Greg Rust

Yesterday I was informed that my position would not be continued into 2010 and unfortunately there wasn’t anything at the company for me. Happy Holidays! But surprisingly, I felt energized.  I felt the way I feel after a long strenuous workout. Perhaps I found a way to convert anxiety into endorphins.  No. I think it was just that internal voice saying “Its time to move on, I have something better”.  Now I cant tell you what that is BUT I can tell you I am excited to figure it out.

Since I am not a Rockefeller, I will have to do something along the way, but thats OK. I am even excited about that. Perhaps it will take me back to my core roots that I got far away from, as life lets that happen sometimes.  But just as we all had to learn to walk by taking that first step (which was scary as hell as I recall), I am once again about to take my first step.

We take a lot of those through a life.  Perhaps, as the year is coming to a close, you are considering the “first steps” you will take on January 1 disguised as a New Years Resolution.  These first steps are titled “lose weight; quit smoking; get in shape; change careers; etc”.  When I decided to do an Ironman it was compiled of many first steps, even though I was already in good physical shape.

But, here is what I think about this.  Its what you see, what you visualize. And there is the key. I am excited because I see things I haven’t seen in a long time. The possibilities. They are everywhere, and they are fun and exciting. Its the difference in “why not?” versus “why?” The difference is one word. The difference for you could be one step, then another, and another.

Why not?

Ok, thats it! I have had it! Now begins my pile on with whats wrong with healthcare.  However, let me provides some background. I have been in the “healthcare” industry one way or another my entire career. The last 10 years I have been in the digital space working with most aspects of healthcare products and delivery. So, I kinda consider myself an insider. SO…

I recently received my premium notice from Unicare. The coverage is for my wife, college daughter, and myself. In the last 2 years (I will violate my own privacy here) i went to the doctor twice, once for my annual physical. My wife and daughter went for the annuals and my daughter went for some minor incident.  Not big consumers of healthcare here in this household. Oh, besides my daughters monthly medication (yeah, the dad in m doesn’t like to talk about that), none of us are on any medications.

SO, was I surprised when my premium went up 22%?  Well give that man a prize! I was talking like a sailor when I got the letter out of the envelope.  Oh, and this is with a Unicare product that carries a $10,000 deductible, each.  It made me sick BUT i wasn’t about to go to the doctor!!! I can’t afford it.

I earn a respectable living and this item exists as a pretty big line item on the family budget. I can not imagine how folks that don’t earn the kind of living I do get their arms around this. This increase takes a chunk out of my available financial resources.

Its past time to revolt against this! I know our elected officials are working on this but I worry that they still have a distorted a view of whats wrong. After all, do any of you think members of Congress are getting hit like the rest of us?

So the shopping to change carriers has begun. I am serving you notice Unicare. And this comes after my home owners insurance (which I have had for 5 years) told me the only way they could reduce my rate was if I LEFT and went to a competitor, THEN came back. Thats how they could get me a better rate.  I knew the world was flat, I just knew it!!

Are you too comfortable? Growth of any kind occurs outside of your comfort zone.  The current state of affairs in the economy is causing massive numbers of folks to think and act differently as many have been forced out of their comfort zone. When I signed up for the Ironman, I was WAY OUT of my comfort zone.  Just minutes after I completed my online registration I went from excitement to “what have I done!”. And so began one of the most challenging years of my life.  But as a sales and business development professional, I am used to challenges, such as closing deals, stretch goals, etc.

Many of my friends are unemployed for the first time in their professional careers of 15+ years. How you look for a new job in an environment where less are currently available forces you out of your comfort zone (or it should) real fast!  Of course, there is that “fear” thing that we all face.   Its the big gorrilla in the room and it can be mighty powerful.  Recently, I read a blog submitted through a Tweet titled “How Can You Change What You’re Afraid of?” http://tinyurl.com/ch7t4a by Liz Strauss.  It was a reflection that hit home with me.  A fellow Tweeter, @swoodruff,  http://www.stevewoodruff.com/ summarized it best with a 3-step process: 1. Stick your tongue out at thing feared 2. Make a razzberry sound 3. Just do it!

Henry Ford (1863 ~ 1947) had this to say about fear: “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

So, no significant personal or professional growth occurs until you get out of your comfort zone and EMBRACE it!  Today, I am finding that many of my friends and associates are becoming quite comfortable outside of their “comfort zone” and the change is one of strength and self-confidence. Oh I still freak out a bit when I am doing an open water swim, but then I just remember to use Steve’s 3-step process. Works every time!

Apparently, we all have 168 hours available for all our activities each week.   My Triathlon Training Bible breaks the hours down this way: 40 for work; 56 for sleep; 50 for basic stuff like eating, commuting to work, home maintenance, etc.  That leaves 22 “free” hours per week but apparently many Americans are using 15 hours to watch TV.  Well, before I go any further I know most of you were shaking your head at the inaccuracies regarding the hours relegated for work and sleep!!  And this info was put together long before we had to worry about learning and then updating LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

I have found that training for an Ironman requires a hefty time commitment and because of this, I have to really focus on doing workouts that provide the most direct result.  And this impacts everything else in my entire life.

Recently, I was on a business trip with a colleague who was on the phone pretty non-stop for the 3-hour drive. He was cognizant about everything he had planned for the weekend with his family and was determined to get not only all his follow-up work done, but he conducted an enormous amount of prospecting as well. He just couldn’t stand to let that 3-hour drive become unproductive.

You are probably a lot like many of my friends.  If you are employed, you are working longer hours and operating with a higher than normal stress level because of the economy and how it is impacting your business.  If you are unemployed, you have an even higher stress level and are working even longer hours using all the tools and networking events in order to secure your next assignment.

The important thing to remember is to plan and spend your time wisely.

You only have so many hours in each day. Time is the most limited resource there is. You can choose to spend that time on the easy stuff, and get a little bit accomplished. Or, you can decide to work on the toughest challenges, and receive maximum return for the time invested.

I am curious, what changes have you experienced lately in managing your time? Do you feel like everything and everybody is going 120 miles per hour? Or is it just you?

A technique commonly used by athletes is visualization. I have employed this for many years throughout all aspects of my life.  If you are unfamiliar with this, it comes down to this: Visualization can be used to increase the probability of positive outcomes.  Unless, of course, you are a pessimist and then you are probably wondering if you should get glasses!

Today, there is a lot of visualization taking place. President Obama is communicating to the country on a regular basis his vision for the future. In fact, effectively extending that vision to voters (Change-we can believe in) is what helped him get elected.

It exists throughout the Bible. “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Have a vision and ask for it in prayer - then work to make the prayer come true.” Mark 11:24

Visualization is the foundation of many self-help authors and speakers.  Here is one of my favorites from Norman Vincent Peale: “Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture”.  Perhaps you were one of the millions that read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: “The reason visualization is so powerful is because you create pictures in your mind of seeing yourself with what it is you want, you are generating thoughts and feelings of having it now. Visualization is simply focused thought in pictures, and it causes equally powerful feelings”.

There are many things I put through visualization rigors. I see myself completing my Ironman in 14 hours. I see my son safely returning from Iraq. I see my daughter achieving her leadership goals in college and I see my wife no longer telling me how to drive. Really.

So, I have a question for you? Do you see yourself landing that new client or finding that new job? Do you see yourself figuring out a new business model to adjust to the changing environment? Do you see yourself becoming an optimist versus a pessimist? No? Hey, I tried!

Please share examples of what you or your friends have gone through or are going through and how seeing things differently (visualization) is helping.

As I train for my Ironman, I am cognisant of following a researched and thought out training schedule.  The schedule was put together with a specific goal in mind: FINISH (alive!!). However, I must admit that I do not always adhere to the schedule. You see, I am addicted to the endorphins,  (if you’ve ever had ‘em, you understand) and sometimes I just crave working out. This leads to the discussion of activitiy being based on quantity versus quality, where a workout without a strong focus or goal equates to “junk”. That result could actually negatively impact your training if your tired, injured, etc.

The same thing could apply to you if, say for instance, your activities involve looking for a job; determining if you should spend your time on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook; trying to close deals; or looking for new clients.  We all can easily get stuck doing things for the sake of activity, paying no attention to the difference between quantity or quality.  Professionally, I am a sales & business development guy so I am used to trying to get as many potential new deals in my sales funnel as possible.  Its easy to get caught up in the mind set that more is better, when often it is not.  What if the funnel is full of “bad” potential new deals?  Then you spend your time and the company’s resources on something that isn’t really going to be a good fit for anybody.

Perhaps, like me, you are trying to assess which social networking application will best serve your needs and available time limitations.  It’s real easy to invest a LOT of activity, but what’s your end play? Quantity of connections or quality of connections?

The same goes for those of you looking for a job.  Did you really send in your resume to a job posting for a Network Administrator because you like television!!  Sure, perhaps it made you feel good because it gave you a measure of activity, and perhaps a little hope.  To get a different perspective on quality vs quantity in the job hunt and the conversion aspects of this, I recommend reading about conversion.

Well, I am headed for a bike ride.  With only 69 days left until the Ironman I have got to focus on quality because this is one deal I have got to close!

This past weekend I participated in the Lone Star Half-Iron Triathlon in Galveston, Texas.  What you will learn from following my blog, is that I am currently training for my very first Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene.  What I have learned about training for this feat over the last 7+ months, is that it is about more than finishing a race.  It is about life.  There are many lessons to be learned from the swim, the bike, and the run.

Take last weekend in Galveston for instance.  The swim (1.2 miles) makes most participants a little “nervous”.  My heart rate monitor usually shows I am having a heart attack as I wait to start!  So, in order to relax, I find it takes a dedicated focus to keep the demons from finding their way into my head.  Ahh, my old friend focus. Several times during the swim my mind drifted (no pun intended) to other things,,,job, stimulus packages, drowning.  Sure enough, every time that happened to my focus I found my stroke had changed or I was off course, both of which will cause my finish time to be different than what I had planned.  Then I remembered the goal I had set for myself for this race and if I was to going to have any chance of achieving it, I had to get my head straight.  Plus, I didn’t want to swim any longer than I had to!

It’s funny how you find out more about yourself when you sign up for something like this in your life.  Honestly, I am achieving more than I ever thought possible.  I have come along way considering I didn’t even know how to swim 3 years ago.  I have come even farther since my first triathlon when during the swim I was kicked in the crotch and saw both the Lady of the Lake and a bright light begging me to follow them.  It scared me more than an IRS audit letter.  I never wanted to get in the water again.  But, I did.

So, I keep focused on my training and following a schedule that will prepare me to meet my goal of successfully crossing the finish line at Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene.  Of course, I am well aware of the things that will be out of my control like the weather, delayed flights, flat tires, etc. But, you know what they say, SH,,,Stuff happens and you deal with it. And when its over, I will have earned the title of “Ironman”.

You probably have your own version of Ironman in your life right now. Leave your thoughts and experiences in the comment section.