Physically, running can be a funny sport.  Some days you feel terrible, then go out and have a great run.  Other days you’re on top of the world, and fight just to keep going.  Unfortunately tonight, the run quickly devolved into the second category.  I greatly suspect my lunch (late and heavy on the pasta) was a prime culprit.

Good Cop, Bad Cop

It didn’t take long before I started thinking about only running one loop.  It’s funny how it creeps up on you, isn’t it?  Sure you’re struggling, but you came out with a goal regardless.  Then out of the blue comes the first unbidden thought: “what would be so bad about just running one loop?”  From there it’s like a good cop, bad cop scene where you literally argue with yourself; one side taking the position that there’s no shame in quitting if you don’t “have your stuff” (and you can always do extra in the coming days), the other side sticking to toughing it out and saving some self-esteem.

The issue, as we all know, is that history tells us that we don’t make up for it in the coming days.  While we may struggle to get through the task we’ve set before ourselves from time to time and not complete it as quickly or as eloquently as we had hoped, the fact that we did complete it greatly helps balance out that minor disappointment.

So this back and forth in my mind went on for the better part of the first run, and I still didn’t know what I was going to do as I rounded the final turn and headed up the last hill toward the parking lot.

But I kept going

I’ll jump to the end of the story and tell you that I kept going and did my second loop.  The satisfaction in doing what I said I was going to do absolutely made up for the crappy, sub-par run.  And you know what?  The second loop was far better than the first.  Sometimes if you just stick with it long enough, things work themselves out.

So what trick did I employ to talk myself into running the second loop?  What incentive did I use?  What logical argument won out over the bad cop?  Actually, I don’t really feel like I did anything, it all kind of took care of itself.  What I can tell you is that it was really the opposite of all those questions I just asked:

I simply stopped trying to talk myself out of it.

That’s right – as I rounded that last corner and headed up the hill toward the trailhead, without even thinking of it I just kind of stopped trying to convince myself that I shouldn’t continue.  I let the goal of running two loops settle back into my subconscious, and my active mind just re-occupied with random thoughts of the trail and the day.  After that everything took care of itself.  As I came up on the trailhead, I just kept running without thinking and continued on to my second loop.

Sure, it’s not always that simple, but…

…then again, maybe it is.  We spend so much time and effort trying to look for ways to do what we say we are going to do, that sometimes I think we end up spending more effort than if we would just keep running in the first place.  Plus, we all know what it feels like when we don’t do what we say we’re going to.  It feels pretty crappy, right?  But following through and staying true to our goals feels pretty awesome right?  So even though my run tonight didn’t satisfy my evening goal I stayed true to my long term goal and I did what I said I was going to do.  On balance, I’ll take that any night.

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Do what you say you’re going to do

The particulars aren’t important, although it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t quick.  But I can tell you I’m looking at a hot, steaming pile of freshly slain EXCUSE on my living room floor, and I moved one day closer to my personal goals.

Why it’s hard

It’s hard because it’s so much easier to come up with reasons not to do something versus reasons why you should:

• I’m tired
• I’ll do double tomorrow
• I don’t have enough time
• I’d rather do this other thing
• I have so many other things to do
• etc., etc.

Even more nefarious is the reasons not to do something always somehow seem to make more sense than the one or two reasons you should.  “I’m really tired today and maybe getting sick” seems like a really good reason to not do your workout compared to “I know I should”.

So, how to make it easier?

Sorry, kids, I don’t have an answer for this one.  If there was a secret, someone would be making millions off it, and if it was easy everyone would be doing it.  But there isn’t, and it’s not.  It’s a one day at a time affair; you against The Beast.  All I can say is that when it comes right down to it, right now this second, you can either decide to DO what you’ve said/promised you will do, or you can decide to NOT do what you said/promised you will do.  And making that decision, really, is pretty easy either way.

What’s the payoff for slaying the Beast?

Ah, that one I can tell you and it’s pretty sweet.  You know that feeling when you decide not to do something you’ve promised yourself you would do?  Feels pretty crappy, right?  And it doesn’t feel any better tomorrow.  Well the feeling you get when you slay that Beast, and you follow through on your promise, and you do what you promised yourself you would do, is a thousand times better.

And, as an added bonus, it may be tomorrow, it may be next week or next month, but the next time The Beast thinks about sniffing around your rodeo, I can guarantee you it will think twice.

Good hunting, my friends…

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Why it’s hard

In my first review post, I wrote on a central theme of the book, the “secret to their success”, which is bringing a sense of joy to your life.  This sense of joy is what the author largely credits to the Tarahumara Indian’s ability to run 100 miles or more, all with a smile on their face.

With this post, I’d like to focus on a short segment in the book that I found particularly inspiring.  It’s about The Beasts the ultra-distance runners in the book encounter and how they respond to them. While the stories in the book are told by these runners, they nonetheless have just as much relevance for all of us.  Even as most of these runners do what they do because they love it, a point that really stuck out for me is that when they race, they are challenging themselves by not only attempting something most rational people would think verges on the insane, but doing it while pitted against some of the best in the world that do the same thing.  It dawned on me while reading the book that this is an apt metaphor for our own most aggressive, visionary and challenging goals, whether business or personal.  Some use the term BHAG to stand for Big Hairy Audacious Goals.  Those goals that will truly stretch us, where there is a good chance if not high probability of failure, and which (unfortunately) we are usually up against some world-class naysayers.

So, whether you’re running 135 miles through 130F heat, or tackling your own personal or professional BHAG, eventually you’ll bump up against The Beast.

What Beast?

For ultra-distance runners, The Beast is often fatigue related to pushing the fringes of human physical endurance.  For you and I, The Beast is usually more personal.  For some it may be self-confidence, for others, it may be competing priorities.  Even more nefarious are subtle Beasts like impatience and unrealistic expectations.

You don’t confront The Beast by joining Toastmaster to work on your fear of public speaking; you confront The Beast by agreeing to be the keynote speaker for a conference of your peers to work on your fear of public speaking before joining Toastmasters.

So what lessons did Born to Run teach me on how to fight The Beast?  I took two lessons out of the book.

Lesson #1: Learn to love The Beast

Lisa Smith-Batchen, who trained through blizzards to win a six day race in the Sahara, gave me the most direct lesson is dealing with The Beast: learn to love it.  In her own words:

I love the Beast.  I actually look forward to the Beast showing up, because every time he does, I handle him better.  I get him more under control.

The author adds his own commentary:

Once the Beast arrives, Lisa knows what she has to deal with and can get down to work.  And isn’t that the reason she’s running through the desert in the first place – to put her training to work?  To have a friendly little tussle with the Beast and show it who’s boss?  You can’t hate the Beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as ever great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it.

Lesson #2: Believe Know the Impossible is Possible

Lisa’s comments came within the broader context of a story about Scott Jurek, an elite ultra-distance runner who was looking for a new challenge.  He found that challenge in the Badwater Ultramarathon – 135 miles through some of the most brutal conditions in North America, perhaps the world.  Having conquered virtually every ultramarathon available, Scott was nonetheless humbled by Badwater 60 miles in, and collapsed to the ground:

…Scott was vomiting and shaky.  His hands dropped to his knees, then his knees dropped to the pavement.  He collapsed by the side of the road, lying in his own sweat…his friends didn’t bother trying to help him up; they knew there was no voice in the world more persuasive than the one inside Scott’s own mind.

Call it fatigue, call it exhaustion, call it the limits of human endurance, The Beast had arrived.  His thought process to pick himself up off the ground went like this:

There’s no way, you’re done.

You’d have to do something totally sick to win this thing now.

Sick like what?

Like starting all over again.  Like pretending you just woke up from a great night’s sleep and the race hasn’t even started yet.  You’d have to run the next eighty miles as fast as you’ve ever run eighty miles in your life.

No chance.

Yeah.  I know.

When The Beast arrives, there can be no doubt as to the goal and whether it will be reached; the only question can be what needs to change to get there.  The result of this race?  Scott not only finished the race, but with a new record time.

Change in perspective

The real message in this particular chapter though I found in Lisa’s comments about The Beast.  Literature abounds that prepares us to fight The Beast.  Whether it’s Nietzsche’s concept of the overman always fighting, always struggling; or your annual performance appraisal identifying “areas for improvement” – we seem to be programmed to view challenge as something to overcome.

The important change in perspective here is to view challenge as something to look forward to and welcome.  What a change in perspective – not to view overwhelming challenges as a battle, but something to be welcomed, even looked forward to.  The Beast then becomes a real-life laboratory to put into practice all that self-development you’ve been working on.  The Beast becomes an opportunity to grow and develop even further.

More importantly perhaps, learning to welcome The Beast puts YOU in control, not The Beast.  Oh, you may lose a battle here and there, but welcoming The Beast means you have already won the war.

This change in perspective also helps me put words to describing my concept of “personal excellence” I reference here on this blog but have never felt like I could adequately describe.  Learning how to do things better, even becoming an expert, is personal development.  Welcoming The Beast is personal excellence.

Your thoughts?

Does this resonate with you?  What Beasts do you encounter?  Do you welcome them or fight them?  Does the distinction between development and excellence ring true with your experience?

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Welcoming “The Beast”

So what’s their secret?

Well, my take on it is a bit more involved than the writer is, but in a nutshell their secret appears to be something we all remember fondly, is well within our grasp, but we (wittingly, or unwittingly) choose to live without on a day to day basis.

Their secret is to combine their running with pure, childlike joy.

Yea, right, I hear you saying.  For many of us, it wouldn’t matter how much you smile, you wouldn’t be able to run 10 miles, let alone 100. Let alone without resting.   And there is where the book gets more complicated, but also where I think the message gets more relevant and more broadly applicable.  In fact, I’m taking notes and hope to write a small series on the personal growth and excellence lessons I’m learning out of this book.  For now, I’ll tell you the following story.

I AM a runner.  I’ve had my ups and downs over the years, but I do enjoy the sport.  Much like the Tarahumara, I generally shun sidewalks and roads and do almost all my running on trails.  I tend to be a short to middle distance runner preferring outings between three to six miles.  Luckily, I’m blessed to live in an area of Ohio loaded with nature trails in that range that are not only beautiful, but challenging to run.  There’s nothing like flying down a hill, half running, half jumping, testing your legs (and the trail) with a do-or-die proposition: either I’ve still got the energy after four miles to jump these three steps and still stay running, or I slide headfirst down the rest of this hill and probably end up in emergency.  (Yes – it helps to be a little crazy to be a trail runner.  Or trail runners just are a little crazy, I’m not sure which).

But that’s the essence of the book – because I can guarantee you whenever I’m running down those stairs, jumping two or three at a time and challenging my body to keep me upright, I’ve got a huge smile on my face.  And anything you’re doing, personally or professionally, that you do with a smile on your face, gets done better and feels better doing it.

I tested this theory out over the last week.  I like to stay in shape over the winter so I run treadmill a lot in my basement.  I’m sure many of you can sympathize with me when I say treadmill running is boring at best, a grind at worst.  There is nothing joyful about running on a treadmill.  Or is there?  In anticipation of better weather, I have been slowly increasing my distance, which correspondingly was increasing my boredom and ability to stay focused.  So the other day midway through a 5 mile run on the treadmill, I started imagining myself running outside, jumping from rock to rock on a hillside trail overlooking a beautiful vista.  A half-smile came to my face which I let blossom into a full-blown one.  Immediately, I could feel a change happening to my body.  A slight energy increase, a lessening of fatigue, a greater connection with that “runner’s high”.  Literally before I knew it, I had put in my last two miles or so.

I’m sure to many of you this sounds like new-age hocus pocus, and that’s fine.  If you’re a runner, or if you just like interesting stories, the book is still a great read.  Runners especially will appreciate all the information on how all the foot, shin and knee injuries that 80-90% of us experience every year, started occurring only after the introduction of the high-tech running shoe!  I’ll be talking about the Tarahumara’s answer to that one too.  The stories about some of the ultra long distance runners and races where the Tarahumara ran with them are simply a blast to read as a runner.  You will really enjoy this book.

But for those of you committed to excellence, whether personal or professional (or both), try a simple experiment.  The next time you’re doing something that is complete drudgery, remember a time it wasn’t drudgery or tie it in your mind to something else that makes you smile and brings a bit of joy to the activity.  I’ll be interested in hearing your feedback, even though I already know what will happen…

Look forward to more on this book in future posts.

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The Secret to Success from Mexican Outback Runners

I especially liked a quick little article in the recent December 2009 issue entitled House Rules: Ten gentle suggestions for keeping the domestic seas tranquil.  Written by Meg Hirshfeld, writer and wife of Gary Hirshberg (who just happens to be CEO of Stonyfield Yogurt), the article lays out a list of simple suggestions Meg and Gary developed together for “entrepreneurs who aspire to a happy marriage and thriving family life.”

I’ll bullet the list here, but I highly suggest you click over to the article for Meg and Gary’s more complete thoughts for each suggestion.  It’s a quick read.

1. You are not the boss at home.
2. Set the bar low.  But set it somewhere.  (As in, make time for time together.  As Meg so aptly puts it “Being together reminds you that you enjoy being together.  And that reminds both of you why this enormous undertaking is worthwhile.”
3. Please, turn off the Blackberry.
4. When a big business decision looms, give your spouse a seat at the table.
5. Enter your spouse’s universe from time to time.
6. Make her communications a priority.
7. Don’t squeeze her in.
8. Treat your spouse like she’s your most important client.
9. Acknowledge her role.
10. Take frequent inventory.

My thoughts

I’ve been doing a lot of research over the last year on the topic of interpersonal relationships: why certain people gravitate together, the dynamics of relationship stages, and the difficulties in developing and maintaining long-term, constructive, meaningful relationships.  This focused research has taken place on top of my normal business reading, both books and magazines.

What’s surprised me a bit is not just how much both bodies of work have in common, but how applicable each is to the other.  While Meg’s list above is written from the context of keeping your marriage happy when one spouse is a workaholic entrepreneur, the suggestions are just as applicable for any couple.  Likewise, all the material I’ve been reading about interpersonal relationships contain a wealth of actionable thoughts on developing and maintaining authentic relationships based on respect and trust at work.  Something I think we can all agree is often in short supply.

Perhaps my thoughts are colored by the stage of life I’m at.  Being later in my career with much more responsibility than I had in earlier jobs, the line between my business and personal life has blurred quite a bit over the years.  But while it’s a fair question to ask, I would suggest that the answer really doesn’t matter.  If we can strengthen, even deepen, our relationships at work and at home, who cares what aisle of the bookstore helped us?

Comments are open

What do you think?  Do you agree that relationships, whether at work or at home, follow similar “rules”?  Is there a relationship lesson you’ve learned professionally that you applied in your personal life, or vice versa?  What suggestions would you offer entrepreneurs to keep a happy marriage and a thriving family life?

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How to be successful AND stay married

Simple Mom recently published a post on tips for handling “extended family holiday stress”.   That’s a very polite way of expressing what most of us know to be a truth during this time of year, and what is succinctly described by the post’s author in the opening paragraphs:

My father-in-law aptly stated it this way: one of the best things about the holidays is seeing the headlights of family members coming up the driveway to visit. The second best thing about the holidays is seeing their taillights as they drive away.

I think we can all relate!

The post is much more than just inside jokes about family relations though, and offers some practical, and positive tips on coping with can be stressful family situations during what should be a joyous time of year.  I particularly like the author’s point of view on what ultimately is most important, as tip #1 is “Your Spouse Comes First”.

This is a great little article and I highly recommend you check it out: 8 Tips for Handling Extended Family Stress During the Holidays.

Stay sane.  Stay positive.

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Just in Time – Destressing the holidays

One of those learning opportunities came my way over the last couple of weeks.  In no less than three fairly strategic discussions, at some point in the discussion someone said:

But if we did it for them, we’d have to do it for everyone.

I don’t know what it is about that comment that drives me nuts, but it always has.  Maybe it’s that too often it’s used as a door-closer to a discussion.  Maybe in my mind I interpret it as the person using the comment as a smokescreen when they really just aren’t interested in change. After some reflection over the last few weeks, I think my real problem with the statement is what I perceive as it’s inherent negativity; especially when the comment is made by a leader.

So, having noticed that his learning opportunity was sent my way, I set about to take advantage of it, in two ways.  First, I started upon some reflection of why this phrase bothers me so much, and positive ways I can process the statement and keep the conversation moving forward.  Second, since every time the comment was made it came up amid discussions I was having with some very smart people that I truly respect, I paid particular attention to how they responded.

In a couple short weeks, I have a completely new toolkit on how to deal with this potentially deadly comment.  Here’s what I came up with:

First – keep your emotions in check. If you are like me, I’ve recognized that when this comment comes up in a discussion, I tend to get somewhat irritated.  That irritation can come through in not only your comments but your body language.  Without even trying (or knowing it, if you’re not aware), you might come off as defensive, even angry.  Nothing kills a positive discussion like negativity.

What I’ve tried to focus on is a belief that the person making the statement has made it for all the right reasons; like you, they have a vested interest in a positive outcome for the decision at hand and this statement is simply their language to voice a particular concern.  If you process the statement as merely an indication that they are just as passionate about making the right decision as you are, you can get past whatever negativity you may perceive in the words chosen.

The next logical step I’ve come across is to examine the target population being discussed (the “everyone”), in the context of what you are proposing for the individual.  By that I mean that maybe, like the picture above, there are some unique aspects to the individual person or group you are proposing to take action for, that sets them apart from the population at large such that the odds are you wouldn’t have to do it “for everyone”, or the way you do it for the individual would not fit the needs of everyone else.

Say for example you are an HR Director and you are considering making a special allowance for an employee to work a reduced-hours work week.  It is natural then for the rest of the executive team to wonder whether then everyone in the company will want to have a reduced work week, leading to loss of productivity and revenue.  If however, there are unique circumstances surrounding the individual and/or the request, then perhaps the request could be granted in such a way as to head off a large influx of follow-on requests.  For example, maybe the individual was pursuing an MBA and their final semester required a class only offered during the day.  If the exception is granted and put into policy as an education allowance, then both your employees and the company both win.

You may also want to think about if “doing it for everyone” is a necessarily a bad thing.  Let’s say you run an office building and a couple tenants have asked if they ride their bikes to work, could they lock them up outside the back entrance.  “But if we let a couple tenants do this, then everyone will want to,” comes the response from your Board.

Well, first of all, from thinking through the second tip above you may have probably already determined that not everyone in your building will want to ride a bike to work.  That said, there are probably more than just the couple that asked you.  So, what’s so bad about a bunch of people riding their bike to your office building?  Isn’t that a good thing?  Maybe there’s an opportunity here to “be green” and foster healthy lifestyles.  With a relatively small investment, you could install a bike rack, promote it to your tenants, and maybe create some good will as a landlord.

Lastly, think about how to accomplish the same objective in a different manner.  I’m on the Board of a professional networking organization.  We offer a free year of membership to members who lose their employment.  We were recently approached by an individual fitting the application criteria of the group that was moving back into our area after being down-sized from his out of state employer.  He found out about our group and petitioned to be given a free membership to get plugged back in to our community.

The ensuing Board discussion centered around a real desire to help this person tempered by the “but if we did it for him…” question.  With the current economy combined with the popularity of our group, this was a very real challenge.  Just as the discussion was wrapping up with a decision to not give this person membership, one of the Board members came up with an idea that maybe we could institute a program or policy whereby job seekers fitting our membership criteria but weren’t previously members, could attend a one or two meetings and be given an opportunity to give a short overview of themselves.  Good for the group – a member might find just the new employee they were looking for.  Good for the individual – they get access to potential employers and an opportunity to introduce themselves.  Good for the Board – we get to do the “right thing” and will most likely get a paying member sometime in the future.

So there are four solid ways I’ve come up with to respond to a valid question that I previously saw as a negative roadblock in discussions.  Over to you, readers.  Is the “if we did it for them…” challenge one that you’ve struggled with?  Regardless, what techniques do you use to get past this roadblock if the proposal on the table is one you are passionate about?

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If we did it for them…

Wag more.  Bark less.

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More advice from dogs

Push UP the hills, recover DOWN the hills, and SPRINT to the finish

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Training to be excellent

His view on work, and life, is that you don’t have to live your life the way people expect you to and if you don’t decide what you want to get out of life, someone else will do it for you.

Chris’ writings on personal responsibility and excellence are some of the best I’ve read and reflect the nature and spirit of the topic I try to impart on this site.  In a recent post talking about personal responsibility and “showing up”, Chris had this to say:

To be truly awesome, you have to go above and beyond the efforts of those around you, look for alternative solutions, and refuse to back down from the truth. There’s a whole article about it for those who are curious.

But it all starts with showing up. Or, as a friend of mine puts it:

“I’m sorry you feel bad about not meeting your goals– what I would suggest is that you begin meeting your goals, in order to feel better.”

Insight such as this is difficult for some people to accept. Just imagine the excuses you’d hear:

But that’s not fair! But I tried to do it and something else came up! But some things are out of our control!

You can probably think of other excuses – in fact, you’ve probably heard them many times over. Thankfully, for those of us who do take responsibility, there’s good news on two levels. The first good news is that we automatically stand out. In a world of buck-passers, those who decide to take responsibility are unusual. Yay. You get the yellow jersey by default. (You still have to win the race, but no one is surprised when you do.)

But on a deeper level, the bright side of taking responsibility is that you can own your own success. Sure, other people helped you get there, but you were the one who actually crossed the finish line. You showed up. You did it. If you have to own the struggle and failure, integral parts of any goal worth pursuing, surely you can also own some of the success.

Remember this: many people can help you achieve success, but no one else is RESPONSIBLE for your success.

I can’t speak for you, but for me this is pure inspirational genius.

I was reminded of this post last night.  I was attending a meeting of a local angel investor group.  There was an entrepreneur making a presentation in support of an investment decision by the group.  I love watching these presentations – I pick up so many ideas on what does and doesn’t work in a pitch presentation; especially in situations like these when it’s an actual, real-live pitch with money at stake!

The presenter was doing a good job; clearly he had done this before.  But then I noticed he was doing one of the no-no’s we coach our entrepreneurs about: he was constantly looking back at his slides.  He hadn’t fallen into the trap of reading the slides, but he was looking at them quite a bit.

Normally this is a very bad thing.  In this case, the presentation ended up being very well done.  The difference?  The entrepreneur took responsibility for his presentation’s success.  He was confident.  He was credible.  He was prepared.  And it was very apparent he was passionate and believed knew he was going to be successful.  To Chris’ point above, that kind of attitude stands out, mostly because it is too often seen.  For the fifteen minutes he was presenting, he owned that room.

The entrepreneur was approved for funding.  One could say it was because of a good product and sound business model.  One could say it was because of a positive report out of the due diligence team.  I would say while those were supporting factors, his funding was approved because he took responsibility for his success.

Whether you are an entrepreneur or someone simply interested in your own personal excellence – take responsibility for your success. 

Own your room.

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Own your room

Note cards.  Those brilliantly simple, 3×5 lined notecards.

The article uses as it’s foundation something called the behavioral school of economics to initiate a conversation around how current management and leadership theory is changing and looking more at how we truly think and operate in the real world as leaders.  Towards the end of the article, the author draws a seemingly obvious but nonetheless insightful observation:

The ultimate lesson of the 3 x 5 card school of management is this: in turbulent, unpredictable, rapidly changing times, we’re all looking for things that work.

Amen, brother.

As a Leader – what should matter most?

This point struck me as very similar to a frequent conversation I’ve had in relation to technology over the years.  Whether from subordinates, managers or leaders, it seems we all too often forget what the true goal of any project should be: positive results.  Therefore one of my consistent mantras in any conversation involving technology is: Technology is a tool, not an end.  Over my career I’ve found there are often many ways to achieve the results you are seeking without the time, effort and money to implement a technological solution.  I’ve also too often observed the close corollary that many times the value created from a technology solution is not greater than the resources required to implement and maintain it.

Don’t get me wrong – I love technology.  I tend to be an early adopter.  I’ve been a Director of IT and implemented several high value solutions.  I’m a computer game junkie and was a level 60 in World of Warcraft before you probably even knew what it was.  And while I wouldn’t be lost without my Blackberry, I would prefer not to test that assertion.  But at some point, both personally and professionally, it becomes a matter of focus: what is more important, the results or the method?

My new simple tool

There is another DCO reader out there who shares my passion for the ultimate organizational system.  I think we both recognize it is a Holy Grail quest, but yet we continue the search.  With my recent switch to a Mac at home, I have a whole new field of contenders to review that claim they want to organize my day and my life.  While many offer valuable pieces of the puzzle, and one or two came close to being lifesavers, the process of demo-ing them all simply reinforced the message that my day and my life are in my own hands and I alone am solely responsible for the positive results I create out of them.

I’ve recently come full circle back to that “3×5″ approach to life management.  As part of my personal coaching, I’ve come to adopt, and very quickly love, a new simple tool: the Moleskine notebook.

You’ve probably seen a moleskine; you may recognize the name even if you haven’t.  Moleskines have a rich legacy:

MOLESKINE is the legendary notebook that has held the inspirations and ideas of everyone from Van Gogh, Picasso and Hemingway to famed author, Bruce Chatwin. Artists, authors, and geniuses of all variety have long appreciated the simplicity and superior functionality of these notebooks.

Originally these books were produced by small French bookbinders who supplied the Parisian stationery shops frequented by the international avant-garde. However, In 1986, the last manufacturer of Moleskine, a family operation in Tours, closed and Moleskines were gone – but not forgotten. As a result of their previous popularity and demand, they did return. In 1998, a small Milanese publisher brought these books back for writers, artists, travelers and all free-thinkers around the globe.

I carry my Moleskine (a 5×8 square ruled softcover) with me wherever I go now.  I love the attention to detail and the pure functionality of this diary-sized notebook.  It may seem extravagant versus simple 3×5 cards, but I find it to be a fitting repository for my “next big ideas”!

Some simple resources

You can visit the official Moleskine website for overviews and specs of all their products.  While you can order off the Moleskine website, I actually found Amazon’s Moleskine Store to be ever so slightly cheaper on a product by product basis, and many times you can get free shipping at around $25.

As is the case with many Harvard Business Publishing’s articles, the author was plugging his book, Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self.  While this tends to annoy me in other venues, I really don’t mind it when HBP does it since their authors consistenly write thoughtful, pragmatic, useful information geared toward personal and professional excellence.  Basically, everything we’re all about here.

Tell me – What’s YOUR favorite low tech tool?

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low tech

Figuring out who you are is the easy part; being who you are is the challenge.

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Thought for the day

What would you do if I gave you $1,440 every day?

Well my friends, you do get 1,440 every day – not in dollars but in minutes.  1,440 is the number of minutes in a day.  When you first hear the number it sounds a little low, doesn’t it?  A minute goes by so fast, it’s hard to believe there are only around 1,400 of them in a day.

Yesterday, as I sat talking with a coach of mine discussing some personal growth tactics, it dawned on me that the 60 minutes I spent in that discussion was the only “investment” of my 1,440 that day.  A mere 4.2% of my daily allowance.  Now, I expect a fairly significant payback on that on-going investment, but I got to thinking about all the daily activities and choices that offer virtually no chance of payback.

It’s a matter of focus.  Back in my martial arts days we had a saying: “Your energy flows where your thoughts go.“  If you want to invest your 1,440 into personal excellence then it has to be a focus in your life.  Obviously, it won’t be your sole focus, but it needs to be on that short list we all have of the 3 – 5 things that are most important to us and deserve daily attention and monitoring.

What are you doing with your 1,440 today?  Have you added personal excellence to your short list?

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1440

Over the past month or so, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with a number of folks looking to get started in the blogging world and wanting to get some input on how to get started and what it’s all about.  Just last night, I helped my sister set up a blog to promote her private counseling practice.

In talking with such a wide range of individuals, and watching fellow bloggers over the years, there seems to be a handful of “surprises” when people first get into blogging.  Just like anything new, there’s no way to really know if it’s for you until you dive in.

So for those of you out there who may be contemplating starting a blog, here’s my list of “surprises” I’ve overcome along the way.

You need some basic technical acumen or a friend with some

Unless you let your blogging platform provider host your blog for you (e.g. wordpress.com), you will be “self-hosting” your own blog.   This means signing up with a hosting company.  It also means getting your fingers dirty from time to time updating software, uploading files, managing domains, etc.  While many hosters offer tools to help automate some of these activities, without a basic understanding of what you need to do you may find yourself a little nervous just clicking a button.

When it comes to your blog, I’ve found very few new bloggers who don’t eventually want to start tweaking the look, feel and functionality of their blog.  There are many tools, plugins and developers available online to help you.  With a basic understanding of some of the technology involved (or a friend that does), you can perform many of these tweaks yourself.

Your blog is a business…

…and for it to be successful, you need to treat it like one.  The number one critical success factor for a blog is consistent, meaningful content.  If there is one thing I typically see people underestimate when it comes to blogging, it’s the amount of time and effort that goes into publishing content.  Once you get past your first ten posts or so, do you still have something to say?  Will you take the time to publish something, anything, at least a couple times a week?  Are you a decent writer that possesses basic grammar skills?

When I’m consulting with a potential new blogger, I challenge them hard on their writing skills, their passion for the topic they intend to blog about, and their commitment to the blog.  If it still feels like a blog is a good fit for them, then I strongly suggest they formally create a “syndication schedule” for themselves.   Other folks call this an editorial calendar, so someone correct me if I’m using confusing language.  Such a schedule would involve how many times a week they will post on their blog, a balance of long and short content, and the spread of topic coverage.  For instance, your syndication schedule might be something like: two posts a week, with two featured posts per month and coverage of all my five basic categories at least once per month.  The key is aligning the schedule with the goals for your blog.  The second key is formalizing the schedule into your life schedule.  For example, if this is a work blog, then add a recurring appointment to your schedule for post writing.

It’s bigger than you think

I think the last big surprise for a lot of people is that it doesn’t stop with simply creating and posting to a blog.  If your goals revolve around anything that sounds like growing your business or attracting lots of traffic, then simply writing content, even if it’s great content, is not enough.  All the successful bloggers spend copious amounts of time commenting on other blogs, participating in discussion boards, etc. etc.

As a blogger, you are part of a larger community.  A large part of your online success will be tied to how effectively you engage that community.  Don’t underestimate either the time or difficulty in developing that engagement.  I think it’s also easy to think you don’t need the community either.  An in-depth look at this topic is beyond the scope of this short post, but suffice it to say becoming involved in the online community is just as critical to the success of your blog as regular content is, and could well take more time.

Okay fellow bloggers – your turn!

So I know there are some regular bloggers that stop by here.  What are your observations on blogging?  What “surprises” did you have when you first started up and what do you consider to be critical success factors for a thriving blog?

For those of you thinking of starting a blog, what’s holding you back?  What are you most afraid of or feel unprepared to handle?

UPDATE 6/14/09 – ProBlogger’s take on the topic.
UPDATE 7/2/09 – If you make the decision, here’s some thought-provokers on how to write a strategic blog.

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What’s so hard about blogging?

Of course, we all know that way it really works is if you have a good experience, you probably don’t tell anyone; and if you have a bad experience you tell anyone who will listen.

So it is with personal excellence and personal branding.   If you are truly committed to a very high standard of excellence, then you must stay constantly aware of how you are interacting with the world around you. I would go so far as to say that a critical component of personal excellence is hyper-vigilance of your words, your actions and your messages.

I re-learned that lesson last week in a brief Facebook comment exchange with Anita Campbell.

So who is Anita Campbell?

If you’re not familiar with Anita, she runs her own not-so-little online media empire which includes the highly successful SmallBizTrends blog (with over 100K subscribers), Small Business Trends Radio (which I had the pleasure to be featured on), and her newest addition BizSugar, a Digg-like business news site for small and medium businesses.

Anita is pretty active on Facebook, promoting her various outlets and constantly posting useful information, links and questions for small and medium-sized business owners.

As successful as she is, and as active as she keeps herself operating and growing her various businesses, she is also very approachable and has always responded in a timely manner to the few inquiries I’ve sent her way (I got to met Anita several years back when we were briefly on an Advisory Board together).  Over the last year I put together a panel discussion on Web 2.0 tools and Anita helped me fill 2 of the 3 slots on the panel.

What took me “back to school”?

Last week Anita posted a RT (re-tweet) on Facebook linking to an article with the title “Ten Tips for Finding Grants for Making Your Business Greener.”  This caught me at a good time since I have recently been getting a lot of requests from entreprenuers and small business owners on the very same topic.  Clicking through to the article, a community-recommended post on Bizugar, I was initially disappointed to find that most of the tips were fairly basic things like doing online research to find grants and learn how to write a relevant grant proposal. There were a couple good suggestions in the list, but overall I was disappointed in the article.

So, instead of just moving on, I commented on Anita’s Facebook post and broke two essential rules of personal excellence:

1. If you don’t have anything positive to say, don’t say anything.  The post didn’t have a lot of value for me, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t for lots of other people.  To simply comment to say “I didn’t get a lot of value out of this post” doesn’t add anything of value to the conversation and only reflects poorly on yourself.
2. If you’re going to point out an issue, offer a solution.  Anita handled the comment like a pro (because she is one) and then suggested that I post a “definitive article” on the topic.  Instead of taking her up on her offer and saving some face, I instead blew off the opening and said I had the same issue finding good information.

What Anita did right

This may seem like a trite example, but there are some lessons in here to be learned for those of us who are serious about pursuing personal excellence.

First, every single personal interaction you have, whether face to face or virtual, is an opportunity.  It’s an opportunity either to build and reinforce your “brand” of personal excellence or show a different face.  Just like that sign in the diner, another old cliche that comes to mind is “It can take forever to build a good reputation, but just one comment to destroy it”.  By responding positively to a somewhat negative comment, Anita reinforced her professional image.

Second, Anita opened the door for me to postively add to the conversation.  While I didn’t take her up on the offer (yet!), by opening that door she created a space for me to enhance my own professional image.  Creating opportunities for others in all situations I think is an important business skill, made even more crucial in today’s highly-networked, virtual world.

Parting thoughts

We are all online more and more these days.  Virtual communication is immediate and “the Internet never forgets”.   Smiley faces notwithstanding, it is very hard to convey emotion, sentiment and conversational nuances in virtual communications.  This becomes especially apparent as the communication becomes shorter and shorter – Facebook comments and Twitter tweets being great examples.  In a face to face conversation you have an opportunity to more fully explain your comment and your meaning.  Online, it is much harder.

I also think the online environment is less forgiving.  Since we are all getting smaller and smaller slices of everyone’s attention span, each communication, not matter how slight, becomes more and more important.  In some ways I think it is even harder to build a brand or image online, and even easier to negatively impact it.  The rise of social media channels has opened up tremendous opportunities for businesses and individuals alike to interact with ever-widening audiences, but their immediacy of contact should not be underestimated.

Finally, and I hope you are reading this Anita, I accept your challenge to come up with some resources for businesses wanting to “go green”.  I’ll post something very soon.

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Back to school with Anita Campbell