your way down the list. Once you get in a groove, you’ll be churning out tasks like MJ cranked out the hits in the 80’s.
  10. Obsess. A list is just a list. It’s not more important than your friends, or your family, or tons of other things. Live your life and simply use the list to organize it.
  11. Give up. It’ll be tempting. You’ll say it’s too much work, or you don’t like to see what you have to do because you freak out. It will help though, I promise. Trust me, you’ll increase your productivity, remember what you have to get done, and, most importantly, have more time to do what really matters.


They Didn’t Have to be There

January 22, 2010

People lined the streets.Cheerleaders. Grandparents. Local celebrities. Average Joes. Outfits ranging from Santa hats to rockstars. Some knew racers. Most didn’t. But you couldn’t tell who was who because they were all going crazy.

Photo Provided by Competitor Group: http://arizona.competitor.com/photos/

“You can do it! Come on! You’re doing great! Lookin’ good! Only a few more miles to go! You’re killing it!”

Outside of the goodness of God, the spectators were the biggest reason I finished the 26.2 mile trek.

People were high-five’n me and patting me on the back as I ran (err, passed) by. They yelled out my race number. Held signs that were mildly inappropriate but just as much encouraging. Passed out Cheez-Its and orange slices like they were feeding their own family. It was incredible.

The craziest thing about it all? They didn’t have to be there.

They wanted to be there. Normal, average, everyday human beings coming out to support normal, average, everyday human beings trying to accomplish an extraordinary feat. People rooting on others to achieve a dream. They weren’t their because the race was exciting. Trust me, I saw hundreds of people pass by me, and, to say the least, I was underwhelmed by that experience.

These people were a blessing. They didn’t know me. I didn’t know them. But they supported me like we were friends since gradeschool.

What if we encouraged others like that?

What if we kept extra snacks in our car to hand out to homeless people to encourage them when we saw them. What if we told a stranger in class that they were going to do great on a test to boost their confidence. What if we told a coworker they were going to knock it out of the park with their presentation?

We can all use a little encouragement. We’re all human. We all fall short. But when we band together, pick one another up, dust each other off, and dish out some uplifting remarks, anything is possible.

You're Gonna Be Sore

January 21, 2010

When you run 26.2 miles, expect to be sore the next day.

And the day after that. And the day after that.

It takes everything out of you. Mentally, physically, emotionally–you are drained.

Photo Provided by jard_jard: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/jard_jard

But it’s all worth it. The feeling of a crash after you achieve what you set out to do makes the finish line that much sweeter.

Any time you push yourself beyond your limits, stretch passed what people say you can do, dig down so deep and spend every ounce of energy you have, you’re gonna be sore. It wouldn’t be right if you felt like it never happened the next day.

The soreness is a reminder of your achievement. When you stay up all night to finish the perfect paper, when you sacrifice your time, energy and lunch breaks to create a a project that knocks the socks right off of your teacher or employer, the after effects will rage on long after you’ve run the race.

When you chase a dream or pursue a passion, and give up everything for it, don’t expect the road to be easy, and certainly don’t expect the pain and the sacrifice to end once you finish.

Embrace the soreness. Understand that great pain comes after great achievement. Push yourself until you can’t feel your legs, and give all you’ve got so that the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that…you’ll still be feeling the reward of a job well done.

Tagged as: arizona, marathon, pf changs, rock 'n roll

Training is Everything

January 20, 2010

I made a huge mistake when I ran my marathon.

Experienced marathoners warned me about it. They said I would have problems. I didn’t listen, I figured they didn’t know me well enough to give me their two cents.

Spoiler Alert: I was wrong.

The mistake I made? I didn’t train hard enough.

Photo Provided by Thoursie: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Thoursie

I didn’t put in enough miles. I didn’t run at a fast enough pace. I slacked in the last month between the holidays because I couldn’t step away from the turkey and ham long enough to put in some real mileage.

And it killed me.

I struggled through the last ten miles. I was hurting. The soreness was unreal, I could barely run for five minutes at a time, and I must have looked like I was a stone throw away from collapsing because I can’t even guess  how many spectators asked me if I was going to make it.

This principle translates so clearly to everything we do in life. You can’t say you’re going to be a doctor, skip out on college and medschool and then show up in an operating room with a scalpel and ask someone where you’re supposed to start cutting.

If you want to accomplish something great, you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice to prepare for it.

Writers don’t crank out first drafts that get published; they painstakingly edit, rewrite, re-edit, delete, add, and totally give up on projects before they create a book worthy of newsstands.

All-star athletes (outside of Allen Iverson) don’t skip out on practicing their shots, spin moves, or swings and then go out and win a title.

Everything you do, every single day, is training for something. Training to be more compassionate, training to be a better friend, training to become a better teacher or wife or student.

The more you train, the more success you will have.

Don’t lose sight of the goal at hand. Practice who you want to be today, and train what you want to achieve. You’ll thank me when your day comes.

Tagged as: arizona, marathon, pf changs, rock 'n roll

Indescribable

January 18, 2010

This week I’ll be posting about the top five lessons I learned from the Rock ‘n Roll Arizona Marathon, easily one of the most exciting days of my life. Today’s entry is a post of the events of the day.

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

3:57 am Wake up after a great night’s rest. Ready to roll in fifteen minutes, but the race doesn’t start for three and a half hours. I twiddle my thumbs for roughly two of those hours.

6:05 am Watch the start of the Dean Karnazes (one of my heroes) UltraMarathon, for people who don’t think 26.2 miles is enough to run in one day.

7:15 am Pee for the twentieth time. I promise I wasn’t nervous, just overhydrated.

7:30 am Drop off my extra layers at the gear check courtesy of (shoutout alert!) UPS; shiver my way to the starting line.

7:40 am Starting gun sounds. On my way out I chuck up a peace sign to Senator McCain. He proceeded to ask for my autograph. I told him after the race.

Photo Provided by Competitor Group: http://arizona.competitor.com/photos/

8:45 am Mile six. I’m feeling great. Plenty of water and knockoff Gatorade at the “Elite Athlete Fluid Stations” (or fold up tables lined with thousands of Dixie cups), and tons of encouragement from the crowd–more on that in a post later this week.

10:04 am The halfway point. Pace has slowed a bit, but overall glad I didn’t chicken out and drop down to the 1/2 marathon (not that there is anything wrong with the half for those that trained for it). Fun fact alert: 27,000 people ran in the marathon and 1/2 marathon. The ratio of people in the half to people in the full: Over 4 to 1.

11:27 am Eat too many peanut butter pretzels from someone in the crowd. The deliciousness slowed my pace.

11:48 am I finish dreaded mile 19. I’m not sure what it was, but mile 19 and I did not mix well. In fact, we still have beef. Walked most of this mile due to hitting a pretty major wall (figuratively, not literally, of course).

12:37 pm Guy about my age gets hurt on mile 24. I encourage him to push on because we’re so close. He steps to the side, but thankfully, eventually finishes.

1:08 pm The finish line is in sight. I can see the goal. I inevitably kick it up a knotch, mostly to pass this lady who was complaining about spectators crossing the street, as if it was going to throw off her world record setting five and a half hour finish time (frame of reference: the winner crossed the line in 2:10).

1:13 pm Done. Finished. Fin. It’s all over. The feeling was totally indescribable. I came in about an hour later than I anticipated, but it didn’t even matter. I was blessed to cross the finish line injury free in 5:30:40. I cried. I smiled. I couldn’t believe it. Easily one of the most rewarding experiences I’ll ever encounter.

The Cost: Two pairs of shoes run through. Round trip plane tickets. Hotel room. Merchandise. Registration. Seven months of training stretching hundreds of miles. Blood, sweat, and injuries in preparing. Freezing my cajones off training in the winter in Akron.

The Reward: Accomplishing a goal that seems unbelievably far off when you begin. Seeing prayers answered when you finish. Experiencing an unreal amount of support and encouragement from your friends and family. The most emotional and bittersweet feeling when you cross the finish line, knowing you’ve accomplished what you’ve prepared for, and also knowing you’re going to have to push harder and further beyond your limits to get that feeling again.

Tagged as: arizona, marathon, pf changs, rock 'n roll, run down

Erase More Don’ts

Ideas

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And the card says…

Ideas

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Eliminate the Ultimatum

Leadership

You can either finish reading this blog post and go on with your day or you can stop reading now. (I knew you’d stick around.) I appreciate your readership, but don’t let me tell you what you can or can’t do. Don’t let anyone give you only two options. There are always alternatives. You could [...]

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One More Step

Ideas

After two and a half years of some heavy use and abuse, the battery on my Macbook is slowly but surely dying. I called Apple to see if they could send me a replacement battery, as my computer is still under warranty, but the man on the other end of the line assured me my [...]

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