Why Are You Working So Hard?

-by Matt Leedham

Hustle, hustle, hustle. Busy, busy, busy!

Do you ever stop for a moment and ask yourself how you got so busy? I don’t know about you, but when look back on my life, I’ve exponentially gotten busier and busier. Yet I have not exponentially increased anything – not wealth, not happiness, not fulfillment, not meaning or purpose.

So what’s the deal? We work harder and harder, push ourselves farther and farther, and spread ourselves thinner and thinner. But for what?

We all have choices. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we don’t by saying things like, “I can’t just work less,” or “I can’t completely change directions after all these years.”

Actually, you can. But you choose not to.

What’s the “why” behind that choice? That’s the question. Are you staying busy because of a value or priority, or are you doing it for someone else? Are you doing it to feel important, or are you already important, regardless of what you do?

Some people work hard because they need the money. I look at the cleaning staff that comes into my office around 5:30pm to pick up trash and tidy things up. I know that it’s their 2^nd, or in some cases, 3^rd job. They’ve got families to support, and working multiple jobs brings in the money they need to make ends meet.

But when you think about it for a minute, even those that “need” the money, are making a choice to work that hard. They could choose to have one job (or no job), and not make enough money to feed and clothe their families. Instead, they choose to work hard. Their choice is not about staying busy or feeling important. It’s grounded in their values and priorities. They sacrifice their own personal enjoyment so that their kids can have a good education and have even more choices. That seems like a motivating and inspiring reason to work hard.

What’s your inspiration for working so hard?

Who are you doing it for? What are you doing it for?

Thanks and Giving

-by Matt Leedham

It struck me recently that Thanksgiving is a combination of two words and two meanings. Of course it’s common to say that it is a time to give thanks, but I think that is incomplete. To have gratitude for all that is around you and all that you are is beautiful. But there is also beauty in giving. There is deep joy in gratitude and giving, and I wish that gift of joy for all of you.

Enjoy this time with loved ones. Give generously, and be open to receiving with all of your heart.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.” -Johannes Eckhart

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #40

By Jaime Willis

It's been over a year since Matt and I first conceived of the idea that became Velocity.  In the past year, we've had a ton of amazing experiences and even more fun.  None of this would be possible without your support and encouragement.  As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, please accept our gratitude and appreciation that you are all a part of our Velocity family!

HT:http://stephaniereid.typepad.com 

Looking Creepy and Meeting New People

-by Matt Leedham

I hear from a lot of people that they don’t enjoy “networking.” Networking, in this case, being defined as going to an event (where you may not know anyone) with the intention of making new connections.

Depending on your profession, this may be considered a necessity. However, after teaching and coaching people to be high-achievers, I’ve learned that networking to some degree is critical to everyone, regardless of what you do for a living.

Reasons people don’t like networking:

• “I hate small talk.”
• “It’s so ‘surfacey’ and fake.”
• “I can’t sell myself.”
• “It’s intimidating to just walk up to someone I don’t know.”
• “Everyone seems to be talking to someone else, and I don’t want to interrupt.”
• “I’m an introvert.”

These are all fair reasons, and they’re all fairly common too. It’s completely natural to feel uncomfortable in such a fabricated environment. I don’t feel comfortable in these environments either. I have to force myself to get engaged.

But just for a moment, imagine walking into a room of people you don’t know and trying to make new connections…looking like THIS:

Yeah, imagine being the guy with the creepy mustache trying to meet new people.

I’ll be honest. I’m a fairly outgoing person, but this was tough. It felt like I had just eaten a poppy seed bagel with spinach cream cheese…you don’t even have to look in the mirror to know you have something in your teeth. That’s what I was thinking. Everyone is distracted by this ridiculous mustache and not taking me seriously. (note: click here for why I’m sporting a mustache)

But here’s a tip for successful networking. It has nothing to do with how to start a conversation, or how to work a room. This has nothing to do with technical strategies for effective networking.

TIP: Jot down your intentions for the networking event (what you want to get from it) and how you want to “show up” at the event (what unique gifts and talents you want to display).

Here’s a few things I wrote the other day before rolling up to a random networking event.

What are my intentions?

• I want to get to know at least 6 people well enough that I would feel comfortable calling them the next day to continue the conversation.
• I want to meet people in their 30’s that are in high-stress environments and believe that there is more to life than just work.
• I want to have some fun!

How do I want to show up?

• Positive
• Curious
• Engaged
• Vibrant
• Generous
• Grateful

Believe me, it makes a difference. With those intentions and those talents on display, it was impossible NOT to meet great people AND have a ton of fun. It’s that simple.

What are your thoughts on networking or meeting new people? Have any stories to share (either successes or mishaps)?

Leave a comment below and let us know!

Camp Mighty update, part 1

By Jaime Willis

Even though I was super excited to go to Camp Mighty, my excitement was equalled by nervousness. Camp Mighty attracted a "best of the best" blogger crowd -- big names that were pretty intimidating to think I'd be mingling and goal-setting with. I was definitely worried that I'd stick out like a sore thumb as a "nobody."

So, I talked to my coach about it on Tuesday while I was in LA. After a fair amount of coaching, she helped me set the intention to "be powerfully motivated and impacted and to powerfully motivate and impact others." I also decided to think of Camp as going in and meeting my friends (that I'd never met) before.

Boyo, did Camp Mighty deliver. On Thursday evening, we had a sort of ice-breaking 'meet and greet' dinner. I arrived at the tent at 7:05pm (the longest I could hold back in the "fashionably late" category), and NO ONE was there.

"Wow," I thought. "These ladies must be serious fashionistas."

I went back to my hotel room, watched another episode of House Hunters on HGTV (I don't have a TV at home, so it was a bit of a guilty pleasure to watch HGTV all weekend).

At 7:40pm, I went back to the tent and a smattering of people were there -- maybe three or four. I thought, "Ok. I don't know what's going on, but let's do this."

I went in with smile on my face and said, "Hi!" A woman greeted me with a pleasant, but quizzical look.

"Is this Camp Mighty?" I asked.

"Ah," she said, "You are in the wrong place -- let me walk you to the commune."

(Seriously. It's called the Commune. Camp Mighty was held at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, which is a very popular renovated Howard Johnson in the mid-century modern style. It's pretty much Hipster Mecca, so of course the property has yurts and a commune, and each room comes equipped with Joseph and the Technicolor Coat robes, a walking stick and two crystals.)

We walked around the hotel to the commune, where, at 7:45pm, the party was in FULL swing. First, I was afraid of being too early, but now I *knew* I was coming in late. Bummer.

I looked around the room for a minute from the comfort of the buffet. Bam! There's Jon and Heather. There's Maggie and Laura. There's Holly. There's AB Chao. Alice. Eden. Heather Spohr's brilliantly red hair stood out in the crowd.

I almost wanted to pinch myself. Am I seriously here? In this room? With these cool people? Wow! I found a smaller, less occupied table and bravely introduced myself to the two attendees who were sitting there, Anna and Sara. They also came to Camp Mighty alone and we spent some time gushing about how nervexciting it was to be here.

And then, the networking began! I met Keryn that night who became my partner in crime the entire weekend. An events planner for Pop Tech, Keryn is the living embodiment of Tinker Bell. She's tiny -- a dancer's body, a pixie haircut, a penchant for large beaded necklaces, and a permanent twinkle in her eye. She's the kindest person -- so incredibly nice, in fact, I think she could successfully rehabilitate the hardest of criminals in a single conversation. She taught elementary school prior to her current gig, so we geeked out a bit on education reform & coaching before we decided to mingle more.

I sat down at the table with my Team Two teammates. I met Jules, who has this amazing smile that makes you want her to like you, just so she'll smile at you more. She was so polished looking that night (and throughout the whole conference). I envy people who can wear a suit jacket with style, as I always feel both incredibly stifled by the structured cut and a bit of a faker -- "I'm not adult enough to wear a suit jacket," I think. She's a non-practicing lawyer (like me) and I swear lawyers must have some innate attributes in common because I could just tell we'd been through the same hell that is law school.

The night begins to blur a bit after this -- The TonTons came on and did an awesome set. I sat down next to Holly and took a picture of her and Anna Beth, who were wearing matching Navy-striped shirts. I even danced a bit. And then, I collapsed back into my room into an almost instantaneous sleep.

To be continued.....

(p.s. I'm posting this from a hotel room in San Antonio, where I am going to another awesome conference. The wifi here is clocking in at late '90s internet speeds, so I apologize for the lack of pictures with this post. I'll update it with photos next week and then you can come back at read it again!)

How to Make a Difference

-by Matt Leedham

For many years I have said, “I want to make a difference. I want to contribute something to this world, and leave it in a better condition than I found it. I want my life to MEAN something!”

And, as you can see from the commentary on this week’s post, The Meaning of Life, others have powerful interpretations of the purpose and meaning of their lives. Many of you said, in both the comments on the blog and on Facebook, that serving others and making a difference was important to you.

While these intentions are commendable and worthy of praise, what lies at the core of our need to “make a difference?”

Does the impulse to make a difference arise from the ego’s need to feel worthy? For example, if I am not convinced my simple existence makes a difference, I may need visible evidence that I do by having an impact on something around me.

What if, instead, I didn’t need proof that I am worthy of making a difference? What if, by the nature of me living fully, using my gifts and talents, I will make a difference?

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #39

By Jaime Willis

Last week, I had the awesome privilege of attending Camp Mighty.  While I can't wait to share all of the stories I have from that great experience, I wanted to give you a brief preview of one of the inspirational speakers I saw there.

Kenna, a grammy-nominated musician, born in Ethiopia and raised in Virginia Beach, Va, was inspired to do something BIG for clean water a few years ago.  When Kenna goes big, he goes BIG.  Check out the climb he put together with 42 people, including actress Jessica Biel, to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money & awareness for clean water. (Seriously -- the web page reenacting the climb is AWESOME).

Hear from Kenna why clean water is so important to him.

Hear from Water.org cofounder Matt Damon on the water crisis:

If this story inspired you like it did me, consider liking Water.org and Charity:Water on Facebook, donating money, spreading the word about the world water crisis, or volunteering your time!

The Meaning of Life

-by Matt Leedham

If you’re reading this, it tells me something about you. At the very least, you have an interest in the topic. At the most, you are eagerly searching for meaning in your life and are hoping to find some glimpse of hope in here.

I’m sorry to report that I cannot tell you what the meaning of life is. I’ve asked a lot of people what the meaning of life is, or what their purpose for existing is, and I’ve gotten a lot of answers. Many people don’t even bother to ask the question because the answer seems so distant or complex.

I’ve heard:

• “To make the world a better place.”
• “To love others.”
• “To excel at what you do.”
• “To not be a jerk.” (Another variation: “To live in harmony.”)

I believe I have discovered my purpose, or are at least far down the right path. What about you?

What’s the meaning of life? What’s your purpose?

Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

At Camp!

By Jaime Willis

Hello Reader! Hello Blogger!
Here I am at Camp Mighty (roar)!
Camp is very entertaining!
And they say we'll have some fun today even if it's raining!

I met some great friends at last night's dinner --
Everyone here is such a winner!
Today's schedule is full of fun things to do --
I'm so excited to share them with you!

I have to go now -- breakfast is calling.
I'm sure by the weekend's end, I'll be balling -
So happy to have met new friends,
and so sad to leave them when this ends.

The Inspiration Crisis

-by Matt Leedham

Almost exactly 1 year ago, I wrote a short post called Inspiration is Perishable. I’m afraid this post is going to be even shorter.

My friends, if you get a bolt of inspiration, take bold and immediate action. I dare you. This is the Inspiration Crisis. You can do something, or do nothing.

I challenge you to do something powerful, different, and impactful when the moment strikes.

Four months ago, my post Pay it Backward was read by more people than 20 of my normal posts combined. People shared it and spread the word. It was incredible. I couldn’t understand why at first. I was just inspired, acted, and had an incredible experience helping someone else. I guess people resonate with that.

Well, it’s happened again. I’m inspired. And I’m taking bold and immediate action.

But inspiration is perishable, so I have to go.

If you want more information about what I’m planning or want to get involved in making a difference for some kids in need, email me.

Onward!

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #38

By Jaime Willis

HT: incorrectlogin

I recently realized that my whole life philosophy may be summed up by a cheesy '80's movie.  How amazing a world would we live in if everyone strove to be excellent.  But not excellent just for themselves, excellent to and for everyone else as well.

Can you sum up your life philosophy in a few words?

The Cycle of Fraudulent Fakery

-by Matt Leedham

For the last 24 hours, I’ve been noodling on a new concept that was introduced to me by a phenomenal master coach, Kerri Myers. As one of the trainers at iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching), Kerri has proven herself to me over the last 8 months by living authentically and sharing her gifts freely with others. Of course, my opinion of her is irrelevant. What makes her so good is her opinion of herself.

The idea that Kerri planted in my mind, much like Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception, was that we project outwardly what we want reflected back to us by others.

Let that sink in for a moment…

So, for example, if we value confidence and subconsciously want others to think of us as confident, we project out confidence, regardless of our own internal belief of our confidence. When we thoroughly believe in ourselves, what others reflect back to us becomes irrelevant to our self-worth, and is only used to build better relationships.

If we lack the internal belief in ourselves, things can get a little sticky.

When those around us reflect back our confidence (like a mirror), all is well. But when someone bucks the system, and does not reflect back your confidence to you, things start to break down internally. In this case, most people will respond by overcompensating, forcing out more projections of confidence to try and “win over” the other person. Of course, this usual yields the opposite result of the intended outcome. People can see right through someone who is not authentic. I know I can.

Additionally, the energy used to project out an image that is not authentic is enormous. This is particularly true when you feel challenged. All the energy that we use to project and protect our self-image is being wasted on what I’ve labeled the “Cycle of Fraudulent Fakery.” The more others challenge our self-image, the harder we try to project what we want them to see. It’s exhausting!

Now, imagine for a moment that you believe, with absolute certainty and clarity, that you are competent and capable in your given expertise, and yet are completely comfortable admitting that you don’t know everything and are always learning. In other words, you are totally confident in yourself.

Naturally, you will project out confidence to others, and it will be authentic. Predictably, most people will reflect confidence back to you, and it will be sincere. Occasionally though, you will be challenged. Someone won’t “buy what you’re selling,” or they won’t give you the benefit of the doubt. They won’t reflect back to you the image you are projecting outwardly.

Unlike someone who internally doesn’t believe in themselves, your reaction will be one of indifference or curiosity. You don’t need the reflection to jive all of the time. Others’ opinion of you is not connected to your self-image. It’s irrelevant.

You may treat this anomaly as an opportunity to explore someone else’s self-image, since their resistance is also a projection of how they view themselves. You may use this information to make a sale or position the relationship to be mutually beneficial.

I could give you countless examples of how my projection has been challenged. This happens a lot if you are trying to sell something. It’s common to encounter objections. But what happens next often sets apart successful sales people and mediocre sales people. Do you overcompensate and try to force out more confidence, often feeling insincere, inauthentic, and ineffective? Or do you relish the moment? The greatest sales people I’ve ever met (and I’ve met a lot of successful entrepreneurs that know how to sell), are those that can’t wait to get objections. It’s those moments that allow them to project true confidence. And believe me, confidence sells.

Instead, let me give you an example of how I projected out weakness and insecurity, and how it came back to me…immediately.

I had just wrapped up a successful coaching session with a client. This was one of my first clients and I was definitely feeling out of my comfort zone and insecure about my abilities. When I look back on it, that’s kind of silly because I have been writing about these things for over a year, have been through a rigorous certification program with over 25 hours of practice coaching and over 100 hours in the classroom, and have run multiple workshops on similar topics. I know, love, and breathe this stuff. But still, I felt unsure of myself.

I wanted to invite this client to take the Energy Leadership Index assessment and do a debrief with me because I believed it would help her understand the concepts we had discussed with greater clarity. I said something like this, in a fairly apologetic tone, “So, I really think this assessment would be great for you and you’d learn a lot. It’s $150, but for that price you’d get a detailed report and an hour debrief with me. We can do it as one of your next sessions or separately. Whatever you think will work if you think it will be valuable.”

My client literally said, “You’ve taught me about the limits of assumptions. Don’t assume that I’m not interested and don’t think it’s worth the money. I see great value and would be happy to pay for it.”

Wow!

I just got schooled by my own client. That was humbling…and mildly embarrassing.

After I swallowed my pride, I realized what a great lesson this was to learn about the power of how we project ourselves. Who am I to make assumptions about what other people find valuable, or what others perceive to be “expensive.” It’s not fair to them or to me.

The truth is that some people will be ready for what I am offering and some people won’t be ready. Other people’s readiness is out of my control and does not define the value of my skills. The best I can do is believe in myself, project that image, and know that those that are ready and willing will gladly come aboard.

If you feel that you need to work on how you project yourself, consider focusing on building up your inner “who.” The “what” and the “how” will follow, but the “who” pervades all of your thoughts, actions, and words. Projecting your true “who” is authentic and people will respond.

By the way, this is tangentially related to a previous post I wrote on The Impostor Syndrome. If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to revisit another interesting concept related the inner-fraud.

What's the Opportunity?

By Jaime Willis

This weekend was a bit of a bummer -- I spent over 30 hours at work finishing an important project.  Now, while no one wants to spend their entire weekend at work, situations like this are perfect for stretching your "opportunity" muscles.

When you are dealing with a difficult or unenjoyable task (or both!), your attitude will make all the difference.

First -- I'm leaving for a week's vacation today -- so working over the weekend gave me the opportunity to really appreciate my time off of work.

Second -- I chose to make the best of my project by packing a bunch of action adventure movies to listen to as I entered data.  My 18-hour work day on Saturday turned into a bit of a movie marathon -- National Treasure, Time Line, The Italian Job, Speed, and The Fugitive.

Third -- when I realized the work would take longer than I thought on Saturday, I had a choice. I could stay and keeping working long into the night or leave at a reasonable hour and come back Sunday to finish it up.  I chose to stay on Saturday so I could sleep in on Sunday and do personal errands.

Really early on Sunday morning (3 or 4am, depending on Daylight Savings Time), I finished the assignment and took a taxi home.

While I've had more fun on a weekend before, I am really satisfied with my time spent this weekend.  I could have been miserable and angry all weekend.  I chose to make the best of it, and I hope you find a way to do the same next time you have a "bummer" of a situation.  

One foot in front of the other.

-by Jaime Willis

(psst: Today at 12:30pm EST is your last chance to donate to win the iPad. Thank you to everyone who donated -- I was able to raise $300 for Charity: Water and the winner was Debby Vig! See our Charity:Water donation page here!)

In January, I declared to the world (or at least our facebook and blog following) that I was going to run FIFTY 10K (6.2 mile) races this year. That was one a week for the entire year, and two weeks of "vacation."

This past Sunday, I ran my 29th* 10K race -- the Marine Corps 10K. There were lots of races I wanted to run this year, but the timing wasn't right, so this is literally the first 10K I've run as an actual race. (With Medals. I'm a big fan of medals!) *Update:  I've now run 31 races.*

If you are doing the math right now, you are probably noticing that 29 is a little far away from 50, especially with 9 weeks left in this year. I know! I did the math too. The summer wasn't great for my health goals -- I was busy and DC was *hot* -- and those are both excuses.

Nine weeks, 21 races. Still totally doable. So, this weekend, I plotted and planned out how I am going to do it. Monday and Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings mostly. With several travel plans in there, I am rearranging this and that to fit this into my schedule. If all goes well, I'll finish a week early. If not, well, I have an extra week to try to make it.

I've said to folks before and I'll say it again, I really want to finish this goal. Even if this means that I am walking multiple 10Ks in a row on December 31st, that's what I'll do.

Life is like this really. You are always too busy. There are always extenuating circumstances. But if you really want something, just put one foot in front of the other and keep walking until you hit the finish line.

Defects and Opportunities

-by Matt Leedham

The other night I watching a TV show called “Mysteries at the Museum” on the Travel Channel. The premise of the show is to find random objects in a variety of museums that have an interesting, often mysterious history. There were stories about hidden treasures and unsolved murder cases. It was all very interesting.

But one story stood out to me. A museum had a replica of Spirit, the Mars Rover developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at CalTech. Spirit, and its twin, Opportunity, landed on Mars in January of 2004 with a mission to complete a 90-day exploration of the Martian surface. Spirit remained functional for over 5 years to the great delight of NASA scientists, far exceeding expectations. But this good fortune was not without a series of misfortunes.

Just three weeks after landing on Mars, Spirit stopped communicating with Mission Control. It just went dead. Understandably, NASA freaked out. If it was a hardware issue, they were done for and just wasted A LOT of tax payer money. But Spirit soon squeaked out a small bit of information to Mission Control, and it looked as though it was a software issue that might be causing the onboard computer to overheat. After further examination, engineers discovered that Spirit’s memory was full, so it just stopped doing things. They deleted some unneeded files, and just like that, Spirit began to function normally.

Other interesting and unaccounted for challenges popped up, such as too much dust covering the solar panels that provided power to Spirit, and soft soil that created a treacherous travel terrain. As a result of this, Spirit’s front wheel began to have issues. It soon became inoperable, preventing the rover from driving forward.

There are no mechanics on Mars, and no way for Spirit to fix its wheel. So, NASA engineers and their teams of rocket scientists in their jet propulsion laboratory came up with a brilliantly simple solution that I think any 3^rd grader would have also concluded. They decided to drive the rover backwards, dragging the broken wheel. It would take more energy, but at least they could still move around.

Spirit soon found itself in more loose soil, dragging its wheel, which one NASA engineer described as a “boat anchor.” The engineers were fearful that this was going to be end of the mission.

Spirit’s camera took pictures of the terrain from all angles. When it took a picture of the path they had left behind, they saw the marking of the broken wheel, dragging in the loose soil. It was a deep gash in the Martian surface, showing how much Spirit was struggling to drive on.

But they saw something else too.

In the upturned soil, there was something glimmering in the bright sun. Something they hadn’t seen before in the other images that had been taken over years of exploration.

Spirit took a sample of this unknown substance and ran it through a litany of scientific instruments and tests aboard the rover. The results of these tests showed something entirely unexpected.

Silica. On earth, Silica is found in abundance in hot springs. Hot springs are known to be an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and are typically teaming with living organisms.

Spirit just discovered that life-sustaining conditions once existed on Mars.

The narrator ended the segment with, “What was once a threat to the mission, the broken wheel of Spirit uncovered this remarkable discovery.”

I share this story because I see so many parallels to human achievement and potential. I see so many people focused on what they lack and don’t have, or what’s wrong with them or their “situation.” Hidden underneath all of that is great opportunity and potential.

The message is simple. Be Spirit. Use your perceived "broken wheel" to change humankind.

Weekly Wednesday Inspiration #37

By Jaime Willis

This week, I read a brilliant blog post by Scott Adams (the creator of Dilbert). It was so good, I was a little miffed I hadn't thought of it first.

He said, "For today only, skip the usual negative comments and leave only optimistic thoughts based on real trends and actual news items. I'll start."

To pick a few examples he mentioned:

"Healthcare: It's better than at any time in human history. Doctors can successfully treat more problems than ever. It's expensive, but arguably there has never been a better value for your dollar."

"Iraq: We're getting out by the end of the year."

"Communication: We're all lucky to be alive in the age of the internet."

----

If you've known me in real life for any appreciable amount of time, you've probably been present to at least one instance where I've gone absolutely and positively ecstatically bananas excited for the time we are living in right now.

"We're living in the FUTURE!" I yell.

"Yes, Jaime, we know. The future," you quickly rejoinder, hoping it doesn't start another ten-minute soliloquy that ventures from the LHC to custom medicine to all things Apple. Sadly for you, it's difficult to get me to be quiet about how exciting the FUTURE of NOW is.

I really love Scott's blog post, because that's really the version of news I want to get every day. Sure, there are problems. Yes, I want to help solve them.

But I know, anecdotally and scientifically, that focusing on the negative doesn't help us.

How cool would that be to have a newspaper that reported every story from the best, most "opportunity-driven" point of view?

If you have a great headline for the Positivity Paper, leave it in the comments.

---

p.s. It's the future. And it's awesome!

Donating My Face

-by Matt Leedham

Perhaps it’s the season of thanks and giving, or perhaps I was inspired by Jaime generously donating her iPad to charity, but yesterday I decided to donate my face to a good cause.

Recently, I learned that November is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. Movember, the official movement, is responsible for hundreds of thousands of men growing moustaches in support of men’s health. The men that participate in Movember, known as Mo Bros, “effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November.” Movember also collaborates with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Why Am I Participating?

Why have I chosen to sport a moustache for the month of November, which will likely get me strange looks from friends and strangers alike?

I don’t actually know any men that have suffered from prostate or testicular cancer. And moustaches have a weird reputation in America.

Think about it. Some people view them as stately or gentlemanly, especially if worn by a older man. Some view them as creepy, especially if you drive a van. Some think of certain professions, such as firemen and police detectives.

So why do it?

The answer is simple really. It’s because I can. How easy is it for me to grow a moustache? Very easy. How much time and effort does it take? Very little. What’s the impact I can have? How much money can I raise? That depends on you!

Ultimately, how much awareness can I bring to men’s health? The ROI on this investment is huge.

Frankly, I couldn’t think of a reason not to do it.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I may look a little silly. I may feel a little uncomfortable. I may feel a little insecure. But so what? If I can just get over my ego, I can make a difference. The choice was simple.

Of course, like a good husband, I asked my wife first. After considering our social commitments for November, she was on board!

How Can You Help Me?

It’s simple. First, help me spread the word about this awesome movement of moustachery. Tell the men in your life to get involved, sign up with Movember, and create a donation page. It’ easy and took me less than 3 minutes.

Second, pony up some cash to support the cause on my donation page! Again, it’s really easy. Just go to my page (http://mobro.co/mattleedham) and give a dollar, five dollars, or whatever you can afford. You can donate to me or donate to my awesome team of Mo Bros.

Donations of $50 or more will get you a copy of one of my favorite books of human triumph, Unbroken (or another book if you’ve already read this incredible true story).

Donations of $250 or more will get you three individual coaching sessions with me, or an Energy Leadership Assessment and 1-hour debrief.

Together, we can raise awareness and much needed funds for research. Your help and generosity is appreciated.

Happy Movember!

Note: the Movember website is experiencing some serious traffic for obvious reasons, so please be patient if you are having delays getting online.