First, I need ...

-By Jaime Willis

"You can't always get what you want,

But if you try sometimes you just might find

You get what you need."

-Rolling Stones

This is the second of three blog posts today in honor of Triathlon Training Blitz Week!

Today, we are talking about the excuses that people use to avoid taking action on a goal. One excuse we hear a lot is that people don't have the right "stuff" to really start tackling the goal. The "stuff" can be anything, including: not enough money, too out of shape, don't have the right equipment, don't have the right education, etc.

The really awesome thing about goals is that there are so many ways of getting them accomplished. Your lack of "stuff" is likely just a lack of imagination.

As you think about the resources or "stuff" you need for your goal, ask yourself a few questions.

Do you really need that particular "stuff" at all?

Say you want to own your own business giving dance lessons to kids. You may think, "I need to buy a building before I can start my business." But do you? Couldn't you rent a building? Even better, couldn't you rent a room for an hour or a day - the amount of time you need to run your class(es)? Best of all - couldn't you use your networks to find a FREE space to provide dance lessons -- a church basement, a school cafeteria, a friend's building?

Money is usually a big obstacle that isn't nearly as necessary as people think. Think about the budget for the business above. In the original, this person may have needed over $100,000 to put down in order to buy a commercial property. Renting a space on a year-long lease may have meant a $20,000 annual commitment. Renting space on an hourly or as-needed basis may have meant a $5,000 - $10,000 annual commitment. Using free space while she builds up clientele - $0 dollars and instantly, her business is net positive!

If there is a resource you do need, how flexible can you be about it?

In the triathlon example, there is no getting around the fact that you need a bike. One-third of the race is on a bike, and it would be a little odd if you showed up without one. But you don't need the BEST BIKE EVER. You just need something serviceable. Do your research - does a friend have a bike languishing in their basement they can lend you for a few months? Is there a garage sale or swap meet nearby? Can you find something in your price range on Craigslist?

Left: Kestral Airfoil Triathlon Bike: $4,995 MSRV, Right: Schwinn Varsity Road Bike, $199 New, $75 Used

Do you have to have a $5,000 bicycle to complete a triathlon? Absolutely not! I'll be finishing my race with a 30 year old, $75 used bike. Ask yourself, as I do almost every day, What Would MacGyver Do?

Is there another way to think about the goal itself?

Back when I was first losing weight, I thought the ultimate "physical challenge" would be to run a marathon. If I was going to prove to myself that I was fit, not fat, I needed to run a marathon. So, I started training. I ran and ran and ran some more. When I got up to 10 and 11 mile runs, though, my hips and knees mutinied on me. I went to an orthopedic surgeon, who advised me that if I enjoyed ambulating on my own two feet, I should find another sport. From all the years I abused my joints carrying huge amounts of excess weight, my hips and knees were pretty permanently opposed to long-distance runs.

Now, I could have spent a lot of time and money on rehab and surgery and physical therapy and running clinics and figured out how to run a marathon. But when I searched my heart about WHY I chose that goal, I found that it wasn't really the marathon itself that meant anything to me - it was doing something BIG. And AUDACIOUS. and PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING. With that in mind, I embarked on a mission to do lots of shorter-distance runs. To help lessen the impact on my joints, I've written the rules of my challenge to include lower-impact cardio equipment, like the elliptical machines or the cross trainer. When I finish running 50 10ks, I'll have run the equivalent of almost TWELVE marathons. I'm betting I'll feel just as accomplished (or even more so) as I would had I pushed myself and my body to complete the marathon.

Think about your "ideal" resources to accomplish your goal. Now spend some time brainstorming - asking yourself the questions above and see if you aren't a lot closer to being able to complete that goal than you think!

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!

Rules for Accountability Partners

-by Matt Leedham

In our goal setting workshops, we stress the importance of having accountability partners or groups. Having someone hold you accountable is a great best practice that many successful people use. But not everyone knows what it means to be an accountability partner – it’s not a skill they teach you in school.

Has someone asked you to be an accountability partner? Looking for tips to give your challenge buddy to be more effective? Keep the following in mind:

Ask a TON of questions. Goals do not exist in a vacuum. Goals are (or at least should be) connected to something deeper. If properly designed, goals should be aligned with both the achiever’s core values and personal vision. So, dig deep. Understand the “why behind” the goal. It will help you keep the real reason in the forefront. For example, losing weight is not just about shedding pounds – it’s usually about health, confidence, love, family, etc.

Ask permission. What type of coach is needed? Do we need the drill sergeant or the therapist? Or do we just need a friendly voice in our corner? The accountability coach should ask permission up front to have the uncomfortable conversation if necessary, and to confront situations that need to be addressed. Having this permission alleviates miscommunication and increases the effectiveness of the relationship.

Set up check-ins. We’re all busy. The worst thing that can happen to accountability partners is infrequent communication. Set up a time to meet regularly (e.g. every week or every other week) to check in on how the achiever is progressing. Set alerts to text or email the achiever with quotes of wisdom and positivity. This is a great indirect way to push them along.

Be generous. Offer up all of your resources and networks. An accountability partner needs to be resourceful and generous. You have agreed to be responsible for the achiever’s success or failure, so pull out all of the stops and help them get it done. Between the two of you, you likely have what it takes to make the goal a reality.

Celebrate the wins. This is the fun part! Celebrating the wins (even the smallest victories) helps create momentum and confidence. And confident momentum will propel anyone forward to keep achieving. Be a part of the celebration and keep cheering your partner on!

Being recruited as an accountability partner is a great honor. Accept it humbly. You are now co-responsible for someone’s personal success, achievement, and happiness. You are a critical piece in helping us build a community of achievers!

Jaime's Big Goal

I, Jaime Willis, will run fifty 10-kilometer "races" by the end of 2011.

Like everyone else in this universe, I always, always have a goal about my body for New Years. Lose weight, gain muscle, eat healthier, etc. And, over the last several years, I've been pretty consistent about achieving those goals. It seems like its that last little bit of weight that is always the hardest to lose (or to keep off). Although good health is ultimately a lifestyle thing, having the same "weight" goal year after year is boring.

So this year, I'm switching things up a bit. I still want to lose a bit of weight, but I want to do it by challenging myself. So, in the style of Eddie Izzard's marathon extravaganza, but scaled down to minimize injury to my creaky hip and knee joints, I am going to be running 50 10Ks (6.2 miles) this year. That's one a week, with room for just a couple of whoops weeks.

My rules:

1) The entire distance has to be run at once. No adding all the walking around for the week.

2) Walking, jogging, running, and ellipticalling (totally a word!) all count as "running."

Starting when? Actually, starting last week! I've run two 10Ks so far, and have 48 to go. While most of my 10Ks are going to be gym races, I will be doing a few road races as well. Want to join me?

Sunday, May 15, 2011: Capitol Hill Classic, Washington DC.

Saturday, June 11, 2011: Lawyers Have Heart, Washington DC.

Saturday, June 25, 2011: Reeds Lake Run, East Grand Rapids, MI.

If you have a 10K road race you'd like to recommend I run, please email me.

One way to stay motivated to keep working on a goal like this one that is going to take ALL YEAR to finish is to create a reward chart for yourself, so you can see the progress as it happens.

Above is the chart I've made for my 10k project. Make your own chart on powerpoint, or buy one that fits your needs. Never underestimate the power of stickers to motivate you!

Great Motivation Chart/Tools:

• Life Calendar. Create a smiley face for each day of the year. You decide what you are going to do to earn a smiley face.
• Hand-drawn Chart. Maggie Mason colors in a square for every 15 minutes she exercises.
• "X" Chain. The productivity secret that Jerry Seinfield uses.
• Stickers and Charts. An entire website devoted to making goal charts for kids.
• Stickers! Oriental Trading has more cute stickers for your chart than you'll know what to do with.
• Joe's Goals. Keep track of multiple goals online or on your phone!

Keep plugging away at your big goal!

A Big New Goal

- by Matt Leedham

Last night my brother and I were driving to Yechon in Annandale to have dinner with my wife’s cousins, who have quickly adopted me as one of their own (shout out to the Chungs, the Kimms, the Paes and Mr. Park!). My brother looked at me and said, “so, have you ever thought about learning Korean?”

I really wished he hadn’t asked that. The truth is, yes I have thought about it. And yes, it’s on my 101 list (similar to a bucket list but without the morbid reference). Until that moment, I had successfully tucked the goal of learning Korean deep down into oblivion. I want to learn Korean, but the thought of what it would take to do so makes me quickly focus on other goals in my life.

But it’s time to walk the walk on this one. I can’t honestly write, coach, and teach about achieving difficult goals if I’m not going to get out there and practice what I preach. In fact, just two days ago, I wrote about The Biggest Loser and how the successful competitors are able to shift the context to something bigger than themselves. They are able to focus on “the why” of the goal – the real reason you are committed to something.

So here we go…

(A Big New Goal)

The Goal: Be conversational in Korean by October 1, 2011. Conversational = Ability to greet, chit chat, order food, and ask/understand/answer basic questions.

The Why: 1) It would mean a great deal to me and my wife if I were able to converse more freely with her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. 2) It would mean a great deal to me and my wife to be able to raise our future children in a bi-lingual household. 3) Learning Korean would allow me to achieve something I have doubted I could achieve for many years. 4) We are planning a 3-week trip to Korea with my in-laws in October 2011, which would be a great capstone to a year of learning the language.

Material Obstacles: 1) Time. Let’s be honest – I’m going to need a lot of it. But just like anything else, you make time for what’s important. 2) Money. Language software, text books, and courses are not cheap.

Emotional Obstacles: “I’m not good at learning languages.” I studied Spanish for years in high school and college, and am okay on vocabulary and basic conversational stuff, but never really picked up proper grammar (which is very similar to English, so I’m not sure what that says about me…). Negative self-talk will not help, but I’m going to need some cheerleaders in my corner to make it through this.

Resources: My resources seem endless on support – I’ve got at least 10 family members that will help me along. I’ve got a wife that will happily talk to me in Korean as much as I want (and endlessly watch Korean movies and dramas with me should that be helpful). However, resources in language instruction seem limited. I do have an old text book that was given to me by an owner of a language center in DC. I’ll have to reach out to my network on this.

Network: My network is fairly extensive, but not among language instructors. From what I can gather from 6 years of knowing my father-in-law, the Korean community stays well connected. Whatever I ask of him (e.g. a handyman, a mechanic, a doctor, a hot air balloon driver in Alaska), he always seems to “have a guy.” He always knows someone with that specific expertise. So, perhaps I just need to reach out.

That’s it. I’m doing it. I’ve said it.

Can you help me?

New Year's Resolutions

- by Matt Leedham

It’s that time of year again. As New Year’s Day approaches, many of us are faced with the challenge of choosing (and hopefully sticking to) a New Year’s resolution.

But why do we do this? Why engage in this annual ritual?

The reason for setting resolutions on the first of the year has certainly evolved over the centuries, but a couple of things seem to be clear. The obvious is that the New Year represents a new start, a clean slate, and a chance to press the reset button. Our current interpretation of resolutions likely got its legs from religious traditions. Christians prefer to sacrifice a vice during Lent (e.g. chocolate, alcohol, TV, etc.) and from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur Jews reflect on wrongdoings and seek to improve themselves. Many other religions and cultures share similar traditions during their New Year and high holidays.

This is all very interesting, but how effective are New Year’s resolutions? I’m fascinated by this topic every year when the gym seems to be packed in early January, but empty again in late February.

Professor Richard Wiseman is behind Quirkology, a collection of many interesting studies into daily living. Three years ago, his team tracked over 3,000 people that set New Year’s resolutions, including the most common ones of losing weight, working out, drinking less, volunteering more, etc.

Alarmingly, while 52% of respondents were confident of success, one year later only 12% actually achieved their goal. Yikes!

What he found in his study (and what we have found coaching people on goal achievement) is that you are much more likely to be successful if you set specific, measurable goals that have a deadline. In fact, Professor Wiseman found that 22% of men were more likely to achieve their resolution if they engage in proper goal setting techniques. He also found that telling others about your resolution and seeking support from friends and family was another important factor toward achievement. Specifically, women were 10% more likely to be successful when reaching out to others.

We want you to succeed this year! Here are three things you can do to dramatically improve your ability to succeed this January and beyond:

1. Set specific, measurable goals, with deadlines and checkpoints.
2. Use your network and resources to achieve your goal.
3. Sign up for our Goal Setting Workshop this Saturday (December 11th) where we'll teach you all of this in greater detail!

Asking for Help

- by Jaime Willis

You cannot do it by yourself.

No matter what goal you are trying to accomplish, I guarantee there will be a point that you need the assistance of someone else to get your goal done. The problem is that we are indoctrinated to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness, when just the opposite is true. The most successful people I know are also the most likely to have a really strong network of support.

I mentor a couple of great students, one of whom just recently turned 19. As a young black male growing up in foster care in Washington D.C., Nick doesn't have access to a strong, positive male role model. And while I have many talents, there is simply no way for me, as a woman, to provide Nick with that specific type of mentorship. Not to be deterred, however, I decided to create a book for him that included the collected wisdom of all the successful men I knew.

Last week, I put the call out to all the men in my life -- friends, family, and coworkers. With only a few days to get the quotes in and format them, I wondered if I'd have enough responses to make this present work. Well, I should not have worried. The guys rose to the challenge spectacularly! In the end, I had almost 100 pages of material!

I hastily formatted, edited, and spellchecked the document, and gave it to Nick last night. He was incredibly happy with the gift and couldn't wait to begin reading the book "made just for him." This amazing gift to Nick would not have happened if I had been unwilling to ask for help.

Take a look at your goals and see if there is something you can ask for help on today!

------------------

Updates:

GREAT NEWS! I have gotten a lot of interest regarding this post and have even been given the opportunity to pitch this to a major non-profit as a potential book deal. I'd love more at-risk youth to benefit from the collective wisdom of the older male generations. Sort of like an "Uncle in your Back Pocket" guide to life.

Can you help?

1) Guys, I would love your words of wisdom for young men in topics listed below. You can email me your words of wisdom here.

• General Life Advice
• Personal Vision
• Work/Career
• Money
• Challenges
• Attitude
• Integrity
• Education
• Health
• Faith
• Love
• Family/Friends

2) Spread the word! Can you repost this to your own facebook page, twitter, blog so we can get the wisdom of men far and wide.

Thanks a million! You all are amazing!

Just Do It

- by Matt Leedham

There comes a time when all of the writing, thinking, planning, etc. just needs to be put aside. Sometimes, it all comes down to one thing: action.

Four winters ago, before my wife and I were married, we walked home one January evening after dinner in Dupont Circle (Washington, DC). It must have been 15-20 degrees that night. And it was windy. As we approached my building, my wife noticed a man at the top of some stairs leading to a service entrance of the hotel across the street from my apartment. He was curled up in a ball, with no coat or blanket, visibly shivering. My fiancé (at the time) demanded that we do something. She was right. He might not have made it through the night. We called the city’s hypothermia hotline, grabbed a thick wool blanket from the apartment and ran back outside to let him know that help was on the way.

Ever since that night, my wife and I have casually talked about doing a coat drive among our networks of friends and colleagues. Every year around the holidays it kept coming up, but we never took action. There was always so much going on at work, or with family, or with travel. The usual excuses.

• Eight weeks ago in reflecting on my personal core values and what I wanted to accomplish in the coming year, I wrote down the goal of having a coat drive.
• Six weeks ago, I reviewed my goals and told my wife about it.
• Four weeks ago, I expanded on that goal, jotting down some ideas about next steps.
• Two weeks ago, I started telling some people about my plans.
• Last week I realized I hadn’t done anything about it and the depths of winter were approaching rapidly.
• This past weekend, disappointed that I still had not moved the ball forward, I committed to taking action on Monday.
• Yesterday, I made 3 phone calls: 1) to my friend who used to work in the wine industry, 2) to another friend who is a phenomenal amateur chef, and 3) to a non-profit dedicated to helping feed and clothe the homeless in the District.
• Today, my wife and I will be sending out an Evite to 50 friends and colleagues inviting them to our house on December 18^th for our First Annual Holiday Wine Tasting for the Homeless. Price of admission = $20 + all the lightly used winter clothing they can find in their homes.

When I boil all of this down and distill it into the truth, I find that making this dream a reality required me to make 3 phone calls and send one invitation. That’s about it. All together, maybe 30 minutes of my time.

Sometimes, you need to “just do it.” We all have resources and networks at our fingertips. We all have the ability to make things happen. Just do it. If you don’t think you have the resources to pull something like this off (or some other big idea you have), I challenge you. By virtue of reading this, you have the same resources I do. Just ask.

What about money, you say? Well the $20/person will cover the cost of the wine. The food is our holiday gift to our friends, family, and colleagues. And the winter clothing is free to collect and donate. Don't let money be an excuse. It's just a brain-teaser with many possible solutions.

The world can ill afford to wait for you to act. You have what you need. It is time to apply your education, knowledge, experience, and resources to improve humankind.

I wrote this one day in my journal a few months ago. The other day, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Just do it.

So, what goal or dream do you have that's just been lying around collecting dust? Leave us a note or a story in the comment section below.

Goal Survivor

- by Jaime Willis

Good Morning Achievers! I'm posting this from gorgeous Italy where I am visiting my best friend who moved here earlier this year. If you follow our twitter feed or facebook page, you'll know I'm making goals happen this week. I enjoyed a quick visit to Madrid, checking another city off of my goal list, and we are leaving tomorrow for Greece, so I'll be able to check yet another city off my list before the week is out. Anyway, on to my regular posting...

Recently, I participated in a professional development day at work. One of the teamwork exercises we were tasked with is probably familiar to many of you--we were asked to prioritize a short inventory of things that would aid us in surviving after a winter plane crash in the Canadian Arctic.* After ranking the items on our own, we were given a short period of time to work as a team to create a team ranking of the same 15 items. Finally, the facilitator would give us the rankings assigned to the items by survivalist experts and we could compare both our individual and team scores to those of the experts.

*If you are interested in doing this activity first on your own, feel free to click on this link and scroll down to the "Problem Solving" section of that page.

As soon as we were able to begin our individual rankings, I began by creating my survival goal and then ranked the items as they impacted my ability to reach that goal. I figured that my best chance for survival was to be alive when the rescuers showed up, so I prioritized the items in favor of making camp -- having sufficient heat and shelter to combat hypothermia, having access to clean water and the ability to find/cook food, and finally the ability to signal to rescuers. Once I decided to make camp and prioritized the greatest risks of death, I was ready to rank my items.

When our team began talking through the rankings, I shared my strategy and encouraged the group to agree on a survival goal and then prioritize items from there. Although several members of my group initially agreed, many members were really focused on ensuring that their personal top items received top ranking in the team activity. Which is why, at the end of our discussion, snowshoes and rope were ranked higher than anything else on the list.

Unsurprisingly, our team did not fair well against the survival experts. What was surprising was that our team's score was still better than all but three (including mine--yay!) of our teams individual ranking scores. I think survival was truly won or lost not by the items themselves, but by the defined goal or lack thereof by the players.

How can you expect to succeed when you haven't properly defined what success looks like? You can define your success by following a few simple steps:

1) Define your core values and know your skill-set. In the above exercise, it was amazing how many of my colleagues flippantly stated that they would "probably die" if they were really attempting to survive a plane crash. Not me. "Choose Life" is a very strong core value of mine and I strategized accordingly. At the same time, however, I knew that hiking and orienteering are not my strong suit, so I quickly discarded the option of hiking out and opted to create a camp while waiting for rescue.

2) Define your goal and figure out what is required to make that goal happen. For me, the defined goal was to "survive the plane crash until rescued by eliminating as many high risks of death as possible." I knew that being cold and wet would likely kill me first, so heat/shelter was my top priority. After that, a clean water supply was critical to avoiding deadly dehydration. Then, access to some form of food would allow me to survive the weeks and even months until rescue was possible. Lastly, in the event that rescue arrived, I figured that having ways to signal my precise location would aid rescuers.

3) Choose tasks and resources that fit your goal requirements. If I were given additional time on the above activity, I would have begun outlining my own order of operations with the resources I'd chosen. First, I'd build a fire and get dry & warm. Then, I'd build a shelter to ensure that I could stay dry and warm long-term. Only after those two tasks were complete would I worry about water and food, and eventually signally for help.

I hope you can use this information to begin road-mapping your own goal survival today!