Why?

Not my legs!

For 3 specific reasons:

1. It Saves Time
Shaving one’s legs will actually save you time both in the pool and on the bike. Not much though. Just a total of about 1-2 minutes worth but those are 1-2 minutes of less pain and suffering on the course.

2. Convenience
When you bike and run on trails or wet pavement, dirt always becomes a major issue. It’s nice to not have to worry about dry dirt getting caught up in my leg hair at the end of a training session.

3. Mental
This is the most important reason of  why I shave my legs: it makes me feel like a triathlete. What do I mean? It gives me identity to the sport (everyone does it including Lance Armstrong). Plus, I feel faster in the pool and on the bike. For instance, in the pool I feel like I’m a fish gliding through the water. Am I really going faster? Not really. But, I feel like I am going faster and that means a lot.

There you have it – a physical and mental competitive edge. That’s why I shave my legs!

Do you shave your legs and why?

1. It showcases how fast someone can think on their feet.

2. It provides insight on whether the person is self-aware or not.

What is personal mantra?

Unfortunately, most of the responses are pretty bad but every now and then I hear a few great gems. So why is having a personal mantra so important? For starters, it gives you purpose and direction. For instance, my company’s brand mantra is “Empowering Presenters.” It’s simple. It’s to the point. And, it clearly states what we are all about. No guessing needed.

As a triathlete, I embrace the following mantra “Earn those Sundays.” I am a big believer in taking one day a week for rest and relaxation and my day for that activity is Sunday. All other workouts before then need to be done at a 100% percent effort to “Earn those Sundays.” Here are some other mantras I have heard from the triathlon community:

• DDYA – Don’t deny your awesomeness.
• Work harder.
• There will be a day when you can no longer do this…Today is not that day.
• Do more.
• No sissy moments.

You need both!

Let me explain.

Dreams are great! They provide hope. They help you see into the future. And, they help you keep going when things get tough.

BUT…

Dreams are not goals. Instead, they are passive wishes. The solution: opt for goal setting in combination with your dreaming. Why?  Because goals are all about putting your dreams on paper with an action plan.

Keep in mind: Goals require hard work. Goals demand initiative. Goals require concentrated thought. And, most importantly…goals are not vague.

As Jim Rohn often states…if your dreams are “heaven,” then goals are the “stairway to heaven.”

You need both.

What are you doing today to achieve your dreams?

“Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient organization. We either meet or work. We can’t do both at the same time.”

Amen.

Death to terrible meetings!

Real work is what adds value to the business. Not meetings. Real work is what requires a little blood, sweat, and effort. And it’s that effort that gets us closer to achieving our goals. So, if you have to actually create or attend a meeting, how do you maximize the event? Here are 7 recommendations:

1. Create an agenda
This is actually a pet peeve of mine. If you are going to ask people to dedicate 30 minutes or an hour to talk about a certain topic than provide a sense of purpose. How? Create an agenda.

2. Move fast and end on schedule
Be respectful of everyone’s time and try to move quickly and end early if at all possible.

3. Definite clear next steps
Every great presentation should have a call to action. The same is true with great meetings. Define the next steps. What is the team supposed to do now that you have met?

4. Display no patience for the unprepared
Your meeting has been on the calendar for awhile now. If someone shows up not ready to contribute, then cut them out.

5. Don’t brainstorm
Brainstorming sessions are not meetings. They are brainstorming sessions making them a completely different animal. Don’t combine the two activities.

What approaches to meetings have worked well for you?

Slay that dragon!

One of the components I love most about his writing is his description of Resistance (a.k.a. the dragon).

Here’s a paraphrase:

• Resistance is a repelling force.
• Resistance is negative.
• Resistance distracts us.
• Resistance never sleeps.
• Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work.
• Resistance will reason with you like a lawyer.
• Resistance is always lying and full of sh*t.

You get the point. Resistance kills. So, what can you do to avoid resistance? Here are 7 practical things that have worked well for me over the years:

1. Don’t stop.
Once you create any type of momentum, don’t stop. Stopping is the worst thing you can do yourself and your project.

2. Start before you’re ready
You can always do more research. You can always ask a friend for feedback. You can always add another strategic item to your plan. Just start.

3. Acknowledge that the universe hates you
It doesn’t want you to win. It wants you to lose. Accept it. Embrace it. Now…fight it.

4. Stay stupid
Be crazy. Be risky. Be stupid. On rare occasions, ignorance can actually be bliss.

5. Slay the dragon
Learn how to do the above and things will be much easier the next time around.

How are you slaying resistance in your life?

With all that said, one vitamin has always stayed in the rotation. That vitamin is Vitamin D3.

Take your Vitamin D!

So why do we take Vitamin D3? Well, for 5 specific reasons:

1. It’s like getting doses of the sun (great for those overcast days)
If you live in a place like Seattle where individuals need items like light therapy, Vitamin D3 serves as a great and safe alternative to get the benefits of the sun without having the sun.

2. It helps eliminate depression
Vitamin D is hard to consume in a regular diet and without it you will be more prone to fight things like depression and fatigue.

3. Prevents loss of bone mass
Vitamin D is essential for maintaining the calcium balance in your body which is essential for a healthy nervous system.

4. Boosts immunity
Study after study has proven that Vitamin D is a potent immune system modulator.

If you are interested in adding it to your daily regimen, I take 5,000 IU everyday.

You need to rest.

Take time to prepare your assault!

So, what do you need to do? You need to develop a healthy ratio of rest to activity. But, be careful, too much rest can be bad.

Why? For several reasons:

• Our values begin to erode when we are at rest
• Excessive rest leads to mediocrity
• Diminished labor creates diminished rewards

If you look to the Bible, six days of labor are followed by one day of rest. Personally, this is the philosophy and style that I like to embrace. I’ll work hard Monday through Saturday abiding by the same routines. In fact, my Saturday generally looks exactly like my Tuesday. I wake-up at the same time, I help around the house, I work on my business, and I maintain my workout schedule. I’ll push myself to the max until Saturday evening at which point my rest begins.

All that to say, I love my Sundays. It’s my time to relax. It’s my time to unwind. It’s my time to decompress. It essentially provides me clarity of vision where I can plan my assault for what lies ahead.

What about you? How often do you rest each week?

One of the topics addressed very early in the book is where Keith talks about networking vs. connecting. Here’s the specific excerpt I am talking about:

Over time, I came to see reaching out to people as a way to make a difference in people’s lives as well as a way to explore and learn and enrich my own; it became the conscious construction of my life’s path. Once I saw my networking efforts in this light, I gave myself permission to practice it with abandon in every part of my professional and personal life. I didn’t think of it as cold and impersonal, the way I thought of “networking.” I was, instead, connecting—sharing my knowledge and resources, time and energy, friends and associates, and empathy and compassion in a continual effort to provide value to others, while coincidentally increasing my own.

Keith raises a good point. There is a significant difference between networking and connecting. Let me detail it further:

Networking is about…

• Schmoozing
• Being cold and impersonal
• Taking care of you first
• Being fake; posing for others

Connecting is about…

• Finding ways to make other people successful
• Being warm and friendly
• Giving more than you get
• Focusing on others
• Building relationships

I hope you choose the latter.

How are you successfully connecting with others? 

What is a Results Plan? It’s a document focused on one thing only: RESULTS! It starts with having you focus on those true outcomes you want to achieve and then forces you to work backwards from that point.

Start using Results Plans!

For example, if your main goal is to lose 100 pounds, your “Ultimate Result” would be something like “I am at my ideal weight of 165 pounds by December 31, 2012.” It’s measurable and it is also stated in the positive. If your goal was stated as just “I want to lose 100 pounds” that is far less compelling so make sure to use “I am” statements where applicable.

Once you determine your “Ultimate Result” then you need to determine the handful of “Key Results” that will make that “Ultimate Result” a reality. Let’s take the above example one step further. You should have something that looks like:

RESULTS PLAN

Ultimate Result: “I am at my ideal weight of 165 pounds by December 31, 2012.”

Now, you write out the “Key Results” the will help you accomplish it…

Key Result #1: I am an active member at a local gym where I workout 5 days a week.

Key Result #2: I am a person who is passionate about my health where I only consume 1,800 calories a day.

Key Result #3: I am a triathlete. I make swimming, biking, and running an important part of my life 6 days a week.

Again, these are all stated in the “I am” format. All are measurable. And, all are stated in the positive.

Next, you must add “Objectives” to support the accomplishment of each “Key Result.”

Let’s use “Key Result #2″ as an example.

Key Result #2: I am a person who is passionate about my health where I only consume 1,800 calories a day.

This is where you starting writing the supporting objectives…

Objective 1: I will throw away all junk food.

Objective 2: I will stop eating fast food. Period.

Objective 3: I will eat six tiny meals a day.

Your “Objectives” then become your action items. That’s it.

It’s simple. It’s straightforward. It produces results.

What approach has worked best for you?

I’ll admit that the first few days were rough. Anyone that knows me well knows that I love anything with dairy (especially specialty cheeses) and that I am proud lover of meat. Steak, burgers, gyros, hot dogs – these are all personal favorites. Well, I have finally said goodbye. Goodbye delicious Red Robin Guacamole Burger ! Goodbye yummy blue cheese! Goodbye my precious Big Mac! And, goodbye my lovely Dr. Pepper (yup, I quit soda as well). I love and miss you all.

Go vegan!

Do I have a desire to go back? Nope. Not really. Why? I invest way too much time in physical fitness (3-4 hours a day) so I am not going to give it all up for 5-8 minutes of enjoying a glorious piece of meat. Not worth it!

A perfect case study: I was at O’Charley’s just a few days ago enjoying dinner with friends. Two people at the table ordered their famous “Prime Rib Pasta” (including a link to tempt you). It’s 1530 calories, contains 101 grams of fat, 38 grams of saturated fat, 105mg of cholesterol, and 1760mg of sodium. I was envious at the moment, but looking back I am glad I opted for a salad.

With all that said, here are the positive results that help keep me focused:

• My cholesterol is way down. I am averaging about 0-5mg a day (daily average for most people is 300mg) so I am excited for my next cholesterol report.
• My energy is way up. 2pm or 3pm crashes? Doesn’t happen.
• My cardiovascular output is insane. I’m like the energizer bunny when doing a long run or long bike ride. My heart feels very strong.
• My confidence is improving. Sacrifice builds character and those little tiny sacrifices (think O’Charleys) made every day somehow builds my confidence in a weird way.
• My skin has improved. Cut the sat fat and oils and you will see a healthier glow.

These reasons alone are enough to keep me motivated. As tough as it can be, I love being a vegan.

P.S. I am not a vegan to “save the animals.” I am a vegan for my own health.

What about you? Have you ever tried to go vegan?