Happy Holidays and Random Fillers

First off let me say Happy Holidays from The Oergel's. I hope that you are doing everything you can to get the most out of your life. I personally have been blessed beyond belief with mostly everything in the picture above. These four individuals are the sole purpose of me wanting to be a better person everyday and constantly striving to improve myself through individual interaction, self study and personal development.

I know everyone is busy with their holiday schedule but I thought I would share with you 5 random blog fillers. They are quick and to the point but strong enough to push you to the next level.

1. Selflessness - This time of year seems to really push people to think outside themselves. We buy gifts for others, donate more to charities, embrace families that are in need of help, spend more time with family and friends and so on....well my question is why can't you carry this trend throughout the year. I know plenty of people (my wife included) that never think of themselves first. Their first thought is always to take care of others. I am not saying they don't take time for themselves but these people understand the dynamic of the small things in life that if done help people constantly.

2. Accountability - During a recent morning reflection I thought about the concept of a mentor. While I have had some amazing people in my life look out for me and help me along I have never had someone that I called a mentor. That being said even though I am almost 40 there is never a its to late point in our life's. I proceeded to set up a lunch with a man I respect more than he will ever know to simply ask him if he would mentor me. The problem at the end of the day I couldn't figure out what the hell he would mentor me in. So he and I flipped around the title and make it more of an accountability partnership. Someone to help keep you on track when life tries and bring you down and you may not have the energy to respond. Many people also use accountability in their marriage, exercise routine, professional setting, etc. End goal is to have someone around who helps build you up and not break you down.

3. Goal Setting  -  I think this topic is one that has lost its meaning overtime. The word goal is constantly thrown out into the world and when we hear it we get excited for a millisecond then the excitement wanes either when you get overwhelmed and give up or don't know how to structure a goal. I personally use about 30 minutes every Sunday to not only plan out the weeks goals but also to make sure that I have been following the path to completing my larger goals. The weekly/daily goals are the foundation for my larger goals. These are the most crucial ones needed to make sure that I am on track. This is also where most people get lost. They say they want to accomplish X but never revisit their path to make sure they are doing the necessary leg work. The last thing with goal setting is I challenge you to think big and go for the big goals. Goals that are large and initially make us uncomfortable are some of the most rewarding goals you will accomplish. They will teach you more about yourself and what your made of and constantly improve your confidence in yourself and those that support you.

4. Double Sided Match - Most of us get extremely busy in life and are constantly burning the match at both ends. Whether its lack of sleep, poor nutrition, excuses for exercising, stress of a job, faulty self improvement or not listening to your spouse once the match burns up and goes out you will be in a personal state that is hard to come out of. So why not invest the time in yourself. Learn what strategies work for you. Take the time to learn how simple changes in diet, 20 minutes of exercise and listening to your spouse can boost productivity in your life. We are blessed with a very technological world now and the ease of information at our hands is incredible. I have recently been listening to some of the smartest people in the world on podcasts during all of my long runs. The wealth of information to improve oneself is inspiring. So I challenge you to go be inspired and take care of yourself so you can help take care of those around you.

5. Daily Rituals - Some of the most successful, brilliant, creative minds of our time all have one thing in common from my readings. They all had daily rituals for success. Most of them started with a 30-60 minute ritual every single morning. Whether it was meditation, self improvement, exercise, certain nutritional movement patterns or just simply being present in time they all woke up every single day and went through their routine without out much thought to what was next. This allowed them structure to start their day. A time to build upon and reflect about where they have come and where they are going. An ability to be calm instead of waking up late, running frantic getting ready, eating a terrible breakfast and showing up to their first task unprepared these individuals where already a step above the rest. Over the past year I myself have set in motion the first 60 minutes of my day which starts at 5AM 7 days a week and allows me to always know my next move.


Hope some of you can take pieces of these fillers and apply them to your life. I also challenge you to put your goals out into the world for other people to see which allows them a sense of accountability.

Make It Count!!!

Also thanks to everyone who has donated to my Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Ironman project. I am grateful for your time and donation. For everyone interested in donating you can find the link at the top of the blog and remember every penny helps.

Interactions

Hard to believe how fast this year has come and gone. I hope that deep down you were able to make the most out of 2014. Did you accomplish the goals you had in place for the year? Where you able to invest the time in yourself to make YOU a better person? Did you overcome obstacles because you were resilient in your drive to succeed? My hope and prayer is that you can answer yes to these questions and many more like them.

Now if you are still plugging away at goals and still trying to dig deep and Make It Count then keep on truckin and don't give up. Life is more than just a day, week, month or yearly goal set in place on January 1st. Life is a constant, changing, evolving creature that requires you to always be present and to always adapt to change. Individual and family goals should require not only present time consciousness but a target of 10-20-30 and beyond years. What you build now will make who you are down the line. I can also say that with 21 days left in the month that its not to late to create new goals for 2014 if that is something you are interested in.

One goal I have for you is to make every interaction you have with someone a memorable one. Each and everyday make sure that each time you come into contact with an individual that you take whatever time needed to invest in them. The reason I bring this up and why I think it is so important is you never know what stage of life that person is in. Yeah the holidays are great at rising peoples spirits with hope and love but at the same time it can be a very stressful sad period for someone who has lost everything they own or maybe lost a loved one this year. Unfortunately these individuals don't wear a description on their sleeve saying I am having a hard time so its imperative that every time you interact with someone you make sure that they go away feeling like they are the most important person in the world.

Perfect example of this is yesterday while my little lady and I were Christmas shopping we came across an older lady who seemed confused and mumbling words under her breath. I decided it was my duty to make sure she was ok so I asked if there was anything I could do to help. She stated that her husband of 60 years passed away this fall and ever since she feels lost and almost like each day has no meaning. I proceeded to talk with her for a few minutes all the while trying to make her feel like she mattered still. Well a few minutes turned into what felt like hours and soon enough she walked away head held high with a huge smile on her face stating how happy she was to have crossed paths with me and how excited she was to be spending time with her childrens families who she feels she shut out since her husband died.

The biggest ingredient into interactions is to first listen. The people that are having a hard time and need a little extra will give it away immediately. Listening is not as easy as it sounds also. Think about your last interaction. Did you truly open yourself up and listen to every word or did you start to formulate a response in your head while they were still speaking? Most people follow this trend of only listening half way while at the same time thinking of what they are going to say next.

The second ingredient for a successful interaction I believe was ingrained in me growing up in the midwest and also living in Texas for awhile. That ingredient is to SLOW DOWN and not rush the process. Living on the east coast now I understand most people are busy and as a result are in an extreme hurry to get everywhere in record speed (or if you are sitting on the highway your not getting anywhere with our traffic). Well take this as a warning to slow down a few gears and enjoy life. You will get more out of life, you will enjoy the opportunities that come your way more and you will have the opportunity to affect more people's life in a positive manner than if you sped by them with blinders.

The photo at the top is of course me and one of my beautiful ladies. While I know exactly what she and my other daughters are going through in life at this point I still try and wake up each day and make each interaction with them incredible. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that when I had kids I would go out of my way to be an amazing father and always be there for them. I believe positive interactions with them now will help mold them into remarkable adults later in life.

As always I don't have all the answers I am just trying to take what I have learned in life and sharing it with you. Remember to Make It Count!!!

Thanks to everyone who has donated to my Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation event. No donation is to small and every penny I am grateful for as it goes to an amazing cause.

I in Team

Growing up I think just about every coach or mentor I had at least one time during the journey stated "There is no I in Team." To tell you the truth as a young immature athlete or growing business professional I never really gave credit or thought to that statement. At the end of the day I think I was selfish enough to believe that the world revolved around myself and only myself. That the only way to get stuff accomplished was to throw everything onto my shoulders and push forward. Of course there were major accomplishments along the way but now looking back on it I failed a lot also. What I can also look back upon is that with each accomplishment I unconsciously at the time had a team in place and when I failed it was typically because I was to stubborn to reach out and ask for help when needed. Instead of asking a team member for assistance I would pile on the tasks and become over crowded with deadlines and tasks steering me away from success.

Any one that knows me knows that running and triathlon are my hobbies and passions in life. The time management, personal goal setting, commitment to excellence and extremely deep soul searching that happens during these events constantly drives me to do better. Most people would also look at these activities as an individual sport and while I agree slightly I believe it takes a team to accomplish your dreams. I know that when every Ironman race roles around I need my family to support me number one, I need the help of a coach to help set a plan in place, I need friends who are better than me to push me outside my comfort zone, I need a sports medicine staff to keep me healthy and most importantly I need my chosen circle of support to constantly give me the energy and motivation to succeed.

The picture above is from my daughters rock star cross country team who this weekend will be competing at the youth cross country national championships. It would be easy for these young girls to get caught up in the fact that running is a very individual sport however they understand the need for the team. They know that every runner counts towards success. Before their last regional race this awesome group of girls developed some team chants to try and get in the minds of the other runners. To show that other runners need to watch out for our team and not just individual runners.

So before you take on the next task at work, plan for your next race or just simply develop goals for 2015. I suggest you look around you and see what team members you have in place. A healthy team atmosphere can help you reach the peak of success faster than if you try and do everything yourself. It is also healthy from time to time to reward you team with gratitude letting them know how important they are to your success.

On a side note thanks to everyone who had donated to my Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Ironman Lake Placid project. No donation is to little and I would be grateful for every penny donated. You can click on the link at the top banner and it will take you directly to my page.

Make It Count!!!!

Proactive vs. Reactive

Everyday when we wake up immediately we are presented with choices as to whether your going to be proactive or reactive to choices and situations. I can go out on a limb and say that most people choose the second way of decided on their actions. Most people are reactive in their thoughts and most of those thoughts lead to negative thinking or results. No matter how intense the situation is reactive people make choices based on impulse where proactive people make choices based on values. 

Reactive people tend to never let go of anything. If someone treats them wrong or does not respond in a favorable way the reactive person tends to hold on to those thoughts and never forgive. The reactive person tends to judge immediately. The reactive person tends to spend most of their waking hours complaining how things are not fair. The reactive person tends to talk behind peoples back or complain about a person without confrontation. The reactive person tends to see the glass as half empty. The reactive person tends to always find the easy way out when the going gets tough. The reactive person tends to loose control easily thus making an easy situation difficult to handle. 

Proactive people on the other hand tend to make choices based on values. Proactive people typically always have the end goal in sight and take the necessary steps needed to get to that end goal without sacrificing an integral step needed for success. Proactive people recognize that they can't control everything but more tend to think about how the can control what they do about it. Proactive people never talk behind someones back but yet confront the individual and figure out a way that both can get along. The proactive person tends to see the glass as half full. The proactive person tends to daily make deposits into their account of returning favors and treating others with respect. The proactive individual tends to stay cool, calm and in control in every situation knowing that no matter what there is always a positive outcome. Proactive people tend to always learn from their mistakes. Proactive people tend to see the obstacle as the way in that every tough situation has a silver lining. 

My question to you is what kind of person are you? Are you the type that gets hot under the collar when someone cuts you off in traffic or do you just let it slide as there is nothing you can do about it? Are you the type that reads to much into an email or text instead of taking the time to fully understand the intent of the sender? Do you use language such as I can't instead of saying there has to be a way? Do you place blame on others instead of fully taking responsibility? I could go on forever with questions like this but I think you get the point. 

I like the picture above from this past weekends youth national cross country championships as I fully believe it relates to a proactive vs. reactive mindset. First let me set the stage for what was going on in this picture that the picture doesn't fully describe. As you can see from their dress its not warm outside. It was actually pretty cold with wind gusts up to 40 MPH. On top of that it was probably the hardest course they would race this whole season. Their mindset could easily been one of complaining the whole course walk about the weather, difficulty of the hills and they would rather be home playing. Instead as I walked behind these three girls all I heard was laughter and a constant strategy session. These girls where deciding where they would push it and where they would settle in. They where talking how they have trained all season for this moment and how there was nothing that could beat them today. Well I am happy to say that most of our team finished in the top 20 and we took the 2nd place overall team title. Can't wait to see what these strong girls do at nationals in a few weeks.

Next time a difficult time or decision arises I challenge you to think about what your reaction will be. Don't ever use language such as I can't but always know that you are capable to accomplishing anything you put your mind to. Figure out the steps needed for success. It may be a difficult road to get there but once the road map is in place stick to your guns and follow the steps needed to set you apart from the rest. 

Make It Count!!!!

Please also visit my link at the top of the page for my next project with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. 

Talent

I was at a funeral this past weekend of one of the most amazing people ever and I must say that while it was sad to see her go it was also inspiring to hear the stories of how great a person she was. Stories of how she spread constant joy to everyone she came in contact with. How there was nothing that could bring her down and how she had the innate ability to always look at the good in something. I am sure that everyone in attendance walked away wanting to do better in life. I know I walked away wanting to take my abilities to the next level and leave a blueprint where people would talk the same about me when it is my time.

The other thing that caught my attention was during the service my wife's uncle was talking about Talent. How we are all put on this earth with varying talents and abilities to do great. How as we embark on the journey of life we should emphasize those talents and share them with everyone who's path we cross.

Now I have come across plenty of people/patients in my life that either their talent has never truly been discovered or their confidence is not strong enough to use their talents. Often we go through life with blinders on or a deep sense of your not good enough for something. Well I am here to tell you that is a crap way of thinking. We are all amazing individuals at the core and this is something that needs to be built upon. I understand that confidence is a huge varying factor that comes into play. I also understand that the only way to build confidence is to practice your talent. Make it a game to every single day work and work and work and when you feel tired work a little more upon making your talent an ingrained part of who you are.

I have often in my 38 years now (thanks everyone for the wishes yesterday) thought about what are my talents and what am I really good at. Well I know without a doubt that there is three things that are the fabric of who I am. The first one (and I probably owe this to growing up with mostly females) is my ability to listen. To truly listen means not think of a response or interject before the person is done talking but to truly open up and take in every word that the person is saying. Next I will have to say is my ability to be calm when times get tough. Think about it...lets say your in a stressful situation and what typically gets you through those times...running around frantic and surrounded by frantic people or being able to breath and take in the moment along with people who are thinking of the next step to solve the problem. I know my patients appreciate my ability to listen and be calm while always thinking of the positive.

The last talent I think I excel at and is the talent that I am most proud of is my ability to be a father/husband. No offense to anyone but being a family man is the single most important thing in my life. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I think of is how I can be a better father/husband today. Is there something I did wrong yesterday and I can do better today? My wife knows that my three girls mean the world to me and every second I get to spend with them is the equivalent to winning the lottery. When they have sporting events, plays, etc...I am constantly nervous as I want nothing but the best for them. Now don't get me wrong in saying that I am the perfect spouse or father. It is something that has to be constantly worked upon and evolved. The great thing is that when you are passionate about your talent you are always open to improving upon your craft. Communication within my family upon is crucial to how well we perform. When you make yourself available to your family they 100% know that no matter what you are are always there for them.

So what are your talents? Are you aware of them or are you still on a quest to figure them out? If you already know do you make your talents a part of who you are each day? Focus on how great you are and make sure you are sharing your talents with the world.

One day I want people to sit in a congregation or room and laugh, cry and talk about how great a person I was and how it led them down a path of leading a better life.

Make It Count!!!!

GiGi

Have you ever come across someone who captured the essence of what living life to the fullest really meant? Have you ever had a conversation with someone and wished deep down that the conversation would never end due to the amazing insight from the individual? Have you ever been in someones presence and knew without a doubt that you had their full attention no matter the distraction going on in the background? Have you ever had the pleasure of unconditional love and immediate welcoming from your spouses family? Finally have you ever seen someone treat everyone equally with love and not judging that person just because they don't fit in or are just a little different? Well I can answer all of these questions with yes I have and could go on with a million more positive qualities but I think you understand the trend. 

This past weekend the world lost this amazing person as she is now in heaven looking down on us. She may not be with us anymore but there is so much that we can learn from her and carry on her legacy through our daily actions. She was always about loving your family hard, strong and forever as they are the ones that will always be there for you. She was one of the few I have ever seen enter a room and immediately be drawn in by everyone in attendance. There was something about the energy that she had that engulfed everyone's emotions. I never wanted the moments to end when we visited as I always felt like a better person and wanting to do more after talking with GiGi. 

I met GiGi about 12 years ago when I was blessed to meet the love of my life in my wife. 12 years may not seem like a lot of time but let me tell you that the memories are enough to fill a lifetime. I am jealous of my wife's family that they got the chance to grow up with her and I can only hope that the stories, memories and desire to be great will guide them the rest of their life. 

While I love that I had the chance to meet her I am over the moon filled with joy that all three of my daughters got to spend quality time with GiGi. As you can see in the pictures below they loved playing cards with her as well as just hearing the stories of her youth. Although I think my youngest just loved the fact that GiGi always wore such showy bangles which she more or less wanted to just chew on. 

What I want her to know is that I loved her like she was my own grandmother. She was one of the most incredible person. The energy that she portrayed and brought to everything she did I can see in her granddaughter Britt. She passed on to Britt an ability to love life, care immensely for others and take over a room with positive energy when she enters. She always told us never to settle but always follow what your heart tells you. While tears had been shed during this hard time there were also tears of joy knowing how lucky we are to have had the luxury of spending time with her. 

We know what kind of legacy GiGi left behind. If something happened to you tomorrow what kind of legacy would you leave behind? Is it one that you can be proud of or do you have a desire to be better? The good news is its never to late. Start right now while reading this with goals and an attitude of change. Do the little things needed so that when its your time someone will talk about how great you were and how it inspired them to be a better person. 

We love you GiGi and you will forever be in our hearts, thoughts and laughter. 

Make It Count!!!!

Two very, very incredible women

I think she is tickling my ear

She loved watching this one

Our little piece of heaven in Maine

Teaching the girls a little strategy

This picture says it all

At 96 she could fill a room with stories and spunk

My mom had the joy of GiGi

Three influential women in my life and very Beautiful

Nap time

She could always spread laughter

Always a smile

Love these two women more than they will ever know

All In

Every week I think I am going to run out of ideas or thoughts to share with everyone but then life, family and just being in the right place at the right time presents me with inspiration to share what I think it means to Make It Count!!!

Before I get into the details let me just say that if you live anywhere near Howard County Maryland that I 110% recommend the Howard County Junior Striders XC program. I think its a top notch group of coaches and people that number care about the kids having fun and using running as the outlet. I am biased to the sport of cross country as I think it breeds some amazing individuals. Cross country running instills confidence, a sense of team and individual accomplishments, an intelligent numbers/strategy minded kid and most of all the ability to push yourself farther than you ever thought.

This past weekend was special because it was the first time this year that both of my girls had the opportunity to race in the same meet (the oldest has commitments to soccer). I will not lie but I was nervous all weekend as my girls mean the world to me and I want nothing but success for them. I know there will be times of failure and I will be the first one there to teach them how failure can be success in disguise.

Brynn was up first and you could right away tell she was excited to show her big sister how it was done. She has placed third overall in every meet this year so when she came across in 4th place we thought she just didn't have her best day until we saw the times and realized she took 35 SECONDS off her personal best. Who does that? I told her it was the best race of the year for her and even though she got 4th she gave it her all. The spotlight now turned on Avery for her first XC race ever and in true Avery fashion she got out of the gate fast and within 200 yards had about a 20 yard lead which she carried all the way until the finally 50 meters when second place surged and caught her. I was completely blown away at her ability and willingness to go for it. Her racing intelligence will come as she progresses in time and lets not forget she is only 8.

Watching the two of them race led me to my topic today. Both of them went ALL IN on the race and decided to hold nothing back. When they finished neither one of them was upset or discouraged but knew they gave it all they had and there best on this particular day and that is all that matters. Why not approach life like this also? Why don't you wake up each morning and go ALL IN with the day and future goals? What is holding you back? I know as I have progressed through life I have put forth everything I have and have gone ALL IN. I don't want to reach a stage 1 month, 1 year, 20 years and so forth where I look back and said man I wish I would have done that. We are blessed with an unknown amount of time in this world so grasp the time you have and go forward with the mindset of ALL IN. My wife and I probably cram more into a single week but everything we do has the end goal of building us stronger as individuals and a family.

There is one other person that is the epitome of what it means to go ALL IN. My wife's grandmother who could very well be the most amazing individual I have ever had the luxury of spending time with. She turned 96 years young this summer and over the past 12 years I would like to say I have developed a bond with her in which she would consider me one of her own. At 96 she may be a little slow physically but her mind has the ability to entertain you 24/7 and if you don't watch out she will even joke on you. The reason I know she has gone ALL IN during her life time is from her stories and her abilities to always make me want to be a better man. She lived a life as a Broadway actress and I truly believe that she looks at life in the same fashion...a life of always being in character and spreading the good word of don't sweat the little things but instead take whats good in the world and cherish it. At my wedding reception 11 years ago the first dance with my wife was special but I will say (sorry Britt) that the time dancing with GiGi made me sweat, laugh and know that we are in charge of how we approach life. I know this won't make much sense but every single time I have seen her since then the first things out of my mouth are "Da Da Da Dee Dee Da....Hello Beautiful!!!" She unfortunately is in not the best of health as I type this so please whomever reads this please send your prayers. My hope is she can read this and know that she has touched my life deeply in a way that I will forever make sure I am taking care of my family and not living a day without going ALL IN.

So take away from this whatever you choose but know you are the only person capable of your actions. Take the higher road please and always Make It Count!!!!

If you can please also read my project for the next year and give what you can.

http://support.themmrf.org/site/TR/EnduranceEvents/EnduranceEvents?px=1781288&pg=personal&fr_id=1730

Courage

There are many definitions of courage these days and also countless ways we go about approaching courage in our daily lives. I am going to embellish on one avenue of courage that I think is important to the success in our lives and the ability to make a difference.

Do you wake up in the morning with the courage or the fight to tackle anything that comes your way? Do you start the morning goal oriented towards knowing what the day is going to need out of you to be successful? Or do you wake up with high levels of stress worried or scared that you will not be able to succeed with what you have on your plate? Do you skirt around the issues or do you attack the obstacle in your way with 100% confidence that as long as you give life your best then nothing else matters?

The picture above is how I try and start my day every day out of the year. My little princess wakes up with this smile everyday and while I know she is only one she has no worries as to what the day or the future holds. Why can't we as adults do the same. What holds us back from the ability to wake up each day with a smile and the strength to fight beyond the minimum requirements so that we lead a life rich in experiences. Why worry about the future when you its more important to live in the present.

I guess this is my definition of courage...the ability to know that you are a strong individual, the ability to accomplish anything you put your mind to, the resistance to never give up when things get tough instead push harder and know quitting is not part of who you are and most of all like my daughters say as long as you always give your best nothing else matters.

Most of us stress over the smallest details...i.e. loosing that 5-10 extra pounds, when am I going to fit in exercise, I have no clothes that look good on me, the weather is terrible, I had a bad race, that person was mean to me and so on and so on. Now imagine going out for a run and collapsing because your heart stopped and when you came to finding out your heart condition has gotten worse or going to the doctor because your not feeling well and after some tests finding out you have cancer or your a single parent of two kids and you get laid off from your job...I know someone in each of these categories and many more with similar situations and the one thing they all have in common is courage. Each and every one of them came back a stronger individual knowing that while life is fragile they are stronger and will maximize the time they have. When life threw them a curve they reacted and knocked the ball our of the park in the sense of strength of courage and ability to spread that courage and the never quit mentality to those around them.

I agree in the sense that sometimes things just dont seem fair and the world will feel like its closing in. I can however tell you with confidence that if you step back for one second, reassess and bring your circle of strength (family, friends and confidence) closer to you then things will seem easier. The options of success and avenues out of those tough times will be plentiful.

Finally thanks to everyone who has donated to my Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation 2015 Ironman Lake Placid drive. To start the first week off with a bang and more 9 months left to raise as much money as I can I feel honored to have such amazing people in my life. Please think about donating to such an amazing cause that helps drive research to help people diagnosed with this incurable disease.

http://support.themmrf.org/site/TR/EnduranceEvents/EnduranceEvents?px=1781288&pg=personal&fr_id=1730

In closing always try and "Make It Count"

Impossible

This past weekend after a long EXHAUSTING day of driving all over the state cheering on our daughters in the activities they love my wife and I kicked our feet up and turned on the first movie that came up. When the TV came on the movie "The Impossible" was starting so we snuggled in. All we knew about the movie was that it was the real life betrayal of the 2004 tsunami that hit Thailand causing extreme devastation. What we didn't know was how powerful the movie was going to be and how much it makes you recognize how fragile like is. The movie is about a family (any time kids are involved it pulls at my heart strings) who is on vacation enjoying the simple joys of life and in a second life changed pushing them to the extreme limits of life and death. I won't ruin the movie for those of you who have not seen the movie and if you haven't seen the movie then I recommend watching it as its a great real life story on how fragile our world and life is. When the tsunami hit Thailand it caused extreme destruction and massive casualty. For those who survived the initial wall of water the next challenge was given to them in what seemed like the impossible quest to find loved ones and safety for themselves.  

I won't pretend I can relate to what these people went through during this horrific accident and my heart goes out to every single person that lost a loved one during this event. What I will say is I know all of us have gone through struggles in our life and many times we put an initial constraint on ourselves which makes whats going on seem impossible to overcome. Whether its a health struggle, financial crisis, extreme self doubt, stressful job or lack of support from family/friends I want you to know that deep down you have what it takes to overcome what seems impossible.

I am a realist knowing that some diseases are incurable and treatment is either palliative or available to extend life longer. While I am not personally fighting a disease I know that myself and many of you can do a little extra so those that are battling diseases like cancer know that the diagnosis is not the end and with our support anything is possible. I am not sure that in my lifetime we will figure out a cure for most cancers but what I do know is that as long as I am breathing I can do everything I can do to make it possible.

As always I have to give a reference to my children as they are my personal psychologist to positive thinking in life. My two older girls who are 8 and 6 have developed what they call "The Oergel Mantra" and it goes as follows "If you give everything you do your best then the outcome doesn't matter as long as you know you did everything you could." I assume they have gathered these thoughts via listening to their parents but I also know that whats so amazing about our youth is they don't put limits on their action and they believe everything is possible. The photo at the top is my oldest this summer in a duathlon. At this point in the race there were no visible racers in front of her but as you can tell by the facial expressions she didn't give up until she crossed the finish line.

I also know that building a solid support system through your friends and family will allow you the support to always pursue your dream. Of course their will be times when something arises that seems like a road block but the support from your circle will give you that extra confidence to bypass anything difficult.

In the movie there were many road blocks along the way that seemed to distract the survivors from finding safety or family. The key to success though was to never give up and keep pushing past the obstacles or failures knowing that constant/consistent efforts increase your chances of success.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog as it means a lot to me.

Please also check out my fundraising page at:

http://support.themmrf.org/site/TR/EnduranceEvents/EnduranceEvents?px=1781288&pg=personal&fr_id=1730

Make It Count!!!

Paradigm

A paradigm is the way you see something; its your point of view, frame of reference, or belief. Another word for paradigm is perception. Paradigm's can be helpful or hindering depending on your belief system and the confidence you have in yourself. Most often our paradigm's are forced upon us or formed via others opinions on us. How many times has someone told you that's impossible or you can't do something? How many times have you forced your views upon someone even though you knew it wasn't your place? Our perceptions are just that ours...we have the power to create a positive atmosphere within our belief system yet we also have the power (or lack there of) to create a demise in our beliefs thus always limiting the power to make the most of our lives and those around us.

The picture on the top is yet another picture or one of my children but like I have stated 100 times before we can learn so much from the youth if you just open your eyes. My daughter is number 23 and this is from an awesome youth duathlon in my region this summer. My point with this picture is while I watched every kid that morning every single one of them's perception was A) this is so much fun and B) I can win this. They have no perception's or doubts in their abilities. They don't let other kids or the competition get in their way of attempting to accomplish their goal. There is no talk of this is to hard or that hill is to steep. They show up with a smile and 100% belief that today is their day. What if you woke up every day and displayed the same confidence these kids do? What if you had 100% confidence in your abilities?

I want you to stop what you are doing right this second and answer the following question: Are your paradigms of yourself helping or hindering you? Negative self-paradigms are incredibly strong at putting limitations on what we can accomplish in the world. On the other hand positive self-paradigms can bring out amazing self creativity that will push you to accomplish dreams and goals you never though were possible.

Over the past year I have had the chance to meet two very incredible people who have both accomplished so much in their life and lead a life of nothing but doing their best to make the world a little better place to live. These two individuals don't know each other but unfortunately are tied together via multiple myeloma. The thing is and I hope I could be this strong is once they were diagnosed each of them instead of giving up made it their point to take their life and giving to the next level. There was no outward negative self pity but instead a show of inner strength came forward. Their self-paradigm grew into one of I am stronger than this and I will win. Due to how great of person they have been in their life the community has come out to support them and this is due to the energy they have displayed over time and the commitment to always be there for everyone else.

This leads me into my next project and one that I am so extremely excited to be a part of that my heart feels a sense of warmth and drive to be better.

Over the past 15 years I have engulfed myself competitively into the world of triathlon and I have enjoyed every single second of it. Its time to put some of that all about me self competitiveness aside  as over the next year I will be taking a step back from the competitive side of triathlon and instead using triathlon/Ironman more as a platform. My platform will be two fold in number one raising as much funds as I can for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and second trying to get across a story of inspiration and my mantra of Make It Count!!!!

Cancer has affected my family and close friends numerous times over the past couple of years and its time for me to use a passion of mine to fight a form of this terrible disease.

The following link will lead you to my fundraising page where you can read more about the cause and what I am trying to accomplish.

http://support.themmrf.org/site/TR/EnduranceEvents/EnduranceEvents?px=1781288&pg=personal&fr_id=1730

Thanks for your time and remember to MAKE IT COUNT!!!

Educate

I have been terrible at my posts this summer due to the schedule of keeping up with these three little ladies above. Between ER visits, triathlons, duathlons, soccer tournaments/practice, vacation, work, dance, camp and just trying to be the best parents we can be time seems to fly bye the older we get. Although even as crazy as we get I wouldn't trade out a single moment with these ladies.

This leads me to the topic of this blog post...Educate. I am not singling out our nations teachers or leaders but instead shifting focus to everyone who wakes up each day and takes a deep breath. We all have what I believe is a given responsibility to educate ourselves and those around us. Have a daily goal of learning something new. With technology and the ability to search anything on the internet spend 10, 20 or 30 minutes a day trying to educate yourself on something new. There is only positives that will come from this exercise as it will make you a more well-rounded individual.

The larger task at hand though is to take time each day and educate those around you. It can be anything from teaching a co-worker effective marketing strategies, to helping someone learn how to properly canvas the grocery store for food choices to spending 5 minutes educating your constantly depressed/negative friend on how much they have to live for and the good they can accomplish. Whether its a family member, a friend or a complete stranger we can all work together to make our days more effective through education. I am helping coach a local high school cross country team this fall and I am over the hills excited to share my knowledge and help the kids become better runners and even better individuals.

I have the luxury of seeing patients daily who are in acute pain or just want to live a better life and the one thing I enjoy the most is educating them on how things can indeed always improve. I use strategies from every facet or chapter of my life to help someone improve on what they currently have. I am not saying I have all the answers but what I am saying is that through some form of communication or confidence in an individual you can make long lasting dramatic changes in their life.

Although no offense to any of my patients but the one thing I enjoy the most is educating my children. Number one I always daily teach them and constantly reiterate that they can accomplish anything they put their mind to while at the same time giving it their best. I will never once tell them its impossible or they don't have what it takes. Living with 4 highly competitive driven women (yes I can already tell what direction the baby is going and anyone else that knows her will agree) I love the challenges that each of them takes in their life and I love being there to help drive them down the path. Their confidence wanes at times but as a team we are always there to help each other out.

A week ago I competed in the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships for sprint and olympic triathlon in Milwaukee, WI. Its two races where basically the top athletes for those distances come together and duke it out for spots on the next years Team USA triathlon team. After years of racing long course triathlon I was excited to switch gears and attempt to get some of that old school speed back. Well without going into extreme detail I showed up at the race running some of my fastest times in all my 37 years. That was until race day when my body decided that it had different plans and extreme stomach pain slowed me down to a walk/jog. To come this far and push so hard in training it was an immediate mental letdown. I thought about just quitting as the pain was intense but then I realized what does quitting really accomplish and that my children where at the finish line and what example would I set if I quit. So with much determination I pushed forward cheering on those I knew racing and looking forward to that finish line when I knew no matter my time my family would be there with smiles on and congratulate me regardless of my performance. I was right as my oldest told me at the finish "sometimes we don't get what we want dad but if you tried your best then at the end of the day you won".

So with this I challenge each and everyone of you to take time to educate someone around you. We are all a wealth of knowledge no matter if you have a doctorate degree or a high school diploma. We all have something to learn from each other.

Make It Count!!!!!!!!!!

1st or 2nd

Before I get into what "1st or 2nd" means let me just focus on this picture for one minute. I get people ask me all the time for secret workouts that will make them faster. Well over the last month I have incorporated two one hour walks into my training schedule and I can tell you first hand that the recovery workout has made me a stronger runner. What it also gives me is one hour of uninterrupted time with this amazing little lady who for anyone that has met her knows what kind of special lady she is.

So back to the focus of this post...Are you a person that maximizes their time while on earth and lives each day to the fullest? Do you bask in the glory of selfish activities or do you put others happiness in front of yours in an effort to make the world a better place? Are you willing to spend time teaching those around you a skill that you excel at or do you think you are to good to assist?
Do you let the little things in life that are out of your control affect your way of life? Do you allow people with negative energy (energy vampires) change the way you think?

I have a good friend of mine who I consider to be one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met and although distance has separated our daily encounters I still consider him very close to me. Recently while running he developed a condition in which his heart stopped working and for a brief second. Thank the lord his heart came back around and with a small surgery he is alive. While speaking with him he mentioned how he has a 2nd chance at life now and is going to maximize his time. The thing that is scary is that his 1st chance was nothing more than exceptional. He is one of those individuals who instantly puts a smile on your face, he will always be there for you and the word selfish is not part of his vocabulary. So I can't wait to see what his 2nd chance is going to be about and the way he will change peoples life for the better.

The thing is we don't have to wait until a health issue or other life changing event to happen in order to get your second chance on life. Do your part daily now during your first chance in order to make your life and those around you better. Or after reading this blog take a deep breath and move forward with the rest of your life calling it your 2nd chance.

Life is fragile so there is no guarantee that a second chance will ever happen. We are GUARANTEED one chance and one chance only so don't hold back on a dream you have. Don't stop pursuing a goal just because someone told you there is no way you could accomplish it. Don't let those energy vampires control your decisions as there is only one person that has control over what you do and that is you. Instead surround yourself with the people that you aspire to be. When we do this their energy is easily transferred to our goals and you will go forward in life ready to rock n roll.

Those close to me know that my 1st chance in life is 100% focused on my family. My wife and three kids are my main focus in life and I know that I only get one shot to be the best dad and husband a man can be. Our kids grow and age at what feels like warp speed and for me not to be there for them all the time would mean I am failing them. Same goes for my wife in the sense that yeah sure times will get tough but the true meaning of any life partnership is the willingness to work things out and know you have each others back. If I wait for my 2nd chance to be a good family man then it will be to late.

One last first is your health in regards to health and nutrition. The choices you make today will affect you tomorrow, next month and for years to come. Make time in your life for exercise and know that while eating crappy foods tastes good and is comforting the effect it has on your life is not what you want. As a physician the health effects food is having on us is getting scary but at the same time is something you can take control of and easily fix your life.

I don't know all the answers and I will be the first to say that my life is not perfect. There are times when my mindset fails and stress/frustration sets in but then almost immediately the reality of I am in control of everything sets in. The reminder that life is indeed fragile and can be taken away in a heart beat keeps me focusing back towards the purpose in my life....to MAKE IT COUNT!!!!

Perception

I have written on numerous topics over the past year and while all of them have extreme meaning to me (otherwise I wouldn't have posted them) this post signifies a topic that if you can master it then I guarantee nothing can stop you.

Perception by definition is the act of cognitively understanding and making sense of a situation. It is the process of you and only you making a choice as to how you are going to act, think, speak, perform to any and all situations. Perception is 100 percent individual and we all have beliefs that lead to how big or small that perception is going to be.

Being a doctor that treats mostly athletes and a coach I have recently been getting lots of questions in regards to the mental side of training and injuries. Most of these individuals have put in the time and effort and physically are capable of achieving their goals they are just not ready mentally and don't know how to fix that. My single response is its all in how they are perceiving their race or their confidence in themselves. Most endurance athletes give up on themselves in a race instead of their body giving up on them. When times get tough we mentally tell ourselves that its OK to walk or stop even though physically you are capable of pushing forward. The perception comes down to how you view the difficulty of what you are doing.

Our cultures perception typically is when things get hard or difficult most of us typically will give up on something. We will decide that that effort is to much and the goal that we had in mind will never be achieved. If there is an obstacle in the road our perception is that its to difficult or we can't think outside the box as to what tools are needed to help success.

I try and teach my daughters daily that there is nothing in this world that they can't accomplish if they just try their best and sometimes think outside the box. A great example of this was this past week my oldest daughter and I went to the school track for a workout and on the way home there was a pretty steep hill that she immediately said there was no way she could ride her bike up. At the bottom of the hill I stopped and looked at her and told her that she should never in life say she can't do something. Her perception of the hill was it was to steep and she wasn't strong enough to ride up it. I told her that sometimes we need to asses a situation and use all the options we have available to achieve a task. So I told her to start riding and mid way up the hill when she started to slow down I gave her a push on her back for about 5 seconds which then gave her enough momentum to crest the hill. When we reached the top I asked her what she learned and she said that sometimes things seem difficult but if you ask for help or use your surroundings you can achieve anything. Through the accomplishment her perception changed from I can't to anything is possible as long as I try.

Most of the great leaders in history had the perception that they could accomplish anything. They still knew that there would be plenty of failures along the road but the failures didn't scare them away from trying. Deep down they understood that all a failure was is something that taught you how to do it better the next time. The world is out of our control but our actions and perception are within our control and only our control.

A good friend of mine has had a rough year with having to drop out of his first ironman triathlon due to being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. I think plenty of peoples perception would be crap and crap. Not this guy he took on the MM with 110 percent of his energy knowing that he was going to control everything within his control and anything outside of his control was just that outside of his control. His perception of the situation was strong and an inspiration to all his friends and family around him that no matter what card we are dealt we are in control of the response and how we will attack the next minute, day and year.

One of my favorite examples of perception is when I was a kid growing up in Chicago. In 1985 we had arguably one of the best football teams ever assembled. Two weeks before the Super Bowl that year the Chicago Bears came out with the Super Bowl Shuffle which was basically a song that the team performed saying that no one can beat us. They hadn't even played the Super Bowl yet but their perception was that they were that good that no matter the opponent they couldn't be beat. Now come at it from the opposing teams viewpoint. There had to be a little break in the confidence in the other team playing in the Super Bowl. If you are so confident in your performance I believe sometimes its the secret weapon needed to outperform your competition. Well I will let you do your research but the Super Bowl that year wasn't even close right from the start.

Bringing this to an end I ask each and everyone of you that takes the time to read my blogs that before you ever perceive something as to hard or to difficult that you take a step back and reassess the situation. Never give up on something or believe that you don't have what it takes to succeed. There is no obstacle in this world that is to strong to stop you. I also ask you to never look at a situation as negative as every situation has a positive. I know that there will be a group of people who never take this blog serious but if there is just one person out there that I can positively influence than mission accomplish. I don't wast my time with negative energy as at the end of the day my perception of negative energy is its not worth my time.

The meaning of the picture at the top other than I just love the picture is that its her bring on the world face. The face of confidence and belief that nothing can stop her from success except herself.

Make It Count!!!!!!!!

Obstacle

In my daily quest to always find the meaning of each and every day I recently started reading a book titled "The Obstacle Is The Way". I am not to far into the book but so far it details how society reacts to anything that stands in their way. Whether it be a failure, a boss, a co-worker, health, family, etc...we have taught ourselves that failure is negative and should be avoided at all costs. When times get tough most people would rather choose the easy way out instead of putting all your cards in and fighting the good fight. I have heard plenty of people over the years tell me they wish they had the courage, determination, guts or ability to achieve their dreams. Well I am here to tell you that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself and constantly learn from your experiences.

The picture above is far from an obstacle that has been presented to me in life. There are times when trying to be the best dad in the world combined with everything gets tiring? Well of course but to see the smiles on these girls faces makes anything tiring worth every single second. I have 100% confidence in myself when attacking goals and I know that if they are not achieved today I will one day with the right building blocks accomplish anything. I will admit however that just like every successful person that there is always a weakness in the armour. When my weakness is exposed though I always have a back up plan and my back up plan is these three girls. They are my strength when needed and still to this day they think I am a super hero...ha ha!!!

I am not sure what the correlation is but in my sport of triathlon I have met some extremely amazing people over the years that have been dealt with more obstacles then one can imagine. Obstacles that would make most people just curl up in a corner and hope for the end. However each and everyone of these people took the experience for what it really is...a learning experience. Obstacles are learning experiences which either teach us what we did wrong or they are learning experiences in how we can be better people through spreading the word of hope and determination to everyone else.

Life has blessed me with an amazing friend who has been battling injury for a couple years and just when he gets better another one comes on thus limiting him from a sport he loves. He had to retire from a sales job that he held for over 20 years due to disagreements with organizational developments. On top of that his wife (who is also pretty amazing) recently was diagnosed with the pre-stages of multiple myeloma. Most people would shut down if these events had happened to them but not this guy. I think one day I saw him depressed and shut down for about 30 seconds and then snapped out of it. The positivity that this guy creates in a room is about as contagious as it comes. I always look forward to our meetings as I always walk away thinking I can take over the world. He has been dealt numerous obstacles in life but I think in his mind he doesn't see them as obstacles but more as what can I do to make myself and those around me better. Do you have someone like this in your life? If you do then hold on and really listen to them as they will change your life.

As most know this year as been a very busy year for the Oergels. All great events but none the less about as busy as it comes. Well my consistent triathlon training took a back seat or maybe just got thrown out of the window completely. Yesterday I competed in the Eagleman 70.3 (half ironman) race in cambridge, MD. Going into the race I truly had no idea what to expect. I knew first off that a PR probably wouldn't happen and the goal was mostly survival...ok I lie my competitive juices said a 4:45 time. The obstacle in my way this race was the obvious...almost no training since February and only on my bike a handful of times all year. The day before I had the most amazing, positive, confident day ever before a race as I knew deep down that no obstacle is impossible as long as I do what my daughter always says...go out and do your best as that is all that matters in life. In the end I came across the finish line in 4:54 and although no PR in hand the race felt more accomplished than any other race I have done in my life. Sometimes its not about the medals (although they are nice) but more about the journey and learning who you are as a person.

I challenge you daily to take obstacles head on for what they are...just a learning experience. If the thought makes your stomach turn then I suggest you start small and build upon it. I guarantee you will learn more about yourself and your confidence will blossom during the journey.

Make It Count!!!

This blog also goes out to my very good friend Nicole who also embodies what it takes to spread the good word of just do your best and the rest will take care of itself. She is an amazing person and 100% in my circle of people who make my life better.

Support

Do you have a support system in place? Are you part of a support system for a specific purpose or cause? Does helping others put a smile on your face? Do you find yourself offering positive reinforcing feedback instead of negative unwanted feedback? If you think about your life do you rest easy knowing that if something happened your support staff would have your back immediately?

I know that I can easily 100% answer yes to each of these questions. My family operates on a system where we know we have each others back constantly. My wife and I daily let our girls know that we will always be there for them and no matter what happens they are not alone.

Recently I felt a sense of satisfaction that my oldest understands the process. Over the past two weeks she has had soccer practice, two games and three tryouts for travel/select soccer. She has always been my girl that strives to be the best at everything she does and for the first time with the higher level tryouts I think she realized that some girls where better than her. On the way to the first tryout I asked her if she was ready and she responded with "Daddy I feel as ready as I will ever be...I will go out and give it my best and at the end of the day if that is not enough then its out of my control and there is nothing I can do about it." This is the support that we always tell our girls that as long as you give your best in life than you have done everything you can.

Although family is the strongest of all support systems it doesn't have to be the last outlet. A successful workforce can follow the rules of support if they want to take there production to the next level. What sounds better...a boss that supports your efforts, decisions and future career development or a boss that is constantly belittling your production, gives you no individual power of choice or doesn't support your daily efforts towards future advancement? I have worked in both the corporate setting and in a small health care practice and I can state that the environment that supports each other is the environment that is constantly growing and successful. Friends also provide a way of supporting your efforts. I have had some friends who unfortunately have battled some health issues over the years and I believe that the power and support we can provide these individuals is the energy they need to overcome their hurdles. These individuals need to know that no matter what is going on that they have people there to provide not only in person services but also daily prayer or support that is not seen daily.

The last level of support that is often overlooked is the support internally that you give yourself. Do you support yourself with positive thoughts, exercise, lifestyle eating and taking some personal time to support your own health and wellness. Some of us are incredible at supporting family and friends but rarely take the opportunity to support our own endeavors so eventually we run thin. I am not saying that we need to be extremely selfish but at times a touch of selfishness can help support the energy you give others but also support yourself to leading a more rewarding life. If you have a dream or goal in life than I say do everything you can to support the progress of obtaining that goal/dream. Life is to short to skip out on your dreams so go after what you want now and stop holding off.

Make It Count!!!!!!!!!!

Transformation

The past year has been a huge period of transformation in the Oergel household. We had the pleasure of watching our little princess (above) grow up with the constant quest of doing whatever her older sisters did, my middle child broke out of her shell into this uber confident little girl that believes she can do and conquer anything, our oldest continues to push the limits of success and always has a heavy heart towards caring for others, we bought a foreclosure and with lots of sweat and blood are transforming it into our dream home, my wife continues to transform into the corporate executive with leadership skills that drive a team to success they never thought was possible, my focus in training/triathlon has turned from one of type A to one of type enjoy every second as I am blessed just to be able to participate, we have lost some people close to us which was hard but reinforced the transformation thought process of needing to enjoy every day to its fullest and the biggest transformation is the constant drive to always put family first as we function better as a unit then an individual.

Each day you wake up you are faced with the opportunity to transform your day into something positive or negative and the impact it will have on your life. I use to wake up at 4AM and either jump in the pool, get on my bike or go for a run. Now I use that time for self study and to visualize how my actions that day will affect both myself and those around me. I find it positive to write a list of the top 10 things you want to accomplish in the day. They can be simple things as far as opening the door for everyone you come across to more detailed events like having lunch with a long lost friend. The art of the daily TO DO LIST will help keep you on track to what you need to do during the day to keep your mind and actions on track for transformation.

Never underestimate how small of an action in your life can transform someone else's life who may be down on times. My wife recently out of the blue sent a text message to a close family member just reinforcing how incredible of a person this individual is and their impact in this world is not over looked. What she didn't know was this family member was having an extremely difficult day and these words communicated meant more than my wife could have imagined. The family members day turned around and what was bringing her down seemed now manageable.

We all have some part of our life that could use some form of transformation. If we could all just do one thing daily to help out another person it will not only help transform that person into believing there is still good people in this world but it will help transform you into a person that giving is the ultimate reward.

With our recent move, girls activities, vacation and my daily quest to become Bob Vila I have not trained/worked out in over 8 weeks. I have enjoyed the down time and I think at the end of the day of pushing myself every year for the past 15 years my body has appreciated the downtime. Well in 4 weeks time I am racing a half ironman triathlon which at the beginning of the year I had enormous goals for. Those goals have since been put away and new goals have come out. I am not upset at not being where I should be physically not but I am excited to see in 4 weeks how I can transform myself into a somewhat competitive shape and how the new goal of just having fun will transform my mind.

As always Make It Count!!!!!

Perspective

I have had to take a break from writing over the past 7 weeks as life for the first time in awhile got extremely overwhelming. Between selling our house and moving into our new house, going on vacation with the girl of my dreams, getting sicker than I have been for a long time, trying to consistently build up my patient base, coaching some amazing athletes and being a present parent for all of my girls functions...well lets just say time management got a little stressful.

I am one however that believes that there is plenty of time in the day to live an extremely fulling life and accomplish all of your micro and macro goals. However over the last 8 weeks the one thing that I was not able to fit in is my love for triathlon training and the passion I have for consistent positive training. For the past 15 plus years of always putting training towards the forefront of my life and the constant need to always check the box daily with training my mind had a hard time over this transition phase not getting the daily dose of accomplishment it is use to. Some stress and slight depression did creep in initially as what I thought was my daily identity was being stripped away.

In the end however I will say that I have come out of this hiatus a better person, father, husband and athlete. I have learned that there is more to life than podium spots or the constant need to always beat some meaningless number in training. What is important is the time I spend with my wife and kids. Training and triathlon is not who I am but being an amazing father and husband is my drive in this life.

I still have a passion for triathlon and it will always be with me but what I have learned is that with minimal focused training I can not only still compete but I can have a WHOLE lot more time for the things that mean something to me. Or as my wife would say I have more time now to think I am Bob Vila with our new house.

At the end of the day all I am trying to get across to everyone is make sure you put your goals and time allocation into PERSPECTIVE. Are you focusing daily on what is really important to you or are you getting side tracked with a temporary goal that in the long run may hurt whats important to you? My family has always been number one in my life but looking back I could tell that I sacrificed some family time for my triathlon goals.  With re-focusing and goal re-assessment  I know that for me triathlon will always be a part of who I am but now its time for truly just enjoying the sport for what it is and not beating myself up if I miss a workout but knowing I probably missed that workout because something was more important.

Make It Count!!!!