Best Day of My Life!

by Steve Muller. Steve is the President of a Wisconsin automotive sales and finance company. He is a 3 time Ironman finisher and 20 time Marathon finisher. Feel free to send him your comments on this story to steve.muller@wijdbyrider.com

I love this story! So true. Having done 2 Hawaii Ironman triathlons, I couldn't agree with him more! Both Ironman races were some of the best days in my life!

Many thoughts cross your mind one hour before the beginning of an Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Can I finish? Was my training plan sound? Did I do everything I possibly could to prepare myself for the day? What if I get a flat tire on the bike? What is my nutrition plan for the bike and run? Self doubt is natural.

As I rode down the hotel elevator one hour before the beginning of Ironman Wisconsin, I overheard the following conversation between strangers:

Stranger 1 - "Good morning. How are you?"

Stranger 2 - "Best day of my life."

Stranger 1 - " What"?

Stranger 2 - "Young man, make this the best day of your life."

These simple 5 words from an anonymous stranger stayed with me for the next 11 hours 37 minutes and 12 seconds to the finish line. They were spoken without hesitation or rehearsal. They were spoken with wisdom, passion, and gratefulness.

Ironman Triathlons have a way of magnifying yet simplifying life. There are only so many things in life you can control. You are 100% in control of your attitude. Your daily 'self talk' can be negative or positive. The choice is yours.

Stranger 2 turned out to be Frank Farrar, the former Governor of South Dakota and 79 year old Ironman Triathlete. Frank has competed in over 30 Ironman distance Triathlons and continues to compete.

Thank you Frank for these words!

The Inspiration Factor!

by Chris Widener

The first thing that an aspiring leader must realize is that they must be inspiring!

That is, they must be capable of, and willing to inspire people on to greater things than if the leader were not in their lives.

So, is this too grandiose an ideal for the average local business owner? Absolutely not. The people who work at your business, school or organization need to be inspired by you on a regular basis. It is what keeps them from giving up.

Remind them of the big picture.

They aren’t just serving food, they are helping families spend time together, so make it enjoyable.

They aren’t just changing oil, they are helping make sure a woman and her children don’t break down on the side of the road at night.

They aren’t just teaching reading, they are helping open a mind to the mysteries of the world.

They aren’t just selling gifts, they are helping people show their appreciation to others in a tangible way.

This week: INSPIRE!

To Resolve or Not too Resolve

by Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,"® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at www.TheProductivityPro.com.


I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. Frustrated by bad habits like smoking, overeating, being disorganized, or not exercising, many of us vow to change and make a New Year's resolution. "This year, I'll walk on my treadmill three times a week," we pledge, and by May, it's gathering dust down in the basement. Defeated, many people give up further attempts to change.

Most of us don't have a clue how to make a reasonable resolution, which is why most of us fail to keep the ones we make. We set high goals for ourselves, and then wonder why we never attain them. So we either stop setting goals (never a good choice), or make resolutions that are ridiculously easy to keep.

Making a decision to change just because it's New Year's Day isn't enough to keep you motivated for *long.* Lasting change means being prepared to make sacrifices. Are you truly willing to make the effort to kick a bad habit and start a healthy one? If so, you'll need to develop a plan of action and make that plan a priority.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Conduct an "annual review" before the end of this month to determine the things that you meant to do, change, or accomplish by the end of 2002 that didn't get done. After you've completed the review, take a moment to pause, step back, and appreciate all the things you *have* accomplished in 2002, and my hope is that this will motivate you to aspire higher in 2003.

Select a *few* (two or three) things that you'd like to change or accomplish in 2003.
Word your goals carefully. Let's say your resolution is to relax more in the coming year. Try not to think of it as "This year I am going to relax." That's a stress-inducer waiting to happen! It forces you into thinking of the resolution as something you must do, not something you want to do. Try to make it sound a little gentler: "This year I'm going to explore different ways of relaxing." It also suggests more of a plan—you'll fulfill the resolution by experimenting with relaxation techniques. The first resolution sounds as if you're going to force yourself to relax by sheer willpower.

Write your list and put "due dates" next to each. Then break them down by the month that you will begin working on them. If you wish to start an exercise program, plan what kind of exercise you will do, when, and how often.

Transfer your due dates to your daily plan or calendar, making that "appointment" with yourself just as important as one with another person. Aren't your needs just as, if not more, important than others?

Create reminder cards you can post around the house, on your bathroom mirror, on your dashboard in your car, etc., to continually remind yourself about your goals.

Take small steps toward your goals, every day or week. If you can do just a little bit to get going, soon you'll feel the positive effects of the change. And that little bit of change can lead to long-term healthy habits that last far beyond New Year's Day.

The Seven Deadly Roadblocks to Sucess

by Chris Widener

When traveling down the road it is always good to beware of roadblocks! You don’t want to crash and burn do you? The same is true in our journey toward success. We need to beware of those things that will keep us from our destination! What are the most common?

Here they are:

Fear:

Fear is one of the worst enemies of success. When fear wraps its tentacles around you and keeps you in bondage, you will never be able to reach for your dreams. We must confront our fears, see them for what they are, toss them to the side, and pursue our dreams with relentless passion. Conquering fear and stepping forward to reach new lands and new ideas is what makes success possible. What are you afraid of today? What fear must you conquer to be able to achieve your dream? When you realize what it is, take an action that is diametrically opposed to that which you fear. This will confront and conquer the fear by giving you the first step in the right direction.

Lethargy:

Quite frankly, what keeps most people from success is that they simply don’t have the energy, or make the energy, to do what it takes to move to the next level. They get to a point that is comfortable and then they settle in for a nice, life-long nap! Don’t get lethargic; get going! Force yourself to wake up from the slumber and move!

Lack of Perseverance:

Often times the race is lost because the race is not finished. Success is often just around the sharpest corner or the steepest hill. Persevere. Keep going. One more hill. One more corner! In real estate they say the three most important things are “location, location, location.” In success the three most important things are “perseverance, perseverance, perseverance.”

Pessimism:

The saying is that you can achieve what you believe. Ask yourself what kinds of beliefs you hold. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? If you don’t believe that you can achieve than you won’t. Your pessimism will prove yourself right every time. You will find that you subconsciously undermine yourself. Develop your optimism. Look for ways to believe that you can achieve success.

Not taking Responsibility:

I am the chaplain for the local police department. The other day I went with an officer as he took two prisoners to court. Time after time the prisoners made excuses as to why they hadn’t yet done what the judge had ordered (she didn’t buy it, by the way). After dropping the prisoners off, I said to the officer that unsuccessful people and prisoners have the same bad habit – they won’t accept responsibility for their lives. You are responsible. When you accept that, you are on the road to success.

Picking the wrong people to hang out with:

We can easily become products of our environment. This is why it is essential to hang around people who will spur you on not hold you back! What about the people you have surrounded yourself with? Are they quality people who will encourage you and strengthen you in your quest for success? If not, move on!

No Vision:

Those who succeed always see their success months and years before they live it. They have the ability to look ahead, see the future, imagine the good that can and will come from their lives, families and work. To not have vision is a tremendous roadblock. Sit down and work on seeing the future – and make it good!

Self Motivation: How To Motivate Yourself!

By Donald Latumahina: October 22, 2008

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents." - Andrew Carnegie

If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. You must know how to motivate yourself. You must be able to keep your spirit high no matter how discouraging a situation is. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties. Those who are discouraged in difficult times are certain to lose even before the battle is over.

The question is: how do you motivate yourself?

Here are several tips I’ve found to be effective to build self motivation:

1. Have a Cause

I can’t think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause you care about. Such cause can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you do the seemingly impossible things.
While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s a spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh dose of motivation.

2. Have a Dream. A big dream.

"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be". - Karen Ravn

Your cause is a powerful source of motivation but it’s still abstract in nature. You need to make it concrete in the form of a dream. Imagine how the world will be in the future. Imagine how people will live and work.

Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. Just think about people who play basketball. Will they be motivated to play if there is no basket to aim at? I don’t think so. They need a goal. You need a goal. That’s what your dream is for.

But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you. It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort zone.

3. Be Hungry

"Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way". - Les Brown

To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger and not just desire. Having mere desire won’t take you through difficult times since you don’t want things badly enough. In many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the mediocre ones.
How can you have hunger? Your cause and your dream play a big role here. If you have a cause you care about and a big dream related to it, you should have the hunger inside of you. If you think that you are losing hunger, all you need to do is to connect again to your cause and dream. Let them inspire you and bring the hunger back.

4. Run your own Race

"I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself". - Mikhail Baryshnikov

Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with others.
Don’t let that happen to you. You have your own race so how other people perform is irrelevant. Comparing yourself with others is like comparing the performance of a swimmer with a runner using the same time standard. They are different so how can you compare one with the other?
The only competitor you have is yourself. The only one you need to beat is you. Have you become the best you can be?

5. Take one more Step

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts". - Winston Churchill

When you meet obstacles along the way, there could be the tendency to quit. You may think that it’s too difficult to move on. You may think that your dream is impossible to achieve. But this is where you can see the difference between winners and losers. Though both of them face the same difficulties, there is one thing that makes the winners different: the courage to continue.
In difficult situations, just focus on taking one more step forward. Don’t think about how to complete the race. Don’t think about how many more obstacles are waiting for you. Just focus on taking the next step.

6. Let go of the Past

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could". - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe it or not, one of the best demotivators is your past. Your past can drag you down before you realize it. Your past can give you a heavy burden on your shoulders.
The good news is it’s a burden you don’t have to carry. Take it off your shoulder and leave it. You might make mistakes in the past. You might disappoint others with what you did. But it’s over. It’s already in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. Just don’t let the burden of the past stop you.

Apply these tips and motivate yourself. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Let your self motivation take you to excellence.

Take a Turn at Tenacious!

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and author who has shared the podium with US Presidents, helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries for a weekly leadership & success eZine by clicking here. Enjoy motivational audio programs from Chris Widener & other top speakers including Zig Ziglar & Brian Tracy by visiting www.MadeForSuccess.net.

I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved the kinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many people who are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times those who are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow success was handed to those who have achieved much.

What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those who have achieved much have worked much HARDER than those who are not successful. You wouldn’t believe the stories of struggle that I hear from those who now appear to on “top of the heap.” Yes, they are successful, but no, it wasn’t handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessful people who come to me actually haven’t been tenacious at all. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply haven’t persevered and been tenacious. When I ask them questions I usually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.

If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who “has it made,” I would ask you to take a long, deep look inward and at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious in pursuit of your dreams. How long have you gone for it? Many people who achieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for? How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given up much. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is that resides deep in their dreams. They just plain ol’ work hard!

So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order to take your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fire and get you going!

Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." William Feather.

I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most people who become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on! I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged and I literally said to myself, “One more week. Just give it one more week.” Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my work early on. I hung on as others let go.

It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if they ever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories you have ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you know and ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept on going. You will be amazed at what you hear.

Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." Franklin Roosevelt

I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun their entrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign of hard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then give up, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and then into the promised land? How many people were on their last hurdle and decided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go? Or just one more river to cross?

Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit are doing so on what would have been their last trial, right?

So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because I would hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort and I would have achieved my goal. What if it isn’t my last trial? That’s okay because as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, I will overcome it, and I will enter the Winner’s Circle.

Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things under pressure.

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." Malcolm Forbes
If coal wasn’t an inanimate object it would certainly scream, “Stop! I want out!” But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth’s most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into beautiful diamonds.

Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will enable you to have the life that dream of!

Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.

Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn at tenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.

My advice? Take your turn at tenacious. You will become stronger, and you will end up living the life you dream of!

Another Great Quote - Calvin Coolidge

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."-Calvin Coolidge, US President and Founding Member, Congressional CC

Maybe Sportsmanship Isn't Dead

Rubel Shelly is a Preacher and Professor of Religion and Philosophy located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. In addition to church and academic responsibilities, he has worked actively with such community projects as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, From Nashville With Love, Metro (Nashville) Public Schools, Faith Family Medical Clinic, and Operation Andrew Ministries. To learn more about Rubel please go to: www.RubelShelly.com


We still give lip-service to sportsmanship, but it is hard to believe we are very serious about it. Obscene salaries to professionals, grades without attending classes to collegians, drug parties by Olympians, late "confessions" by athletes caught using banned substances - all these combine to mock the idea that we really value teamwork, sacrifice, fair play, and honest competition.

Then you hear about a high school basketball game and think that maybe, just maybe, you are getting too cynical. Sportsmanship may not be dead yet. As told by Tim Dahlberg, national sports columnist for AP, here is what happened.

On a Saturday earlier this month when DeKalb (Ill.) High School was to play Milwaukee (Wisc.) Madison, tragedy struck the family of one of the players. The mother of Milwaukee Madison's senior captain died at a local hospital. While Johntell Franklin was taking his college ACT exam, his mother took a dramatic turn for the worse after five years of battling cancer. With her son at the hospital late that afternoon, the 39-year-old mother was removed from life support.

Thought was given to cancelling the game, but Franklin urged the coach and his teammates to play. The game started late, and Milwaukee Madison dressed out only eight players. There may not have been a lot of heart or focus for them.

Early in the second quarter, Coach Womack saw his captain come into the gym to cheer on his teammates. He called a timeout, went over to give his grieving player a hug. So did his teammates and scores of their fans.
"We got back to playing the game, and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Coach Womack said later. Came the reply: "No. I want to play!" Although it would mean a technical foul against his team in what was then a close game, Womack thought it was a price worth paying. So he had the young man suit up and prepare to play.

Since Johntell Franklin had not been on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant two free throws for DeKalb. When that was explained to DeKalb's Coach Dave Rohlman, he offered to forego the free throws and let Franklin play. But five minutes or so of argument got nowhere with the refs.

Coach Rohlman huddled his team and explained what was going on. Then he asked for a volunteer to shoot the free throws. His team's captain, Darius McNeal, raised his hand. He went to the line. The first shot went about two feet and landed with a thud. The second just rolled out of his hand. The Milwaukee Madison players faced their opponent's bench and began applauding. It was only seconds before everyone else in the stands joined the cheering.

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told a reporter later. "It was the right thing to do."

DeKalb eventually lost the game. Who cares? What those boys will recall for the rest of their lives is an act of sportsmanship they shared on that special night.

Great Health and Fitness Website!

Please check out this excellent health and Fitness website. Lot's of great articles! Enjoy!!

http://www.landry.com/

How To Set and Accomplish Any Goal, Even When You Hit a Dead End

By Ted Charles


Nothing is more unfortunate than the saddening fact that most people will never ever make it in life. What a bitter pill to swallow? Most people have no focus, no direction and no course of action! Simply speaking, we barely know what we want. Add to this, most of us don’t have a clue where we are going?

Think of an aimless wanderer venturing into the unknown. Borne out by research, the statistics are out and the results are nothing short of disheartening. The experts are telling us that an estimated 5-10% of all humanity seldom think of their goals. Out of this, only a paltry 1-3% have clear written goals. It pains the heart when you think what happens to the remaining 90%! With an estimated global population of six billion souls and counting, you do the math.

People with clear goals always succeed because they know where they are going. Goal setting isn’t exactly rocket science. The sooner you get started, the better. Avoid the temptation to go hog wild with a mere wish list instead of practical goals. Why not give these few pointers a spin, and set of your life kicking into high gear.

First and Foremost, write your goals on paper! This simple task is so priceless yet it hardly crosses our minds. Charting a clear road map to your success makes the difference between living the high life and languishing from hand to mouth. Whatever you want to achieve, just grab a pen and paper or switch to your computer and write down those goals. It doesn’t matter. Even your New Year’s resolutions. Just list them down.

Start Small. You never climb from the top. Goals don’t always have to be big. Begin with something realistic. Most important of all, they should be challenging but achievable. When you set the bar too high, you are already laying down the path for setbacks, failure and heartbreak.

By now, you should differentiate between goals, wishes and dreams. When you ask people what their goals are, they give vague statements like “I want to be rich”, “I want to be successful”, “I want a good job”, “I want to be healthy”, “I want this and that” and so forth. For crying out loud, be specific! Remember the rule of SMART goals? Set your goals complete with date and time. Break them down into small, manageable units.

You can’t bite more than you can chew. As the adage goes, “By the yard it’s hard, but inch by inch it’s a cinch!”.

It’s no secret, the path to realizing your goals is filled with all kinds of challenges and endless distractions. What sets you apart from the rest is your commitment to concentrate and focus your time, energy and resources on one single objective. This is no time to get excited chasing trivial pursuits or getting carried away by aimless distractions. Everybody is desperately trying to accomplish so much, in such short time. And when everything comes a cropper, they call it quits. To get to the promised land, you need to set careful targets and avoid losing sight of your destination.

Nothing comes on a silver platter. Not even for the super achievers. No major accomplishment was realized without wading through a myriad of obstacles and failures! How do you keep the faith when your patience and fighting spirit takes a serious beating? A story is told of Thomas Edison when he was working on the world’s first light bulb. After countless hours of failure after failure, it took him over three thousand attempts before discovering how to make the light bulb work. Without unwavering faith, your goals are doomed to fail.

So how does one cultivate motivation and persistence? The answer lies in asking yourself the big “WHY?”. Get this and you got everything wrapped up in no time flat. We are not sure what Edison had in mind. Only Edison himself knew exactly “WHY” he so desperately wanted to make that light bulb work.

Ask yourself WHY? You will be surprised at the hurdles you can overcome. Why do I want to build a dream house? Why do I want better education? Why do I want to buy a car? Why do I want to lose weight? Why or why do I want to take my family to Disneyland next summer? With a whole bunch of big enough “Whys”, the target remains within your reach no matter what resistance comes your way.

Feelings of self-doubt will start to creep in and probably grind you to a halt. How do you know whether you will succeed or ruin everything? In addition to this is the fear of friends, co-workers and even family laughing at if you fail. Never mind. These nay sayers might come in handy if only to stretch you to the max. Don’t let them put you down.

Truth is, many of these fears are absolutely unfounded. In spite of the difficulties, learning not to let mere words bring you down is a must. Reason with your fears and more often than not, you will realize there’s no reason to be fearful in the first place. Don’t under-estimate yourself. Avoid the urge to slack off. When faced with these kinds of criticisms, just laugh them off. Take it from me, it truly helps.

Lastly, Procrastination is the thief of time. Time wastage and putting off things to a “later” date can go down in the annals of history as one of mankind’s greatest cardinal sins. What do you think would have happened had the Wright brothers put off tinkering with their ground-breaking invention for another time? Some lucky soul would have jumped at the opportunity, perfected the flying machine and gone down in history as the pioneer of Aviation industry. It’s about time to get out of your comfort zones and flush this procrastination bug down the toilet. So how do you rid this monster? Start by setting a strict schedule and stick to it to the very end. Time and tide surely waits for no man.

The road map to success is no bed of roses. Everybody gets spanked along the way. It doesn’t matter a lick if you get beaten. What counts is how you handle defeat and whether you have the nerve to keep fighting. Think of goal setting as muscle building. The more muscle you use, the stronger it gets.

Without a shadow of doubt, having rock-hard abs and that six-pack or sporting an attractive figure is the stuff of dreams. You don’t just rush to bench press hefty weights the first time you hit the gym. Building muscle is a gradual process. With time, the muscles acquire strength and the ability to withstand pain. And so is goal setting. Once you are ready to handle resistance, you can take on bigger pursuits. Get started with a few “warm-up” goals. Sooner than later, you will be schmoozing to mighty high success of epic proportions.