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.

Why We Launched A Triathlon Training Program

-by Matt Leedham

One of my core values is “Purpose & Meaning.” I have defined that in 3 ways for myself: analyze activities and goals for meaning; strive to live my life for something big, and; help others discover their purpose. Essentially, knowing why I chose to do something, and doing it with intention, is very important to me. Time is limited, and I have so much to get done, so I need to be very critical with what I choose to spend my time on.

When the opportunity presented itself to create this Triathlon Training Program, we didn’t jump at it right away. We reflected on it, asked some hard questions and really thought about whether or not this had purpose and meaning for both Velocity as a whole, and for us personally.

As you can tell by our excitement in launching the program yesterday, our conclusion was that it was a great fit. And here’s why:

1. Walk the Walk – Jaime and I have been writing and teaching about personal achievement for some time. We’ve shared a lot of personal stories, successes, and failures. We encourage people to be great and live up to their potential. And we’ve received a lot of wonderful feedback from those that are inspired by what we write and those that have attended our live workshops. Well, now is the time to lead the charge and take action. We’ve been talking the talk and now it’s time to walk the walk. We started this program based on the passionate belief that regardless of current weight, fitness level, or physical ailments, anyone can compete in and complete a triathlon. Join us!
   
   
2. Common Denominator – The more we talk to people the more we realize two things. First, we are all so amazingly different, complex and yet simple. We perceive the world in a way that only we can – uniquely based our experiences. However, in spite of our varied perspectives, almost all of us seem to have one goal in common. I have yet to talk to someone where health or healthy living was not a priority. Whether or not we are actually living a healthy lifestyle, we all seem to want it. We all want to be faster, stronger, thinner, sexier, more energized, and more vibrant. We believe this program will answer the call for many of you. It certainly will for us!
   
   
3. Adult Recess – We are all guilty of taking ourselves too seriously sometimes (or not seriously enough). We can get into habits, routines, and ruts. We get distracted by “life” and all of a sudden our commitments pile up and we forget about one very important thing – ourselves. This program is designed to be fun! It’s opportunity to get outside, get active, and get healthy. Nothing feels better than the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. So get off the couch and come join us! Make some time in your life to invest in yourself. Spring is around the corner and we’re going to go have some fun!

I will leave you with this final thought. You may not be able to join us in our Triathlon Training Program for many reasons. You may not live in the area, you may have insecurities about your athleticism*, or you may not have the resources to join us. Whatever the reason may be, don’t stop here. Get out there, get active, and get healthy. You’ll thank yourself for it. And so will everyone around you that you inspire.

*please email us at answers@velocitygoals.com about your concerns - this program was created to include anyone, regardless of fitness level.

10 Tips to Having an Awesome Day

-by Matt Leedham

How was your morning?

Mine was awesome. And it wasn’t by accident.

We all have choices to make every day and you can choose, right now, to make tomorrow awesome.

Here’s how you can do it:

**Disclaimer: Not all of this will fit everyone’s lifestyle. Take what you like and leave the rest.

1. Prime Yourself. You can’t prime yourself while you’re sleeping, so let’s start with before you go to bed. Assuming you haven’t been drinking and are going to bed at a reasonable hour, take 10 minutes in bed to prepare yourself for tomorrow morning. Think about opening your eyes and looking at your clock. What time does it say? See the clock in your mind. Then see yourself sitting up and taking a deep breath. Continue to do this visioning exercise until your first family/work commitment. Then get some rest, because tomorrow is going to be awesome.
2. Take Care of Your Body. After you rise and take a deep breath, drink a tall glass of water. Every nutritionist and physical trainer will tell you to do this. You are dehydrated after sleep, and it’s the first thing your body needs. Next, do something physical. If you don’t like to work out in the morning, that’s okay. Just take ten minutes to stretch or do some light calisthenics. By this time, you should be awake for 30 minutes and it’s time to eat a small meal. It’s called breakfast for a reason – you’re breaking a 12-13 hour fast.
3. Meditate or Pray. Exercising and awakening your mind is just as important as getting your body moving. Again, this doesn’t have to be a 30-60 minute session with incense and candles. Just find a quiet, comfortable place and be present. You can pray, or focus on something specific (like your breathing), or just analyze the random thoughts running through your head. There are some great apps for your mobile device that can actually assist with this if you need help (like me).
4. Be Thankful. Research tells us that people who are thankful and have gratitude are happier and have a positive outlook on life. I recommend that you keep a gratitude journal and just jot down three things that happened to you yesterday. The key here is to write what that thing was and why you are thankful for it. Just yesterday, someone told me they try to write three emails, make two phone calls, and write one note to people they are thankful for. Try doing that once a week!
5. Review Your Values/Vision/Goals. That’s it. All you have to do is read them. Read them twice for good measure. Just read them and reflect on them for a minute.
6. Brainstorm Your Activities. Take a moment to jot down all the things in your head that you would like to accomplish that day. Put them into categories (e.g. Personal, Work, Family, etc.). Try to rank each category’s list, putting the things that must get done at the top. Simply getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper has a calming effect.
7. Review Your Schedule. Take a look at your calendar and see if there are any large commitments that may affect your productivity. Try to schedule chunks of time for meaningful work (i.e. NOT EMAIL). Apply the priming/visioning technique mentioned in the first tip – see yourself walking through the day and being very successful.
8. Breathe. That’s it. Take 30 seconds, close your eyes, and take 5 deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Nice and easy.
9. Get in the Zone. This means different things for different people. But do whatever it takes for you to get hyper-focused. For me, it’s putting on my Bose noise-cancelling headphones and listening to music without words (usually ambient drum and base). When I do this, I find that I get in zone and can really crank out my tasks.
10. Check-in with Yourself. Don’t let yourself go the whole day without checking back in with yourself. Lunch time is usually a good break for this. Has something got you worked up or out of whack? If so, revisit tips 2,3,4, and 8.

I truly hope you are able to accomplish tips 1-9 BEFORE opening your inbox. Resist the urge and start the day right. For me, 1-5 happens at home and takes about 45 minutes. I engage in 6-10 at work and it usually takes about 20 minutes.

I hope you find this useful. And more importantly, I hope you have an awesome day tomorrow.

The Biggest Loser

- by Matt Leedham

Last week, the live finale of The Biggest Loser was on NBC and I just couldn’t change the channel. In fact, whenever it’s on, I just seem to get sucked in. It got me thinking…

I think the program “The Biggest Loser” is popular because obesity is an issue that far too many people face in America. Many viewers can connect and relate to the competitors on the show. However, while my weight fluctuates daily, weekly, and monthly too, the real reason I watch the biggest loser is for the mental victories.

Without exception, the contestants on the show, and those that are currently overweight, are dealing with mental and emotional obstacles that seem overwhelming. What makes the show so interesting to me is the break-through moments, the awakenings, the paradigm shifts in the minds of those battling with a variety of tragedies and insecurities. Let’s face it, Jillian and Bob aren’t the world’s best trainers. They are very good trainers, but they are even better therapists. They help people reconstruct their perception of themselves and the world around them.

Rising to the Top
The show starts with many competitors, but only a handful seem to rise to the top. What separates them from the pack?

They have a purpose. They are fighting for something bigger than themselves. They are fighting for their families, for their children, and for their friends. They realize that they’ve made some mistakes and they owe more to the loved ones in their lives. They have a purpose…a reason to live and survive and contribute. They realize that the world is a better place with them in it. They realize that they have something to offer. They are now aware that they matter.

Are you struggling with a goal? Something you know you need to address but can't seem to get it done? Shift your perspective. Change your context. Start with why. Find your purpose for that goal and focus on that. Be relentless.

Power of Positivity

-by Matt Leedham

The power of positivity on personal happiness, fulfillment and achievement is astonishing. We’ve already touched on positivity in three recent blog posts, but there’s more to uncover. And if you’re not sold on the concept yet, we’ve got more convincing to do.

There is a burgeoning field of study known as positive psychology that is putting science to work in what was once just a theory. Ultimately, positive psychology is meant to compliment other forms of proven psychology and is being integrated into many professional practices due to the power of positivity on conditions such as depression and anxiety.

This isn’t “new age” stuff. Let me bring in an expert. Shawn Achor has spent over a decade at Harvard, first graduating Magna Cum Laude, then earning an advanced degree before accepting the role of Head Teaching Fellow for Positive Psychology. Shawn then founded Good Think, Inc., and authored the book “The Happiness Advantage.” If you have time, watch his 21 minute speech on his findings at Harvard – don’t worry, it’s quite entertaining.

BUT, if you don’t have time, let me sum up his findings on how to “change your baseline” – in other words, how to inject positivity into your life:

Gratitude – he suggests taking 30 seconds each morning to jot down 5 things you are thankful for. Do this once, he says, and you’ll impact your happiness for the next 24 hours. Do this for 21 days in a row, and you’ll impact your happiness for the next 6 months. (hmmm…we’ve blogged about gratitude too!)

Journaling – write for just 3 minutes a day on a positive experience and research indicates that doctor’s visits drop by 50%

Simplifying vs. Multitasking – simply put, our brains can only focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking causes stress and anxiety.

Utilizing Strengths – by finding ways to use your strengths each day, research indicates higher levels of energy and more productivity.

Exercise – exercise has been proven to be as powerful an anti-depressant as prescription anti-depressants. Enough said!

Meditation – simply focusing on your breathing throughout the day results in increased gamma waves in your brain which have been indentified in research to impact insight and “eureka!” moments.

Final thought: invest in your own positivity. You will feel happier and achieve more.