Write it Down, I Mean it…Go Do it Now!

Continuing with my lessons learned from 2009. I celebrated my 31st birthday in October of last year, but I didn’t need that to remind me I was getting older. If you only read every other post on this blog, you’ll know I firmly believe in writing down your goals with action plans. Last year I learned it’s not just the goals that should be written down. Your mind is not a collecting point, so make lists in writing. Many of us now have Blackberries or other smart phones that all give us the ability to capture what we’re thinking. So I say, write it down. Whether it be an idea you have or something to discuss with a significant other when you get home, take the time when you have the thought to write it down. We’ll talk about organizing those collections at a later time.

I could give you countless examples of where this saved me in 2009, but why not share my low moments instead. After all, self deprecating humor is something I master. I left the tent for a camping trip behind, though three of us had a great time sleeping in the back of my Ford Explorer under the stars in Death Valley. An even better example is when I went to Target in search of only two things. I was running a few errands and Target fit perfectly between two other stops. I popped in, grabbed item one and then I was lost. I couldn’t remember it. I needed only two things and I could not remember one. I sat in the store trying every memory trick in the book to recall what I forgot. Imagine someone standing there in the store staring off into space waiting for that stroke of genius. Well that was me except there was no moment of genius. It took me 20 minutes and yes, my stubborn nature refused to leave the store until I remembered the other item. It works phenomenal with goals, but it’s ideal for anything you’ll ever need to remember again. With paper out and smart phones in your hand, you have no excuse not to write it down. Next time someone asks what your goals are, don’t bother thinking about it, pull up the list you’ve written down.

Before you read this post, did you have the next thing you needed to do written down?

Forget the Weak Spots, Find the Sweet Spots

Anyone who knows me well knows I don’t read many books cover to cover. Instead I listen to a lot of them via my iPod or CDs. Last year, I read just two books in their entirety and looking back over a decade I can say with no shame the number could be counted on two hands. Meanwhile I’ve probably listened to something like 100 books in that same time period. I do read bits and pieces of some books, but it just doesn’t work for me to sit and read from beginning to end. It’s not my style and something I’ve never tried to change.

Coincidentally those two books I did read last year taught me this lesson: make the best of your strengths, instead of focusing on your weaknesses. The key here is ensuring you neutralize weakness and that it doe not knock you out of the game. I can see a lot of people’s faces reading this right now thinking “Rob, do you hear what you’re saying?” Yes, I do. Let me give you another example of why this concept works.

In 2008 I ran two marathons. Craziest thing a human can ever do. When I crossed the finish line in NY with tears in my eyes, my legs fed a message to me of “do this again and we won’t let you ski on us.” In the training for both those races I found out something important. I do really well committing to a training program if I have a specific goal and running gets me to a place where I can focus. I also learned I hate running marathons.

I applied this to my 2009 running goals. I ran about a half dozen races last year and two were with a time goal in mind. Up first was the Camp Pendleton Mud Run which I finished in an hour flat, cutting 8 minutes off my previous personal best and a finish in the top 5%. The other race was the Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll half marathon where my goal for the race was simple: sub 8 minute miles for 13.2 miles. In achieving that goal I got something more. I found that sweet spot where I zoned out the last two miles for the first time in a year and a half. Imagine your body enduring a full gauntlet of painful activity, but instead to feel completely relaxed without an ounce of pain.

I know finishing one marathon, let alone two is a great accomplishment and something I should make me proud. It does and it gave me some great things to blog about. However, it just was not fun for me. I could also try to read more books, but I don’t like that either.

When you look at your development plan or how you spend your time at work are you focused on your strengths or are you consumed by your flaws? Do you find yourself wrapped up with things you’ve failed doing in the past or leveraging successful moments that remind you of what you do best?

The First Step is Admitting It

All change begins with setting priorities

As 2009 ended I prepared to send out my year end email. However, I realized I needed to focus more on sharing than bragging. As 2010 gets going I have a lot to be happy about from what I accomplished last year. I want to kick off my blog this year with the lessons I learned from last year.

Previous to last year I spent my time consumed by work. I had saw three straight relationship end at a point where they were ready to go to the next level, but needed work and commitment to grow. Instead of investing in the relationship, I redirected resources to work. It’s easy to look back now and see what was wrong, but I couldn’t see it then. I was consumed with work. I was so absorbed by it that I couldn’t even put myself as a top priority let along a significant other.

As I entered 2009 I did something I had not done in the previous years. I determined my personal goals with action plans for them and made them my focus. I started with what I needed for me. I needed time to refresh, so I listed 10 days of skiing (I got 23). I needed time to release energy, so I ran races, two in personal best times. I needed to plan more for the future and so I committed to saving more money are researching business school programs. Every personal goal got crossed of at year end, a first for me.

This is easier said than done. I had failed at prioritizing in the past. This time before I would put anything on the calendar for work, I would put my needs on first and let work fit in around it. Amazing concept, huh? In the nine plus years I’ve been working since graduating college, I never took a full week vacation. I made some attempts, took a lot of long weekends, but failed to truly step away from work. Last year I did it twice, once planned out six months in advance to see Oktoberfest in Munich and another way more spontaneously with less than 3 weeks notice to explore Alaska.

The best part about prioritizing was that I was able to spend time searching for someone to love. In typical “Rob form”, I created a process (more on that in a future blog post), and I explored eHarmony. I found an amazing woman and found the true reward of making a commitment to my goals.

I've been asked many times over the past decade to list my priorities and I can honestly say I spent a lot of time lying to myself. When you look at your calendar from week to week; does it reflect your top priorities? If you fail to plan for it, then you fail to make it a priority.