TGIF: Karly Davis

TGIF:

This Goal Is Finished

Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!

If this is your first time on our website, welcome. Velocity is about helping you find and achieve your passion through personal goal setting. You can find out more about us by clicking on any of these links.

You can sign up for our weekly inspirational newsletter by filling in your email address in the toolbar to the right.

If you are inspired by reading our achiever interview below and want to get on the achievement bandwagon, sign up for our next Goal Setting Workshop on June 4, 2011 in Washington, DC.

Today’s TGIF achiever is Karly Davis. We are very proud of Karly for achieving a number of great things in 2011 and it’s only April! Karly attended our Velocity Workshop back in December and had a lot of BIG goals to tackle in 2011. As you can see below, she’s doing quite well!

The Achiever

My name is Karly Davis. I’m 29 years old and live (now) in Springfield, VA. I am originally from Harrisburg, PA and am a proud Penn State graduate! I work for an awesome association called the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)—at EO, we work to provide our members (leading entrepreneurs) with the tools, resources and expert connections they need to grow their businesses.

The Goal

I have 3 goals for the year. The goal I am highlighting today was to purchase my first home. I defined my goal in early December 2010. I indicated that I wanted to work closely with my realtor throughout the year (or however long it took!), search MLS listings, and continually educate myself on the home-buying process. I did not define success on this goal by ending 2011 as a homeowner, but instead wanted to be sure I found the right home and not “settle” just to say I accomplished the goal.

Why This Goal?

Purchasing a home has been in the back of my mind for a long time, I frequently thought about it, but the time never seemed “right” until now. Although it wasn’t a goal at the time, I had been building a savings account for this very purpose since I graduated college in 2004. I always said, someday…someday I’ll actually use that money for MY first house. The timing was right, my life situation was right and the money was in place, so this was the year I was ready to make it a reality. At almost 30 years old, I decided it was the time to put down real roots in the DC area and purchase a home!

The First Step

The first step I took was to connect with a real estate agent. My parents have bought and sold many of their own homes in Pennsylvania, so their realtor, Patrick, was my first contact. He gave me a brief overview of the industry and process then referred me to my realtor, Brenda, a very experienced agent here in DC/Northern VA. She and I talked on the phone about what I was looking for, what areas I was interested in, what was a “must” and a “definitely not,” and of course, my price range. She signed me up for the MLS email alerts based on my criteria and I began my search for my first home.

Challenges

One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was my own fear of the process. Being a first time home buyer, I felt very overwhelmed several times and even thought, “this is just too much, I don’t have time, or I have a great apartment—I’ll just forget this and keep renting.” It was hard to regroup after those overwhelming days but I had the right support in place to keep my goal alive. My parents, boyfriend and real estate agent helped me keep things in perspective.

Staying Motivated

I stayed motivated toward my goal by continually telling myself that people do this every day…If everyone else can do it, why can’t I? It’s overwhelming, yes, but there were plenty of resources and tools to help me learn and feel more comfortable with continuing to move forward.

Who Helped?

My real estate agent, and my parents were the essential mentors I needed to help me “trust the process.” They helped me learn about financing, interest rates, types of sales, inspections, contracts… the whole nine yards! I had a young, fun, creative agent on my side and the contract process was clearly her forte. Also, my lender, John, was a critical element to helping me understand all the financials with purchasing a home.

TGIF – Celebrate!

I was so excited! I put in my offer on the house on Friday March 11^th and after only 1 counter offer, we finalized everything that same night. It was fast! I almost didn’t believe it. I started mapping out everything I wanted to do in the house, where my furniture would go, and how I’d decorate to make it “mine!” My boyfriend and I went to dinner the following night to celebrate!

Karly and Supporters at the signing!

Advice

Make sure you have the proper support in place, and educate yourself on the process. Ask questions of people you trust (friends, co-workers) and be aware that there are many different ways to achieve the goal of purchasing a home. There are different types of sales (regular sales, foreclosures, etc.) and many different types of loans (conventional, FHA, VA, etc.). There are also lots of different routes, financially, so don’t let ‘lack of money’ hold you back. Be aware that as a first timer, it will be overwhelming at times, but continue to tell yourself that you can do it. Also, be sure to pick an agent that fits your personality and is willing to fight for you, you may need that during the contract process. And lastly, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, even if they seem silly. Your agent and lender will expect lots of questions and they’ll gladly answer them - that’s their job!

What’s Next?

Next up is getting settled in the house and personalizing it! Closing was on April 14^th and thankfully, my boyfriend and I now have all our furniture and belongings moved in. We’re getting comfortable and making minor upgrades. A few larger upgrades will come with time (new windows!), but everything is great. The house was a “flip” so most items are new (kitchen, carpet, paint, bathrooms, HVAC, heat pump, etc.).

I am also working on another goal of losing 40 lbs by September 2011. I am halfway to that goal, which I am also very proud of. I began this process in early December 2010. To date, I have lost 21.8 lbs and I feel great. I achieved this goal through Weight Watchers online, regular exercise, and an EO office competition called… The Biggest Loser! I organized the competition and it was a huge success! We had 13 participants and I ended the competition in 4^th place. Here’s to losing 20 more lbs!

Unstoppable

-by Matt Leedham

A very respected peer of mine recently introduced this concept to me as it relates to coaching (thanks Stephanie McDilda!). She’s built a keynote/workshop around the idea of being unstoppable, and although I have not yet heard the content, knowing her and the idea of being unstoppable, I have no doubt it will be a powerful experience.

I would love for Stephanie to write a guest post someday soon (hint, hint!), but in the meantime, let me briefly share what I believe being unstoppable means.

Being unstoppable means…

…that you have a purpose which drives an undying passion.

…that your passion can create undying energy in pursuit of it.

…that you have tenacity and grit.

…that you have encountered, embraced, and fought through external obstacles to your goal (e.g. money, time, connections, etc.).

…that you have faced, leaned into, and conquered internal obstacles to your goal (e.g. fear, insecurities, rejection, etc.).

…that you realize there is a forest beyond the trees, and small setbacks are not deal-breakers.

…that sometimes you have to climb the mountain and sometimes you have to walk around the mountain, and that the only thing that matters is that you get to the other side.

…that there are ebbs and flows to progress.

…that you stay the course in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, etc., etc.

Be your own juggernaut. Be an unstoppable force in your life. Be the purposeful, intentional, unrelenting, tenacious fighter that you are.

Are you there yet? Do you feel unstoppable? Tell us about it!

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #13

-by Jaime Willis

Good Morning Achievers!

If your answer is resource related (money, time, education, credentials), start thinking like MacGyver! How can you do what you want to do with less/different/no resources?

If your answer is internal (motivation, fear of failure, lazy), starting working on you! How can you break out of a mindset that isn't working and build a mindset that wants you to succeed?

If you are having trouble coming up with an answer or a plan, contact us for a free personal coaching session. We'd love to jumpstart your path to fulfillment!

Choosing Happiness

-By Jaime Willis

Photo by David Laporte

Over the last two weeks, several people who know me "in real life" who read this blog asked me some version of this question, "Are you always happy and positive?" They read my posts and facebook updates, watch me interact with others in real life and can't believe that I can keep up the "happy" front all day every day.

And the truth is, I can't. I get mad when someone cuts me off in traffic. I get irritated with the check-out lady who is scanning my purchases painfully slowly. I pop off with a snarky, undeserved comment when I am tired. I get sad and disappointed when things don't go my way. I am human.

The difference is that I work *hard* to limit the negativity in my life -- from both myself and others. I know that I get more accomplished when I am in a high positive energy state, so I try to stay there as much as possible.

I choose to be happy.

When someone cuts me off in traffic, I get the same flash of anger that you do. Then I try to dismiss that feeling as quickly as possible. Sometimes it's as easy as thinking of something else. Sometimes it's reminding myself that the extra two seconds I'll spend in traffic because I had to brake unnecessarily won't truly have an impact on my day and schedule. Sometimes it's commiserating with the other driver who may be late for an appointment and need to get where they are going faster than I do. I choose to be happy.

Last week, I was really disappointed by a comment someone made to me (it wasn't you, promise!). I couldn't just pick up and move on. So, I set a time limit on my disappointment -- I had an hour to wallow in my negative feelings. At the end of the hour, I let the entire incident go. Any more negativity about the situation wouldn't help me feel better, so I needed to stop being negative. I chose to be happy.

This past weekend, I visited my Grandfather for what is likely the last time I'll see him alive -- he is on the end of a long road of illness. When I left his house on Sunday, I cried myself all the way home. I woke up Monday feeling so sad -- totally normal when someone you love is dying. That evening, I had a coaching client call to take, and I wondered how I would have the energy and enthusiasm to encourage my client.

Before I took the call, I walked around my neighborhood outside in the sunshine and reminded myself how incredibly lucky I was to get to go home and see my Grandpa again. I recalled how amazing it was that Grandpa really woke up on Sunday evening right before I left the house and had a full conversation with us all just like old times -- demanding we make him popcorn and commenting on the news playing on television. I went into my coaching call with a attitude of peaceful calm and had a great session. I chose to be happy.

When I was 19 (about three years ago! :), I participated in my university's Alternative Spring Break. During one of our training sessions, our group leader shared the following parable with us that I have never forgotten:

I walked with my friend, a Quaker, to the news stand the other night, and he bought a paper, thanking the newsie politely. The newsie didn't even acknowledge him.

"A sullen fellow, isn't he?," I asked.

"Oh, he's that way every night," shrugged my friend.

"Then why do you continue to be so polite to him?," I asked.

"Why not?," inquired my friend. "Why should I let him decide how I'm going to act?"

As I thought about this incident later, it occurred to me that the important word was "act." My friend acts towards people; most of us *react* towards them.

He has a sense of inner balance which is lacking in most of us - he knows who he is, what he stands for, how he should behave. He refuses to return incivility, because then he would no longer be in command of his own conduct.

Nobody is unhappier than the perpetual reactor. His center of emotional gravity is not rooted within himself, where it belongs, but in the world outside him.

His emotional temperature is always being raised or lowered by the social climate around him and he is a mere creature at the mercy of those elements.

Praises give him a feeling of euphoria, which is false, because it does not last and it does not come from self approval. Criticism depresses him more than it should, because it confirms his own secretly shaky opinion of himself. Snubs hurt him, and the merest suspicion of unpopularity in any quarter rouses him to bitterness.

Serenity cannot be achieved until we become masters of our own action and attitudes. To let another determine whether we shall be rude or gracious, elated or depressed, is to relinquish control over our own personalities, which is ultimately all we possess. The only true possession is self-possession.

How often to you react? How would your own life be improved if you chose to act, if you chose to be happy, regardless of your circumstances?

Stay Solution Oriented

-by Matt Leedham

Negativity is an albatross. Without a doubt, it is a burden and a curse. It hangs heavily around the necks of those who embrace it.

We’ve all seen it before. The heaviness of this burden on friends that constantly complain, or colleagues that gossip.

Negativity crushes the spirit, feeds on more negativity, and creates a helpless, victim-based thought pattern that has no benefit.

However, we all deal with frustration. We all have moments of weakness. We all vent our emotions (usually to our closest friends and family because they’re the only ones that will tolerate it from us). It is healthy to express these emotions.

So, if it’s healthy to express our frustrations with people, places, and things, how can we keep negativity out of it? After all, “expressing our frustrations” sounds a lot like complaining, doesn’t it?

There are two keys to this process:

1. Stay Objective – stick to the facts and try not to become emotionally attached.
2. Stay Solution-Oriented – vent all you want, but conclude with ideas or questions that are focused on making things better.

Here’s an example at work. Imagine one of your colleagues coming up to you and saying…

“She doesn’t care, apparently can’t read or comprehend email, makes stupid mistakes and then shares the blame with everyone around her when things go wrong. She drives me crazy!”

vs.

“She doesn’t listen to what I need, only responds to parts of my email, makes mistakes and then shares the blame with everyone around her when things go wrong. I wonder if there is a way that I can communicate with her better to avoid this in the future. What do you think?”

Moving out of victim-based thinking and into responsibility and solution-based thinking makes a huge difference! Imagine the performance level in these two work environments if everyone acted similarly. In a culture of negativity, how productive will the team be?

Now think about a culture of solutions and responsibility. That’s a pretty exciting difference!

The bottom line is, it all starts with YOU. Build a culture of positive solutions – both in your professional life as well as your personal life. Keep your friends and colleagues solution-oriented and you will notice a tremendous shift in energy.

TGIF: Jeff Drongowski

TGIF:

This Goal Is Finished

Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!

If this is your first time on our website, welcome. Velocity is about helping you find and achieve your passion through personal goal setting. You can find out more about us by clicking on any of these links.

You can sign up for our weekly newsletter by filling in your email address in the toolbar to the right.

If you are inspired by reading our achiever interview below and want to get on the achievement bandwagon, sign up for our Five Star Life workshop. We are heading to Los Angeles November 12, 2011 and we'd love to see you there.

Today's This Goal Is Finished achiever is Jeff Drongowski. Jeff is one of my (Jaime) oldest friends and I am so excited to share his recentest (this is *so* a word) accomplishment with you. Jeff moved to LA 8 years ago with a dream of being in "the business." In addition to the film and photography studio he talks about below, he's also sold a screenplay, filmed Norah Jones, and is currently working on a short film project with some of today's most talented film crew. If you are at all interested in making it in "the biz," you'd be wise to follow his advice!

The Achiever

My name is Jeff Drongowski and I live in Los Angeles, California, but I grew up in Southwest Michigan. I am a photographer, a writer, a director, a cinematographer and a collaborator. I make my living shooting headshots for actors, chronicling corporate events and pursuing artsy side projects. You can find my work at http://drongo3.com.

Working on something? I can help you.

The Goal

Open a photography and film studio (and take over the world).

Why This Goal?

A year ago I was wearing a suit and riding the elevators of Cedars Sinai hospital. I was coming up on my four-year anniversary as a pharmaceutical sales representative. The money was great, the company car and stock options were fantastic, and I absolutely hated it. Every day I woke up with a deep-seated feeling of dread. You’ve heard of golden handcuffs? Mine were from Tiffany and they were chafing the hell out of me.

So, I quit.

I cashed in my 401K (which I’ve heard you’re NEVER supposed to do, so there’s that) and began building a photography business. I had some lean months in the beginning, but it leveled out and people kept calling. I did most of my headshots under an overpass in Hollywood. It had great natural light and I was happy for a long time, until I realized I wanted more. I wanted to get into newborn and pet photography. You can’t ask a new mother to meet you under an overpass. I needed a studio.

To me, having a studio meant I was a “real” photographer. It meant unlimited creativity and absolute control over the environment. It meant backdrops, strobe lights and no trucks whizzing by in the middle of a shoot. It meant a place to make short films, hold auditions and edit film projects. It was an office, the next logical step in expanding my growing business, and I had no idea where to start.

The First Step

The first step was sitting down and dreaming about a better life with some friends of mine (Matt Peek and Robert Lamont). A shared desire to have a designated workspace, a base of operations for all of our collective film and photo projects, came to the surface as the three of us threw ideas around. The concept never really took hold until a property owner offered to lease us the space next to Matt’s restaurant, The Riverside Cafe, for a much lower price than we had anticipated. Suddenly there was a building instead of an idea. We laughed at how crazy it seemed, then we got serious about it.

Challenges

We took a tour of the space, put together a business plan and made an offer on the space. The guy took three weeks to tell us he still wasn’t sure if he could lease us the space. He thought he could get more money, and decided he wanted to put a restaurant in there instead… but he wasn’t really sure. He wanted us to wait and see if his restaurant came to fruition.

We had a plan in place but we were forced to twiddle our thumbs. We gave up on that space and expanded our search.

Matt and I began scouring Los Angeles for a new space. I must’ve looked at twenty-five spaces before we found a great place tucked away in an industrial park. We made an offer the same day somebody else did, and they were offering a longer lease term. I sent the owner an email outlining my business philosophy and provided examples of my work. He went with us.

Staying Motivated

I decided a studio had to happen, so it was going to happen. That’s the way I generally do things and my partners were on the same page. I don’t think any of us had any trouble staying motivated..

Who Helped?

Matt Peek, Robert Lamont, and I each bring a different set of skills and resources to SHOOT. There were many meetings about business models, cash flow, speculative projects and long-term goals. We all had big dreams, and we found a way to make them work together.

TGIF - Celebrate!

First thing I did was drag the equipment I had in my living room into the middle of the studio space. Then I smiled and went home.

I poured a glass of the finest whiskey in the house, took a sip, and immediately began brainstorming ways to make the new studio the best it could be. I had the keys; it was time to live up to my own expectations.

Advice

Talk to everyone about your goal. Everyone. If they start running away, chase them down and tell them what you’re trying to do anyway. You never know who has the exact piece of the puzzle you’ve been missing.

(Jaime's note: This is so true! Jeff was talking to me about the equipment they needed for the studio and it turns out the projector he needed was languishing in my apartment. He never would have thought to ask me for equipment, and I never would have thought to offer it if he wasn't already talking through his project needs).

Also, if you have what most everyone says they want (six figures, company car, etc.) and it’s not enough for you, quit. You’re the only one who has to live your life.

What's Next?

I’m working up to a gallery show, a feature film, a documentary and a whole chain of photo studios for rent.

Right now, I have a life where I get up in the morning, and go to bed at night, and in between I do what I want to do. I’d like some more of that.

Multi-Tasking is a Lie

-by Matt Leedham

In case you haven’t heard yet, multi-tasking is false. It doesn’t exist.

No, seriously, you can’t do it.

Let me explain. But first, put your phone down, stop eating, turn off your email alerts, and don’t even think about checking your Twitter feed.

Here’s the deal, friends. Multi-tasking is not physiologically, neurologically, or psychologically possible because concentration on different tasks would require you to access the same section of your “brain’s computer” at the same time. Don’t believe me?

Have you ever had too many applications running on your computer and it starts to act funny and not be as productive? It runs a little sluggish, right? It’s the same deal with your brain.

When you think you’re multi-tasking, what you’re actually doing is switching your concentration back and forth rapidly. The problem with this is that each time you distract yourself from the original task, it takes on average 15-20 minutes to regain complete focus.

“Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” - John Wooden

The key to fixing this is to single-task with all of your might for 90 minutes at a time. This is prime-time for your brain. Experts acknowledge that hyper-successful people are able to zone in and reach a “flow state” better than their competitors or peers.

So it all comes down to concentration in short spurts. In other words, single-tasking multiple times a day. But concentration isn’t just a matter of squinting your eyes and trying harder. Rather, it is your ability to remove distractions for a specific period of time.

How do you reduce distractions? Some tips:

1. Turn Off Technology – Look, just do it, okay? I know it’s uncomfortable. I know you start to twitch when you’re off the grid. But just try it for 2-hours. You’re not missing out on anything, I promise.
2. No Alerts – Many of us need to use technology to get work done, but there are ways to eliminate the distractions within. For example, turn off the send/receive function on your email client. This will allow you to search for things or work within email without getting distracted by the fire hose of information being sprayed at you.
3. Be Anti-Social – There are times to be social and collaborative at work, and there are times to get things done. If you need to reach a flow state and get a project moving, put on your headphones, close your office door (if applicable), go to a quiet conference room, and shut yourself off from your local environment.

This is stuff is proven to be true and effective. If you’re trying to get more done, be more effective, or get frustrated with how often you’re distracted, give this a try. You may be surprised at how productive you can be and how much your quality of work improves.

Hat tip to John Nicholson of Marketade for highlighting this info recently.

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #12

-By Jaime Willis

Happy Wednesday y'all!  As you read this, I am flying back from New Mexico.  I had a wonderful trip, and I'm happy to be heading home!

Matt shared a great visual with me this week that I wanted to share with all of you.  I think this does a great job of expressing some of the feelings we have as we're growing through a new opportunity or challenge.

Found on K'Boom

Have a wonderful Wednesday & a great rest of your week!

Press Reset

-by Matt Leedham

Have you ever noticed that the decisions you make tend to have momentum? Sometimes things "come in three's," or you can just get on a roll, right?

When I ask this, most people assume I mean positive momentum. Meaning, good decisions tend to lead to other good decisions. This is true.

But the inverse is also true. Negative momentum exists as well. Poor decisions can lead to more poor decisions. If unchecked, this can snowball into a poor choices over time and lead to a poor lifestyle.

Jaime often gives a great example that a lot of us, both male and female, struggle with. Most of us are on a quest to have a healthy diet. What happens when you indulge and succumb to temptation? What happens when you go out to dinner for a friend’s birthday and don’t turn down the ‘death by chocolate’ piece of cake?

It’s easy to tell yourself, “ah, I’ve already screwed up my diet today, what’s another piece of cake…or glass of wine…or…?” And before you know it, one poor decision leads to another and by the end of the week, your diet is in the trashcan and you’re just operating at the whim of your temptations.

Same thing goes for drinking alcohol. If you have one too many at night, what does your breakfast tend to look like the next morning? If you’re anything like me, it’s fried! That’s right, anything that’s been sitting in oil in a frying pan all of a sudden has a great, big, blinking billboard on it saying “EAT ME!”

Last example that I see all too often: you decide to not step out of your comfort zone and apply for that promotion. Or maybe you talk yourself out of approaching that attractive guy or girl. These little decisions, which may be well justified in your mind, can sometimes add up and create an inner culture of defeat. Over time, it can affect your confidence.

This isn’t just a week-to-week issue. I’ve met people that have built up this negative momentum over years. You can imagine how ingrained this pattern of decision making can be. How they’ve now convinced themselves that they can’t make other choices. That they’re not FULLY in control.

The key to avoiding this negative momentum is to press the reset button. It’s to put the breaks on the whole decision making pattern you’ve started to adopt, and realize 2 truths:

1. There IS a reset button…all you have to do is push it.
2. You DO have a choice…you can push it, or you can choose not to.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few life/executive coaches over the years, and this is one of the more powerful benefits. That is, a) they can often recognize the negative momentum going on in your life, b) inform you that a reset button exists, and c) challenge you to push it.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to take control and reverse any negative momentum in your life? Are you ready to push the reset button?

Lessons from a Balloon

-by Jaime Willis

"It is so often true that whether a person carries with him an atmosphere of gloom and depression or one of confidence and courage depends on his individual outlook." -James Keller

Good Morning from sunny Albuquerque! I have been in New Mexico since Thursday and am thoroughly enjoying myself. Yesterday, I had a wonderful experience - my first hot air balloon ride.

My group and I went up with Troy Bradley of Rainbow Ryders. We were so fortunate to get Troy as our pilot, as he is one of the most experienced balloon pilots in the world and has set many records for his flying. If you are ever in Phoenix or New Mexico, please look up Rainbow Ryders - you won't be disappointed.

As we were preparing to launch our balloon, Troy went through some of the ballooning basics with us.

Troy Bradley, Balloon Pilot

"I have complete control of the vertical ascent and descent of our balloon," he said. "I can also use these two ropes to spin the balloon around so we can all share the view."

"What I don't have control of is our horizontal direction. We'll go where the wind takes us, using our ascents and descents to change our speed and direction."

At first, that seemed pretty crazy to me. We are going up in the air and will have no idea where we're going to land --- how far away and in what direction from our launch site. I wanted us to have more control of what was happening!

I realized, though, that this was a perfect metaphor for our lives. We cannot control everything either (trust me, I've tried!) We control our own direction and focus as best we can using the skills and abilities we have to get where we are going. We constantly adjust our speed and course correct based on what is going on in our lives at that time.

Rio Grande from the Balloon

And, most of all, we ALWAYS have control of our outlook. Just like Troy could spin the balloon around to point us in the direction of the Rio Grande or the Rocky Mountains, we too can choose to focus our outlook in a way that serves us best. Just because the wind is not going in the right direction or at the right speed for you, doesn't mean you can't enjoy the view.

Do you need to turn your balloon around this morning to change your view? Are you using the controls you do have to stay on track?

TGIF: Avery Boyce

TGIF:

This Goal Is Finished

Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!

If this is your first time on our website, welcome. Velocity is about helping you find and achieve your passion through personal goal setting. You can find out more about us by clicking on any of these links.

You can sign up for our weekly newsletter by filling in your email address in the toolbar to the right.

If you are inspired by reading our achiever interview below and want to get on the achievement bandwagon, sign up for our Mini Triathlon Training Program and complete a Triathlon before the summer is over!

Today's This Goal Is Finished achiever is Avery Boyce. Avery had already decided that she need to change a lot of the priorities in her life when she attended our Goal Setting Workshop last winter. Read below to find out how well she is doing in sticking to her goals!

The Achiever

My name is Avery Boyce. Over the course of my life I’ve pursued a lot of different goals, from lighting design to neuroscience to entrepreneurship. Now I’m really excited to be a real estate agent in Washington, DC, my home town.

The Goal

To run a half-marathon (13.1 miles). This was a stepping stone goal to a 21-mile race that is coming up.

Why This Goal?

In June of 2009, I turned 30 and realized that I was miserable, overweight, and generally dissatisfied with the way the choices I had made turned out. The first step to changing everything was getting out of my business and moving to a new city. With that done in June 2010 I turned my attention to my health. I had 100 pounds to lose and I knew I needed a big goal to keep myself motivated.

The First Step

First I settled on a sport. I had run cross country in high school, so I knew some of the basics and that I like it. I had never run more than 6 miles, so I wanted to do a long distance. I started looking for destination half marathons so that it would feel like a real reward and something worth working towards.

Big Sur came up over and over as being one of the most spectacular races in the country. Lucky for me, my college roommate lives in northern California and so I could visit her (and get her support) at the same time. Sadly, the half marathon was in November, but there was a 21 mile race on May 1st. I decided to push a little harder and do the 21.

To meet that goal I knew I needed to do a half marathon before then, so I signed up for the Rock ‘n Roll Mardi Gras half marathon on February 13th.

Avery running the Clarendon 5k in training.

Challenges

Changing all of your basic habits at once is really hard! I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to push so hard that I suffered permanent injury, so I took it as easy as I needed to. I started with the Couch to 5k program, then combined walking and running as necessary to build up my distance. I scheduled races at regular intervals, 5ks over the summer and a 10k October 31st. I am always slower than I hope to be, but I look at this as a lifetime process.

Staying Motivated

I am always seeking new information and help from other resources. Reading books about different approaches to diet and exercise not only reminds me of what I should be doing, but inevitably gets me more excited about doing anything at all.

In January I decided that I needed to do weight training to be able to haul my body forward for hours at a time so I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer.

I also journal pretty regularly and write blog posts keeping my friends and family updated. I decided early on that no matter how I got to where I am, it’s where I am and there’s no shame in undoing it, so I speak really freely about the process. That engages my friends in ways that are helpful.

Who Helped?

I really appreciated the perspective and information in The Four Hour Body. I have gone back to that really frequently. My trainer and all the staff at Vida Fitness have been so giving and supportive. Speaking of supportive, my friends have been really wonderful, giving me encouragement, listening to me complain, and even coming to New Orleans for my half with me!

TGIF - Celebrate!

Lucky for me I was already in New Orleans, so I had an awesome weekend of music, drinking and fantastic food with my friend and her fiance!

Advice

Listen to yourself and make decisions about what you need confidently. Don’t be afraid to revise based on new information. Running a long distance is as much about learning as it is about putting in the time and there’s no best way for everyone.

What's Next?

That 21 mile race is coming up May 1st in Big Sur! I’m down 40 lbs but looking forward to hitting 100 lbs lost. I’m also thrilled to be getting into the real estate business in DC. I love learning how to master something new and I look forward to working with lots of different kinds of people to help them get the most out of such a big, important asset.

Staying Balanced

-by Matt Leedham

Do you ever feel unbalanced? Not chemically imbalanced, but like your life is too heavily weighted in one direction? Like all of your time and energy is going to one area of your life at the expense of all other areas?

There are many areas of life that need to be in balance. When one area is neglected, it begins to affect the whole system. Here are the major areas of life to be considered. How would you rank your personal satisfaction with each?

• Family Relationships
• Professional Satisfaction
• Financial Health
• Health & Wellness
• Social/Intimate Relationships
• Social Life
• Spiritual Awareness
• Personal Growth

Is there anything in your life that you are letting slide? For me, I tend to let health & wellness, relationships, and social life fall to the wayside when things get hectic. And when I think about it, these are precisely the last things that should be sacrificed.

What are common causes of personal imbalance?

1. Sudden or gradual increase in stress
2. Trauma or sickness
3. Travel for work or pleasure

What each of these causes amount to, typically, is a disruption to your daily routine. Personally, I find that a disruption to my routine is the biggest cause of a downward trend. As much as I hate to have a routine, it’s essential to maintaining consistent balance for me. Given that a routine is very difficult for me to maintain right now, I’ve become quite adept at predicting a possible disruption, or at least immediately identifying the disruption when it happens. I find that awareness of the issue is half the battle. If I can see what is happening, I can intervene.

Take the time now to take stock in your life. How are things going? What have you been neglecting that is likely causing you pain? Bring this into awareness and start to take some small steps toward addressing balance.

As always, Jaime and I are available for consultation for you or your friends and family. Email us and we'll set up a time to do a brief introduction to coaching and balance to see where you're at.

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #11

-by Jaime Willis

As you read this, I am about 24 hours away from flying to Albuquerque, New Mexico for my first ever trip to the American Southwest. Not only will this trip allow me to check off yet another state on my travel bucket list, but I have the double-bonus of being able to tick off a new life experience as well. While I am there, I will be hot air balloon riding for the first time ever. (Provided the weather cooperates - please cross your fingers that the weather cooperates!)

I thought this would be a great time to bust out a Wednesday Inspirational Thought Question.

This also goes for experiences - What are you doing today that you weren't doing a year ago?

Choose Your Path

-by Matt Leedham

“I’ve always wanted to be somebody, but I see now that I should have been more specific.” – Lily Tomlin

I read this quote the other day and it really struck me (and made me chuckle). All too often, the clients we work with have no specific vision of who they want to be or what they want for themselves. Understandably, we fall prey to the commitments and responsibilities of our lives, compromising our own wants and needs. We fail to see, with specificity, the path that will lead in a direction of our choosing. Sometimes we don’t even realize we have a choice.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” – Lewis Carroll

If you don’t choose a path for yourself, one will be chosen for you. It will usually be the path of least resistance, or a path of someone else’s choosing. Be specific in what you want, focus on it, and it will begin to materialize. Here are some tips for choosing your own path:

1. Reflect on your Core Values. No core values?
2. Close your eyes and begin to create your Painted Picture.
3. Write it down in as much detail as possible.
4. Share it with at least one person (the scary, but highly effective part).
5. Glance at your vision once/day for 3 months, occasionally modifying it if necessary.

If you do this, you are now beginning to choose your own path. What you will see happen over the next few months may seem strange. You may notice a lot of “coincidences” and may even feel “lucky” at times. Opportunities may present themselves in ways they’ve never appeared before. Grab each one of these moments and make the most of it. Great things are about to happen...

Enjoy the ride!

Don't Be Busy, Be Productive!

By Jaime Willis

Comic by Randall Munroe of xkcd.com.  I'll admit that I'm writing this post today to remind me to honor my time better.

You've all probably heard the cliche - if you want the work to get done, ask a busy person to do it.  Why is that coined term so true?  Because busy people are achievers.  They know how to get from Point A to Points B, C, D, and E.  Think about it for a second - when you want to get somewhere fast in the city, where do you look first? To taxis -- they are already out on the roads and they know exactly how to get to where you are going without a lot of muss and fuss.  Achievers are the same way.

The pitfall here is that achievers, unlike taxis, need to stay focused on what is most important to them and not pick up extra "fares" unless you have the time and energy to do so.  Saying 'no' is challenging, especially when all the activities you are being asked to do are Core Values.  So how can you be more productive and less "busy"?  Use the following tips:

Prioritize Sleep Over Everything But Life and Death Emergencies.

Often, one of the very first things we give up when we get busy is the extra hour or two of sleep we'd like to get each day.  In fact, most Americans are getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night.  Tony Schwartz puts the human need for sleep in stark perspective in a recent Harvard Business Review blog post.  

"Say you decide to go on a fast, and so you effectively starve yourself for a week.  At the end of seven days, how would you be feeling? You'd probably be hungry, perhaps a little weak, and almost certainly somewhat thinner.  But basically you'd be fine.

Now let's say you deprive yourself of sleep for a week.  Not so good.  After several days, you'd be almost completely unable to function.  That's why Amnesty International lists sleep deprivation as a form of torture."

In the article, Schwartz also points out that high achievers get MORE sleep than the average person, not less.  So, if you truly want to get stuff done, start with a good night's rest.

 Review Your Core Values Every Single Day.

Jaime's Core Values

Why is this so important to your productivity?  Because if you are really focused on achieving what is important to you, it makes turning down tasks a lot easier.  Cameron Herald, a hyper-successful serial entrepreneur and the founder of BackPocket COO says:

Absent values and vision, you cannot distinguish between opportunity and distraction.

Why is Apple so successful?  Steve Jobs will tell you it is not just their religious focus on making products that wow the end consumer.  It is that they are willing to say no to projects that don't fit their core competencies.

I was recently asked to participate in a really cool volunteer project, but something told me to wait a day or two before I agreed to do it.  A day later, I got a phone call from a family member asking me to fly back to my home state for the weekend.  Using my own values as my guide, Friends and Family are first.  I bought my plane ticket and told the volunteer coordinator I would be happy to do to the project next time.

 Set Boundaries and Expectations.

We've all done it - we thought we were signing on for one thing and by the time the event has rolled around, we've been pulled into twelve different aspects of the project and are committing time, energy, and funds that we didn't have to spare.

I will tell you that I am *notorious* for this.  I really want to help people out, it's a core value of mine, and, as a result, I'll often end up way-way-way overextending myself.  Matt, on the other hand, is really good about setting the boundaries and expectations of any situation up front, so everyone is clear on what he is and is not willing and able to give.  

What is frustrating to everyone is when you wait until after people are relying on you to set the expectation.  Be upfront with people on the outset and 90% of your problems with committing too much to a project will go away - seriously!  

This past week, I was offered a project I was really interested in doing, but I already had so much on my plate, I was unsure if I would be able to handle another thing.  I told the person candidly my concerns -- I really wanted to help, but here was the time frame I was available and here is how I could be engaged while the project was going on.  By setting my boundaries up front, I didn't have to say yes or no to the project myself.  I was able to let the other person decide if my availability matched their need.  Because they were able to agree to my timeframe, I was able to commit to the project knowing my own goals and priorities wouldn't be adversely impacted.

 Build in Time for Mental Renewal.

One of my own habits is to make sure that I have one day a week that I am not getting up by an alarm.  I know how important sleep is, so I try to get as much of it as I can during the week.  Regardless, by the end of the week, I am *mentally* spent.  It is so nice to take the extra time to loll about in bed and watch a television show on my iPad, read a book, or just snuggle with the cats.  

My dad has a poem hanging in his house that always reminds me to take time out for my own mental and spiritual health. No matter how busy your day is, you are going to be much more productive if you start your day mentally refreshed and centered.  Taking time to pray, meditate, do yoga or other exercise, or even deep breathing are all great ways to start your day.

---

    I hope you have a wonderful and productive day!

TGIF: Pat Reynolds

TGIF:

This Goal Is Finished

Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!

If this is your first time on our website, welcome. Velocity is about helping you find and achieve your passion through personal goal setting. You can find out more about us by clicking on any of these links.

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If you are inspired by reading our achiever interview below and want to get on the achievement bandwagon, sign up for our Mini Triathlon Training Program and complete a Triathlon just like Pat before the summer is over!

Today's This Goal Is Finished achiever is Pat Reynolds.  Like many of us, Pat wanted to do something extraordinary for her birthday.  Although she had never ridden a bike before and never been swimming, she decided that she could train for and finish a triathlon! Read the rest of her story below to be inspired by what happens when you BELIEVE you can ACHIEVE!

The Achiever

From L: Chris, Michael, Pat, and Brian Reynolds

My name is Pat Reynolds and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a wife of 31 years, mother of two sons and a soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I love football and baseball, a home filled with family, and a healthy lifestyle to enjoy it all.

The Goal

My primary goal was to complete a sprint triathlon with a distance of 400 yards swimming, 12 mile biking, and 5K running. My secondary goal was not to be last!

Why This Goal?

I chose this goal in honor of my 50th birthday. I had never looked at myself as much of an athlete when I was younger. I often felt uncoordinated and to compete in something like this was terrifying. I felt that way even though I have two boys who were quite athletic throughout high school.

I really wanted to overcome my fears and do something that I never thought was possible. I literally had no previous experience with biking or swimming, but I wanted to challenge myself.

The First Step

The very first step for me was to actually sign up for the race. Once you make that commitment and register, it’s very hard to back out.

Also, getting up the courage to tell other people was a big step because, to be honest, I didn’t know if I could finish a triathlon. Again, I felt that I had a commitment I couldn’t get out of. Once that mental shift happened, it changed everything for me. Since backing out wasn’t not an option, going forward was the only way.

Challenges

Challenges? Yes, there were a few! My first challenge was not knowing how to ride a bike or how to swim. I must have fell off my bike 100 times. I had to start in a parking lot. A few weeks in to the training, my legs were covered in bruises. And the first time riding my bike on a proper road was terrifying.

Learning to swim the freestyle stroke was a bit overwhelming for me. So I learned to swim the breaststroke which was a bit easier and allowed me to keep my line of sight when swimming in a pool or lake. At first, I barely had the stamina to make it from one end of the pool to the next.

It took me one month to learn how to ride a bike and nine months to train for the race. Consistency was so key for me. Even though I wasn’t going far or going fast, I had to keep plugging away to get better and better.

Staying Motivated

Once I set the goal, I didn’t really get off track. Of course, having a trainer really helped hold me accountable. But to be honest, I found myself really enjoying the experience! I began to make it a priority and schedule my life around my workouts. I simply looked forward to training and that really kept me going.

Also, I had so far to go in terms of building up endurance and basic skills, that I didn’t really have time to goof off or skip a few days of training.

My goals was to go slow and steady and just finish the race. Baby steps and consistency were really important for me. This also gave me small accomplishments to feel good about as I progressed.

Who Helped?

The guy that talked me into doing a triathlon cuts my hair. He’s really into triathlons, so he got me all excited about it. Then, every month I saw him and felt accountable to him. This was really helpful and kept me on track and motivated.

My personal trainer was integral in monitoring my progress and pushing me to go further each week.

My husband and sons were very supportive. My youngest son, Chris, would come out with me when I was first learning to ride a bike to encourage me.

All of my girlfriends were great cheerleaders. It was so scary to tell people outside of my immediate family about my goal. But what I found was endless support and encouragement. They were all so happy for me and helped me stay focused. In fact, one of my girlfriends actually joined me in the race which was great fun!

I was also really inspired by the other competitors. Some of the younger guys that got started ahead of me were already finishing the race as I was just getting started on the bike. As we passed each other, they would cheer me on and tell me how good I was doing. Everyone wants others to succeed and it’s a great environment to be in.

TGIF - Celebrate!

As I approached the finish line, my son Chris ran the last 50 meters with me. He was really excited and it gave me a burst of energy to finish strong.

One of my girlfriends is a school teacher and she had her class make a big banner that they held up at the finish line and I got to run through it! Finishing the race, and having my friends and family with me, was the best feeling in the world.

Funny side note: when I actually crossed the finish line, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “I only fell off the bike once!”

Also, I didn’t finish last!

After the race, we all had a big tailgate and celebrated with great food and drink. It’s so rewarding to share an experience like this with people you love.

Advice

For someone like me that is just getting started with training, consistency is so important. It’s important to remember this especially on days when you don’t have a great workout and may not be feeling so good. What you have to realize is that baby steps are so important. Just a little at a time and you will eventually get there.

Also, when confronting your own doubts and fears, reach out to your support network. Mentally, there were times that I thought I couldn’t finish a triathlon. But rather than give up, I turned to my friends and family, and they gave me the perspective and support that I needed to carry on.

What's Next?

My goal for this year is to launch a fundraiser in Atlanta for the Wounded Warrior Project – an organization that meets the needs of physically and emotionally injured veterans. Through counseling, adaptive sports, and job training, the organization strives to ensure that this generation of veterans is the most well adjusted in our history.