Make a Splash!

I went cliff-jumping at Hells Gate for the first time when I was 17 years old. It was a small pool about 40feet wide that I had to swim across to get to the cliff. Once the cliff was reached I had to climb up the rocky surface grabbing only onto the roots that stuck out to prevent me from falling. I stood up at the top and beside me was a rock spray-painted saying 56ft. I then looked down. Never thought I was scared of heights until I realized I was going to jump it. I stood there for what felt like an eternity. Wanting to succumb to my fears I thought about climbing back down. In reality climbing down would be much more dangerous and I knew I had to jump.

I stood even longer and stared at the water below hoping that this was just a dream I would wake out of. I took a deep breath and picked my head up and looked across the pool onto the opposite cliff when something grabbed my attention. On the cliff in red spray-painted letters was a quote that we all have heard before: “Just Do It”. Ha! I thought; “Nike really had it right with that one”. Just do it ran in my head only once before saying “fuck it, I will take the risk and go for it because if I didn’t I would most likely regret it”.

With one breath and 3 running steps I leaped off the cliff with a scream and a gravitational acceleration rate of 9.8m/s that pulled me down. Arms tight on my side and toes pointed I fell 56feet and cut the water perfectly. I sunk deep into the pool… pause… a brief moment of reflection before re-surfacing with my fist leading the way. I did it and the feeling was amazing! I overcame my fear and set the stage for my friends to follow with 10 more personal jumps that very day.

Since that day I visited Hells Gate every summer and jumped every time. I look back now and think about how that very jump is so close to other things in my life. Now if I can just inhale a deep breath each day, take that risk and just do it I know I will overcome my fear and succeed. If I don’t I will regret it. I stand overlooking different cliffs each day and I am going to go for it. I want to jump and make a huge splash.

Things I thought I knew

1. I thought I knew what it was like to have to deal with customers while performing in the sales role and even as a training coach but it definitely becomes a little more difficult at times as the manager. When dealing with upset or frustrated customers as a manager you can no longer rely on the "let me speak with my manager" line because, well, it's quite obvious. Also, customers often want answers and solutions right away which requires us to make decisions more quickly than we'd sometimes prefer. What I'm finding with this is that although I might be wrong at times at least I'm learning and learning on my own rather than having to rely on what someone tells me.
   
   
2. I thought I knew what it was like to put in long hours and to try and fit everything in during the course of a work day, but again, I'm learning that it sometimes and often takes more. Starting the day with a list of things to get done, coupled with a training schedule was a challenge to me before but the real challenge now is having to deal with additional things as they happen during the day and prioritizing as the day goes on. Something that may have been a high priority at the start of the day can quickly become a lesser one, especially when dealing with customers, fellow coaches and the facility. The savior for me has been to continue planning as best as I can and utilizing the spare minutes and hours to get as much done as possible with a real sense of urgency.
   
   
3. I thought I knew everything that was involved with running a facility and leading a team based on the various tasks that had been given to me and my experiences with them. What I didn't realize was that being a manager requires us to do everything at the same time all the time and the moment we forget about something is the moment that it starts to slip. Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of picking one thing and seeing it right through from start to finish without having to think about or deal with something else at the same time because life just doesn't work that way sometimes. Although I think I've improved on this a little bit the thing that will help me even more is continuing to help develop those teammates around us and then delegating various things to them.
   

What are some things that the rest of you think you know and / or thought you knew? And taking it one step further, how are you resolving the matter or moving past it?

Entitlement

I was listening to the radio today, and they were talking about the shut down of an automobile factory in Oshawa. Now, a couple of things struck me about this, the first of which that Matt had predicted the very recession that the United States is in about 2 years ago - based on the North American auto industry (specifically, GM) and what was happening.

The second thing, was that of the 2400 workers who are going to be out of a job - I feel badly for them, but what exactly is it that they want everyone else to do? Should GM continue to pay them, to do work that is not bringing in a revenue? Or should the government support these people, because it's "our responsibility as an advanced society"? What, precisely, are they arranging demonstrations for?

Let me ask those on this forum a question: if something suddenly happened to No Excuse and your location had to close down, would you expect Matt and Jeff to continue to pay your wages? Or the rest of us to pay you? If not, then why should this be the case in Oshawa?

I suppose my question is, to what degree are we, as a society (or, on a smaller scale, as employers) responsible for others, and at what point are the others responsible for themselves?

I have my own opinions - but as this blog is meant to encourage individual thought, instead I ask for your opinions first...

Three separate thoughts I had today…

A. Rewards
Can come in many different forms. Some of the best rewards are those that come unexpected. We must never expect rewards or be disappointed when they fail to appear. When we have expectations, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment which may lead to anger – which would lead to one (you) not attracting those very rewards that bring excitement in our daily lives.
From letting someone cut in-line in traffic to opening a door for someone with their hands full or even offering a positive comment, ‘you look great today!’ – why not give out as many rewards as possible? Many have told us – some of the smallest things can have the most impact and are the most appreciated by those who care. We have this opportunity everyday. It goes as deep as choosing to be happy for the day or just choosing to be unconditional with your actions.
This very compilation of words would make any grandmother cry – simple theories that impact so heavily and that are mostly free will triple in value when a smile is added! Wow, if only it was that easy…
Do you know what I love about our job? Making every hour special. Adding a personal touch and taking ownership over delivering that experience…we all have the opportunity to make someone’s day…to provide rewards!


B. 5way Melody
Passion – a strong liking or enthusiasm for a subject or activity
Desire – to want something very strongly
Confidence – self-assurance or a belief in your ability to succeed

Seems simple to read and associate – but the cold reality is that applying this to one’s life and following through is hard work and that isn’t mentioned anywhere up there. That’s because it’s a given and once we accept the line-up we can take the first step in creating our success.
:Passion to commit to…:Desire to complete short-term pains for long term gains…
:Confidence to be consistence and relentless…:Hard work to follow through and run the full yardage…

Therefore: passion + desire + confidence + hard work = your success!


C. Don’t be afraid to push!
Our position gives us serious power…we must be sure not to abuse this power – but we also must be sure to push our customers past their comfort zone to give them the opportunity to have to deal with that experience.
How many times have you delivered a hard session, received verbal abuse along with glares and drama only to have them sing praises once the session is over. There needs to be a pattern in our service. No, this pattern isn’t pain or being a cruel taskmaster, it is about consistent appropriate challenge.
We are here to enhance the quality of our customers and each other’s lives by supporting physical challenge, adversity and victory.
Live it and love it!

.See you next week..

Playing for a Winning Team

I have played for coaches I loved, hated and simply enough just respected. Here is a story of a coach who will go down in history as one of the most dominant basketball coaches in Canada (CIS):

Dave Smart is the coach at the Carleton University in Ottawa. I was unlucky (then) and lucky (now) that I had the opportunity to play against his teams for 3 years (when I attended Ottawa University). To put it simply, Coach Smart is a hard to take, tell you like it is, my way or the highway kind of coach. Most other players and coaches disliked him every which way to Sunday. He always stuck to his guns and preached his systems. The best players would never go and play there because to Dave, basketball was a team game and the best team won. He believed the good teams won with Defence.

By his 3rd season his job was on the line, as the team had an OK record for his first 3 season, but he was such a hard guy to play for players were quiting half way through the season. They were transferring to other schools and complaining to the Athletic Director.

In that 3rd season they ended up winning a CIS National Championship by following Dave Smart's systems. What follow was this:

• 4 more National Titles in a row (losing this year in the final, which would have made 6)
• A new gym
• Asst. Coaching job for Canada's National Team
• All his players with National Championship experience/memories (and rings)
• 3 years hosting Nationals at their school

The take away here is this...what are you willing to go through to play on the winning team?

Matt & Jeff had people leave and try and run them out of business because others felt they demanded too much. They stuck with their systems and trusted themselves enough to keep pushing forward despite obvious negativity. Look at what they have accomplished over the last 12yrs:

• Top 40 under 40
• Publishing Company
• MPL
• 2 training facilities + 1 franchise
• People "chomping at the bit" to franchise into their company
• and the list goes on...

I will do what it takes to play on this team, because I want to win...

did you WOW someone today?

I was looking through a book called the Little Black Book of Connections when I came across a chapter titled WOW!

The first thing that came to mine was little things! It's when we do the little things that we get a WOW out of people. The power of  wow is unbelievable. We see it with little things such as going up and shake someone's hand that comes in the facility. First reaction is WOW!

An example of how the little things work that I really liked is when one of our customer goes to a meat shop and sees the kid at the back with a white shirt full of sauce. She first think My God this kid could of washed his shirt last night before coming to work but then decides to ask him what happened. He said the sauce machine broke and his white shirt got the most of it. She asked if his mom was going to be able to wash that shirt tonight and he said he leaved on his own. Well, she got her meat and left. She came back 15 mins later and had bought him the soap he needed to get the stain out and left instructions with him.

When she told me the story she said it was because of us and what we do, the little things we take the time to do for her and how we made her say wow! so many times.

The WOW moments are a great form of word of mouth advertising. People hear the stories and they want to be a part of it to see if a WOW moment will happen to them. It's also a great way to promote yourself.  Like Jeffery Gitomer, The author of the book I talked about earlier,. He was at the airport one day and was looking at a guy kicking the bank machine that had taken his card. HE could of easily say this guy is crazy I hope I don't have to sit beside him! He instead nicely went over and introduced himself and give the guy the 100$ in needed so he could have cash to get home. Gave his address not knowing if he would see his 100$ again. 2 days later, he received a check for 100$ and a job offer for 1.6 millions dollars, just because he had made the  decision he wanted to have a life of "helping other people".

When we take the time to do these things we are really changing our lives for the better and the life of the people that are around us.

Did you take the time to remember who gave you a WOW moment?

Did you take the time to WOW anyone today?

Quotes To Spark Thinking

This week we all shared our own personal favorite quotes. Some were motivational, some inspiring, some insightful, and all getting us to think on a higher level. On top of the quote I submitted there are a few more that have highly influenced me like the psoas does on the pelvis. I want to share them with you because over the past 6months I truly believe they have changed the way I think and have made me a better person. I take them from a book I got from my mother called ‘The Gift of Peace’ a collection of thoughts for a peaceful world. I hope you enjoy these and can take them into your personal considerations of how you view life.

-The theatre of life has its own script. Each instant is unique. Live each moment as if it were the most important of all. You will enjoy and feel peace.

-Leave worries aside and you will be surprised by the beauty of the sky, the color of flowers, of the freshness of the breeze and the generosity of the sun. You will feel you are part of creation, and life will start to make sense. The greatest wealth is to appreciate what we have and what we are.

-All individuals are also different and have their own role. Think about what we have in common and you will appreciate every human being.

-A sensible person knows that it is a waste of time and energy to get angry. Effort will then have to be made to reconstruct that relationship. It is much mire useful to breathe deeply, pay attention to your attitude and answer without rushing.

-With your mind think what you have to learn from others, with your eyes look into the good qualities of others, with your words recognize, value and appreciate their accomplishments and with your actions cooperate and do something for others.

-If you think you can do something alone, either because you don’t trust others to do it or because you feel you are the most qualified…. You will always be busy doing everything, you will be unhappy with others because they are not doing what you want and you will be dissatisfied. It is more effective to invest your time in training and developing others. There is greater success in cooperation.

-When you make a mistake, learn from it and resolve not to repeat it and then forget about it. You will feel better again. Do the same with others, Instead of making their mistakes bigger, dissolve them in your mind and help them to also forget about them.
A sensible person does not criticize the mistakes of others. Instead, he learns from them for the future.

-In order to work peacefully within a group do the following. Give your idea as an expert, with authority and enthusiasm, then let go of it, but listen carefully and with interest to the ideas of others.

-Never forget you are a human being who can decide the attitude to take in life.


And there you have it, a list of quotes that have changed my perception of life as well as how I work with others. In this life, you must appreciate what you have and in our work we must be able to work well with others. Thanks for reading.