Forewarning....shameless plug for my favorite non profit women's organization and one of my favorite singers/performers on the planet: Gamma Phi Beta and Kristin Chenowith who is a Gamma Phi Beta.
Both Gamma Phi and Kristin are crazy good for the following reasons:
They embody the ideals and values of being a strong and intelligent woman
On many occassions they have made me laugh (any cry - the good kind)
They remind me what being good is all about - Love, Labor, Learning, and Loyalty
Hopefully this rendition of For Good will sing you to sleep tonight.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
crazy good (business) advice, but I think it should apply to life in general
Following is an excerpt from one of the best business books I have ever read. Good to Great by Jim Collins.
Disciplined people: "Who" before "what"
You are a bus driver. The bus, your company, is at a standstill, and it’s your job to get it going. You have to decide where you're going, how you're going to get there, and who's going with you.
Most people assume that great bus drivers (read: business leaders) immediately start the journey by announcing to the people on the bus where they're going—by setting a new direction or by articulating a fresh corporate vision. In fact, leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. And they stick with that discipline—first the people, then the direction—no matter how dire the circumstances. Take David Maxwell’s bus ride. When he became CEO of Fannie Mae in 1981, the company was losing $1 million every business day, with $56 billion worth of mortgage loans underwater. The board desperately wanted to know what Maxwell was going to do to rescue the company. Maxwell responded to the “what” question the same way that all good-to-great leaders do: He told them, That’s the wrong first question. To decide where to drive the bus before you have the right people on the bus, and the wrong people off the bus, is absolutely the wrong approach. Maxwell told his management team that there would only be seats on the bus for A-level people who were willing to put out A-plus effort. He interviewed every member of the team. He told them all the same thing: It was going to be a tough ride, a very demanding trip. If they didn’t want to go, fine; just say so. Now’s the time to get off the bus, he said. No questions asked, no recriminations. In all, 14 of 26 executives got off the bus. They were replaced by some of the best, smartest, and hardest-working executives in the world of finance. With the right people on the bus, in the right seats, Maxwell then turned his full attention to the “what” question. He and his team took Fannie Mae from losing $1 million a day at the start of his tenure to earning $4 million a day at the end. Even after Maxwell left in 1991, his great team continued to drive the flywheel—turn upon turn—and Fannie Mae generated cumulative stock returns nearly eight times better than the general market from 1984 to 1999. When it comes to getting started, good-to-great leaders understand three simple truths. First, if you begin with “who,” you can more easily adapt to a fast-changing world. If people get on your bus because of where they think it’s going, you'll be in trouble when you get 10 miles down the road and discover that you need to change direction because the world has changed. But if people board the bus principally because of all the other great people on the bus, you’ll be much faster and smarter in responding to changing conditions. Second, if you have the right people on your bus, you don’t need to worry about motivating them. The right people are self-motivated: Nothing beats being part of a team that is expected to produce great results. And third, if you have the wrong people on the bus, nothing else matters. You may be headed in the right direction, but you still won’t achieve greatness. Great vision with mediocre people still produces mediocre results.
So this got me thinking, this should apply to life in general. I am the bus driver for my life. I really should think about WHO I want on my bus. It can be a really long ride. I want to have people on the bus that will make me laugh, let me sleep/cuddle on their shoulder, and sing along with me. If I have the right people on the bus it should be a really fun ride. It can be a really exciting ride. Some people may only ride for while and others may be in for the long haul. But I should remember, who belongs on my bus.
Disciplined people: "Who" before "what"
You are a bus driver. The bus, your company, is at a standstill, and it’s your job to get it going. You have to decide where you're going, how you're going to get there, and who's going with you.
Most people assume that great bus drivers (read: business leaders) immediately start the journey by announcing to the people on the bus where they're going—by setting a new direction or by articulating a fresh corporate vision. In fact, leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. And they stick with that discipline—first the people, then the direction—no matter how dire the circumstances. Take David Maxwell’s bus ride. When he became CEO of Fannie Mae in 1981, the company was losing $1 million every business day, with $56 billion worth of mortgage loans underwater. The board desperately wanted to know what Maxwell was going to do to rescue the company. Maxwell responded to the “what” question the same way that all good-to-great leaders do: He told them, That’s the wrong first question. To decide where to drive the bus before you have the right people on the bus, and the wrong people off the bus, is absolutely the wrong approach. Maxwell told his management team that there would only be seats on the bus for A-level people who were willing to put out A-plus effort. He interviewed every member of the team. He told them all the same thing: It was going to be a tough ride, a very demanding trip. If they didn’t want to go, fine; just say so. Now’s the time to get off the bus, he said. No questions asked, no recriminations. In all, 14 of 26 executives got off the bus. They were replaced by some of the best, smartest, and hardest-working executives in the world of finance. With the right people on the bus, in the right seats, Maxwell then turned his full attention to the “what” question. He and his team took Fannie Mae from losing $1 million a day at the start of his tenure to earning $4 million a day at the end. Even after Maxwell left in 1991, his great team continued to drive the flywheel—turn upon turn—and Fannie Mae generated cumulative stock returns nearly eight times better than the general market from 1984 to 1999. When it comes to getting started, good-to-great leaders understand three simple truths. First, if you begin with “who,” you can more easily adapt to a fast-changing world. If people get on your bus because of where they think it’s going, you'll be in trouble when you get 10 miles down the road and discover that you need to change direction because the world has changed. But if people board the bus principally because of all the other great people on the bus, you’ll be much faster and smarter in responding to changing conditions. Second, if you have the right people on your bus, you don’t need to worry about motivating them. The right people are self-motivated: Nothing beats being part of a team that is expected to produce great results. And third, if you have the wrong people on the bus, nothing else matters. You may be headed in the right direction, but you still won’t achieve greatness. Great vision with mediocre people still produces mediocre results.
So this got me thinking, this should apply to life in general. I am the bus driver for my life. I really should think about WHO I want on my bus. It can be a really long ride. I want to have people on the bus that will make me laugh, let me sleep/cuddle on their shoulder, and sing along with me. If I have the right people on the bus it should be a really fun ride. It can be a really exciting ride. Some people may only ride for while and others may be in for the long haul. But I should remember, who belongs on my bus.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
If you have 8 minutes watch this, worth the time and you will smile when its finished
Gotta keep it short today - BUSY DAY - but not too short to find something crazy good.
Found this short film, A Finger, Two Dots Then Me on FB this am. Made me smile and I wanted to share.
I will never look at the stary night sky the same way again.
(Photo credit to Jonathan Black - A small taste of the Orionid meteor shower, from atop Flagstaff mountain.)
Found this short film, A Finger, Two Dots Then Me on FB this am. Made me smile and I wanted to share.
I will never look at the stary night sky the same way again.
(Photo credit to Jonathan Black - A small taste of the Orionid meteor shower, from atop Flagstaff mountain.)
Monday, October 22, 2012
looking for the crazy good
Its been a long time since I last posted. I have not made time to do much other than work and keep up with my girls' busy schedules. (Note to self, that is a weak ass excuse about usage of time on my part.)
There are been a lot of crazy stuff that has happened this past year that has made me feel really sad. Which has caused me question WTF is going on in the world I live in?!
An (ultra healthy) co-worker has a devasting brain anurism; another co-worker passes away suddenly; in my local community a little girl is abducted and murdered; and most recently a (dear - she doesn't know I think of her this way - which is sad too) friend is in a serious car accident and injured badly.
None of this makes sense, so crazy and sad. I am fed up with the sad and bad, they are really making me MAD! (My little Dr. Suess moment)
So today, I decided that I can't let the crazy bad and sad win.
I am on a mission to find the crazy good and happy today and every day.
Here are two things that I found that made me happy, smile, and stop and think, yes, crazy in a good way.
They are both presentations from TedxBoulder. If you weren't able to attend like me, here is where you can see all of the presentations. I am a pretty big fan of Tedx and if they ever have presentations that come to your community I would encourage you to go, as I think it is time well spent hearing and learning from some pretty amazing people.
The first presentation is from Erika Napoletano. This woman just makes me laugh, and says a bunch of shit I wish I could (should) say on a daily basis. Her blog is brilliant too. And for Christmas I want this t-shirt, size M should work:
![]()
This woman is right on about being HONEST, and honoring those people that really should matter, and all too often we completely take for granted. Those people that love you just as you are and YOURSELF. When I am done posting I am going to go build my own blanket fort and make a list of who can and cant' come in.
The second presentation that made me smile (through tears) was from Shannon Paige. Shannon's view on how to GET IN YOUR OWN SKIN really reasonated. I concur that the BODY can CHANGE THE MIND. I will have to work on making my schedule work so I can get to one of her classes here in Boulder at om time. In closing I commit: "to take five deeper breathes a day, to be aware to take up more space in my heart, and to be bold and brave enough to line up to that instant where we have the capacity to change; To respond rather than react".
I hope this post made you smile and you found a few moments of joy. All I ask is that you tell someone about it and carry the crazy good forward.
There are been a lot of crazy stuff that has happened this past year that has made me feel really sad. Which has caused me question WTF is going on in the world I live in?!
An (ultra healthy) co-worker has a devasting brain anurism; another co-worker passes away suddenly; in my local community a little girl is abducted and murdered; and most recently a (dear - she doesn't know I think of her this way - which is sad too) friend is in a serious car accident and injured badly.
None of this makes sense, so crazy and sad. I am fed up with the sad and bad, they are really making me MAD! (My little Dr. Suess moment)
So today, I decided that I can't let the crazy bad and sad win.
I am on a mission to find the crazy good and happy today and every day.
Here are two things that I found that made me happy, smile, and stop and think, yes, crazy in a good way.
They are both presentations from TedxBoulder. If you weren't able to attend like me, here is where you can see all of the presentations. I am a pretty big fan of Tedx and if they ever have presentations that come to your community I would encourage you to go, as I think it is time well spent hearing and learning from some pretty amazing people.
The first presentation is from Erika Napoletano. This woman just makes me laugh, and says a bunch of shit I wish I could (should) say on a daily basis. Her blog is brilliant too. And for Christmas I want this t-shirt, size M should work:
This woman is right on about being HONEST, and honoring those people that really should matter, and all too often we completely take for granted. Those people that love you just as you are and YOURSELF. When I am done posting I am going to go build my own blanket fort and make a list of who can and cant' come in.
The second presentation that made me smile (through tears) was from Shannon Paige. Shannon's view on how to GET IN YOUR OWN SKIN really reasonated. I concur that the BODY can CHANGE THE MIND. I will have to work on making my schedule work so I can get to one of her classes here in Boulder at om time. In closing I commit: "to take five deeper breathes a day, to be aware to take up more space in my heart, and to be bold and brave enough to line up to that instant where we have the capacity to change; To respond rather than react".
I hope this post made you smile and you found a few moments of joy. All I ask is that you tell someone about it and carry the crazy good forward.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mission completed
Its been eleven days since I finished my half ironman tri, and even with the time and perspective I can still say I have ZERO desire to do a full ironman. Forewarning now, I will continue to repeat that.
Here is what I learned in the pursuit and completion of this BHAG:
1. First that I had defined my BHAG the wrong way. I thought this whole time my big hairy audacious goal was to finish 70.3 miles. When in reality, by definition of a BHAG, what I was truly in pursuit of a much more visionary goal and something emotional. What I was in pursuit of is proving that I was strong enough mentally and physically to do it thus coming to a new level of self confidence. I didn't really have this aha moment until I realized I had ZERO desire to do a full ironman. (Repeat #2) I am pretty damn confident now!
2. To be okay with not being, first, or fast, or anything that relates to being elite. This race, and the Olympic were humbling. I was not the fastest in the water, but I had a reasonable time. I was definitely not the fastest on the bike. This proved to be true when another biker hit me going up hill because I was going to slow. I was not the fastest running, even though at that point I was woggling (walk/jogging). I had to come to terms and acceptance with just finishing (uninjured) as the accomplishment. Finishing was proof enough that I am strong enough to deal with anything.
3. To follow your plan or you are planning to fail. I know this sounds trite, but it really is true. There is no way in hell I could have done this without the training I put into it. It required a daily commitment on my part to train, and that ensured that I would be able to finish without injury.
4. Sharing this accomplishment is really important. When I ran and finished my full marathon last year no one was waiting for me at the finish line because I picked a race that was out of state. So no one was there to share the joy of the accomplishment. That really ended up bumming me out. I had just done something pretty damn cool and I had to hug a stranger to celebrate.
However, since this race was "close" to home (45 minutes away) I was able to have my family there waiting for me when I finished. I was so over joyed to see my husband and girls there (and they were glad to see me!) I hope that my girls understand that staying committed and focused will allow them to do anything they want, even if it is to swim/bike/run over 70.3 miles. Here are photos of the signs they made for me at the finish -
So now the questions begs itself, what's next? I would really like to do Hood to Coast next year. It just seems like a really cool race. Perhaps I will adjust the focus on finding a new type of "strong" to continue to foster self confidence.
I will say I want another hundred moments like the one when I finished hand in hand with my girls.
Here is what I learned in the pursuit and completion of this BHAG:
1. First that I had defined my BHAG the wrong way. I thought this whole time my big hairy audacious goal was to finish 70.3 miles. When in reality, by definition of a BHAG, what I was truly in pursuit of a much more visionary goal and something emotional. What I was in pursuit of is proving that I was strong enough mentally and physically to do it thus coming to a new level of self confidence. I didn't really have this aha moment until I realized I had ZERO desire to do a full ironman. (Repeat #2) I am pretty damn confident now!
2. To be okay with not being, first, or fast, or anything that relates to being elite. This race, and the Olympic were humbling. I was not the fastest in the water, but I had a reasonable time. I was definitely not the fastest on the bike. This proved to be true when another biker hit me going up hill because I was going to slow. I was not the fastest running, even though at that point I was woggling (walk/jogging). I had to come to terms and acceptance with just finishing (uninjured) as the accomplishment. Finishing was proof enough that I am strong enough to deal with anything.
3. To follow your plan or you are planning to fail. I know this sounds trite, but it really is true. There is no way in hell I could have done this without the training I put into it. It required a daily commitment on my part to train, and that ensured that I would be able to finish without injury.
4. Sharing this accomplishment is really important. When I ran and finished my full marathon last year no one was waiting for me at the finish line because I picked a race that was out of state. So no one was there to share the joy of the accomplishment. That really ended up bumming me out. I had just done something pretty damn cool and I had to hug a stranger to celebrate.
However, since this race was "close" to home (45 minutes away) I was able to have my family there waiting for me when I finished. I was so over joyed to see my husband and girls there (and they were glad to see me!) I hope that my girls understand that staying committed and focused will allow them to do anything they want, even if it is to swim/bike/run over 70.3 miles. Here are photos of the signs they made for me at the finish -
So now the questions begs itself, what's next? I would really like to do Hood to Coast next year. It just seems like a really cool race. Perhaps I will adjust the focus on finding a new type of "strong" to continue to foster self confidence.
I will say I want another hundred moments like the one when I finished hand in hand with my girls.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
my fear of the acronym D.N.F.
Its also worth mentioning that I run with an ipod full of music from "Disney" peeps and Glee and that this alone is like mental therapy. Its hard to be down listen to any of this stuff. About 5 miles into my run I realized part of what I really do like is the challenge of the training and then racing was just to prove the point that all of that training was worth it. I would like to thank Miss Miley Cyrus and her song The Climb to remind me of this point.
And then I got a lil more inspiration from the Biebs to stop all that negative self talk.
Okay you can stop laughing your ass off at me now. I have plenty of normally kick me in the ass running music like 3OH!3, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and the like.
The net is I came out of the run refocused to just do my best and not worry so much about finishing, because what matters more is the doing and the trying in the effort to finish. If the finish happens great, I will just start over again with something else new.
I closed out my run to one of my favorites -
Tomorrow is a 56 mile ride of the bike course.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
the importance of Body Glide on your Attitude
I discovered Body Glide last year during my marathon training. I came to realize quickly how important this can be when you need run 6+ miles and want to avoid blisters in all sorts of places beyond your feet. Trust me when I say a heart monitor can cause the mother of all blisters.
As I ran my miles this am on the treadmill I was annoyed I forgot to pack my mighty stick of body glide. I did knock out 4 miles, but ended up with a blister, but I can't tell you where.
Then as my day progressed I found myself wishing I had body glide for all of me. Like a ultra layer that keeps all of the annoyances of the day from really bugging me and festering into a blister. How cool would that be if someone could invent a pill that gave you that state of mind to not get annoyed and with no side effect on your brain allowing you to make rational decisions?
I realize that all that wishing can be redirected to my attitude and my choice of how I elect to respond to everyday annoyances. I can't stop the fact that the blister is going to manifest itself, but I can choose how much I want to focus on it, and bitch and moan about it.
A good quote that recaps this is by Charles R. Swindoll. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
So I have a bandaid on my booboo on my boo**, and pressed the reset button on my attitude.
As I ran my miles this am on the treadmill I was annoyed I forgot to pack my mighty stick of body glide. I did knock out 4 miles, but ended up with a blister, but I can't tell you where.
Then as my day progressed I found myself wishing I had body glide for all of me. Like a ultra layer that keeps all of the annoyances of the day from really bugging me and festering into a blister. How cool would that be if someone could invent a pill that gave you that state of mind to not get annoyed and with no side effect on your brain allowing you to make rational decisions?
I realize that all that wishing can be redirected to my attitude and my choice of how I elect to respond to everyday annoyances. I can't stop the fact that the blister is going to manifest itself, but I can choose how much I want to focus on it, and bitch and moan about it.
A good quote that recaps this is by Charles R. Swindoll. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
So I have a bandaid on my booboo on my boo**, and pressed the reset button on my attitude.
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