Your best just got better

27 out of 439 athletes in today's race!

Well, it's done...competition for the week is over, now it's time for rest, relaxation and post-race stories.

Here is a brief synopsis of the morning's events. All in all, I had a great day, a great visit to New York, and one of my best races ever! It all started last November, when my friend and training partner James Ellengold said, "Hey, why don't you sign up for the NYC Triathlon?" From there, plans went into motion, and everything came together for today.

4 hours until the NYC Triathlon!

What a treat to meet Hunter Kemper yesterday morning over breakfast. I attended a seminar he gave on goal setting, following your dreams, and the joy of family and father hood!

If you have not yet heard of Mr. Kemper, well, you are in for a treat when you do get to meet him. He is one of the most down-to-earth competitors I've met to date!

One of the things that stands out to me as significant was his attention to self-talk and focus. As he was talking, I was thinking about what I've been doing this year professionally...the seminars and coaching on personal performance and doing your best "at work." I believe that doing and being are a bit different...each one has its parts that fit into a standard AND atypical day.

So, at 8:27am, the race will start (that's EDT for those of you reading outside of New York). I'm looking forward to a great day, and will have a report when we're done!

 

Do you work...on your day off?

On a Saturday afternoon some time ago, I met a client of mine at a local club. After a great swim workout, we both exited the pool and walked toward the locker room. Along the way, he stopped to talk with his kids in the rec pool. Below is the dialogue I heard. (I wrote it down as I remembered it as soon as I got back home and could open my journal!)

"Time to go," he said.

"Oh, come on, a few more minutes, Dad," his nine-year-old daughter responded.

"Nope, sorry, time to get home. I've got to work today."

"Dad, why do you always have to work on your day off?"

Out of curiosity...anyone reading this who has pre-teen, or teen-age students: How would you respond? Please leave a comment, or send an e-mail to me directly! I'd love to hear the responses.

What would you do?

So, I am in line buying a train ticket at Grand Central today and I see an elderly woman moving down the line (8 people in front of me) whispering to each person.

When she got to me, I was indeed tempted to look the other way or shake my head as I watched the other people do. (I admit, when I am in big cities, I am super/hyper-vigilant and notice SO much more than normal!)

For some reason, though, I turned to look at her. A severe hunched-over posture, a bag/purse that looked too heavy, eyeglasses thicker than a bottle, and she asked, "Would you buy a ticket for me to White Plains?"

So, here is the question, without knowing (as I did not) how much this ticket would cost...

What would you have done?

We're all ok in New York

I had an opportunity to "talk my walk" today. Over at a friends' house, after a day of consulting here in the Big Apple, we found out that there "was an explosion near Grand Central."

Most New Yorkers, as I was told, will pay a lot of attention anytime there is massive public responder activity (in this case fire and police stations). Sitting in the living room of the 11th floor of the apartment building at around 6:15pm, I had something else on my mind:

Jodi took a cab to Grand Central station, to take a train to White Plains...today.

My heart and head went into conflict instantly. I knew what I was feeling: fear, dread, sickness, upset, and terrified. I knew what I was thinking: she'd gotten in earlier, she was already miles away, the explosion was far away from "inside the station."

Have you ever had the opportunity to KNOW what you should be doing, and doing something instead...anyway?

So, my opportunity? Hold the focus of what I wanted to be true, while filtering the thoughts how things could be going wrong...

Thank you Cyril Rayan (for an interview I heard on Leadership)

Just last week, a colleague forwarded me a link to this interview with Cyril...it is great!

I am especially curious to hear from any readers of this blog who have picked up his latest book on leadership. During the interview, my interest was "peaked," so I started searching the 'net to see what I could learn about Mr. Rayan.

Less than 20 minutes later, I had found his e-mail address, read several of his blog entries, sent an e-mail to him (and received a response!) and connected with him at www.LinkedIN.com...ahh, the power of connectivity.

We're looking to sit down together sometime, I'm sure there is synchronicity here that will be exciting to tap into!

"Road-Warrioring" an interview with Brent from RWPodcast.net

Brent and I were able to sit down and discuss our experiences traveling "these days..."

If you have a few minutes, and are planning to take a trip, take a listen!

How cool is this?! Virtual athlete tracking!

Registration is available for the Accenture Triathlon Alert System

Ok, now I'm impressed...friends and family can now get "live text (or e-mail) alerts as athletes race! So, when I start the NYC Triathlon next Sunday morning (I'm in wave #32, starting at 8:27am), the data that is recorded is updated live to cell phones or e-mail address - whatever the recipient of the info wants!

How very, very cool is this!

...oh, and here I am on a training run along the Hudson last week...

What are the questions we have to answer for ourselves?

I recently enjoyed a whirlwind 40-hour trip from San Diego to New York City to Los Angeles to Ojai. After participating in the National Speaker's Association Annual Convention in San Diego, I flew out to present a 2-hour workshop on effective self-leadership methodology and organization.

Invited to share my thinking and professional experience identifying the most effective ways to work and live, I presented 2 hours' worth of ideas and techniques with a group of senior leaders. Before, during, and after the session, people asked me some questions that each of us has to answer. Here are just a few that I noted after we worked together...

(If I may offer a "reading tip," consider reading each question, one at a time, and answering it for yourself prior to reading my thoughts on each topic...)

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