CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT

Hey all you faithful BEST YEAR YET blog readers.

We are going to be “CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT.”

So I won’t be giving you any words of encouragement like:

• YOU GOT THIS
• DON’T QUIT
• NEVER GIVE UP

Or words of inspiration like:

• BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD
• DON’T WISH IT WERE EASIER, WISH YOU WERE BETTER

Nope....tonight there won’t be any of that.

Instead, there’s some inventory to do.  There’s cleaning to be done.  Rearranging the stock. Taking care of some items that need fixing.

So, as I’m “CLOSED” maybe you too can also do the same and:

• Do inventory in your life
• Clean up the messes you have made
• Rearrange the stock in your life.  Get rid of things that are causing the mess
• Whatever needs fixing....DO THAT!

So, we’ll be back open tomorrow.   Same Bat-Time.....Same Bat-Station!

UNCOMMINGLY COMMON

The CHEERLEADER and I were talking with some other family members tonight about making a difference in OUR WORLD.

I like to define “OUR WORLD” as the world around me....around you.

It can, but doesn’t have to be the world as know it.  

Growing up...for me, that meant the globe. 

I had this globe that was on some type of a spindle that could spin like you were spinning a basketball on your finger.

I would spin the globe around and then stop it with my finger saying, “This is where I’m going to go!”  Of course, if it landed in a country I wasn’t familiar with or one I thought I didn’t want to go to, I would tell myself, “Ok, 2 out of 3!”

Back to changing the world....

What does it take to be a world changer?

Is it money?

Influence?

Business?

What is it?

I really don’t think it takes a new action to do it.

We just need to be UNCOMMINGLY COMMON.

By that, I mean that we don’t have to do anything different than what we currently do, to make a difference.

COMMON has become UNCOMMON.  

Do what other are afraid to do.

Do what others are unwilling to do.

Do what other need from you.

Do you know that you have what someone else needs?

DO THAT!

My thought is, that in our BEST YEAR YET, there are actions that each of us have in us to do that will impact that world around us.

THAT is what I’m asking you to consider to do.  

Be UNCOMMINGLY COMMON.  

Do what is used to think was common.

THAT will impact the world you live in....AND will make a lasting difference in this world.

IT’S IN YOUR COURT

Earlier today, the CHEERLEADER was reading me a story from our local paper about a guy from Nebraska who just completed the 2017 Ironman World Championships in Konya, Hawaii.

The Ironman is an endurance competition made up of a 2.4 mile swim in open water; 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon...26.2 miles.  All done in a day with a time component that if you don’t hit certain times at designated points on the course, your race is done.

It is in credible feat for anyone, but someone, who 13 years ago found himself waking up, outside next to a dumpster, in the winter, after passing out from being intoxicated, wetting himself, and realizing that his face and hands were frozen to the ground, this is amazing.

This man made up his mind, after waking up that day, that HE had to do something if he wanted his life to be different.

Besides having the strength to get help for his addictions, quitting the vices he had, cold turkey, this guy did something profound.....He made a list of goals.

Not just any goals, but a list of highly improbable goals:

• Moving into the middle class
• Even though he was just making minimum wage
• Being a good father to his daughter
• Even though he had wrecked every relationship he had to this point
• THE biggest...most impossible goal of all...he wrote down:
• FINISH AN IRONMAN TRIATHLON
• This one he wrote down despite being 60 pounds overweight; a pack-a-day smoker; he didn’t own a bike; and, at the time, he didn’t know how to swim

Remember, goals.....YOUR GOALS will always have an opportunity to be realized...IF you don’t quit.

He kept his written list in his wallet....and slowly worked toward them.

What seemingly impossible goals are rolling around in your head?

What is that one, two or three things you want to go after?

Are they big? 

Write a list of things that you want to accomplish.

Next....START!  

Start where you are at and look to do “that much more” the next day....then do it aging next day....then the day after that...the day after that.....

The “ball,” IT’S IN YOUR COURT.

ARE YOU IT

Are you IT?

What is IT?

As we’ve mentioned before, here in the BEST YEAR YET blog, Gandi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

It’s not enough to just talk about IT....Gandi said that we need to BE IT.

Talk will only go so far.

Being IT is not a title.

Being IT is an action.

A good leader:

• KNOWS the way
• You’ve been there.  You have the map....heck, you don’t need the map
• SHOWS the way
• You are able to teach others how to get there.  You can demonstrate it
• GOES the way
• You live it out.  It’s not just talk.  It the way of life

“He who thinks he is the leader and no one is following, is only out for a walk.”  Chinese Proverb

So, as a leader, what do you want to see your influence on or with?

You can lead from anywhere...front of the pack, middle of the pack, or at the back of the pack.

If you are IT....don’t just talk about IT...ACT like IT!

DETERMINATION

de·ter·mi·na·tion

dəˌtərməˈnāSH(ə)n/

      -  firmness of purpose; resoluteness.

DETERMINATION.

I was talking to a friend who works out hard to enter physique competitions.

He was telling me about the training cycle of lifting heavy, gaining weight, and then slowly taking the weight off for the competition.

He had an injury last last year that has kept him from being able to work out like he likes to.

That is when the conversation turned to having a focus on something that is a target that you are going after.

He said he needs that to stay focused.

I said that I need that to stay focused.

I like to run.  

That is why I have something that I'm planning....I'm looking forward to...so I can keep my focus.

The other day, the CHEERLEADER asked me what were my running plans/goals for 2018.

I loved that she asked me that.  She knows having a target keeps me focused....keeps me motivated.

You know what I found out?  The focus I have goes into all areas of my life...not just running.

There's something about the DETERMINATION to hit a goal, that causes me (maybe you too) to be so focused, and all areas of my life benefit from it.

Last year, in 2016, I had committed to running 2 marathons for ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL as a St. Jude Hero.  That just means that I committed to raise awareness and a certain amount of money for the opportunity to run these marathons.

Both of these (Chicago Marathon and Memphis Marathon) were set to run later in the year. In early May of 2016, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  As I have talked about here in the BEST YEAR YET blog, on August 1st, I had surgery to remove the cancer from my body.

DETERMINATION.

Although the Chicago Marathon was just 2 months post surgery, I was DETERMINED to still run that race for a couple of reasons:

• I wanted to honor my commitment to St. Jude's and all who supported my efforts.
• I wanted to show cancer that I WIN....no matter how long it took me to run and finish that race.

What is something you are DETERMINED to take on?

• A new fitness goal
• A new job
• A new hobby
• A new language
• A new relationship
• Fixing a current relationship

Whatever it is, have the DETERMINATION...the firmness of purpose, resoluteness...to see it through.

YOU.CAN.DO.THIS!

FINAL NOTE:

I wouldn't have run Chicago if it would have been harmful to my health.  If you are going to take on something that is physical in nature, check with your doctor that you are ok, physically, to do it.

Running Chicago was the most difficult, hardest, yet rewarding task I have ever taken on.  I wasn't going to let a cancer diagnosis dictate to me how I was going to live my life. 

Almost to the finish line!

The fruit of my labor!

IT ALL STARTS HERE

When I started running by taking a challenge to run a charity 5K, 5 years ago, I never even dreamed of running the BOSTON MARATHON let alone ANY marathon.

Yesterday, November 1, 2017, I found out that I will be from Hopkinton to Downtown Boston next Patriot's Day, April 16, 2018.

The BOSTON MARATHON is the world's oldest annual marathon and the world's best known road-racing event.

Since 2014, I have run 4 marathons as a St. Jude Hero for ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPTIAL....BOSTON will be my 5th.

Each time I run for St. Jude, I raise money and awareness for this great organization.

If you don't know, because of the generosity of companies and individuals, no family ever receives a bill when their child is treated at St. Jude.  

I have written about Danny Thomas, the founder of this organization, who had a vision that the only thing a family should be concerned about is getting their child healthy.

I am so honored to be among the 11 who were picked after an application process as well an interview, to be on this team who's goal is to raise over $160,000.  My specific goal is to raise $10,000.

It costs over $2 million dollars, per day, to operate St. Jude's and for those patient families, to not see a bill is monumental.

IT ALL STARTS HERE.

Today I set out to raise the $10,000 and beyond.  

Will you consider helping?

As Danny Thomas once famously said, "No child should die in the dawn of life."

There is a site that is set up where you can go to give.  CLICK HERE and it will take you to my page. Once there, click the DONATE NOW button.

I will be writing about my training and fundraising progress, so keep tuned in.

Also, if you would, please pass this information on to those in your social networks so that we can get the word out further than what I could.

Thank you for your consideration.

IT ALL STARTS HERE!

See you in Boston in the Spring!

HOME SWEET HOME

 I have 3 favorite places on Earth:

1. Wherever the CHEERLEADER is!
2. New York City
3. Maui, Hawaii

I love the energy of THE City.

I love the tranquility of Maui.

The last few days, I have been in limbo.

I wasn't in New York City.

I wasn't in Maui, Hawaii.

And, the CHEERLEADER was out of town on business and I wasn't with her.

Today, though, she got home!

I don't know who was more excited...me, the CHEERLEADER or Bella, the dog!

There's something about being HOME...but more importantly, being with the one(s) you love.

As I mentioned above, my TOP favorite place is when she and I are together.

I like it when we are in our actual home, but to me, just being with her is HOME.

The definition of HOME is, "the place where one lives." 

Where is HOME for you?

Where do you "live?"

Where is that place where you and those you love are together....are comfortable...are safe and secure?

If HOME is truly where the heart is....where have you been parking your heart?

For some, it's time to grab ahold of your heart and GO BACK HOME.

For others, it could be time to renovate the HOME of your heart.

Wherever it is for you, take the steps necessary to create a place where you ALWAYS want to be.

BEST YEAR YET in my HOME SWEET HOME!