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.