Creating a Fitness Routine Part 2 - Goal Setting

This is part two of our J2K Fitness Challenge.  In part one we talked about how we can learn about ourselves in our failures, and that in fact failure is essential for success.  I ended part one with instructions to write down some obstacles that have gotten in the way of your training programs in the past.

Now with those in the back of our mind, let's start writing some goals.  Goals, both short and long term, are extremely important in creating a fitness routine.  In college as I was learning about physical and health education we learned about S.M.A.R.T. goals.  At first it seemed a little over the top, but over the years I've come to realize how important each component is to the success of your goal.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals:

Specific           (What *specifically* do you want to happen)

Measurable     (How will you know when you've accomplished your goal?)

Attainable        (Is your goal within reach but still challenging?)

Relevant          (Is it your goal or someone else's; how does it fit in your life?)

Timely             (To be completed next week, next month or next year?)

Without a goal we will never accomplish what's important to us.  The world distracts us in many different ways, so we need to focus.  And when we establish a goal, it needs to have the five SMART components.

Take that sheet of paper and start formulating your S.M.A.R.T. goals.  Nothing is written in stone, remember?  You may write these goals and then make some changes a few weeks into the program.  Life is a series of adjustments.  But we'll continue our J2K Challenge by writing some goals.

Creating a Fitness Routine Part 1

Admit it - you haven't had that much success in this area.  You've had a few exercise routines come and go over the years.  Maybe you've tried running or getting on the bike, but it didn't last more than a couple weeks.  You've tried some diets that didn't produce the results you expected.  And weight lifting - after a week you were so sore you never made it back to the gym.

Score:  Intentions 44  
            Results   0

Deep inside everyone knows they could be a little healthier.  We all want to eat a little better and workout a little more.  We have something to prove to ourselves.  Forget the guy at work who always gets a good workout in - we have something to prove to ourself!

This is the first article in a new series called J2K.  Kind of catchy, right?  J2K.  It's a project for you, by you, with me.  But mostly it's for you.  This is a story you're going to write about your fitness experience.  "But Hans my fitness experience, if I'm really honest, has been a story of failure."  I'm with you.  I've failed too.  But luckily history provides proof that even when we fail, we can still learn and succeed.  Here's how the J2K Fitness Challenge derives its name.

Virgin Atlantic Airways is an airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin label, a forward-thinking business group known to be highly innovative.  In 2000 they made a $67 million investment to create sleeper seats, reclining seats for their business class.  

Although sleeper seats had long existed in first class, airlines had not yet adopted them for business class. Virgin was the first to announce it would be offering "a bed in business," says Joe Ferry, Virgin's head of design, who led the design of the J2000 seats. Within a year, however, Virgin's idea was one-upped by its chief competitor, British Airways PLC (BAB ), which rolled out a truly flat bed. While customers were initially enthusiastic about the J2000, some complained about sliding and discomfort. In the end, says McCallum, it "was wildly unsuccessful. Everybody acknowledged that it was not as good a product as our principal competitors'." Agrees Ferry: "We were an also-ran, which didn't really sit well with us."

But Ferry didn't get fired.  In fact, CEO Gordon McCallum entrusted Ferry with more money - $127 million to over-haul the upper-class seats.  The new version, launched in 2003, has been a solid success.  Called the "upper-class suite," Ferry's makeover made a design leap beyond merely being flat.  Flight attendants flip over teh back and seat cushions to make the bed, allowing for different foam consistencies for sitting and sleeping.  While Ferry hoped the new seats would eventually improve Virgin's business-class market share by 1%, they've already exceeded that goal.  (Source: businessweek.com)


Failure is not the end of the story.  Many leadership experts and business professionals would testify that failure is in fact necessary for success.  So we begin J2K with a look at our failure.


When you think back to your attempts at creating an exercise program for yourself, what has gotten in the way?  What's made your routine fall apart?  What one aspect would you do differently to improve your chances at success?


The first part of the J2K Fitness Challenge is to get one piece of paper for some thoughts.  Write "J2K Fitness Challenge" at the top and brain-storm a couple reasons why exercise hasn't worked for you in the past.  That's it.  Come back in a couple days and we'll talk about what to do with those thoughts and we'll formulate some goals.  But not just any goals - we'll formulate S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

Training Log: I Use DailyMile.com

After three seasons of running, it looks like this summer will be an off-season for me.  I've really enjoyed the different challenges of each race.  But Katie and I are expecting our second child this April and that means our household will be busier than ever.  Time for training will be hard to come by, so I'm planning on a much lighter exercise routine.

But as a personal trainer I have come to find great joy in helping others experience success and a healthier lifestyle.  I've promoted this lifestyle and these runs (half and full marathons) and a few members of our extended family have taken the challenge and joined me in these different races.  This season I'm focusing on two of these people, Jess and her dad Kevin.  Jess is the finance of Katie's brother Grant.  Kevin is her dad.

I've found a great website that will be helping us stay in contact with our workouts.  It's called DailyMile and it's free!  If you use Facebook you'll see the similarities.  Once you create a profile (which you can link to Facebook) you find other friends who join your News Feed.  When your friends post a workout or make a comment ("note") it shows up in your News Feed under "You and Friends." 

I am really impressed with the way technology is allowing us to create community in the exercise and fitness industry.  Sure, it can get overwhelming.  But with a little discipline and initiative it's possible to start a couple accounts on social networks and create some community as you get fit.

What I Learned From the Haiti Challenge

This Haiti Challenge has been a mini-series on The Game Plan.  I've really enjoyed it and it's made me think of the project from many different angles.

It helped people: 10 days ago this money hadn't been given.  The need arose, people responded, and money was donated.  People benefited from our work.

Teamwork wins:  I'm very proud of the fact that my efforts in combination with the efforts of my team produced more dollars than would have been donated with just one person. Some would have donated anyway, some donated after reading the Challenge.  We formed a team.

Not everyone will join:  My biggest frustration and learning moment is that not everyone will join the cause, as good and as necessary as it may be.  I admitted in my first post of this series that,

It's too easy to pass up opportunities to help.  I've done it so many times in the past.

I knew only a small percentage of my friends on Facebook and the blog would respond.  My blog has a small readership, and I know I have exactly 416 friends of Facebook.  But I honestly thought I could get at least 20-30 people to donate $5 or $10.  This honestly baffles me.  Maybe it shouldn't b/c I've passed on other similar opportunities to give.  It's leaving a sour taste in my mouth, so I'm done digitally processing this thought.

(Alright, tt's still pissing me off)

People appreciate a good story:  I thoroughly enjoy researching a topic and presenting it to my readers and friends.  This story of course was a global disaster, but I took it and organized a sub-story for people to join.  If I'm frustrated with those who didn't join, I'm equally joyful with those who did.  They joined my story. 

Social Media will be a platform for really good things:  Not everyone is into Twitter and Facebook.  I hope they will see how quickly good information and stories can spread if we get involved in networks that are so viral.  And texting generated so much money.  Technology can be such a powerful tool.

Every cause needs a champion:  I'm not saying I championed this Haiti cause, but I moved towards it.  For 7 days I was a leader for a really good cause.  This disaster will pass, recovery will happen.  In the big picture this is a small story.  Serious but small.  What are the bigger stories?  What stories need to be told?  What stories need a champion?  How has God gifted you or given you experiences that have drawn you towards a cause or problem that needs to be solved?

I'm not going to go back and delete that point about my frustration with those who didn't join.  I know many may read it and be turned off by my harsh words, but I can live with that.  My frustration is equally directed at myself b/c in years past I haven't put my money where my heart was.  Hypocrite?  No.  I'm learning and I'm growing.  I'm willing to challenge people to excellence even if I can't always produce it myself.  I want to be in the game and leading myself and those I love towards goals that are bigger than ourselves.

Jack wrote his check to World Vision on Friday.  I wrote my checks this morning - $45 each to World Vision, Compassion, and Red Cross.  Thanks for reading about this Haiti Challenge.  Let's continue to do good things and cheer each other on to greatness.

Final Numbers for the Haiti Challenge

There was no way I was going to process the reports from Haiti and not do anything.  It was impossible.  Over a two day period I watched Twitter and glanced at nytimes and cnn.com.  I saw the tragedy unfolding and knew that as a God-fearing man and father of a little boy that it was my responsibility to take action.  Families were being torn apart and forced into extreme conditions.  It was my obligation to assist in whatever way I could to the relief efforts. 

What I did was not revolutionary.  It wasn't even my idea.  I was reading my Twitter feed and saw that Bebo Norman (singer from Nashville) was donating $5 for every person that mentioned that a link where you could donate: 

Help Haiti. Donate to Compassion's Disaster Relief. Roshare & I will give $5 for every person that RT's this link http://bit.ly/8VNyfF 1:07 PM Jan 13th from TweetDeck

Bebo has 5,000+ people "following" him, so you can do the math and see how their bill could add up really quickly.  But the idea inspired me.  I talked to Katie about us donating, and then I decided to create my own Haiti Challenge.

I'm happy to report that my team raised $133 in six days.  The challenge was posted on Facebook and on my blog.  One of my blog readers then decided to match whatever I had to match.  So "Jack" is contributing $133.

Our grand total is $399!  Sorin just found four quarters in our couch, so you can tell people that the Haiti Challenge raised $400. 

I would like to thank each person who joined my team for this effort.  When people work together for a single cause, big things can happen.  $400 isn't even a drop in the bucket for the problems in Haiti, but that money will certainly provide assistance to someone who needs it a whole lot more than we do.

(Stay tuned: my next post will include additional thoughts about this project and I'll report when I write the check and where it goes.)

Last Day for Haiti Challenge

Tuesday January 19th will be the final day of my Haiti Relief Challenge.  In my last post, I challenged my readers here and on Facebook to donate to one of three organizations: World Vision, Compassion International, or Red Cross.  I asked them to post how much they donated (suggested $5 or $10) and I would match their gift.

 

(picture courtesy of Ruth Fremson NYTimes: Quikani Alakassis, 21, gave her 4-month-old daughter, Kiana Jean Baptiste, water from a bottle distributed by soldiers with the 82nd Airborne as she sits in her makeshift shelter on the grounds of the Pétionville Club.)

BREAKING NEWS::  one reader ("Jack") has been inspired by this campaign and has offered to match what I'm matching!!    This means that if someone donates $10, I turn it into $20 and then Jack turns it into $30!  How cool is that?!?  Inspiration is a powerful thing.  There's also power in numbers.  Do you know someone who might want to join our team?  Please pass this on and tell them that they can join anonymously by posting at the bottom (comments) of this blog. 

And thank Jack for Jack-ing up the donation!!!
Haiti needs our help.  Please consider a $5 donation.  



 (Photo courtesy of Damon Winter NYTimes: Quake survivors fight over goods that were taken from a destroyed home supplies store.)
(Photo courtesy of Ricardo Arduengo NYTimes: An injured boy in a hospital bed in Port-au-Prince. Many hospitals were destroyed, and those that were not are swamped.) 
 

(Photo courtesy of Damon Winter NYTimes: Marie François, in the foreground, who lost three of her six children, waits with a son and daughter for a delivery of fortified biscuits from the World Food Program.)






(Photo courtesy of Ruth Fremson NYTimes: Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne and members of the Navy loaded helicopters with food and water.)

(Photo courtesy of Ivanoh Demers)

Haiti Challenge

I admit I haven't done much reading on this disaster in Haiti.  I'm just sitting down to write about thoughts that have been going through my mind for 24 hours with no time to process.  Yesterday the recurring theme on Twitter was, "Watching scenes from Haiti.  Wow.  Shocked.  Praying for Haiti."

From where I sit on a daily basis I get my news from Twitter.  I fire up my iPod Touch and read "tweets" from people who make sense to me.  But this post is NOT about Twitter.  It's about people's reactions to the world.  My Twitter feed has given me a very unique perspective on this event from people who I highly respect.  I don't hear from strangers.  I hear from very intelligent, thoughtful, and caring people.  And their response has been one of awe, compassion and action.  And that is what this post is about - action.

My life has changed since Sorin was born. The thought of my son suffering is unbearable.  And when I look at cnn.com and nytimes.com and see the photos of Haiti, I see news through a new lens now - awe.  I see it through the parent's lens, and I know each person suffering is someone's child.  And they need help.

As I said, I haven't done much reading on this.  But really, what do you need to know?  You need to see pictures and hear a couple stories of what's happening.  From the nytimes.com:

“You can’t do anything about the dead bodies, but inside many of these buildings people may still be alive. And their time is running out.”

--Eduardo A. Fierro, a structural engineer

inspecting quake-damaged buildings

Their time is running out.  I'm sitting on a laptop computer, sore from a hard day's work, and ready to get some sleep.  But their time is running out.  

Compassion.

I have no other stories to share.  Do you really need one?  My purpose is very simple:  action.  It's too easy to pass up opportunities to help.  I've done it so many times in the past.  Not this time.  I was inspired by Bebo Norman's tweet where he said that he would donate $5 for everyone who repeated his plea (on Twitter) for financial support to Compassion International.  My challenge is this:  

• donate $5 or $10 to World Vision, Compassion International, or the Red Cross (texting "disaster" or "Haiti" to 90999 will take it right out of your phone bill)
  
• write on my Facebook wall that you did this (or comment on this blog post)
  
• I will match your gift 

I started the challenge this morning, and I have 4 partners on my team. 

If you'd like to forward this blog post to someone who may be interested, please copy and paste right after you visit one of the three websites above.

Awe   =>>  Compassion   =>>   Action

Donate Online

3 Words for Twenty-10

I think new years resolutions set you up to fail.  Have you ever actually kept one past the third week of January?  On the other hand, I'm a big proponent of reflecting often on the details of life - where you've been, what you want to do, where you want to go, and how you're going to do it.  The title of my blog, The Game Plan, should signal my readers that I believe in organizing strategies and executing the plan.  To my core I'm a teacher and coach.

In my last post I talked about articles by Michael Hyatt and Chris Brogan that are exercises in reflecting on the past and planning the future.  I highly recommend both articles.  It's not too late to put together a plan for 2010.  In fact, I think without the pressure of the first few days of the year you can strategize with a more level head.

Chris Brogan has an exercise he does called 3 Words.  From his post:

Over the last few years, I’ve practiced something I call “my 3 words,” where I come up with three words that I use as guidance for how I should conduct my efforts in the year to come. I set goals around these three words. I build deadlines and projects around these words.

Here's my 3 words for twenty-10:

catalyst:  A catalyst is someone or something that makes things happen.  I want to take more initiative with my family time (especially with a baby girl on the way).  Catalyst.  I want to add value to people's lives.  Catalyst.  I want to take Katie out more often.  Catalyst.  I want to create excellent content on my blogs. 

athlete:  I understand the world of athletics; I think in terms of sports.  Athletes are into training, planning, practicing, performing, and then reviewing the whole process and doing it again.  Thinking of the word "athlete" makes me pursue my fitness.  Though I may not compete in a race this year, I want 2010 to be a solid year of training.  Athlete.  I want to prepare for each week (and month) as an athlete prepares for a game.  My life would be much more efficient and enjoyable if I spent a little more time preparing.  Athlete.  I also want to explore the idea of failure.  Athletes fail.  Failure is ok... if you learn from it.  I'm afraid of failure.  But if I fail I will know I'm trying hard and am fully invested.  "I've never failed.  I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work."

coffee:  This is my most abstract word.  Coffee this year reminds me of my morning routine.  Before my family is awake I'm up reading my Bible, journaling about life, reading a good book, and preparing for my day.  Coffee.  I'm also going to pursue a few more meaningful relationships for me and my family.  Coffee.  I want to host friends and family at our house.  Coffee.  I want to get into some strategic relationships with other Christian men who I can do life with.  Coffee.

Disclaimer:  These three words may mean nothing to you, and they can't be fully understood from this post; it's not meant to be all-inclusive.  But they have been pondered by me for over a week and I've internalized them and started to process them here.  Accountability is good.  Having goals is good.  Failure is ok.  Learning the process to growth is essential.

Oak Pruning Translating To Life Lessons

Many days of the week I say to myself, "I wish people could see what I see."  As an arborist, I am daily in the upper portions of a tree's canopy which gives me views of neighborhoods, cities and towns that most citizens will never see.  What's the highest you've ever climbed in a tree?  Routinely I'm up 50-70 feet in the air.  If you've ever been in tall buildings and looked out the window, you a little bit  of what I'm talking about.  The view is just so different that what we see on a daily basis.

When I get really high in an oak tree, I notice things the average person would never see.  I also have a trained eye when I'm up there because I'm looking for dead wood to trim from the tree.  Sometimes the dead wood is really obvious because the bark is pealed off.  Sometimes it's obvious because there's no buds on the end of the branch.  And other times it's obvious because a fungus has grown on the bark and it looks different that all the other branches.  But there's also branches that have buds from last year, though they've died.  You actually can score (scrape) the branch with your hand saw to see if it's green (alive) or brown (dead or declining).  Keep in mind very little of this can be seen from the ground.  You need to get on top of the branches and up close and personal to decide what comes out.

Dead wood is a part of a tree's life.  There's various reasons a limb may be dying or declining, but inevitably some branches will die and they need to be removed.  Isn't the same true of life?  Wouldn't you agree that there are areas of one's life that have died, or are declining, and need to be removed?  In the Bible Jesus says

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit."  (John 15:2)

We have dead limbs that need to be taken out.  And we have live limbs that need to be pruned so that they produce more fruit.

Are there areas in your life that aren't bearing fruit?  This Christmas season is about "goodwill towards men."  Do you have that?  Or are there branches in your life that need to be pruned away because they're dead?  Maybe you have good limbs that need pruning so that they'll produce more and better fruit.

I think I have a little of both.  I'm certainly bearing some good fruit.  But I have dead wood that needs to be removed.  I have habits that need to break - sinful actions of thought, word and deed that died when I committed my life to Christ.  Yet they still linger in my life.  I also have live limbs that are alive and healthy, but they need to be pruned so that they can continue to produce fruit.  This is where this lesson gets tough for me.  I have too many irons in the fire.  I need to focus on the important branches, the branches that will produce the most fruit (in relation to my direction in life).  This means some good things need to be pruned away.  It's not to say that they won't come back later in life, but right now I need to be focused on establishing family and career.  If it doesn't produce fruit in those two areas, it probably needs to be pruned away.

As you reflect on the end of the year and the season of giving and goodwill, what branches in your life are dead and need to be removed?  What branches are alive but need to be pruned so that they produce more fruit?

Loss of Innocence

I understand you don't want to hear any more about Tiger Woods, but I'd be withholding from my readers if I didn't acknowledge what's on my mind, and in fact what I've discussed with a handful of you.  My brother said it best, "It's a complete loss of innocence."  I know I'm kind of a dreamer, even an old-school guy when it comes to this stuff.  I'd even say I'm in denial about pro sports these days.  Here's a few of the stories that disappointed:

• Kobe Bryant and that girl in Colorado
• MJ divorced Juanita after stories of his "women"
• Brett and his divorce with Packers - he should never have to wear purple, it's just not right
• Alex Rodriquez and Barry Bond - two of the greatest players ever - steroids
• Tiger Woods - the most recognizable athlete in the world, on voicemail trying to dodge his wife

I'm not going to write extensively on this, but as a huge sports fan who understands the importance of positive role models in society, I can't begin to explain my disappointment.  Nothing is pure.  I know that.  I just really want a good story from one of these great athletes.  Looks like my last hope is Tim Tebow.

What I'm Reading - December 2009

Have you ever had the question posed to you:  "If you had one super-power, what would it be?"  I had this asked of me numerous times in college and the answer was always the same.  I wanted to fly.  I mean really, what could be any cooler than that?

But now I'm thinking that the super-power of that super-hero named Book Worm would be pretty cool, too.  You know Book Worm, from that one show.  Or was it a comic strip?  Or am I completely making this up?  Anyway, I've given up on my desire to fly.  Now I want to be able to read at super-human, yes super-hero speeds.  Because my library isn't getting any smaller and my desk is getting cluttered with unfinished books.

It seems most readers that I talk with have the same problem.  We just can't finish a book before we start another.  Then another.  And another. And soon we have four books going.  I remember having to do this in college because we had 4-6 classes per semester.  But now I should be able to pick up one or two books and have them finished before I start another, right?

Needless to say I'm not reading fast enough and my attention-deficit disorder is getting the best of me.  So here's what I'm reading right now:

• ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription
• ACSM's Resource Manual
• How People Grow (Cloud/Townsend)
• Boundaries for Kids (Cloud/Townsend)
• Principle of the Path (Andy Stanley)

There's actually two others I've consciously put down until this list gets shortened, so I'll save myself the embarrassment.  If I had the powers of Book Worm I wouldn't have to worry about this.

So what are you reading?

Things I'm Thankful For

Thanksgiving is a great time for family and reflection.  It's a holiday that everyone can agree on and this is evident in our culture's universal celebration on this weekend.  Of course as I'm writing this plenty of people have moved beyond Thanksgiving towards Christmas and the Black Friday event that's gotten completely out of control.  But still, Thanksgiving is a great weekend.

Briefly, let me reflect on what I'm thankful for.  Let me start with the Big Rocks:

1. Family:  Katie is such an amazing mother.  She works so hard and makes me so proud.  Sorin is healthy and a joy to watch as he plays throughout the day and grows up before our eyes.
2. My job:  While this isn't a career for me, Bill at H&H Arborists is an excellent employer.  I've learned a lot from him and had an opportunity to grow in my leadership and management.
3. My parents:  mom and dad are right across the street and have helped with Sorin and other duties around our house.  They are very giving individuals, both of their time and their resources.
4. My in-laws:  Steve and Sue are very welcoming and involved in our lives as we work into parenthood.  
5. My relationship with God:  My rock and my Savior.  All comfort and security is found in the Creator.

And then I'm thankful for many things that are along a different line of thinking.  Let me explain:

1. My gifts and abilities:  I am discovering day after day how God has established qualities in me that show how He will use me in this world.  Sure, I'm frustrated with certain areas of life (I'm not in the career field I want to be in) but he's given me passions and skills, thoughts and ideas to where I can see where this is leading me in the future.
2. Social Media:  I have the ability to keep up with so much information right now.  I follow top notch pastors from around the country.  I hear industry tips and best practices from exercise specialists who are further along in their career than me which motivates me and my business plans.  I have relationships with friends on Facebook that weren't possible years ago because they've moved away.  Social media has allowed me to be hyper-connected and it's a really good thing.
3. Things that are FREE:  With so much information and good products available, think of what we get for free.  Google has made everything knowable within seconds.  My blog freely allows me to reflect on life and share it with whoever wants to listen (all five of you).  Twitter allow me to listen to and write to thousands of people on a variety of subjects.  And YouTube allows me to watch U2 live from the Rose Bowl, all for free.
4. My health:  I love running.  I won't be winning any races any time soon but working out is enjoyable for me.  I'm always up for a challenge and my goals are changing by the season.  
5. My career goals:  God gave me the passion for exercise and education.  I feel like I've been charged with helping people become healthier individuals and this is an admirable calling in life.  God has instilled this in me and continues to bless me with the thoughts and ideas required to have a successful business and affect on my community.
6. The Office and Community:  Katie and I laugh weekly very hard when we watch these two shows.
7. Sorin's Puma sweatsuit from Grant and Jes:  You've got to see him in this - he should have one of these outfits at every stage of his growth.

I'm very thankful on many different levels.  We live in a very privileged society and we should never forget that.  

Goal Setting

If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.  ~Author Unknown

How true is this?  Have you recently analyzed your goals in life?  Could you list your top three priorities on a sheet of paper?  How are you spending your time?

Goal setting is an exercise that requires our daily and weekly attention.  I am very easily distracted, and I'm not alone.  In today's age of technology there are so many things that battle for our time, and they often win... unless we have a set of goals in place.  These goals need to address what's important in our lives and no one can create them but ourselves.  We must internalize them and make them our own.

One of my biggest challenges in helping clients become more fit and lose weight is to help them understand the importance of goal setting.  "I want to lose weight"  This is a bad goal.  "I want to be healthier."  This is also a bad goal.  Why are these bad goals?  Because they don't give me enough information.  They're not SMART goals:

Specific           (what do you want to happen; why; how)

Measurable     (how will you know when you've accomplished your goal?)

Attainable        (are you in over your head or is your goal within reach?)

Relevant          (is it your goal or someone else's; how does it fit in your life?)

Timely             (to be completed next week, next month or next year?)

This is a criterion I learned while studying physical education in college.  While it first seemed a little over the top, I now realize how essential these five components are to proper goal setting.  So without a goal we will never accomplish what's important to us.  The world distracts us so we need to focus.  And when we establish a goal, it needs to have the five SMART components.

Challenge:  

1. write one short-term goal to be completed this week
2. write one long-term goal to be completed within one month
   

Only Do What Only You Can Do

One of my favorite pastors is Andy Stanley from North Point Church.  Andy is the son of Charles Stanley, who my mom grew up listening to.  So it's kind of fun to see how the next generation takes after the first, both in preaching and in listening.  Andy probably delivers the clearest message I've ever heard.  He's very compelling and I tune in weekly to his leadership podcasts. 

Years ago I was going through a book with college ministry leaders by Andy called Next Generation Leader.  One chapter was called Only Do What Only You Can Do.  The description went like this:  the less you do the more you accomplish.  I got the idea but I struggled to put it into practice.

I was leading a team of students that put on our weekly meetings for the Link, the college-aged ministry of Blackhawk.  I knew that it was my job to get my team to do more work.  The more they took ownership the better our team was performing.  It was their job to get the equipment to the venue, get the equipment set-up, put together the script for the night, and make sure all the media components were cued up.  But after that there was nowhere to go.  That was the final product.  It worked, it was good, but there was nothing left for me to do.  There was very little that only I could do.  So Andy's principle didn't fully sink in.

Fast forward to Summer 2009.  I'm working at H&H Arborists as the lead worker on a crew of three.  Bill, the owner is busy all summer doing sales while the crew is out doing everything from pruning to removing trees.  It's a young crew - with eight years of experience I'm the veteran. 

My job is to figure out how to complete each job efficiently and safely.  As the only man on the job with real experience, this can only happen so fast.  Thankfully Bill is very willing to take precious time on the job site to train the guys on many days where the job requirements are appropriate.  (I say this because many other tree companies don't value or practice intentional training like H&H.)  So now my job is to balance training with being a productive crew. 

After a few weeks I've developed the guys' skills.  They can do light pruning, mostly from the ground.  Soon one of the guys is comfortable in the tree so the crew is getting better.  And this is where Andy's principle really started to sink in for me.  Now the crew is to the point where they can function in certain situations and I'm tempted to work along side them but I can't.  There's other work that only I can do.  Sometimes work gets done fast when everyone works on something together.  There's accountability and there's encouragment when you're side-by-side.  But if I'm doing something that they could be doing, there's something I'm not doing that they couldn't do.  This isn't always the case, but I'm challenged daily to evaluate how to get the work done most efficiently. 

Only do what only you can do.  It's become a simple principle to understand but an important one to practice.  Businesses move forward when they're efficient and this is one step to that end.

If you're in a leadership position, are you doing thing other team members could be doing?

A Night Off, A Night Alone

In one of my educational psychology classes in college, I remember a professor talking about the brain and learning.  He said that when we learn, the brain is like a sponge; it can absorb only to a certain point.  Sponges can only hold so much water before they need to be squeezed out.  Purging is essential for the sponge to function properly; same goes for the brain.  It needs to be emptied at regular intervals to continue to be efficient, even effective.

I'm finding myself in a season of busy work.  Life is very busy right now and the routine sometimes gets the best of me and I get complacent and lazy. 

• the same morning routine.
• the same thing for lunch
• the same search for a new job
• the same evening with family

Are these all bad?  No!  I love my time with family.  Sorin is changing daily.  Katie and I had a great talk at dinner last night.  My days aren't always (or completely) boring.  But I certainly lack a freshness to my daily activities.  I get stuck in a rut.  Certain things lack excitement.  I need to squeeze out the sponge before I can refill.  For me that means a full day off.

For two evenings I'm home alone.  Katie went to Cedarburg for three days to be with family, so I've got run of the house.  And Katie knows this about me - sometimes I just need this alone time to refocus.  Life has been very predictable.  But tonight I knew I was coming home with no pressure or responsibilities to be "on" with family.

Tonight I was able to catch up on a few blogs - less than I would have liked, but that's probably a good thing.  At the same time I checked Facebook and then an interesting thing happened.  A couple people started posting comments on my blog and on my Facebook according to some of the things I'd recently written.  It started a series of small discussions that led me to think proactvely about my next career move.  Katie and I have talked about developing my fitness business and what that would entail.  Tonight I was able to share with some of my friends some of my thoughts and I was also able to see that I can get relevant discussions started with people - this is big if you're starting a business.

My brain needed this.  I believe God had this night set aside for me to decompress from life and be able to engage with people in a way that I rarely have time for.  It was very refreshing.  It's hard to talk about this because I don't want it to seem like I need to get away from family to be productive.  But there is something to be said for retreats - retreats from the normal day-to-day routines that get us bogged down with sameness. 

So I'm happy with the night.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow night.  I need time away like this and so do you?  If you didn't have to answer to anyone for a night, what would you do?  What could you accomplish?  Would it make any relationship better? 

On Encouragement

Last week I went to see a movie by myself.  Katie had Bible study, but she probably wouldn't have been interested in this one anyway.  The documentary was called "Race Across the Sky."  It's the story about the Leadville Trail 100, a mountain bike race in Colorado that has grown from a cult following to national prominence after the release of this movie.

The Leadville Trail 100 is a grueling race that competitors have 12 hours to complete.  It starts around 10,200 feet and peaks somewhere above 12,000.  Twists and turns, climbs and drops, pavement and mud are all part of the race.  Some of the climbs seem like they can't be any steeper.  At one point in the movie there's a row of 30 bikers all walking uphill single-file because the rain had caused so much mud that the athletes couldn't get any traction.

But on another portion of the course I saw other athletes struggling.  The section is called Powerline because the trail runs directly under a set of powerlines that are streaking down a mountain's side.  The trail is bordered by rows of pine trees.  And this isn't a nice smooth trail.  It has pits, boulders, bumps and gravel scattered everywhere.  Some of the leaders were walking up it earlier.  But at this moment the film was showing some locals who've adopted this section of the course as their own.  They've decided to help these bikers up the Powerline if they want to stay on their bikes.  What they do is as the biker approaches, they ask if they want a push.  Some decline, but many welcome the assistance.  So the next shot is a man coming along side a biker and pushing him at the hips as they climb the Powerline together. 

Don't we all need that push sometimes?  Aren't there times in life when things are either dull and complacent or frustrating and difficult, and an extra set of hands would really help us get up Powerline?

My biggest challenge right now is finding a job teaching or in the health and fitness industry.  We all know about the difficult economy.  Few companies are hiring.  Those that are have hundreds of applicants to sort through.  I've been at this seach for quite some time.  I really enjoy what I do and Katie and I have been making it work.  But it's not a career for me.  I've been searching extremely hard advance myself and it's been a tough road.

But today I talked to someone close to my situation who had words of encouragment.  He noted Psalm 45:1 that talks about pursuing a "noble cause."  He said that he's noticed how I have pursued a good career in which I will be very successful.  I've continued to study and grow as a leader and a learner.  I've read books and written reflectively about what it means to develop as a man.  He spoke into my life words of encouragement that were perfectly crafted.  They weren't sappy and they weren't over-reaching.  They gave me that push up Powerline that felt like a fresh pair of legs after miles of struggle.  He gave me that push up Powerline...

Encouragement is very powerful.  And it usually costs you nothing.  You can offer words, thoughts, your hand, your heart.  It costs you nothing.  But you'll gain a sense of worth as you assist someone else up the hill they're climbing. 

Thoughts On Fatherhood

Last Sunday I had a father's feeling as I was dropping Sorin off at child care at church. Katie and I haven't been to church much this summer and when we did, we often let my parents take Sorin so we could actually attend church without interuptions. Sorin doesn't take too well to dad and (especially) mom leaving. So this week it was my week to take him to child care. As we walked in and got registered Sorin could see something was up. He started to observe everything and got timid right in my arms. We put his bag down and started playing a little bit. At the first sign of him interacting with one of the staff I bolted out the door. I went around the corner to one of the mirror/windows where I could see in but he couldn't see me. As I watched him get comfortable I had a mix of emotions.

I felt really bad that he was alone without me. Sure, he was in good and caring hands. But he doesn't know that. He was all by himself and trying to stay busy. He would start to play with something, but then somehow he would realize I wasn't there and he'd start crying. It's hard to see your son sad and alone, missing dad.

I also felt old. Sorin has grown up so fast. Wasn't it last month that I was getting up at 4am to give him a bottle because he was relying on me for food? Didn't we used to have hold him so close because he couldn't even hold his head up? And here I was watching him walk and crawl on his own. Find a toy and play with it. Roll a ball and pick it up. He's only 14 months but he looks like my little man!! So I watched him and thought of myself as an older dad.

Finally I felt pride. Here I am watching my son - my son! I feed him. I change his diaper. I put him to bed. I wake him and dress him in the morning. I rough-house him on the floor and carry him around the house. I push him in the stroller and carry him on my back. Now I'm watching him through the window as he grows into his own life.

What a great calling: to be a father.

(originally posted on Sorin's Blog)

How to Read 47 Blogs Per Day

Technology is progressing such that we no longer have to search out information or news:  it comes to us.  Each day we check email, Facebook, our favorite news sites, and maybe some blogs.  Is that accurate?  How do you spend your time online?  How do you get your information?

Would it surprise you that I read 47 blogs per day?  Would you believe that on average I catch up on my news in less than 20 minutes?  This includes 47 blogs and about 150 Twitter updates per day!

How is it possible?

Well if you look over my shoulder as I sit in my office, you'd see that I'm not reading every post or every update.  That's probably obvious.  But with the help of Google Reader I can look through the titles of every post and even the first few paragraphs to determine if it's something I should read in its entirety.  We all do this with the paper or our favorite magazines.  The beautiful part of this is that I'm sorting through blogs that interest me and news sources that I've chosen to subscribe to.


Here's how it works:  Go to Google Reader and set up an account.  (If you already have a Gmail or Blogger account you can use the same login and password).  On the left you will see all your subscription.  Now you need to fill them.  Open a separate tab (tell me you're using Firefox) and go to a blog you'd like to follow.  For example here's Sorin's.  When you visit a website or blog that updates their information on a regular basis, they're assigned an RSS feed and the icon looks like this.  What you need to do is click this button and then "subscribe to RSS" and it will take you to a page where you can "add to Google Homepage" or "add to Google Reader."  Choose the Reader. 

You've just subscribed to your first blog - and a good one at that!!  Start finding some good blogs to follow, then progress to websites and news feeds.  You'll be surprised what's out there.  If you need more help I'd be happy to walk through more details with you. 

Remember:  Make the technology work for you.  You don't need to visit each website or blog, it will come to you!  Are you interested in the Health Section of the NYTimes.com or the Business Section of FoxNews?  You can have these websites come to your Google Reader rather than visit them every day.  You'll never go back.

Controlling Facebook Noise

While the number of users and the time spent on Facebook is only increasing, I still hear friends talk about too much noise on Facebook.  

• "I don't need to hear what every friend is doing today."
• "It's too much of a distraction."
• "I only really want to hear about a handful of friends."

I coudn't agree more.  It has been fun to reconnect with old friends.  Certain stories and updates are compelling and I'm pleasantly surprised to have online discussions from people I never thought I'd talk to again.  But as family life gets busier and my hobbies demand more of my quality time, I find myself needing to prioritize how I stay connected on Facebook.

Why Facebook?  I have found that Facebook does everything I want as a communication platform.  I can:

• update my daily (and hourly) status 
• import my blog ('notes' on Facebook)
• share news stories
• see what friends are doing and reading
• share pictures

This post isn't about why you should be on Facebook.  It's about why you should stay on Facebook if you want to have an online presence without all the noise.

The only requirement on your part is the following: being able to honestly determine who's on your Short List.

Here's how it works.  Click on HOME which takes you to your news feed.  On the left hand side you'll see your lists of categories, technically called Lists.  At the bottom click "more."  Then your whole set of lists is displayed, and now at the bottom you can click CREATE NEW LIST.

A new window will open and first you should give your list a name (Inner Circle, Real Friends, Cool People, Jet Setters).  Then you can click on any of your friends (groups are also listed and available) to add them to this group.  That's it!  

To make this feature really work, you'll have to rearrange the list to the top so that Facebook reads it first - one less click when you login.  To do this you'll have to expand your lists again (click MORE at the bottom).  Now all your lists will have three horizontal lines at the right and you'll have the ability to drag your new list to the top (you can also arrange any list if you want to prioritize).  

So my newest list ("Inner Circle") is at the top, and right under that is my NEWS FEED.  Now when I login, my homepage only lists the news of my Inner Circle list.  If I have more time, I can click on NEWS FEED and I get every update from every friend.

Will this help?  Are you able to determine your Short List?  Your Inner Circle? 

I truly wish everyone was on Facebook because I think it's a very powerful way to keep in touch and share stories.  Don't ask if you're on my Short List.  Please feel free to reference this article to friends who are want Facebook to be more efficient.

Lakefront Marathon

When I finished the Milwaukee Marathon yesterday, I felt two emotions:  first I was proud of my time, and second I was grateful for all my supporters.

Let me start with the latter.  I can say how thankful I was to have so many friends and family out on the course with me.  Yesterday was 48 degrees at the start of the race - and windy.  By the end it wasn't much warmer.  The breeze sure didn't go away.  Watching someone (like me) run 26 miles is quite and undertaking - it took me just under four hours, so there's some committment there.  And still other family members showed up towards the end when I needed encouragement the most.  I wish you all knew the energy I get when I see supporters on the side of the road there cheering me on.  In the challenge of my race you were pushing me to the end - thank you so much.

My other emotion after the race was pride in my training.  This was my second marathon of the season, and it was the first time I had this volume of training under my belt.  While I had the miles to run well, I hadn't worked on speed like I had hoped.  This time my training called for two 20-mile runs.  Mine went so well that they turned into 21 and 23 mile runs.  So I knew I had a chance at a good time.  Saturday night I wrote here about my goals:

Here's how I'm looking at tomorrow:

• 3:55 should be a lock
• 3:50 is my goal
• 3:45 is "things went perfect"

The start of the race was very cold - I couldn't even get myself to take off my long-sleeve, but I ditched the hat at mile 8.  The first 13 miles felt very clunky and I was actually worried that things wouldn't go well.  I knew from training that around 8-10 I would get into a rhythm, but when that came and went I started thinking this might not be my day.  At mile 13 I was three minutes behind where I wanted to be (1:50), but that just meant there was even less room for error.

And then I started thinking about the Madison Marathon five months earlier.  In that race I started off very strong and just barely held on to the finish.  Would today be the same or did I have more in the tank?

At mile 14-15 I started getting into a nice groove.  What a feeling!  I was blaming the weather and maybe my high ambitions started me too fast at the start.  But here I was feeling smooth and strong.  At mile 18 I was thinking back to my last few long training runs and glad that I had pushed to 21 and 23 miles.  I started to think of when I wanted to push the pace because I knew I had strong legs.

Mile 22 would be a little early to go for it.  Four miles doesn't seem that far, but at the end of a marathon it's too much for me.  I figured I had a little more than two good miles left so at mile 23.5 I left Ken who I was running with and increased my pace.

Those last 2.7 miles were very tough.  It's really hard to push yourself when there's not that much in the tank.  I knew I'd finish but I didn't know how fast I could go.  In previous races I would alternate walking and running around mile 21.  That didn't happen once yesterday!  I had picked up the pace but I was maxed out of muscle in my legs.  I don't know how many people I passed but I know that no a single person passed me after mile 21.  I'm very proud of that.

I finished Milwaukee Marathon in 3:46, bettering my personal best by 13 minutes.  The training had paid off.  The cheers and support were greatly appreciated.  Who knows what's next.  Right now I can be thankful and proud as I go into the winter and think of next season.  Katie and I have some thoughts about the future, but right now we're very excited to focus on family and Katie's health as she carries our second baby.  And I'm looking forward to cheering her on.