Triathlon Training and Six Life Lessons Learned
November 14th, 2008
I just wrote a guest post for Leo Babauta of Zen Habits discussing some of the life lessons that I learned (or re-learned) during a couple of months of triathlon training as I prepared for the Miami Man:
Six Life Lessons Learned from Triathlon Training
Highlights include:
- Get started (NOW!)
- You have to do the miles
- Some days it’s going to rain
- Put your head down and take it one step at a time
- Find sources of inspiration
If you find the post valuable, I’d really appreciate it if you helped spread the word by sharing it on StumbleUpon or Digg.
What is one thing you have always wanted to do in your life but have not done yet?
November 2nd, 2008
I have many things that I would still like to do and accomplish! And I assume you do too. Perhaps you would like to change the world, launch a new project, or do something as (seemingly) simple as attending a conference and vowing to make some new connections…
Everest image source: twiga_269
This week I am heading to Miami to compete in the Miami Man International Distance Triathlon (swim .6 mile, bike 24 miles, and run 10k) on November 9th as part of my commitment to Train for Humanity.
Not many people actually know this about me, but I have wanted to do a triathlon ever since I watched Julie Moss (see video below- watch it!) collapse on T.V. at the Hawaii IronMan triathlon and then crawl across the finish line in 1982. Yikes that’s over 20 years ago…
While certainly not IronMan distance, the Olympic distance tri should give me a good feel for the event. Really, I would like to make it to, and compete in, the Hawaii IronMan event someday, but I am not sure that my knees necessarily agree with me.
Where do Big Ideas come from?
October 19th, 2008
Whether you want to craft the world’s next greatest novel, take the trip of a lifetime, or open a small business the initial idea to create or do “something” has to come from somewhere.
I have always wondered, why do some people come up with innovative ideas while others appear not to? Or, does everybody come up with thoughts for new initiatives and projects but only a few pursue them? For example, what on earth ever possessed me to come up with the post 97 Remarkable Ways to Diversify Your Network in a Down Economy?
Why do only some seem to have this mindset?
image source: TrainforHumanity tshirt concept from Joaquin R. Kierce
Right now I am sitting here cursing Becky McCray, not literally, heck not even figuratively…because Becky is one of the nicest, most helpful, small biz folk on the internet.
However, you see, Becky recently sent a twitter message saying, “Think I might need a trip to Culebra this Feb.”
Of course, being the opportunist that I am, and not wanting to waste access to such a great talent if she actually comes to Culebra, my mind instantly went into creative mode and I replied back:
“maybe we could do a small scale small biz/social media meet up and try to land some other keynote people”
I thought the messages would just end there and nothing would come of it, but within seconds Becky sent something back to the effect of “that’s a great idea….”
Then out of nowhere, and as if the stars were aligning perfectly, the next morning I got this message from the indefatigable Liz Strauss:
@lizstrauss I’m doing well, Mark! Every time I see you I get an urge to plan an event at your place.
Again my mind began racing with the possibilities.
Where this campaign will go, I really have no idea, but I very much like the idea of some type of Idea Incubation Workshop here in the Caribbean during, let’s say, the middle of winter.
Are you an Ideanator (my new term for one who regularly comes up with ideas)?
To help ease my curiosity about the origins of idea generation and innovative thinking I recently asked some folks on Twitter for their input on Big Ideas, and the following are the responses I got:
@josephrueter to start: intentional curiosity, confident humility, sharing, information consumption, diligence, smart/engaged people around.
@sweetsfoods You know Mark, that several times unexpected big ideas come from ….night dreams!
@toddwaller Big Ideas: From reading, applying and seeing ‘other’ ways: assimilation and preparation.
@bgswanson re: big ideas. I think they come from someone who has the mindset to see a problem as an opportunity.
Where do your big ideas come from?
I find it absolutely astonishing how many new project thoughts I have while I am running. The other day I was out for my evening run and I began to think about some features that I would like to see included as an email or Twitter application (and I would greatly appreciate it if YOU would develop them).
The first, GeoTwit (or GeoEmail), would give the geographic coordinates, current weather, and the time of day somehow contained within people’s Twitter messages. Of course there are inherent security risks but you could enable the feature only for trusted friends.
The second, and the one that I think could have real monetization potential, is TwitFlick (or EmailFlick). This application would somehow offer me the option to view the latest Flickr photos based on where my Twitter messages or emails were coming from. For example, let’s say Jarkko Laine sends me a Twitter message from Finland; well I think it would be cool to have a feature that would allow me, based on user settings, to view the latest Flickr photos from Finland. For those who are interested in traveling to a particular “messaged” destination the application could be monetized with hotel and rental car offers…anyway, just an idea.
How about you? What ideas have you got going? Where did they come from?
Better Than Smackin’ a Fish off Your Forehead: How to get yourself out of a rut
September 24th, 2008
Are you in a rut? Do you feel like you are swimming through chilled molasses with cinder blocks for flippers?
I have been in ruts before and I am sure (positive!) that I will find myself in one again…however, right now, with running the guesthouse and the launch of Train for Humanity, I feel like I am in the opposite state of a rut, whatever that is?
I can’t speak for you, but for me, I get caught in a rut when I am inactive. Specifically when I am not taking action on any new ideas, goals, or working to get a project off the ground.
Let’s call it a state of sedentary creativeness! (Probably grammatically incorrect but I don’t care.)
What happens?
You have an idea. No, you have a GREAT idea but you are not taking the requisite action or the steps that are required to get this “thing” going.
I know that sometimes we are just hanging in there and waiting for something better to come along. You’re kind of cruising and that’s okay.
However, if you find yourself in a good old-fashioned rut and would like to do something about it, you need to:
MAKE YOURSELF UNCOMFORTABLE
What are your goals for this week? And Surprise Pre-Launch Announcement
September 8th, 2008
I hope that you all had a very nice weekend! Last week’s post on “goals for the week” seemed to resonate fairly well with some of you and it drew a pretty good response and discussion, so I thought that I would do it again this week.
However, before we go any further, I wanted to mention, if your goals for this week (or anytime in the future) include “self-branding” or online reputation management, then you need to get yourself over to Chris Brogan’s website. Chris, who just happens to be a Boston guy, is a social media guru and all around super nice person and he has just released an eBook, “Personal Branding for the Business Professional” that is well worth your time. It’s available for FREE so do yourself a favor and go download it now!! OK back to the post. :)
Today I actually have two questions for you:
- What are your goals for the coming week?
- Beyond this week, what are you really working towards in your life?
image source: bulldog1
What are my goals for the week and what am I working towards?
Greetings everyone! How are you? As some of you might know I have recently returned from Nicaragua and now I am ready to get back to work.
(more nicaragua photos coming soon!)
I have quite a bit that I would like to accomplish this coming week and I thought that you might too.
Before I went away I received some really constructive feedback on a project that I am working on and I would like to see others out there getting support and constructive input for whatever they might like to accomplish. With this post I would like to know:
What are your goals for this coming week? What would you like to accomplish?
39 Things I Have Learned As I Prepare to Turn 40
May 26th, 2008
How old are you? What are some of the life experiences that you have been through and what have YOU learned?
I don’t turn 40 for another month and half but while I was out running yesterday I started to think about all of the stuff that I have witnessed, learned, and been exposed to during my thirty nine years.
There are many people out there who are far more sage than I ever will be! However, one thing I really enjoy is to hear about, and learn from, what other people have experienced. As I head towards forty I thought I would just jot down some of what I have learned.
Please note, the ideas expressed below are purely my own and are not meant to offend in any way, but they are a reflection of what I have observed during the reality of my life thus far.
- You can’t remove an arrow from someone’s head in the middle of the rainforest with a pair of Swiss army knife tweezers.
- If you don’t believe in yourself chances are nobody else will either.
- No matter what you do or how nice you are some people are NOT going to like you and that’s okay.
What Do You Have To Lose?
April 21st, 2008
If you have been following any part of my make money online challenge series you will know that I have been trying to come up with some ways to become a full-fledged lifestyle entrepreneur by either creating some niche websites, or via affiliate marketing.
This post today is really written as a kick in the ass for myself because I have regressed from the research and action stage back to inaction.
Inaction - the lack or absence of action.
As I sit here not taking action towards my goal to generate income online, I thought that maybe there are other folks out there having similar issues even if their objectives are different.
Perhaps YOU are trying to grow personally, or maybe you would like to open a business? At some point we have all been stonewalled with one of the infinite possibilities that we are faced with on a daily basis.
