September - a retrospective

The days are getting shorter. Leaves are changing colors. It’s time to shake off the summer vacation sluggishness and embrace autumn. Personally, I have always loved September and its harverst days. Like Jim Rohn said: "For those who planted abundantly in the spring, and who fought against the bugs, weeds, and weather of summer, fall can bring rewards which give cause for rejoicing". Here´s some of the crop from most recent posts on LinkedIn.

2018_09_11 Tie up your shoes

Early morning run. Light drizzle. Deep into the woods. Right foot, shoelace comes undone. Need to stop and tie it up properly. I pause my stopwatch and sit on a stump. And that is when I saw her: a beautiful deer, almost as surprised to see me, standing tall and proud in the mist. We exchange glances, then she quickly scuttles away. If it had not been for the shoe glitch, I would have missed the encounter, simply passing bye, locked in on my running, focused on my pace and the breathing. How much beauty do we miss to capture every day, head down pushing up the hill? Would it be that costly to slow down, catch our breath and soak in the glorious glimpses life hands out with abundance? As I picked up my pace again, deep in my thoughts, I realised I hadn’t started the stopwatch. And that it didn’t matter. Really. Because maybe, just maybe, small gestures like slowing down the speed of travel, or stepping away from the fast lane, will open up new possibilities that are hiding from us just around the bend. As Roald Dahl once said, “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

2018_09_12 Chasing a mouse, chasing outcomes

Funniest thing happened this morning. A tiny furry rodent sneaked in the house, and started panicking his way around the rooms. I spent the next 30´ trying to chase the little brown mouse, but no way could I catch the small bugger: towels, card board boxes, cheese! & paper bag… nothing! He faster than lighting, a cunny little creature able to slide under doors and into the tiniest holes, slipping away every time. So I changed tactic. Went back to work, opened wide the front door, and waited. Sure enough, after 15´ - 20´, my country friend showed up in the corridor, took one last laugh at me, then trundled off on his merry way, in the great outdoors and the pelting rain. I smiled, closed the door, and thanked him for the lessons learnt. Lesson nr.1: never sweat over the small stuff! Lesson nr2: we are often panicking or frantically looking for big ideas, huge strategic changes or transformational initiatives to get to the next level. Especially in this rapidly changing environment. Turns out, small tactical changes can still help us to gain an edge and achieve the envisaged results. So here´s a “cheese!” to my rodent mentor. Hope your day was as positive as mine!

2018_09_13 Recovery run and false beliefs

Until a few years ago, there was a myth: that the best way to recover after a long run, was to run the next day and include a few pick-ups to dilute the lactic acid. For years, that is exactly what I did, ignoring the pain (it hurt “so good”, I kept telling myself!) believing in the old conviction. Turns out, the best thing to do - a part from refueling as soon as possible- is rest. But I still kept going, until recently, and my recovery run was a cornerstone of my training regime. Why do we cling to beliefs even when they are threatened by facts or we are aware of the truth? What if the story we tell yourself about who we are, what we do, is just a mere collection of simple truths that serve your own agenda, our own convenient narrative, and therefore are limiting us? What do we tell ourselves about ourselves that keeps us from living the life we really want to live? It may be tough….but we can let go of false beliefs! As I look outside the window, resting on the couch, I can tell you: the choice is ours.

2018_09_18 The honest interview

Gotta love Seth Godin. This is today´s blog: “Toward the honest job interview” The candidate thinks, “I really need this job.” The hiring manager thinks, “I’m tired of this, I really need to fill this job.” As a result, the candidate says what he thinks will get him hired. He’s not listening, not really. And he’s not telling the truth, not really. He lies to himself about what he wants and lies to the interviewer to get the job. As a result, the hiring manager isn’t really listening, not really. She’s looking for clues, unstated hints about what this person is really like. No one is acting badly here. Cognitive dissonance is real, and the hope is that once in the new role, the hired person will grow to love it. And no job is static, and the hope is that with the earnest and generous work of the hired person, the role will get better. We could all save a lot of time and energy if we could figure out a way to find an actual fit. One person thinks, “I have room in my career for just a dozen jobs. Is this one worthy?” And the other realizes, “We could outsource this work, but we’re going to keep it in house if we find the right match. Is it you?”

2018_09_20 Secrets of Success #647 and #1232

Secrets of success #647 and #1232 (random numbers as there are no secrets of success! All of the truths, principles and disciplines have been around since the beginning of mankind. There is nothing new under the heavens. Every day, we all get up under the same sky. The only difference is, we all see different horizons). #647 There can be no success without sacrifice. Be willing to pay the price. Nothing of value in life comes easily. You must resolve to do whatever it takes to accomplish your dreams and desires. Whether it is working through tough times in your marriage or trying to lose weight, remember, no pain, no gain. If you want to accomplish great things, be willing to sacrifice much. The two go hand in hand. (Easier said than done, I know.) #1232 Success is achieved in inches, not miles. Most people never realize how close they are to attaining their dream of having a breakthrough because they give up too soon. Little by little and inch by inch, it is a cinch. Everything in life takes dedication and time. The people who win in life are the people who harness the power of patience and persistence.

2018_09_26 Run the day

Do you run the day, or let the day run you? While the doing the ´hard yards´ for our business obviously takes up the majority of our days, it´s key - if we want to achieve our goals and stay healthy - to make time for other high-value activities: family, sport (healthy mind in a healthy body, right?), networking, building our skills, interacting with colleagues, and so on. I schedule most of my weekly runs at lunch time. It´s an appointment with myself, locked in the dairy, out in the woods, to regenerate and nail the rest of the business day. How do you plan to make the best use of your time, while achieving a good work-life integration (enough time for family and friends, exercise and hobbies)?

2018_09_27 Interval training

Most runners have a love and hate relationship with interval training. Interval training happens when you run at anaerobic pace. It is taxing for the body. It hurts, but it hurts so good, as it is a key step towards peak performance. When it comes to business, staying focused and asking the hard questions can also be extremely uncomfortable. Like running, we don’t stretch and grow by sticking with what’s comfortable.

2018_09_28 Give blood

Skipped my run the other day. Went to donate blood instead. I know what you are thinking: I am in it for the awesome t-shirt. I like to believe that we actually donate for altruistic purposes, for the benefit others first, but for sure: I will be wearing my snazzy t-shirt proudly on my next run in the woods! By the way: every 500ml of blood given can save up to three lives, but only less than 3% of the population actually gives blood. So do the right thing: give* blood! *if healthy and eligible an able to meet the requirements, of course