I watch "Unbreakable" last night. It's a documentary about The Western States 100 ultra-marathon and follows four favored runners closely in their quest to win the legendary race. It also features several commentary scenes with Gordy Ainsleigh, the guy who famously launched the event by being the first attempting the course on foot and not hoof. The original Western States was trail ride--yes, ride--as in horses. The guy ran 100 miles in one day, on foot--with essentially no water, in some of the hottest regions of northern California. Now people run qualifying races in order to stand in line and pay big money for a chance to enter the same race every year. I was fascinated as I thought that there is a lot we can learn from those type of people today when it comes to pain and endurance. They asked for it and then they attacked it. How many of us started our week with that approach? There was a line in one of his scenes where he described how he had been able to go on and endure. This guy wasn't a runner at the time, so this was especially powerful as he had never gone that far before. "One more." That's all he had to keep him self going. He talked to himself. One more. One more step. And after that, he'd say it again. One more. And another. He didn't know if he'd make it but he also didn't know if he'd get another opportunity to try. Where do you need to just focus on "one more" today? Where do you need to give up your fear of not making it and just go anyway? Where do you need to take another step? Watch the film. And then tell me how far you want to go. As always, reach out in the comments and at [email protected] The link is below:
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Yeah, I said it.
And you can too. It doesn't mean that I am defeated or am going to stop to give in and neither should you. There have been a lot of moments that have been hard over the course of the past couple days and weeks. Some of you lost your jobs. Some of you have major anxiety and fear. Some of you don't know what you're going to do tomorrow. I know it's hard. The not knowing is tough. But here's another thing that I know: You're an overcomer. For many of you, this isn't the hardest thing you've ever done. It still sucks, but you've been through worse--and you came out the other side. How many of us have: Lost a loved one? Been fired from a job? Experienced major heartbreak? Beat cancer? Been to war? Recovered from a traumatic injury? Declared Bankruptcy? We've been through a lot. And we are still here! You were built for this. Though uncomfortable and untimely...it's part of your journey. Take the strength you built the last time you had to face trials and tribulations and wear it like a badge. Now is the time to show it off! Share your stories of perseverance and pass it on to encourage one another. . You'll get through. We'll get there. Send me your stories and share with me what you've overcome at [email protected] You already know that this is temporary ...because you've done this before. One of my new favorite follows on social media is Amelia Boone. If you don't know who she is, take the time to go look her up and learn how you can endure a few moments of pain and discomfort, especially in the world we are facing today. One of her tweets this weekend really jarred me: A great leader, a great friend, or a great family member is going to make a change this week and consciously physically DISTANCE themselves out of a wisdom for the world's situation, but socially CONNECT themselves to their team and their clans in the process. My challenge to you is to be great at connecting this week. If you want to make another real impact for your community in the upcoming days make sure you communicate with love and clarity. Check in when you could have been aloof. Reach out even though you have to stay in.
In a fluid and uncertain world, create as much certainty as you can with your words, your thoughts and your resources. Step up. Stay Connected. If you don't know how, let me know how I can help you connect in the comments or at [email protected] No doubt this week has been draining. No doubt you may be feeling the same way. I'm naturally a bit more optimistic than most, but even so, I can get down if I'm not paying attention. I've been through some stressful moments before and I can also tell when I'm headed for a downturn. So when this happens, I have to spring into action and take some control back, even in little ways. So here are the three things that I start to do, as soon as I can, when I begin to lose some of my mojo:
1) I read physical books. I set the iPad down, tone back the scrolling on my phone, and I feel something that actually has a different shape as I take it in. There's also something to be said about having two hands holding open the pages. Its like you're in immediate control, even when it's something as small as a couple of pages.. It also limits distractions from constant notifications and the temptations of a quick tap on the home screen to change gears. It also helps if you read uplifting and inspiring stories! 2) I try to listen to more instrumental music and I'm not afraid to use skips. I find when there are no lyrics, I own the words and I own the pace. Music tends to be tied to many emotions, so it's worth paying attention to what kinds of music influences you and your moods. There is a time and a place for all genres but if you're trying to trend up, use the skip button to help you move the needle. A highly underrated station for high achievers and constant go-getters is "Spa Radio" on Pandora. Sometimes the best way to actually perk up, is to slow down. 3) I avoid advertising. Branding experts and marketers today are so good at what they do, they literally can make you feel negative about anything, even when things may never have been better for you. It's their job to get to your moments of weakness and pain points to try and fill it with whatever they're peddling. Especially in these moments, I don't need anymore stuff and I don't want to feel like I'm not enough. For this reason, I rarely watch TV, I let my wife do most of our shopping and I keep a tight handle on my social media follows, preferences and settings. Those are the main inputs that I work to control. There are so few things that we can really control over a lifetime, but the inputs into our minds and bodies are almost always under our command. If you find yourself losing it more often than not, try to change one or two things that you're choosing to take in and see if you notice a difference. Bonus item: what you're taking in could also be a relationship! It is said that you are the average of the 5 people you hang around with the most. If you've got anything that you do on purpose to help you stay positive, I want to know! Leave me your feedback or reach out to me directly at [email protected]. Stay positive today! ..Have you ever tried to run a 40 yard dash or a 100 meter sprint?
Most of the people who compete at those distances use starting blocks. The point of the blocks are to anchor your feet in a way that gives you something to brace against, providing you a stable point to stride forward with when the gun goes off. I ran track back in high school and I always thought they were uncomfortable. I ran at a decent clip, even competed in the state championships a few times, but I never liked blocks... You'd have to scrunch up into this little space and prop yourself forward on your skinny little fingers, just hoping that your shorts were long enough to cover those weird angles of your teenage body as you had to raise your hind-end in the air before the commands and then the gun. If you knew what you were doing you'd be pointed in the correct direction based on your lane assignment and holding your breath, ready to push off. If you could get over the mental fear of bodily exposure with any sort of confidence that you could later compete in the ensuing moments, you still had the physical tension and potential build up of your own weight expecting to be released in an unknown moment. Best case scenario? You burst onto the scene and lead wire to wire. Worst case? A false start and automatic disqualification or maybe even a trip and a fall. Most races, you're no where near the back of the pack, but you're worried at the start. It's almost always a bit painful. I'd say that's where we are at today. We are just starting this race. We are scrunched up and vulnerable with a lot of tension and uncertainty. As we all hold our breath and anticipate the next time we get to move forward, let us make sure of a couple of things: --Have a good anchor. Every great runner has somebody to stand on their blocks. Ask a teammate to step up to the line with you during this time. Reach out to those around you and make sure you have the amount of support you're going to need during whatever you're going through. And be sure to return the favor. --Keep your head down and be pointed in the right direction. Even at 100 meters, it's hard to see the finish line. If you look around or don't settle into your correct position, you've already lost. We are all gathering ourselves right now and the race is going to go on with or without us. You don't need to see the end, you just have to have an idea of what to move towards. Know what you're trying to accomplish right now and hone in on what that's going to take to get there. You've done enough to get into the event, now let's show what you can do! --Stay in your lane. You are built for this. This isn't your first race. It might be your longest, or in front of your biggest crowd, or one of the events that's starting to wear you down--but you've been through hard stretches before, and you've always finished. Don't step out right now into an area where you could possibly get run over as well. Worry, panic, and fear will only slow you down at this point. You were given this assignment and you will see the finish line soon. --Pick your pace. Starting too fast will get you disqualified or burn you out. Too slow and you're left behind and in big trouble. Make wise and definitive movements as you navigate the path that's been laid out in front of you. Remember to email me or leave me a comment regarding your race right now. Send your feedback to [email protected] I'm rooting for you! How many of you are getting sucked down the YouTube portal or lost in the Google Machine today?
Right now, if you can sneak away from the mainstream media and the C-word (take your pick really, coronavirus...coughing...CDC....they're all just a CRAPSHOOT as to guess at which one is more triggering for some people at this point) you might be able to find some decent entertainment and/or education. We all know you're going to need it when you get into that, you know, other word that kind of sounds like it starts with a C but it's actually spelled with a Q -- QUARANTINE. So yeah, I did a little research today. And here's how it went down: Over 100 years ago, there was this guy who said this thing. Apparently he told it to this other guy who happened to write it in a book. That other guy was once the President of the United States--so that book, his autobiography, kind of got recorded as a part of history. Like it was a big deal. Kind of like the times and circumstances we are living in today. Long story short, I came up with a super catchy headline that made you click on this post and then I found out that a redneck from West Virginia can probably solve a lot of your problems for the next couple days, weeks, and maybe months. If you want to move on and not read the rest, now's your chance...I basically told you what was going to happen. If not, then memorize this next quote that I put in bold, read the rest of the article and share this blog with somebody who is going to need it. My goal is to make us all better throughout this strange and uneasy time. With that stated, the first guy said: "Do what you can with what you have where you are at." William "Squire Bill" Widener, that redneck from West Virginia that I was talking about earlier, was a buddy of president Theodore Roosevelt. He summed up his philosophy on one's duty in life with the aforementioned sentence. How appropriate is that for us today? Again this was over a 100 years ago and I am encouraged to know that truth like that can't be contained either. Really, if we are being honest, that's what we are being asked to do on a daily basis right now. Doing what we can and taking it day by day, is really the worlds only option right now. I understand that many of you don't know what your week's duty is supposed to be any more, let alone your life's duty at this point. Some of you are literally being told to stay where you are at and others are hearing that you can only do certain things right now. "Shelter in Place" is a real thing that people have to deal with now. Several of you just found out that your world tomorrow looks a whole lot different than it does today. So what do you do? Whatever you can. With whatever you have. Right where you're at. My situation will not reflect yours. What you have, I may not. But I know that I have some extra time today. And I know I have some extra hope today as well. And I know there are several opportunities to join together and support the situations we find ourselves in. So I want to encourage you to assess anything and everything you have right now. And then do whatever you can with it. Maybe that means using it. Maybe that means changing it. Maybe that means appreciating it. Or mourning it. Or donating it. I only know what I have and what I am going to be doing with it. Only you know what you can do with yours. So do what you can and please do your best. For me, another couple things that I have is an email, this blog, and a comment section. So, I want to hear from you. I am planning on writing almost daily for the foreseeable future and possibly releasing some other resources, so I want to know how I can help you, wherever you are at. Coaching athletes, clients, and co-workers, and really myself throughout the years, I've had to rely on these words and many other ideas to stave off anxiety, to focus on the task at hand, and to prioritize my next steps. It's what we are all doing right now. Why not do it together? Now is the best time for me to ask that you send your notes to me at [email protected] as we create a new community to rally each other and gain some positive perspective. It's what I have and I know how to use it. I know if you've read this far that you're all in with whatever you have as well. So I'll leave you with another one of my favorite quotes: "If not you, who? If not now, when?" Join me as I change my world during all the other changes going on right now. I look forward to hearing from you! Wandering Target by myself this weekend, I ended up in the only place a middle aged dude by himself would feel comfortable in said establishment: THE LIQUOR AISLE. Beauty in Chaos
That's the name of the first bottle of wine I pick up. I'm laughing out loud at this point. There are people all around. I'm sure a lot of them just looked my way... Literally, I'm standing in a nuthouse of panic buyers as the world is seemingly tanking all around and the label is telling me to look around and appreciate the moment. So here I am, taking my cues from a 2016 Columbia Valley Red Blend. Yep, it's happening. I'm infected. I didn't know losing your mind was a side effect. side note: S/O to all my friends and family in Washington state, feel free to share this story to pass on a little encouragement :) There's a marketing phrase out there that says "Everything Speaks". Though the marketers did a heck of a job getting their product placed in major stores during a major crisis, I don't think that's what I heard from the bottom of that bottle. I heard that there is much to be thankful for right now. I heard it say that it's okay if you have to slow down. I heard it say that this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event. And shouldn't you at least take the time to look around and remember it?!? Pause the panic so you can peer at the pleasant. Make a choice. Whether your cooped up, quarantined, or coughing--choose the beauty. I'll have to admit that I have no idea what normal is supposed to look like today. Things are literally changing by the minute. Good or bad, it's not stopping.
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DJ JohnstonDaddy. Leader. Visionary. Archives
March 2020
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