What’s Your Canaan?

      Canaan was the Promised Land for Moses and his people. We all have our personal Canaan. We need to identify our Canaan and have a plan to get there.

What's Your Canaan?

      This past week I was privileged to present the devotion at our monthly men’s church breakfast. I focused on the Book of Exodus and specifically referred to some of the beautiful verses in Chapter 15, after the parting of the Red Sea.

      Most of us don’t have something as dramatic as the parting of the Red Sea, but we almost always have our own metaphorical desert to cross. Although we may not have been enslaved in Egypt, we still have our own destination of improvement and betterment in the various aspects of our lives.

       Canaan became the goal, the destination, the vision. Whatever our personal Canaan is, we need to identify it as our goal or vision. Our Canaan can be an Ironman finish line, business success, family achievement, or spiritual development.

       Once we have identified our Canaan, we need a plan, or a strategy to get there. In order to cross the desert we need a strategy that will work. As athletes we are familiar with training plans. We discussed training plans in Ironman Blueprint. We also need business plan, family purpose, and spiritual goals.

        The strategic plan needs to be mapped out, thought out, managed, shared, and believed. There may be a desert to be crossed, but certainly all worthy pursuits have their challenges. The challenges we face simply make the results even more satisfying.

      We all have a Canaan. We need a strategic plan to fulfill that vision. We all need leadership, guidance, direction, and encouragement along the way.

       What’s your Canaan, and how are you going to get there? Set a strategic plan toward your vision and you will be on your way.

Heading toward Canaan,

David

A Bit Busy

      How busy are our lives? How do we handle our multiple tasks and goals? Being busy is part of living the multi-sport lifestyle – there is no way around that. The question is how do we deal with the busyness and manage our lives well.

Vision

       We opened our new law firm this past week in a very short period of time and with very little notice. We learned a lot about a new level of busy. In this short period of time we put in a phone system, a complete computer network, furniture, up fitting, and at least a million other things including paper clips. We also all discovered or reconfirmed that busy can also correlate with a high level of satisfaction. 

         So, how do we handle busy in our daily lives, or handle the busiest times in our lives? We can be successful, happy, and satisfied even at our busiest. A secret is to be able to keep focused on the immediate task at hand. That means we need a goal that we are shooting for and a plan on how to get there.

        In business, like training for an endurance event and like the other aspects of our lives, we need a plan. The principles we discuss can and should be applied to each of the aspects of The Four Anchors.

        All plans need a vision in order to be successful. The vision is what guides us, directs us, and helps us in the decision-making along the way.

       The vision needs to be clear. The vision becomes our expectation, and the law of expectation and belief says that we have to clearly visualize our goal if it is to be achieved. The vision needs to be honed, shaped, and molded until it becomes clear so that it can serve as the beacon to guide us along the way.

        Once the vision is clear we can then use it to keep us on track. The vision keeps us focused, and corrects us when we stray. All of the difficult decisions and tasks become much easier because we know where we are going and what needs to be accomplished.

       The vision needs to be shared with all of the stakeholders or members of an organization in order to be supported. The clarity of the vision needs to be communicated in a very simple concise message. That message then needs to be frequently repeated in order to keep everyone on task and focused on the goals of the whole.

       In the coming weeks we will discuss how we support our vision. The vision needs to be supported with sound strategies for success. The strategies then need solid, consistent execution by everyone all the time. The team needs to fully support and commit to the vision and pledge to take the necessary steps to get there.

       At the times when we are the busiest we need to make sure our vision is the most clear in order to keep us on track. The vision turns “busy” into both fun and success.

Staying busy,　

David

A New Dawn

     What’s your favorite time of day? Mine is dawn. I love the excitement, the freedom, and the freshness of each dawn. Each day starts with new optimism. I am ready to go at dawn.

A New Dawn

      One of my favorite dawn moments is the sight of the sun rising over Hualalai Volcano and glimmering on Kailua Bay for the start of the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championship. I have been fortunate enough to experience this special dawn five times, so far.

       I never overlook the significance of Mokuaikaua Church and its prominent steeple overlooking the start. I have had a number of special experiences in this church, including services the morning of and immediately after the 6.8 earthquake that hit race week in 2006.

       Surely, at the dawn of an Ironman there is a daunting feeling. However, there is a confidence that comes with having done the training, the preparation, and the work. That preparation along with a natural competitiveness, the support of spectators and volunteers and the natural scenic beauty makes all possible. This support assures me that the day will indeed be special and successful.

      I love the dawn of an Ironman. There are no excuses. I am ready! We are all ready!

     Today is a first dawn of a different sort for my professional team and me. At 8:30 this morning our new law firm opens its doors. Daggett, Shuler, Koontz, Nauman & Bell, PLLC  will have the trade name Daggett Shuler, Attorneys At Law. We bring with us an experienced and committed professional support staff.

      When starting this “swim” these are the folks I want with me. Chris, Julie, Doug, John, and Griff give us more than 75　years of combined experience, with approximately 60 of those years working together. This is a hardworking team of great competence and great integrity.

        The dawn of Daggett Shuler is exciting!. We are filled with optimism. The support and encouragement we are receiving from our community and our friends is nothing short of awesome. We are prepared; we are experienced; we embrace hard work… we are a team! We are ready to help injured and disabled people. You can depend on us.

It is dawn. The sun is rising – let’s go!

David

Leadership Through Team Building

       Team building is an important leadership skill. I was recently privileged to speak at a leadership conference for lawyers alongside Coach Terry Holland; Coach Holland spoke about leadership through team building.

Leadership Through Team Building

      Coach Holland is probably best known as the long time successful basketball coach at the University of Virginia. There he coached many stars, had many NCAA appearances and successes, and was leader for other coaches in the athletic community. Currently Coach Holland serves as the athletic director at East Carolina University.

      In his talk Coach Holland made four main points regarding leadership. He sprinkled his points with humor, stories, and displayed an affable personality that was quite endearing. Following are the points he impressed upon me.

      The best leaders are also the best followers. In order to learn and be prepared for leadership, we must first follow, support, and work for leaders. Further, we continue to develop our leadership skills by continuing to be good followers. Remember, most persons in leadership positions are part of a bigger team. Accordingly, we are usually leading and following at the same time.

       It is important to earn the right to step forward when the team needs us to. Good leaders many times disappear from the picture when everything is going well. However, when needed at a critical time the leadership is earned and the leader steps forward and is supported almost intuitively. In athletics, earning the right to step forward is obtained through extra practice, extra drills, and extra commitment.

       One of the jobs of a successful leader is to balance short term and long term goals. Sometimes these can be in conflict so successful leaders know how to find a right balance. Coach　Holland asked rhetorically, does a coach want a short term win, or a long term program? Coach Holland also implored leaders to be more concerned about character than about reputation. Character is lasting, reputation can be short lived.

        Lastly, leaders need to have a strong commitment to a game plan, but the flexibility to adapt to changing environments. In making decisions Coach Holland advised always getting as much information as you can. Good leaders are always prepared to adapt to new information. However, when a decision needs to be made, leaders make those decisions firmly, decisively, and quickly.

       Leadership is an ongoing learning process. I felt privileged to participate in program that included such a great leader as Coach Holland.

Building for leadership,

David

Cold Forged

      The recent blast of cold weather across our area brought not only a larger than normal snowstorm but also several weeks of well below normal temperatures. Of course, for Iron People workouts must continue regardless of the conditions.

Cold Forged

         While biking in the mid 20s with gusty and biting winds I started thinking that I was being “cold forged.”. The process of cold forging metal takes banging and hammering and heating and cooling to form the metal into shape. Cold forging is much harder work than either molding or machining but produces much stronger metal items. The strongest tools, the sharpest knives, and the highest precision parts are all forged.

        Forging is a difficult process. It is not the easy way, but it is better, sharper, stronger, and operates with more precision.

       Perhaps we too become stronger, sharper, and better when we are forged, hammered and banged.  Training is much easier in nice conditions,.but it is the cold forging in difficult conditions that separates us from the rest.

        In life, like in training, there are tough times and tough conditions. Remember, it is in these times that our character, our strength and our future successes are forged. We can look at every day of training as one day of the journey. Sometimes the journey must be cold forged in order for us to become our best.

        Cold forging makes us tough, and it makes us better. Have the courage to withstand the cold forging, and you can accomplish much.　

Cold forged,

David

Daybreak

       What is your favorite time of day? Daybreak is my favorite part of the day. I enjoy the newness, optimism, beauty, and renewal that come with daybreak. Daybreak on New Year’s morning is my favorite daybreak of the year.

Daybreak 2010

       Every year for more than 20 years I have done my New Year’s morning daybreak ride on my mountain bike. I leave home very early so that I can be out and around Salem Lake in time for the sunrise. I have been out in the cold, snow, rain, and everything in between. This year was very foggy, a little rainy, and chilly, but it was spectacular as always.

       Daybreak on New Year’s morning is special because I am usually the only one who is up and around. This New Year’s morning I did not see another person during my entire ride. It was just me, the beauty of nature, wildlife, and my thoughts and dreams for 2010.

      The wildlife seemed to be particularly active this New Year’s morning, and there were lots of birds and animals around to keep me company. At one point a group of four deer ran across the path about 20 yards in front of me. The most majestic sight was the beauty of a blue heron taking flight as I got close. It is easy for me to feel refreshed and alive in nature.

       Daybreak for the New Year also is a time for me to reflect and look forward personally. 2010 is going to be a great year with many exciting events. With all of the excitement, ambition, and optimism for 2010 I also want to make sure that all aspects of my life are directed back to The Four Anchors.

       Combining our professional, family/social, spiritual, and physical aspects of our lives and applying them to all our pursuits provide guiding principles as we embark on the New Year.

       Daybreak 2010 raised the curtain on what promises to be an exciting, challenging, and fruitful 2010. Please join me in making this year the best it can be.

Refreshed by Daybreak,

David

Simple Enough For Kids

      What lessons do we learn from kids? Christmas and the holiday season is a special time around our household. Just like racing, the festivities take planning, preparation, and execution. During all of the hustle and bustle our kids were able to remind us of some important principles.

Kid Stuff - Christmas 2009

        Our three kids worked together to write and choreograph two Christmas plays to present to us. We were impressed that they wanted to present their productions before opening any presents. Their first play was an interpretation of the Christmas story. They allowed me to participate, but did not give me any lines. They let me be the donkey! The second was a more modern interpretation of Christmas celebration, including Santa Claus coming down the chimney.

        We were impressed that the kids wanted to remember the meaning of Christmas first and chose to save the presents for later. The youngsters set their priorities and had the patience to do the right thing, saving the “fun stuff” for later. Wow – what a lesson for us.

        When we finally began opening presents, I had a homemade gift that was wrapped in many layers of tissue paper. When I finally got through the wrapping and saw what was inside my daughter blurted out that it was a “scientific tragedy!” Apparently, she had made a snow globe for me which had some adverse chemical reaction resulting in a total mess inside a glass jar. We all had a good laugh. This lesson is that sometimes it really is that the thought that counts, and the thought behind this gift was huge, meaningful, and memorable.

           We all accepted the “scientific tragedy” with good humor and continued to enjoy our day. The importance of giving is something that we many times talk about. Seeing the importance of giving in action, particularly from little ones, is very impressive. We were so proud of the kids that instead of ripping into their own gifts, they were more excited to give gifts to mom and dad. They were also excited for the gifts, many of them homemade, that they had for each other.

          The children’s excitement about giving was also a tremendous demonstration of generosity. It was also a reminder that generosity does not always have to be material. Many times the most important generosity is generosity of the heart.

Christmas certainly is a time for love. Our household was filled with love. This love spread from our house to our extended families, many friends, and colleagues. We are fortunate that we were able to give and receive an abundance of love over the Christmas holiday.

         Finally, as our six-year-old son explained to Granddaddy, “The presents aren’t the most important part of Christmas.” The lessons from the kids are lessons for us all. They are life lessons that will never let us down.

Working on kid stuff,

David

Waiting

       How good are we at waiting? Holiday time seems to be a time of waiting. For me, I’m as impatient as a little kid waiting for Christmas- all year long.

Advent...Waiting

        Sometimes life is like sitting in the water at the start of an Ironman waiting for the cannon to go off. The seconds seem like minutes, and the minutes like hours. There are nerves, fear, anxiety, and the lump in the back of the throat.

      As athletes we are charged up and ready to go. We don’t want to wait around. The waiting can actually become painful. We want to get to the start line without waiting; but, remember, we want to get to the finish line even more. For every finish line in life there is waiting.

       It is difficult, yet necessary, to wait. We wait for events, we wait for results, we wait for progress, and we wait for others. The holiday season is full of waiting.

        Advent is a special period of waiting. Perhaps the Advent season reminds us that waiting is an overlooked virtue. Waiting is not always exciting, but it is important. It is important because during the waiting we also are preparing. We prepare physically and psychologically. We prepare individually and collectively. Waiting and preparing are necessary for achievement.

      Waiting is a difficult task. Yet, we turn our waiting into positive anxiety and positive stress and find that waiting is necessary for all of our successes. Waiting is part of finishing.

        Waiting does not mean being passive. Waiting can be active and results driven. Of course we know that anything of worth of value is worth waiting for. In the meantime, we need to insure that our time of waiting is also a time of positive progress.

        We tend to take and share photographs of our important times. Yet how many photographs do we take while we are waiting? Let’s honor our waiting time just as we honor our achievements.

Working on waiting,

David

It all Counts

      This past Saturday morning I was privileged to participate in the kickoff brunch for the 35th　Annual Frank Spencer Holiday Basketball Tournament featuring 12 local high school teams. There were more than 200 high school players, coaches, principals, administrators, and senior school system officials in attendance.

Coach Buzz Peterson

         I presented a talk with visual accents to encourage, challenge and support the student athletes. I was privileged to be presenting with Coach Buzz Peterson, the head basketball coach at Appalachian State University. It was the first time I have met Coach Peterson in person. He is a very nice, likable, and genuine guy.

      Coach Peterson is probably best well known as being the college roommate of Michael Jordan. In fact, as a senior in high school, Coach Peterson beat Michael Jordan out for player of the year in North Carolina. Together, they went on to play for the University of North Carolina and won the national championship in 1982.

        Coach Peterson has quite a career, including coaching at a high level in the college ranks and work in the NBA. He used his background and experience to give a short motivational talk. My interpretation of his talk is that everything we do counts. His words seem appropriate for families, organizations, businesses, as well as the basketball players and teams in attendance.

       Coach Peterson began by emphasizing academics. He discussed how academics and your mind are fully interwoven into the physical aspects of all our pursuits. He described for the young optimistic group of athletes how academics is the foundation that will carry them through life.

       Next, he emphasized the importance of toughness. This is the perseverance and resiliency that gets us through life. He said in evaluating toughness of athletes he looks for how they play defense. He said it is easy to find players who have a strong desire to want to score, however, in reality evaluating the players who are going to be good he gauges those who work hard on defense, rebounding, and teamwork.

       Lastly, Coach Peterson emphasized that we all need to avoid becoming complacent. Life is a continuing challenge, and we have to continue to work hard to meet the challenges both present and future.

        It was a great privilege to present with Coach Peterson. It is fun to be with such an accomplished man who at the same time is nice, considerate of others, and is willing to contribute time to young people in our community.

It all counts,　

David

Vulnerability

       We are tough, right? Ironpeople are actually fragile people who dare to push themselves too long, too hard, and too far. We have the courage to keep on going because we know anything is possible. Of course, the possibilities also include failure.

Audaciously Vulnerable

        The possibility of failure makes us vulnerable. Yet we have the audacity to keep going and keep trying. We keep putting one foot in front of the other regardless of the circumstances or the challenges that confront us.

        Likewise, Ironpeople continue with these same attributes in their lifestyles, their values, and their character. Further this is then combined with the perseverance to relentlessly pursue these characteristics and ideals. We have the audacity to do what’s right, what’s good, and what’s “in us” even when we face our most difficult circumstances. We know anything is possible

        What do we pursue? We pursue fairness and excellence. We believe in being honest and true to ourselves and to others. And we all know that it all begins with us. When we have difficulties and are vulnerable,  we continue to see clear trails and bright sunshine. Moreover, we have the vision and the heart, to pursue our goals despite the bumps in the road. Perhaps the bumps are where our vulnerability and weaknesses are revealed, while at the same time allowing us to rise to new levels of excellence.

         Our pursuit of fairness and excellence is not sometimes – it is daily, weekly, yearly … and we keep on going. This is us. This is what we are made of. And yet, this is also what makes us vulnerable. But, we know that this is okay because this is what it takes to be who we are and what we want to be. We believe, and as long as we believe with honor and integrity, we keep going.

          Let us continue on the path of our goals and beliefs – let us be audacious and let us be vulnerable. Thankfully, our audacity to pursue our values and beliefs keep us going. We won’t give up because we know anything is possible!

Audaciously vulnerable,

David

Family First(s)

      Thanksgiving is a time for family. As we give thanks for our many blessings we remember the importance of always keeping family first. We all probably need a little reminder from time to time.

Family First

       This Thanksgiving also brought several “firsts” for our family. As a family we are committed to a health and fitness lifestyle. So, as a family we participated in the local Thanksgiving Day Turkey Strut running race. The Turkey Strut was a wonderful event put on by our local Fleet Feet running store, and the first race in which our entire family participated.

        Our six-year-old little boy ran with great spirit. We were reminded that it is possible to smile the entire time you are running. He came flying across the finish line of the one-mile race with both index fingers pointing in the air and beaming from ear to ear. Then he stayed to cheer for all finishers.

        Determination is probably the best word to describe our eight-year-old daughter. A week before the Turkey Strut she decided that she wanted to do the 5K race and not just the one mile run. Since she had not trained for running she wanted to go out and visit the course to see if she could do it. She completed it in practice, and her perseverance and determination were clearly evident on race day. She had a steely eyed forward-looking countenance that broke into a huge smile when she crossed the finish line.

       A competitive fire was lit in our ten-year-old daughter that she did not know she had. Approximately halfway through the one-mile race she was the lead female. As a couple of older girls, including college students and adults, started catching her, she picked up the pace, held them off, and crossed the finish line first. Her award was a turkey! She could not stop grinning and asking “How did I do that!?”

      Of course, my lovely bride, a newcomer to running, enjoyed the event also. Although the course was very difficult and hilly she was able to set a new PR (personal record) by over a minute. I rounded out the field by winning the second family turkey, which we promptly donated back to the Second Harvest Food Bank, the charity for the event.

       This truly was a “family first” Thanksgiving for us. We had lots of “firsts” and always Family First in unity and in love.

Keeping family first,

David

If It Was Easy …

      How hard are we willing to work toward our goals? It seems that in our instant gratification society that many people want results without the requisite work required. Of course, this is one of the great lessons and metaphors from Ironman racing.

Macca at bike check-in

       “If it was easy… everyone would do it.” This is a quote from Ironman World Champion Chris McCormick that NBC used to both kick off and close their coverage of the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championship.

        It seems that Macca’s words apply not only to Ironman triathlons, but to all of our individual pursuits and successes. Anything that is really worthwhile and meaningful takes hard work. There is simply no way around it. If we want the accomplishment, we have to pay the price. Because, as Macca says, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

       The yearly coverage of the Hawaii Ironman always provokes and stimulates lots of thoughts and ideas. The Hawaii Ironman is such a significant event that it changed the concept of endurance sports forever. Goals such as doing an Ironman allow us as individuals to focus on what we can do and not on what we can’t do. As the Ironman slogan goes, anything is possible.

      Perhaps we don’t train just to be Ironman triathletes; we train to be something far more than an Ironman. Ironman is simply the metaphor, or a vehicle, to allow us to know that we can do, and not be limited by what is possible.

      When we develop the ability to have our minds to tell our hearts to keep going after a goal or pursuit, we open up the possibilities of what we are individually capable of achieving. If we are capable of Ironman, obviously we are capable of so much more in all of life.

      To most of us, in an Ironman it certainly does take us mentally and physically to the edge and beyond. But it is one of those experiences of a single day that we treasure and remember for the rest of our lives. An Ironman finish is one of the most memorable single-day experiences. The difficulty and the suffering through the training and the race is what makes the finish line all that much more memorable and worthy. As one Ironman competitor noted, the job description is to suffer, or don’t finish. That’s what it takes to succeed.

      Just like all of our pursuits individually, organizationally, and in business, if it was easy … everyone would do it!

There’s no easy way,

David

Value Components

       We have previously discussed our foundational values in our series of articles on The Four Anchors. As a continuation of that theme let’s review our value components to help us further explore what is important to us.

Value Components

      Last week I was at a conference for lawyers in Los Angeles. The  last evening  after the conference was over was a time for five of us to get  together for dinner. We sat at a nice outdoor café overlooking an oceanside village. I believe we had a Catholic, a Presbyterian, two Jews, and me, a Moravian. It was an interesting collection of very successful lawyers.

       This group had individuals came from various places around the country. It was interesting that the conversation turned to a discussion on religion and spiritual-based values for decision making in running a business. The power of these spiritual-based principles and high-achieving individuals was a tremendous reinforcement for me.

      During our discussion, we identified quality, loyalty, character, and integrity, and excellence as foundational principles from which all other or future successes derive. Certainly this list is not exhaustive, and perhaps in some ways may be redundant.

      The principles we discussed were similar to what we observe in quality athletes and in our Daggett Shuler team on a daily basis. We believe this foundation makes us better, more productive, and produces better results. These principles are certainly worthy of our further consideration and review.

       Quality is not only doing things well but also doing the right thing. People always respect quality, and a reputation for quality bodes well for long-term success.

       Loyalty is a commitment.  It is a commitment to people and organizations that are important to us. Loyalty transcends time and is always there. Loyalty is always important to us through tough times, and when times are good. Loyalty is always there and reveals itself most strongly when it is most needed.

       Character is what defines ourselves deep down and from which we are made. Character is revealed in how we act and respond in times of stress or pressure.

       Integrity is building a reputation for trust and reliability. It slowly builds over time and must always be protected. It is very powerful, yet very fragile.

       Striving for excellence is a combination and the culmination of the other traits we have discussed. It makes us always want to improve, evolve, innovate, and inspire.  Perfection may never be reached, but excellence can always be pursued.

        These foundational principles are the building blocks for success personally and in our organizations. Surrounding ourselves with people that share these principles makes us all be better.

Succeed with values,

David

Someone Else’s Shoes

       How often do we walk in someone else’s shoes? Perhaps we should try it a little more often, and learn a little something along the way. Let’s take a further look at this concept.

Someone Else's Shoes

      The concept of walking in someone else’s shoes is not new. I was reminded during this past week when our daughter’s reading assignment included a book that referenced the Cheyenne Native American proverb “Don’t judge your neighbor until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” This takes commitment since two moons refers to two lunar cycles which is approximately 59 days.

        Walking in others’ shoes gives us a better understanding of other people. That is why people who do charitable work, public service, and service for others tend to have a better understanding of those around them. Research shows that people who serve others – walk in their shoes – reap the bonus of more fulfilling and satisfying lives.

       Spending time in others’ shoes gives us perspective. Perspective is the ability to see things from other points of view. It can help us at work ( the professional anchor), with our spouses and kids ( the family anchor), in our faith ( the spiritual anchor), and probably as athletes too (the physical anchor).

       As athletes we probably don’t spend as much time in someone else’s shoes as we ought. We tend to be extremely focused on our own training, our own schedule, and our own results. Of course we have to train, but if we also weave in time to walk in the shoes of others we can become better people in the process.

       Cindy and I walked in each other’s shoe a couple of weeks ago when she ran her very first race. She was the athlete and I was the support crew. Including training it was approximately “two moons.” It was quite a switch in roles and we both did fairly well. Perhaps a bit surprisingly we really enjoyed the opportunity to switch roles and we plan to do more of it – literally and metaphorically – in other aspects of our lives. Certainly our mutual respect was essential in the success of this reversal.

        Walking in the shoes of others gives us a better perspective and understanding of other points view. Moreover, it is the good and right thing to do. Our development as individuals will certainly prosper when we try walking in someone else’s shoes.

Trying different shoes,

David

***Ironman Everyday Hero Article and T.V. Excerpt Video are now up***

No Competition

      How tough is the competition? From racing we probably think it is pretty tough. However, the lessons we learn from athletic competition can lead to success in other life pursuits.

No Competition!

       Perhaps this entire blog site is devoted to this one big issue – what do we learn through athletics that makes and enhances all aspects of our lives? For this post, let’s just focus on competition, and how much competition there really is in our daily pursuits. This is a metaphor that literally and directly helps us in all other aspects of life.

       First, we need clarity of vision. What goals do we want to accomplish? We can have a vision for what we want to accomplish spiritually, professionally, socially, and physically. This is what gives us our direction and motivation. We need to spend a good deal of time defining and clarifying our vision in every important aspect of life. We need to see it, feel it, and believe it.

        Next, we need to have solid strategies that help us move toward our goals. The strategies are the methods that we use as we move toward the vision that we have already clarified. Our strategies need to reflect and support our values, as well as challenging us to reach our goals. We need a solid set of well defined strategies for each major goal we want to accomplish in life.

      Lastly, and most importantly, we need excellent execution to make it happen. When we look and observe, perhaps the most common denominator in successful individuals and organizations is consistent execution over an extended period of time.

       The beauty of this is that most folks simply are not willing to do it. They do not have the perseverance or desire to do the work necessary on an ongoing basis. They are not willing to pay the price it takes to effectively execute the strategies. When it gets down to execution, there is no competition.

       For example, I am often asked “How do you do it” referring to triathlons. To me, the answer seems easy and obvious – I have trained virtually every day for 27 plus years. It is as simple as that. Note that the vision has been modified from being more competitive-based to one based on  a lifestyle of health and fitness for my family and me.

       A very interesting statistic is that 90 percent of all people who pay to go to a self help program or seminar never do one single thing they learned after leaving. They want to hear the vision, but they simply are not willing to follow through with execution. Our willingness, desire, and training to execute is what separates us from the competition in life.

        All of this is good news for us because all we have to do is keep on going in order to beat the competition. Keep putting one foot in front of the other just like out on the racecourse. If we do, in the race of life, there is very little competition. This is how and where we will succeed.

Ready for the competition,

David　

*** Ironman Everyday Hero article and T.V. excerpt Video are now up***

Mutual Respect

      How do we make it all work? We all are busy. We all have responsibilities, obstacles, and frustrations, yet we somehow seem to make everything work. Perhaps it all starts with an environment of mutual respect.

Mutual Respect

       We previously discussed similar principles in Training With family and summarized many of the practical concepts in Total Integration. When there is a true relationship of mutual respect, we all reach higher levels, and have greater feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction. The applies to athletics and all aspects of life.

      Each of us has a special story to tell of these type relationships. When there is truly a relationship of mutual respect, it is understood and does not even have to be articulated. Certainly I have to look no further than my lovely bride Cindy to see a perfect example of a relationship with mutual respect. Of course, she is my leader and mentor in that relationship.

      Character, morals, values, beliefs, and religious views may be connecting factors for mutual respect in our personal and business lives. Mutually respectful relationships can make all aspects of our life better. There is a natural generosity to these relationships which makes us want to encourage others, and see them successful and prosperous.

      Relationships of mutual respect create win-win situations. Success is revealed, whether personally, with family, in business, or any other relationship, when both or all parties look for opportunities to succeed and prosper together. These result in collaborative relationships for the betterment of the whole where no person or party keeps individual score.

      We have all been in situations where respect seems to be a one-way street. Many talented people sometimes do not understand the importance of mutual respect in resulting successes, while others sometimes try to use the relationship without plans to reciprocate. When that happens, skepticism and cynicism set in and make us jaded so that it becomes difficult to trust the relationship.

      Mutually beneficial personal and business relationships are built on long-term respect for each party. As a lawyer, I see many situations where everyone is looking out for the short-term. However, decisions and actions based on mutual respect almost always have a positive and beneficial impact on the future, and the future of the relationship.

       Relationships built on mutual respect give us more energy, and catapults our strengths and assets to higher levels which in turn maximize the results for all parties involved. A synergy occurs in mutually respectful personal and business relationships. This synergy is a solid foundation upon which to build any relationship or organization. Further, this framework of mutual respect will allow a family, business, or organization to stand the test of time, and whether the ups and downs of unexpected changes, issues, or challenges.

       When we develop relationships that are mutually beneficial and based on trust, we can then sustain them through tough times, and enhance them during good times. Being collegial and collaborative can have an immediate positive impact on all aspects of our personal and business lives. Just like any investment, the more you contribute, the greater and more rewarding your return is likely to be.

Respectfully,　

David