Last day of June - keep your eyes on your prize..

As July approaches, we are faced with the reality that the year is half way through – any way you slice it, we are onto our third quarter.

Are you prepared?

Have you been following your personal plan?

We need to plan every 3months. We are following a year plan. We have 5-10year focuses.

We all need to break down ourselves onto paper and create a tangible map. Where am I going and how am I going to get there? Categorize into sections – physical, emotional, personal, spiritual and intellectual. Each piece or sphere needs an inventory, a focus and a progressive direction…the what, why and how of what’s next.

Balance is key, but we all know that strict discipline on that specific focus will bring success. We are the only thing holding ourselves back. Let go and watch your success – it is as easy as that. Do you need examples? Let us know.

But really, it’s all about setting oneself for success. I’d like to share some great advise I received from a teammate…I think you will take something from it..

In the theme of personal plans being completed and some great 1on1's last week with our team, I want to provide some insight & advice on how to set yourself up for success during this stage in business (starting your career) and in your life (relatively new relationships, just finished school, etc). *And by no means do I feel there is a right OR wrong way – but the advice that I have received has been VERY helpful to help me get to where I am now, in terms of balance & focus on different facets of your life which for all intensive purposes are:

1. career focus – more responsibility leading to more income

2. relationship focus – girlfriend / boyfriend

3. personal focus – growth / hobbies & interests / next stage of life (house etc)

4. family focus – kids / mom / dad / brother / sister / in laws & extended.

Now, there is not ‘a right way’ to balance these areas, but what you have to understand is if you were invested equally across all 4 facets you would have only 25% of your focus in each.

• would you be successful finishing your 1st marathon (in the time you wanted) if you subscribed to 25% of a training program?


• would you be successful in purchasing the car you wanted if you went to the lot and put down 25% of the purchase price?


• would you be successful attaining a certification by answering 25% of the questions asked on the test?


• the obvious answer is no.

So the questions are

1. why do we keep kidding ourselves into believing we are capable at managing a career, relationship, family and personal at the same time (at such a high level)?

2. what and how do we plan on a) deciding which facets get the attention, b) for how long and c) communicating that to dependants in our respective areas?

3. why do we not adjust our expectation and goals in the event we wish to keep the results, that stem from the focus in certain areas of our life?

As it stands to reason.

• we must get ourselves established (in one aspect).


• ‘established’ comes with personal & financial stability garnered through time in a career


• the more we are established, the more confident we & others feel about us


• this, in turn enables us to focus more time to focus on things like a healthy relationship, personal and family responsibilities and bring it back to balance. (reminder, most of us have spent 20 + years heavily invested in our families – they are not going to drop off the face of the earth in 5 years).

Obviously

• the faster this happens – the better


• however most people are not willing to scale back x to maximize y. We think we can do it at the same time.


• I’ve got tangible news for those people. They are wrong and as unfortunate as it is to have to say – “at this time in my career OR family life OR personal situation OR relationship, that doesn’t work for me” – they try to cling to %’s in each sphere – hence taking them 2 & 3 times as long to arrive at the point they want.


• 2 & 3 times in a 5 year plan is substantial and of course as we see & hear every day, along the way – there’s no guarantee you keep 1-4 when you arrive at said point (that you have not identified)

Personal Example (and this is not a 'look at me'. This a lesson of what it takes and how to move fast)

• End of 2006 – I started at IF. Following EVERY system and listening to those who have been there before me; before long I decided I wanted to make this a career


• Where a lot of people are good at talking and not acting - I put my head down and started going through the roles; events, sales, product.


• Asked to start doing 1on1's, put myself in the position to be fully prepared when the time came. At the gym from 5:30am until often after 8pm (and still do), training a full schedule and staying later to get myself ahead


• Then I took myself through the management partner program - heading out to whiterock on Fridays (my day off at the time) to have Curtis assist me. NOT getting paid; free time, day off - most people chilling at the beach.


• After being here for just over 2 years I started managing; doubled my salary in literally a day; given opportunities I could not imagine when I first started


• trust me - throughout (and still do) I heard it all from everyone (co-workers, friends, family, etc): “you are working too hard / you are too intense / you are going to burn out/you need to get a boyfriend” . In this day and age - people are usually looking to get more while they give less


• I've decided what my focus is for this period of my life; communicated that to everyone around me, and am now doing it. I/we cannot do anything but that. Communicate and act.


• Now I have the opportunity to go to LA and continue pursuing my career goals and collective company goals. And as with everything else; realize there are sacrifices to be made, work to put into making it happen, and then doing it.


• And as the opportunities grow within the company I have put myself in a position to take advantage of WHAT I WANT...and the balance will shift once again...

The reality is:

• When we focus on one thing, it takes the time & energy away from something else. Hence, in order to get further ahead we need to be prepared to make sacrifices.


• I am not saying that there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way when it comes to establishing your career, developing your relationship, focusing on yourself (house), and expanding your family – BUT if you can plan do it one by one (instead of all at once), you will be able to provide more focus & energy to that one facet, and at the same time be able to enjoy the process that much more.


• What I am saying is that YOU CANNOT DO IT ALL.


• Decide where you want your focus to be, communicate to all of those affected and then “GO GET IT” in the order of your timeline.


• It just so happens for most of us, we can accomplish many of our goals (travel, customers, friendships etc) all in one job. We are VERY VERY lucky, but it still requires focus and balance to do this.

..the common theme is work hard get rewarded.
Let’s go team!

Can you Handel it?

How do we handle pressure? Every day we are faced with situations that cause pressure, anxiety or stress, but how we deal with these events is what makes the difference.

We are faced with different kinds of stress or pressure, from the simplest situation to the most difficult. In the work environment we have deadlines (assignments, programs, files etc.), giving a $100 workout, communication with owners/team/customers, or even earning that credibility from customers and teammates. In our own personal life we have pressures that can affect us in our work environment or vice versa. Relationship break ups, family problems, or drama with friends – everything is related and can affect all of our 5 spheres - spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical and social.

Obviously everyone has there own way of handling the pressure they are presented with. Currently the Wimbledon championships are being played in England. One particular tennis player has the pressure of a whole country on him – The United Kingdom. Not only is this prestigious tournament played in Great Britain, but it has been 73 years since a Brit won the tournament. We would assume that the nerves and the pressure would get to the young 22 year old Andy Murray but he deals with the pressure with optimism, he craves it and he believes it will help break the 73 year slump. He believes he is at an advantage because he has the whole country behind him. “Anytime you can play in front of a home crowd, in any sport, you know, is a huge advantage," the third-seeded Murray said Saturday. "A lot of people try and say that playing here at Wimbledon it's not, but I don't understand why - in football and in basketball, whatever, home court or playing a home match is a huge advantage.

He takes the nonchalant approach to pressure, which so far has been working for him. "You can either deal with that stuff or you can't. I don't get caught up in the whole hype thing, getting involved in reading all the papers, listening to what everyone else is saying. Because at the end of the day, it makes no difference if some guy thinks I can win the tournament or whatever," he said. "I think I can deal with it, yeah”.

We are surrounded all day by customers that are under a lot of pressure and we are as well put under pressure from teammates/managers, personal life and/or training game, but how you deal with it is the key. The example about Andy Murray is just one situation that is currently happening however their are numerous ways to deal with pressure. It is a matter of finding your own personal relief and not getting to that breaking point.

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Actions speak louder than words. It is a statement of fact – it means that your actions (what you do) communicate more clearly than your words (what you say). If you want people to believe your words, you should ‘speak’ with your actions, but why?

Besides the most obvious answer, I believe that it comes down to trust. When you ask something of someone else you are saying that you trust that they will complete the task, and if they don’t, they violate that trust.

It’s hard to ask for help, and people can make it even harder if they have no follow through. Whenever you ask someone to complete a task, you are handing over control of a situation and placing your faith in them. When you have believed something about a person and that person has broken your trust in that belief, there isn't a whole lot left and this is even more challenging on a team where everyone needs to be able to rely on everyone else.

Trust is the most foundational block of any relationship and is involved in all the basic elements namely, respect and consideration for another person. A team that builds its harmony on trust enjoys the ease and enthusiasm that bring success. In fact, that trust-foundation makes the harmony all the sweeter. As Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, states, “Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience…”

Gain Perspective

We all realize that we are incredibly fortunate to work for a great company in a great city. What very few of us realize is how lucky we are to be experts on 'destination fitness'. There is no doubt that the concept works and it is a lot more fun than training without a purpose and staring at the scale every morning. As IF staff we are encouraged to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and take part in events and adventures, both local and out of town. Many of us belong to a demographic whose goal is to save money and take the next steps when it comes to relationships, career and home ownership or rent. While some of the extravagant, international destinations can be expensive and seem out of reach at times I am of the opinion that the experience is absolutely worth the price.

Vancouver perennially ranks as one of the most livable cities in the world. In The Economist's 2009 study here is how the top 5 stack up:

• 1. Vancouver, Canada - 98.0


• 2. Vienna, Austria - 97.9


• 3. Melbourne, Australia - 97.5


• 4. Toronto, Canada - 97.2


• 5. Perth, Australia - 96.6

For more details on this study click here: Most Livable Cities Ranking

This begs the question - why take the time, spend the money, and use the resources to get out of town when we live where most people in the world would love to be right now? Well, it's true that an entire lifetime of destinations could be accomplished in this very province such as skiing, snowboarding, white water rafting, sky diving, hiking, marathons, triathlons, mountain biking, etc. But staying in the comfort of your own background cannot offer what travelling to foreign places can. Here is my Top 8 List why you should experience international destinations:

8. Creates Memories. By visiting other countries you come in contact with people from different countries, cultures and way of life. Stay in a different place for long enough and you can meet new life long friends, people from a different world who can give you insight into your own life. Keep in touch and you've always got somewhere to visit.

7. They say nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the same goes for travelling. As you travel from country to country you pick up new experiences, make fond memories, and have stories you can tell back home to friends.

6. Education Outside the Classroom. The type of education you get from travelling is not the type of education you get in a classroom. It's better. It's practical and it will help you in your everyday endeavours.

5. "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." - Aldous Huxley

4. First hand experience. Issues such as poverty aren't as real to most people unless they have seen the children playing with no clothes in the street. You will learn the importance of charities in poor places, the value of freedom, and how greedy some people can be.

3. Opens Your Mind. Many of us can not imagine how other people live, that computers and cameras, cars and microwaves are not everyday items owned by all. Travelling opens up our mind to the world we live in, to a world different from our own, and creates a more understanding and thoughtful person. It helps you appreciate what you've got.

2. In the words of Mark Twain, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."

1. Personal Growth. If you want to become a more cultured, educated and wise individual, travelling is the way to go. It not only opens up your mind, but also your heart. Your experiences force you to grow, to make decisions, to enjoy every aspect of your travels. It makes you a more tolerant, adaptable and patient person. You not only broaden your mind but have the opportunity to discover your self.

Even if you can't get 10 people to join you on a destination find a way to make it happen!

A True Legacy

When I was in junior high school, I had a project to do in Social Studies. We had to take a song, analyze it and do a presentation on it. Now, the presentation itself was fairly forgetful (trust me), but the song itself - "The Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, resonated.

See, all too often we get caught up in the small details of every day - and although I'm not particularly against material goods (love my new Garmin GPS heart rate monitor, for example), at the same time, thanks to the song, I'm able to put things into perspective. Most recently, I had the opportunity to go back home and surprise my family for my niece's first birthday. I'd missed her first Christmas, but the only thing preventing me from going home on this particular weekend was the cost. I didn't really have the money available at the moment, but when I broke down what it would mean in the long run - I realized I couldn't afford not to.

Remember, there's only one true way to leave a legacy - and it's by passing it on to the next generation and hoping it continues long, long after you're gone.

A hundred years from now, it will not matter what your bank account balance was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove, but the world may be different because you were important in the life of a child.

Anonymous

~Guy

mypypeline staff meeting...it's about time...

http://www.mypypeline.com/

Staff meeting

Need: Projector, screen, laptop, extension cord and an excited staff!

11 team eats (set-up projector and bring up mpl site)

11:05 what is Mypypeline?

Online, on-demand video workouts and programming for group or solo participants, for every fitness level, for every interest, mypypeline provides over 500 high-quality digital fitness and exercise videos that can be watched online, downloaded to an iPod, or burned to DVD for viewing on TV.

*navigate the list of services (community, programs, videos, gear*, blog and free)

11:15 why promote the use of mpl?

This is an inexpensive tool that is featured on our website that makes our job easier. Mpl will allow us to keep our customers on-track during away months in addition to helping us manage large groups who are training for the same event.

*why else would we want to promote mpl? high level of service, extends our brand, etc.

11:25 how?

Tutorial

-Select a coaches pype to update from the team (5min max updating)

-Watch a video, select a program, look at calendar and how it populates ones pype
download a free rental (use a promo code)

-Groups (west coast trail, cyclebetes etc.)

-Jeff I to create a Moab group (5min max creating)

-what groups would be useful to have? – IFCP, Moab, Vic Full marathon etc.

More tools/gear

The Fit Kit*
MPL has 180 workouts for med balls, resistant bands and a yoga mat..

65cm swiss ball

8lb medicine ball

Yoga mat

Resistance band

Foam roller

Training DVD - The Prehab guide and DVD contain programs and exercises specific to each fitness level and activity that will teach you how to prepare your body and prevent injury.

11:40 Split into 3 groups for 5min to discuss your topic and spent 3min to teach the group about the importance of your topic (what, why and how)

Free videos

(what are they, why are they great, how do we use them)

Jeff

Hadley

Chelsea

Dylan

Programs

(what are they, why are they great, how do we use them)

Josh

Andrenea

Emmery

Kati

Group training

(what are they, why are they great, how do we use them)

Kate

Kris

Kevin

11:55 questions

Après send quiz and recap

For additional information, read http://blog.mypypeline.com/2009/06/how-can-i-maintain-my-fitness-while-i.html

Now that you know a little more about it…go ahead and create your own pype, see you soon!

Protests

On Saturday, as I was walking toward GM place to go and see the Cold Play concert, we passed the Vancouver Library where a protest was being held. The protests was about the election in Iran that happened on June 12th. All over the world Iranian communities are protesting to create awareness about the current situation in Iran.

The election in Iran created controversy when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got elected, winning majority over the more popular challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi. The shock, disbelief and protest on the streets of Tehran were immediate. Iranians could not believe the result and protested to have a re vote due to the count being flawed. Now, the citizens just do not want a re vote they want a revolution

There is evidence that suggests that this election was flawed.
1) Mobile Polling Station. The ballot boxes were transported from place to place by agents of the interior ministry which were a close ally of Mr. Ahmainejad. Other events suggest that this happened through out the day which gave suspicion that something was not right. The SMS network was shut down and the interior ministry started kicking out employees, with only close and top official left.
2) Quick Results. Records were broken in Iran for the turnout of the election on June 12th. It is thought that the results were published remarkably quickly, only 4 hours after the polls had closed.
3) Number of Voters. In provinces in Khoresan and Mazaandaran, the number of people who voted exceeded the number of eligible voters in those particular provinces.

Protesting is an interesting topic as it “expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations.” The organization of protests is “a way of publicly and forcefully making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or may undertake undertake to attempt to directly enact desired changes themselves”

There are many different types of protests that ones can experience, be involved in or be a spectator of. Types of protests include, marches, picketing, lock downs, radical cheerleading, petitions, formation of a tent city, riots, lockout are just a few examples. You have a protest that can be misconducted and create violence or harm, or you can have those that are simply creating awareness for the world to understand what is going on.

Unfortunately, the protest in Iran did start peacefully but as the results of the election started to spread throughout the country, the protesters started to become violent. Crowds broke into shops, vandalized signs and windows, set fir to tires and formed a human chain of 300 people to close off a major Tehran Street. This is apparently the "biggest unrest since the 1979 revolution in Iran."

In BC, the protests are tame but growing. On the first night of protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery there were approximately 500 protesters standing there silently with signs and candles, last night it has grown to over 1000. It is not just the young Iranians that are out there protesting but all generations are taking a stand to support their family and friends in Iran currently.

Even though this crisis is far from us, it become more real when the protest in our own city make a difference and allow us to become even more aware of the situation.