The mountains of the Tour de France

Practice so you are prepared for the moment

Lance Armstrong did not win the Tour this year, but it will be a long time before any fan forgets the triumph Lance has had during the mountain stages in the years he won. If you never had the chance to see it, just read the stories recapping those stages. They say it all. As his competitors would struggle just to stay in the race, Lance would dominate the inclines and build leads that were insurmountable.

In 2007, I ran the Rose Bowl Half Marathon with my friend Drew. The goal was simple, to run a 9:20 pace and try to come close to a two hour race time. It’s important to note that I run with Drew because he’s faster than me. Up until the day of that race I was lucky to hang with him let alone finish near him. As we reached the three mile mark I wasn’t feeling the same pace as him and let him move ahead, so far at one point I could no longer see him. Eventually, I found my groove and settled down, gaining speed as the course difficulty increased. I caught up to Drew around mile 11. It was then as we ascended on the steepest hill that day, I found my legs had a little something extra to give and I sped off from him.

It’s not just limited to racing, there is some feeling about performing your best at the hardest time. It’s like the five run come back instead of the blowout victory. It’s like the all nighters versus studying the entire semester. It’s the adrenaline in our blood that makes us surge. Not all succeed in these moments. I’d even argue most crumble under the pressure. The key is that when we practice we push ourselves. We surround ourselves with those who challenge us; those who make us question what we are doing. We do this, because when the time comes to thrive we may need to rely solely on ourselves. You have to admit the shame it would be if your moment arrived, but you were not ready for it. Are you ready to work your hardest when the time is tough?

But it’s raining outside

Making the best in any condition

I recently went on a week long cruise through southeastern Alaska and had an amazing time. We explored, went hiking, biking, kayaking, snorkeling, zip lining and plenty of site seeing. I would say it was one of the best vacations of my life. Interestingly enough, we didn’t see the sun until the last day and on what I would say was the best day of the trip, it rained the most. A friend of mine warned us before we left to not let the weather stop us. I’m glad she did, because it gave us a better perspective. I ran into people throughout the cruise complaining about the weather and each time they looked at me to agree I did the exact opposite and told them why.

I think we can all read the writing on the wall and know that as we enter the second half of 2009 the economy will not change overnight. Our companies have more job and budget cuts coming. As I meet more and more people faced with a layoff notice or the impending job loss, I am shocked by what I hear. Sure, we cannot change the weather, but we can change how we prepare for the storm. I have great admiration for those who are saw the storm coming months ago and who took time to gain new skills. Creativity has gone a long way for them. I’ve met one person who found a way to start two new lines of work, doing each part time, but now makes more than he was in his previous one job. One co-worker defied corporate bureaucracy of charge lines and budgets and began to freelance his skill across Boeing. He now has to turn customers away.

It sure is nice when the weather is perfect and you can see everything from the top of the mountain. We don’t get that every day at work, in training, or in other parts of our life. The trick is to prepare accordingly and make the most out it to enjoy the time with people around you.

Find Focus

I spent this weekend volunteering to facilitate at my fraternity's annual leadership workshop. I worked with undergraduates to help them assess themselves, prepare strategic plans and discuss solutions to a variety of challenges they face in their positions. This was my fourth year and one common theme returned. They all feel comfortable now with their plans, but know that three weeks into the semester they’ll be too overwhelmed to know up from down and will have lost the motivation they have right now.

Looking back, I know what goes wrong each semester. The amount of work gradually increases from classes, events on campus pick up and unplanned things happen. This leads to stress, sleeping less and in some cases not doing the job intended. The challenge at that point is trying to get a brief chance to come up for air and sort things out before it gets worse. I feel most never get that chance, but instead hang on to a thread and strive under the pressure.

As I return to blogging after a month long hiatus, I ask that you start finding focus. Are you overwhelmed not completing the professional or personal tasks you want? Or do you feel like you are facing similar challenges that you faced before, but never seemed to address? Maybe fitness or financial goals that you never had a chance to create an action plan. It could also be dealing with a difficult person that never was confronted. Consider that it could be you’ve achieved more than you imagined and never taken a chance to enjoy it all.

Since August is typically filled with vacations, I challenge you to finding time on one of them to do some reflecting. Think about the last few years, not just this year. Celebrate successes. Identify motivation. Determine distractions. Consider opportunities. Even if you do not have a vacation planned, just search out some extra time to give yourself.