Friday, March 29, 2013

Quitting is underrated


http://www.insightoftheday.com/quote.asp

Some time ago I signed up for 'insight of the day'. It's a quote, usually motivational and on Friday's I receive a 'story' in my inbox. Today's story is about the power and necessity of quitting.

Here are a few excerpts.

****

I think quitting is underrated.

... I was more afraid of what other people would think about my "quitting" than I was about wasting more moments of my life.
And so I happily wasted a portion of my life in exchange for avoiding the criticisms and opinions of others.
The bottom line is that I didn't quit because I was scared. It's fear that kept me paralyzed for years and years.

***


•              I am going to quit making decisions based on fear. (Obvious exceptions include any scenario involving hungry wild animals chasing me.)
•              I am going to quit shielding my talents, my skills and my power.
•              I'm going to quit using the trick of "playing small" and downplaying my talents as a way to win approval, validation and attention from others.
•              I am going to quit looking for answers in places outside myself.
•              I am going to quit making "realistic" decisions that steer me away from making a powerful impact on the world.
•              I am going to quit thinking that extreme success is reserved for "other people."
•              And I'm going to quit letting the thoughts, opinions, or insecurities of others direct decisions about my life.


****

"Do you have the courage to quit NOW?"

*****

I've come to view quitting as an important virtue. Quitting something that doesn't belong in your life means that you value your commitment to you above most everything else.
If we all did that, I'm afraid we'd unleash an epidemic of happy and well-adjusted people unlike the world has ever seen.
In an effort to jumpstart such an "epidemic," here's something else I'm suggesting we all quit:
The idea that quitting is in some way a bad thing.
Most people you ask on the street would probably say "quitting" is a bad thing. That's because they've been taught that "Winners never quit and quitters never win."
The type of quitting I'm talking about has nothing to do with what you actually want to achieve in your life. There's no sane reason anyone would quit the pursuit of that.
The quitting I'm recommending applies to all of the other things you feel are standing in your way of pursuing what you want.

******


So when's the right time to QUIT?
You quit as soon as you realize that your time could be better spent in another way. You quit the minute it becomes clear that you're living your life for someone or something else instead of living it for you.
In my experience, doing this on a regular basis is one of the scariest things you can do. It brings you right up to the edge of your comfort zone where you're forced to make a choice:
Do you live your life based on how you want to live it? Or do you live your life based on how you think others want you to live it?
Do yourself a favor. Do the world a favor. QUIT something.
Jason Leister

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Motivational quotes

Margreet came across this list:

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/12-great-motivational-quotes-for-2013.html?nav=next


I particularly like this one:

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."
Tony Robbins

Monday, March 11, 2013

24 Weeks to an Ironman

Six months. 24 weeks. That's what lies between yesterday and August 25th.

The title of this post was inspired from what I consider to be one of the top triathlon training resources in our home library:  “Start to Finish: 24 Weeks to an Endurance Triathlon” written by Paul Huddle and Roch Frey.

Whenever someone asks for advice and makes it clear they don’t want to hire a coach despite our encouragement, Margreet and I direct them to this book.

It’s simple. If you’re serious about finishing an Ironman, you need to know what’s involved and you must have a plan.

While I’m convinced that most people are capable of becoming an Ironman, it’s disconcerting that so few are willing to do the work because that’s what I enjoy the most. I love to train. 

Ironman - unfortunately - has become for many participants a one-time, check-it-off-the-list event. But that’s never been how I’ve seen it.

To me Ironman is about being healthy, day in and day out, week in and week out. It’s a life long focus on being fit. 

I've never started an Ironman thinking: I hope I finish; I've always thought: What will I accomplish today. One reality is that you can't control all that happens during a race but that's a topic for another post.

When Margreet and I first entered long-distance triathlon we did so in Sydney with a coach, John Hill, and a group of motivated, like-minded athletes. We were a real mix in terms of level of experience and technical expertise. What set us apart and brought us together was the commitment we made to be better year in and year out - emphasis on year.

The importance of consistency was hammered into us; and the results more often that not bore that out. 

Another reality of the sport, however, is that Ironman can be cruel no matter one's training - so you better be in it for something other than race day. 

Back then - a decade ago, we had to qualify at a half ironman in order to get a chance to start Ironman Australia. It's too bad that's no longer the case.

Having to qualify was frustrating because it was hard. It also was ideal because it reinforced the work ethic necessary to succeed in getting to the start line.

I take triathlon seriously in that I set aside a considerable amount of time and energy - and money - to compete. I now say compete because I set out to be competitive. It's about me challenging me. 

I don't start an Ironman simply to finish. That's because I embrace the joy of training and the fitness that emerges from it; I want to excel on race day. I'm all in.

What’s important about the next 24 weeks? Well, this is where my focus must and will be sharper. It starts now. Not tomorrow, not next week. From here on in, I will do all that I can to convince myself that I'm ready. That conviction is based in swim, bike and run. It's simple.

I’ve been preparing for this ‘24-week block’ by training to train. That’s a phrase I saw on an Endurance Corner post where I’ve been sifting through a slew of coaching advice. There’s a great series of ‘How to qualify for Kona’ columns on the site that I highly recommend - whether Kona is an objective or not.

What I like most about Huddle, Frey and the Endurance Corner coaches - including Gordo Byrne - is that they are immersed in long-distance triathlon. The same was true of the two key coaches I've worked with in the past. To me this is critically important if you seek a sense of achievement within the sport.

These past two months have been a time to build a base in the pool, on the trainer and on the treadmill as well as tweak my bike position. I’ve done that. Now I’m ready for the next level.

It’s not about volume per se, though there will be a slow increase in volume and/or time spent in each of the three disciplines. It’s much more about making each workout the highest value it can be. Like everyone else, there are endless demands on my time. Ironman is great at helping me prioritize.

As Randy Jackson says to competitors on American Idol, I’m in it to win it. Figuratively that is. For me, it's all about being as focused as I can on my effort and commitment to training.