Just Go

-by Matt Leedham

Twenty-four hours ago, I departed for Seoul, South Korea with my beautiful wife and in-laws. We bought our plane tickets for this trip in December of 2010. We have been slowly planning this three-week excursion for 10 months. The four days prior to departing were filled with tons of to-do’s, chores, errands, and tying up loose ends. Packing was an epic adventure of guessing what I will need in an environment and climate that I cannot accurately predict.

After all of this planning and preparing and talking about it, I still didn’t feel prepared. I thought, “I must be forgetting something.” Or, “what have I not thought of?” Sometimes, I would respond with, “Ah! The power adapter for our electronics! I knew I was forgetting something.” This, of course, only confirmed my doubt that I was not prepared enough.

Eventually, the time comes. You must go. The flight crew (and the 251 other passengers) will not wait for us if we are late. Callously, they will leave us behind, westward bound without much consideration, if we are just a moment late. So, you force yourself to go. You ease your anxiety by telling yourself that if you forget anything, you can always buy it at your destination.

And if you’re like me, the result of all of this is usually the same. Everything turns out to be JUST FINE!

Don’t get me wrong. My planning and thinking about what I’ll need likely saved me a few heartaches. But in general, it won’t affect how amazing my trip will be if I forget my floss.

So, what are you waiting on in life? What have you been planning and planning, and thinking about and thinking about? What are you postponing because you don’t think you’re quite ready yet?

I urge you to JUST GO! Just start moving…begin the journey. Trust yourself that you will figure it out along the way. Trust that you have access to resources and people that will help you. In fact, they will be more likely to help you if you are on your way. After all, everyone can talk…not as many people DO.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-By Jaime Willis

"Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf clovers."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Actually, around here, we like to call March 17th the "Matt Leedham National Holiday" as it is one of his favorite days of the year! (Matt is grateful that that is the largest size photo I could find of him in his holiday get-up!) In Matt's honor, we've turned our webpage green for the day.

On a holiday filled with talk of luck, I want to dispel the myth of luck. You aren't missing out on life because you are unlucky. The other person didn't get the job because they were luckier than you. Luck just doesn't exist.

What does exist is PREPARATION and OPPORTUNITY. When you are prepared to take advantage of an opportunity, you may get "lucky." How can you prepare to be lucky?

• Start each day with a positive attitude and outlook. "You can complain that roses have thorns or you can rejoice that thorns have roses." It is all in your outlook. Since an optimistic attitude has been proven to make a positive difference in recovering from illness and achieving goals, you can activate your 'luck' first with a great attitude.

• Do your research. You may have always wished you could be on the Today how. But have you ever once done the research to see what it takes to get on an episode? What stories are they looking for? How do they book guests? How 'timely' do stories need to be? If you have the answers to all these questions, you can craft a piece or a pitch that best meets the show's needs. You may get 'lucky' enough to get on the air.

• Ask for help. We've said this before and we'll say it again, networking is amazing. The world is getting smaller and smaller -- it is surprising how often someone you never would have guessed has a contact, lead, or information on something you are trying to accomplish. For example, think how many parents your kid's teacher knows who are all in different fields? How about the barista that serves the same regulars every day? I was once connected to a private car auctioneer through the parent of one of the kids I tutored, just because I asked how the student was able to get such a good deal on his vehicle.

• Have your resources at the ready. I graduated from law school in 2003 and passed the New York Bar that same year. However, for the next six years, if you had desperately needed a lawyer and were willing to pay me a MILLION dollars to fix a legal problem for you, I could not have done it. Why? Even though I'd spent seven years in school and another several months studying for the toughest exam I've ever had to take, I stopped just short of the finish line. Because I never went back up to Albany, New York to get sworn in. For SIX YEARS after I passed the bar, I couldn't say I was a licensed attorney. You cannot get 'lucky' if you don't have the right resources available to take advantage of the opportunity. In 2009, I finally went up and got sworn in. Now, if a legal opportunity came up, I could take advantage of it.

• Keep your eyes open for opportunity. Opportunity rarely comes in the exact packaging you'd expect. A lot of opportunities come with a whole heap of hard work attached to them. The perfect job for you might be in a city across the country. Your dream home may be lovingly updated in the latest '70's style. Don't edge away from opportunity just because it requires a leap of faith or hard work - go for it!

I hope are preparing for your next opportunity today! I know I am.

How to be a Survivor

-By Jaime Willis

Three days ago, Northern Japan was the epicenter of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in modern history. The earthquake has sparked continuing shock waves, multiple tsunamis, a volcanic eruption, and the disruption of several Japanese nuclear power plants (the linked article does a great job of explaining why no nuclear holocaust is imminent).

The Japanese are working to rescue survivors, restore major utility service and begin rebuilding. You can help by contributing to the Red Cross Distaster Relief Fund or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to relief efforts.

No one can fully predict or prepare for this magnitude of natural or unnatural disaster. However, if you are blessed to survive the initial disaster, there *are* things you can do to ensure your continued survival. Interestingly, these same aspects are critical to ensuring your success in completing almost any goal as well.

ATTITUDE

More important than any other single thing, including food, shelter, and water, is your attitude. I shared with you before that having an optimistic attitude is a critical component of healing from major illness. You need to foster the unwavering belief that you WILL survive.

In the bestselling book, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand writes a biographical account of Louis Zamperini's life as an Olympic track athlete and World War II Survivor. At one point during the war, Zamperini's airplane is downed over the Pacific Ocean; he and two others, Francis "Mac" McNamera, and Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips, survived the crash and boarded life boats, awaiting rescue. The men ended up floating 47 days on the ocean without food, water, or shelter from the sun before landing on an atoll in the Marshall Islands two thousand miles away from their plane crash. Only Louie and Phil survived the trip. As Hillenbrand writes,

"Though all three men faced the same hardship, their differing perceptions of it appeared to be shaping their fates. Louie and Phil's hope displaced their fear and inspired them to work toward their survival, and each success renewed their physical and emotional vigor. Mac's resignation seemed to paralyze him, and the less he participated in their efforts to survive, the more he slipped. Though he did the least, as the days passed, it was he who faded the most. Louie and Phil's optimism, and Mac's hopelessness, were becoming self-fulfilling."

It is clear to me that having a positive outlook is critical to survival. Beyond survival, I believe that optimism is also the first key to achieving ANY goal.

PREPARATION

My dad was a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout and the Boy Scout motto of "Be(ing) Prepared" is practically tattooed into my skull. One of the reasons that the Japanese are faring as well as they are is that they are prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis. While the death toll in Japan is not final, it will be logarithmically less than the smaller earthquake in Haiti last year. This is in large part to the strict building codes in Japan intended to reduce the impact of tremors as well as a national public education campaign on how to quickly move to safety in the case of tsunami.

Louie and Phil had taken a survival course while they were stationed in Honolulu, and therefore knew, for example, that only the liver of the small sharks they caught were edible. The men would have had a much more difficult time surviving in the raft if they were also battling food poisoning or dysentery.

As you begin any project, spend a big chunk of your time on research. If you are starting a company, learn why some companies fail when others succeed. If you are buying a house, learn about all the pitfalls of financing first. Knowing what could come may help you make better decisions when disaster strikes.

RESOURCEFULNESS

Also known as MacGyver's First Law, resourcefulness means that you can think your way past the challenges that face you, despite limited supplies, support, or aid. MacGyver was famous for fashioning solutions out of meager supplies -- duct tape, a paper clip, and his trusty Swiss Army knife.

Louie and Phil were incredibly resourceful as they drifted across the Pacific ocean. Determined to catch some rainwater after three days without water, Louie used a piece of the canvas case in the life raft to form a bowl to catch the water. They used that same cases as hats when the hot sun beat down on them all day long. They ate fish and birds they learned to catch and continued to catch rainwater to reduce their thirst.

When you encounter a challenge where your resources are limited, think of all the ways you can work with the few supplies you do have.

PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance means getting to your breaking point and continuing on anyway. You would think that Louie Zamperini was a survivor after managing to live through 47 days at sea. But this was only the beginning of two years of intense physical and mental hardship as Louie was interred in a prisoner of war camp. The fact that Louie entered POW Camp at a skeletal 80 pounds, it is nothing less than a miracle that he managed to hang on for the next two years of small food rations and incredible disease.

When the going gets toughest, you can't think about tomorrow, or even the next hour. Stay focused on getting through each moment and you will make through all the moments you need to in order to survive and succeed.

You can be a survivor and a succeeder. Start with the right attitude, do your research, get resourceful, and don't be afraid of working hard and you'll see success!