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Just tell me what to do. Give me the exact instructions, details and ideas you have, and then I'll do it. Give me a map, trace your finger on the route, tell me when to start, when to stop, and then I'll make sure it's done (unless I have more questions). How often do you make those demands? Do you even realize what you're doing? When you ask a professor how many pages, what font, what they're looking for exactly, how many appendices, how to cite your work, and where's the best place to start for a paper, you're asking for a map. When you ask your boss how the project should be done, who to talk to, how to present it, how long the presentation should be, and where he'll be when you have more questions, you're asking for a map. Here's the problem with asking for a map. You're going to simply follow it as closely as you can. Map followers can never be successful. Anyone can follow a map. Anyone can ask to be steered down a path, so you become just another cog in the wheel of mediocrity. Why do we want the map? So someone else has to shoulder the blame when we screw up. But you told me this is what you wanted. I followed the exact path you told me to take. If you want to start making a difference, stop asking for a map. When something is ambiguous, view it as an opportunity. When you know what needs to be done but not how to do it, blaze a trail, take a chance, knock some socks off and do things without a map.

I’ve never had a perfect blog post. When I post something, I assume it’s perfect. Then I re-read it, scoff at the glaring errors, and hack away at it like I’m a rainforest tour guide. Reword. Re-edit. Follow up. And then it’s done. Until I find another error. Rinse and repeat.  Photo provided by cauchisavona: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheekyneedle/ That’s what’s great about something dynamic like a blog—you can change it whenever you need to fix something. ...

Do you love everything you do each day? I hope you do, but it’s unlikely. Now, if you don’t love what you’re doing, why don’t you change it?  Photo provided by 00hCaffiene http://www.flickr.com/photos/unmundane/ You’ve only got 24 hours to make things happen each day, so why waste your time doing something you’re not passionate about? Is it because there’s an end in mind? If you hate school, do you suck it up because you think you need an education to get a “good” job (one that you might dislike even more than school, but that you go to because all the cool kids are doing it)? Or is it because someone told you the choice isn’t yours? ...

…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. 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 ...

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/ ...

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. ...

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. ...

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.  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. ...

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. ...

Seventeen months after a shredded ACL. Thirteen months after reconstructive surgery. One and a half days away from a marathon. I’m anxious. I’m nervous. I’m worried (against my own sound advice). I’m afraid I won’t finish. I’m scared my legs will give out, I’ll fall on my face, someone will roll me out of the running lane, and I’ll crawl home. And yet, at the same time, I'm confident that I've prepared mentally and physically. I know it will be the most challenging bodily endeavor I've ever attempted. I know that I've got the support of friends and family and thousands of unknown onlookers rooting for me. And most importantly, I know I've prayed about a million times that I cross the finish line alive–I'm not doing this alone. ...