THE SMALL REMINDERS

Sometimes the small things that put the big things in perspective are almost random. They are unplanned. They are circumstantial. They are fleeting.

DON’T BE A QUITTER

We quit mostly out of fear. Quitting is rooted in fear. Of course, no matter who we are, we can not eliminate fear, and so that feeling of wanting to quit will show up from time to time.  Remember, we uproot fear with a shovel.

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER

I am certain there is some positivity in comparison. It’s part of what drives innovation, the development of decision making, and a base of some mental models. But social comparison based on snapshots of moments in someone else’s life is fire you are better off not playing with.

UNSHARED SUCCESS IS FAILURE

If we are struggling with setting goals, go back and look at them. Do they involve others?  Are you bringing people with you? Are any of your goals attached to helping someone else achieve their goals? 

LESSONS FROM A MARATHON: ONE YEAR LATER

Just a quick share of my top 5 lessons from running the NYC Marathon a second time.

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE MY SECOND SHOT

Tomorrow I get a second shot at the NYC Marathon. Tomorrow I plan on having fun. Tomorrow I plan on knocking out a goal with someone I love.  Tomorrow I plan to have a little bit of pain.  And tomorrow I plan to enjoy the run without any pressure. 

I’ll just go out and run my race.

THE GREAT CHICKEN MASSACRE

It had me stop and ask myself a few questions. Are there friends, co-workers, collaborators, or other people that have personality traits that rub me the wrong way? Do I always see the negative of those traits? Could I begin to look at those differences in a more positive light? 

PLEASE CLEAN YOUR WINDSHIELD

It struck me that our business day could easily reflect my drive. We start out focused and looking out the windshield. Before we know it, we are looking behind us, to the side of us. We start focusing on other people, what they are doing, where they are going. We allow distractions in, and when they don’t come in we actually go looking for them.

THANK YOU CHICAGO, FOR THE LESSONS

As I think about those 26.2 miles in Chicago, sure I would change a few things.  And yet, if I had changed them, there would be two or three other things that popped up for me to learn. And so I am on to New York in November - to learn a few more lessons before the next one.

LOOK AT THE STARS

Surrounded by what is a limitless and unfathomable universe, we are all pretty small. In those moments, any challenge that I’m working through, or any problem I am struggling with, seems pretty insignificant. It’s a reminder of how small I am,  and a reminder of how meaningless most of what we do day in and day out really is.

RUN YOUR RACE

During the race it’s easy to push harder than you’ve pushed in your training - it’s the race after all.  It’s easy to try to match the person’s speed next to you, or catch the person out ahead of you, or run with the pacer just a little quicker than you normally pace at. It’s you trying to show up. It’s you trying to impress yourself and those around you. It’s you running someone else’s race.

DON’T BE SUCH A GOOD NEGOTIATOR

Why do we negotiate with ourselves?  

Simply, because we can. We don’t have any immediate consequences when we negotiate with ourselves. No one is there to call us out or force us to do what we said we would do. There is no disciplinary action, and no one is there to fire us for not keeping our commitment. Sadly, if most of us were hired by ourselves, we wouldn’t last a single week. You would fire you.

While the value of a company doesn’t immediately determine the validity of the entrepreneur, I do believe the validity and real value shows up in what that entrepreneur does with what they have built and how willing they are to share what they have learned along the way with other entrepreneurs. By that definition then, Blakely is worth far more than her billion-dollar exit.

HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR PROMISE

I believe strongly that everything starts with keeping promises to ourselves. We often approach this from another angle. We don’t want to let someone down, so we make sure to keep our commitment or promise to them - at all costs. As noble as that is, we aren’t nearly as committed to keeping the promises we make to ourselves.

LIFE’S RELAY RACE

Life is much like a 200 mile relay. There are fun legs and difficult legs. There are new relationships along the way. There are times to compete and times to just let it go. Some days you win and some days you don’t. And we are always able to accomplish what we truly believe that we will.

HOW AMBITIOUS ARE YOU

Ambition is built on our self esteem and compounded by our desire for achievement. For some the word ambition conjures up the thought of ego or competition. Foundationally however, ambition is rooted in a future that we deeply care about. It’s the “why” behind our actions. When we find ourselves questioning why we want something, why we are doing something, or why we care so much, it’s an early symptom of a drop in our ambition. 

THE SUMMIT IS SWEET

A leadership lesson emerges when we look at these Sherpas.  They don’t just point their climbers in the right direction and warn them of the hard work ahead. They start walking, hiking, climbing, and leading in the right direction. They carry their weight, and much of the weight from their expedition or team. They climb up ahead to check on conditions, pivot and reroute the group when necessary, and make the difficult decisions for those that they lead.

CLIMBING THE WALL

As I think of just the couple hours I spent tonight in that rock gym, I am certain they made me more willing. More willing to try something new. More willing to put myself in humbling situations. More willing to do difficult things. More willing to do things that I’m not sure I am good at. I am certain my time on the wall delivered that. 

HEY TAYLOR, I’M JUST GONNA SHAKE IT OFF

Swift will turn 34 years old later this year. I estimate that it will be the same month that the Eras Tour crosses over the billion dollar mark in gross ticket sales.  This year she will move from a net worth of $750M to probably well over $1B. She is not just a musician. She is a brilliant business executive.

THE SECRET TO SELF-RESPECT

Broken promises to ourselves breaches our self-trust equally as much as when a broken promise to a friend or a partner breaks down their trust in you. When we lose trust in someone - including ourselves -our respect begins to slip for that person. So keeping promises by doing what we say we are going to do builds incredible self-respect. Human beings need a dash or two more of respect for self. It will cause us to show up and do what we said we would do. It builds self-confidence and personal commitment.