Nope, I did not mis-type, button mash, or spill something on my keyboard.  Dawat Mutang is the name of a farmer in the jungles of Borneo, and the guy is pretty amazing!

Today we had our Express Refresh Leadership Simulcast and one of the presenters was Robyn Benincasa.  She was an Adventure Racer in the Eco Challenge series, a crazy set of races in which teams of five head out to run, bike, climb, canoe, kayak, and everything in between for 300+ miles in five+ days… non-stop.

As she was relating these experiences to leadership lessons she shared the story of Dawat Mutang, a farmer in Borneo.  As you’ll see in the clip above, the French team had a team member break their ankle on their way to the starting line.  Undeterred, the French started knocking on doors in the jungle village the race started in and found someone who was willing to make the trek with them without training, preparation, or experience.  Dawat opened the door, said yes, and the rest is history.

How crazy is that?  Picture yourself sitting at home one day with your family.  You’re enjoying a nice meal together and out of nowhere someone knocks on your door and asks if you’d like to join them on a week long journey into the jungle to run, bike, kayak, cave dive, and rappel…  And you’ve never done any of those things other than running?  By the way, this will be one of the most painful experiences you’ll ever have…

To think that he said yes, not only tried, but successfully finished the race!  How incredible is that???  The smile on his face at the end of the video helps us glimpse just how incredibly happy he was at the end of the adventure.

How many times in life has a crazy opportunity come up and I’ve said no?  How often has someone offered something that would push me completely out of my comfort zone and I said no out of fear?  Haven’t there been times when I said no to a wild idea that could have taken me on an adventure that made me smile that big?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that the next time a wild ass idea presents itself I’ll remember Dawat and give it a longer thought.

Thanks!!!

I sometimes catch myself in those moments when I’m not doing anything productive.  I’ve kind of just drifted off and found a way to fill my time.  No purpose, motivation, or focus, just some mindless way to waste time.  It happens so quickly and easily, it usually takes me a while to notice and get myself back on track.

Earlier today I almost had one of those moments.  My lunch eaten I was online reading the news and I noticed what was happening.  I quickly pulled out my planning guide for the week and got myself on to task.  After a brief review I then spent the next 10 minutes or so focused on something that I had intended to get done this week.  It felt great!  One less thing that needs to get done, something that wasn’t super involved but easy to put off, done.

It wasn’t the most exciting thing ever but it was something that needed to be done.  Instead of drifting off into mindlessness I was able to realize that I was slipping, got back on track, and made something happen.  While I will continue to work on this to the point when it is my natural reaction today I am very thankful for not randomly filling my time.

Thanks!!!

Most of our weekends are a mash of craziness, busy-ness, rushing all over, and everything in between.  While this weekend was not that different, it was great to have a wonderful mix of “alone time” with each of my family and a little much needed actual alone time.

Becky and I got our early morning run in on Saturday.  Dominic and I worked together on cleaning up the soccer fields.  Gavin and I were spending time alone in my workshop.  I had a few hours of creating up in my workshop all alone.  We had several meals as a family out on the deck.  The boys and I had fun playing at the park.  To wrap it up Becky and had a little more alone time as we went for a walk while the boys finished up a movie.

All in all the weekend was exactly what my soul needed.  Not that I was getting stressed or anything, but I can tell that I was getting a little too tightly wound by the chaos of life.  Taking time this weekend with each family member and myself was fantastic, and I’m ready to go for this next week!

Thanks!!!

How easily I allow myself to get so busy that I keep myself from doing the things I should.  Many times I get caught up in the busy-ness of the day and forget to take time to protect my most valuable asset…  my time.

Today I made a point of remembering to take care of that.  Instead of grabbing lunch on the go I brought my hiking clothes, changed in the car, and got some trail time in.  It was amazing and incredibly refreshing!  The time in the sun and fresh air was exactly what my brain and soul needed to get back to business and be productive.

Today reminds me of why I need to remember to stay focused on the things that bring the most reward and say no to the things that don’t fit.  I need this time to be the most productive version of myself that I can be, and I can find ways to make it fit into my day so long as I make it.

Thanks!!!

Most days if you were to check on what I was listening to while I drive you’d hear one of several great books on leadership, business, strategy, behavioral economics, or some great 90’s grunge.  Taking a brief break from more serious stuff I opted to pick up Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, Born to Run.

Sadly, I let about three decades of my life slip away before getting hooked on Bruce’s music.  If you haven’t ever given it a good listen I’d encourage you to give his Darkness on the Edge of Town album a spin…  You might find that little something you’ve been looking for in your music.  Once it gets in your bones, it just sticks and you can’t get enough of it.

Listening to Bruce read his own life story has been nothing short of mind blowing for me.  While I was intending to get in a more entertaining and relaxing book it’s been a surprise with nuggets of great wisdom in almost every chapter.  There was learning to see that I’m not nuts when I sometimes have the voice in my head that tells me I’m not doing a good job in the middle of a presentation.  The grit that he had in order to create what he wanted to create was unbelievable.  His willingness to be left open and vulnerable in admitting to mistakes he made was enlightening.  The passion that he exudes for his craft is very motivating.  Hearing the imperfection of his life, the way he worked hard to raise himself up, his commitment to excellence, the rigor of his practice, the sacrifices made…  It all adds another level of depth to his songs and pushes me to be better than I am.  As he puts it, he doesn’t have much for natural talent, he’s had to bust his ass to become the success he is.  While I may have been opting for a relaxing book I’ve instead found one that is getting me even more fired up!

While it’s not my normal read, I’m very thankful for having picked this book up.  My appreciation for his music continues to increase and his passion for excellence has helped stoke a fire in me.

Thanks!!!

While I’d really prefer not to get into too much on this one for the sake of professionalism, I am thankful for the times when I need to hold a hard line and I do.

Today one of my teams and I were tested with this.  We had reviewed a situation, went back to our vision and values, and made a decision on a specific course of action.  We knew it wasn’t going to be liked or easily accepted, but it was the right decision.  As we met with our client it went exactly as we expected.  Our client was not happy and may decide to use a competitor instead.  That said, I am thankful that we held the line.

It’s often easy to succumb to emotion in the moment when pushing for something.  It’s difficult to stick to my guns and always want to find a way to get the “AND,” but sometimes, there’s not an “AND” to be found.  In those cases we need to stand firm.  Today I was tested and I held the line… and I am thankful for that.

Thanks!!!

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

I may not have been stretched to my limits today, but I was certainly in the state of flow described above.  Not once, but twice!  It was an incredible sense of totally losing my sense of self.  There was no me, just my actions, my work, unleashing me…  and it felt great!

The last time I presented on this topic the little voice in my head was present and got me a little jammed up a couple of times.  This time?  Nope, I booted that little bastard right out of my head and went.  I flipped the switch, imagined the opening chords of Sabotage by the Beastie Boys playing at Volume 11 in my brain and let it go.  The practice was done, time to let loose.  There were a couple of firsts that I totally rolled with (someone signing for someone who was hearing impaired and also having another mic going for Skype), and when I stumbled I didn’t let the voice in, I just switched gears into one of my prepared one liners to get myself back on track.  It was like I was on cruise control and was along for the ride along with everyone else in the room.

Tuesday night with no soccer meant yoga for Becky and I with Nick at Root Down.  His ability to coach and push is incredible.  While my body was being pushed and pushed and pushed I was totally outside of myself.  I was lost in the breathing, lost in an incredible state of flow, and it was amazing.  I’m sure I’ll pay for it when I get up to run tomorrow morning, but tonight it was wonderful.

I assuming that everyone reading this has been in a state of flow like this before.  Time stops, you don’t have time to think, the little voice is gone from your brain.  All there is at that moment is the present, nothing else exists, no worries, no stress, nothing, just release.  What a feeling!  To have had this experience twice in one day is something I am incredibly grateful for…  time to crash! 🙂

Thanks!!!

Tomorrow I’m presenting on Managing Difficult Conversations in Eau Claire.  That means today was all about the practice…

Getting to the office early to get a practice run of the presentation in before work.  Practicing it on the drive to Eau Claire after work.  Knocking it out again in the hotel room.  Getting to the room early check out the set up and give it in the room once before it’s go time…

There’s nothing quite like the rigor of hard good old fashioned perfect practice to make this guy feel great.  Funny how easy it is to avoid, yet how great it feels to do!

Thanks!!!