I might hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, but I sure smell it!

Do we as humans ignore smells or just get used to them so that we don't smell them anymore? When I walk into our house, I can still smell the dogs. We try hard to keep that to a minimum, but without removing the dogs I know this will not go away completely. It is the same with funk. After a workout, I smell. I know that I smell. However, I am also confident that my smell is worse for those around me. Whenever you drive through certain towns, you can smell hog farms, paper mills, or chocolate. Yes, there is nothing better than the smell of chocolate on a cool fall day in Hershey, PA! I wonder if the people who live in these towns still smell these aromas like I do?

Have you ever sat beside a person on an airplane, bus, church bench, or waiting room that just smelled bad? I mean, eyes watering, I need a drink of water because I can taste the funk bad. Don't you want to say, "excuse me, but I can barely breath because you smell so bad. Can you smell yourself?" There is a scene from the movie Trading Places where Lewis' fiance is sitting in the Philly police station waiting. The man beside her smells so bad that see discretely sprays him with perfume.(Very Funny!)

I think with today's technology, they should make clothing change colors based on your body odor. As your odor gets worse, the color turns red. That way, even if you can no longer smell it, everyone else will be spared the air pollution.

Leadership or a shipless leader

Leadership. It is something to be respected and admired. Leadership is a wonderful quality in a person. Notice that I did not say "people in leadership roles", as there can be a difference. I have met some wonderful natural leaders. These people have a magnetic personality, big picture thinking and vision, as well as the humbleness to still understand and connect with the people they are serving. Leaders after all, are leaders to serve, whether a sports team, a corporate manager, a parent, pastor, or political official. These people are in their role to advance the group they are over.

So, if that the the function of a leader, why are there those in leadership roles that put self-promotion and self-preservation above advancement of the group? I guess some people may feel threatened if someone else has the ability to lead as well. I understand that no one wants to be passed by a co-worker or subordinate. However, in a perfect world, if this happens it would be an opportunity for self-reflection as to what you need to work on to move forward. A great example of this is the presidential primary process currently underway. The mindset seems to be, if you can't move yourself ahead, focus on bringing those around you down in order to make yourself look better.

I don't know about you, but this is not the type of leader that I could get behind and feel confident that they are simply not just out for themselves. As said by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia,“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”

If you caucus, they will come

Have you ever wondered why Iowa is so important during a presidential election? There are only two things I know about Iowa, Field of Dreams and American Pickers. Based on just those two things, Iowa seems fairly cool. However, hearing voices in corn fields and buying antiques out of some guy's barn are not good reasons for presidential stardom.

The truth is that Iowa is important because it is the first state to hold a caucus. Candidates spend a ridiculous about of time in Iowa, because of the press attention received and the first real test to voters.

I would argue that Iowa is no more important than New Hampshire or South Carolina. Why? When I think of the average American voter, I do not think of Iowa. Every state adds its own character to the election process and totaled, the best candidate is chosen. It is like saying one of your kids is more important that the other because they were first. The fact is that only 5 times since 1972 has a candidate who won Iowa also won the presidency. Of those 5 times, 3 of those were unopposed votes. That means that since 1972, when there was competition, the Iowa winner has only won the presidential election twice. These were George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008.

So, lets take a step back from the political jockeying for one minute and ask a question that matters. If it is Thursday in Samoa and tomorrow is Saturday, but you had bills due on Friday are they late on Saturday and early on Thursday?

"I took off for a weekend last month Just to try and recall the whole year"

This Jimmy Buffett quote is a great Way the start this post.

As we are closing out 2011, there is a lot to reflect on. This has been a year of stress, achievement, setbacks, growth, and faith. This has by far been the most challenging year of my life. I am glad that this year is ending, however I am also glad that I had this experience.

2011 started out with slow volume in the mortgage business and focused training for my first triathlon. In February, I got the exciting news that I was a top producer in 2010 and Linds and I would be going to Palm Springs, CA! Within the next 30 days, I completed my race, Linds completed her first half marathon, and Wells Fargo shut our office down laying off over 250 people. Talk about a roller coaster! In less that a month, I was training with Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative. Even though my time at Northwestern was short, I am glad that I went there. There is a saying that no experience is wasted if you learn something. This position showed me what I did not want for my career. With no regrets, I resigned from this position in September and began to focus on what I Did want to do.

I will pause in the career timeline to go back to August. One morning in late August I was riding by bike at 5:30am in training for an upcoming race when a 82 year old man crossed the center line and hit me head on. Thankfully, nothing was broken on me. The bike on the other hand, according to the bike guy at Try Sports, "Wow, looking at that bike, you should not be walking!" Unfortunately, because there were no witnesses and the cop did not take a detailed report, the driver's insurance company denied the claim. After about a month I got back on the bike and finished the bike leg of the Beach 2 Battleship half iron triathlon. My time was not great, but I was just glad to be back riding again.

October brought me back to the Credit Union as a Sr. Financial Services Officer. I was very excited as it felt like I was coming home.

The Grateful Dead said it best, "What a long strange trip its been".

If I had to sum up my year in one word, I think it would have to be self-discovery. I learned a lot about who I was, who I wasn't, and what I am capable of. So bring on 2012! My goal is to keep challenging myself in all aspects of my life. I am looking forward to my 2nd year of triathlons, growing with my new job, and spending time with Linds and R without the 2011 stress!

Santa, the IRS is on the phone. They claim that you have exceeded your lifetime gift tax exemption.

There was a story that I read about a US Mail carrier who has worn a Santa Suit while delivering mail for the last 10 years. People love it! This started apparently, because the carrier already had all white hair and a full beard. I think it was a great idea as it got a lot of smiles from people on his route. Then, he received an "order" from the powers that be that he could no longer wear the suit because it was not an official uniform. Really? This was eventually retracted, but what kind of person cares if their postman is wearing a Santa Suit? They should be grateful, based on the current state of the postal service that he delivered the mail at all. This is a great example of wasting time on details that do not make a difference in the running of a business. I mean it is not like he threw a flat screen tv over someone's fence like the Fedex guy!

My hope is that in 2012 those in our government and corporate management will think before they act. I know this is asking a lot, that is why it is only a hope. If this actually happened, Santa could still deliver your mail, congress would make a decision (any decision would be progress), and customer service would once again be a priority and not an after thought.

Do you smell that? I think I smell a challenge, or has the milk gone bad?

What is better than a New Year's Resolution? A challenge! Why? Simple, accountability and fun. I don't think I would have completed my first race had it not been for Ben and Linds also training for a race. I enjoy doing things more when I can talk to others who are doing them too. So, I am throwing out a challenge to everyone for a healthier 2012. There is a sprint triathlon in Wake Forest, NC on June 24th 2012. This would be a great first triathlon for someone who has never done one. It is a 250 yard pool swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 run. I would love to see all of my Wake Forest peeps there to complete the course.

I know, I know, there are a million excuses that you can think of. "I don't swim, I haven't ridden a bike in 15 years, I should not run on my knees, I am too old, when would I have the time to train, I don't like to exercise, I can't do that".

So, lets list the reasons why you should:

1. Why not? Remember Smokey and the Bandit, "We ain't never not made it yet, have we?"
2. Exercise is easier to do when you have a deadline and a reason for doing it
3. Bragging rights (nobody cares about your time. The point is to finish)
4. Health care costs are increasing, so you need to stay healthy anyway
5. When was the last time you finished something that you didn't think you could do? (how good did that feel?)
6. You have 6 months to get ready. That is plenty of time!

Here is the line in the sand

____________________________________________________________________________



Who is with me?

Why is it so quiet?

Hey!!! Don't leave me hanging. You, sitting at the computer. I am talking to you. Step away from the eclair cake.

I know you should blow bubbles when you swim, but your bubbles are coming out the wrong end!

I got back in the pool this morning and it felt great! Now, I had to do some serious convincing to get my body out of bed this morning, but it was worth it. Why is it that we procrastinate doing those things that we know will make us feel better?

I feel more relaxed when the house is clean, but is it always clean? No. I always feel better after a workout, but do I always workout when I should? No. I always enjoy working in the garage on a project with a nice organized workbench. You see what I am getting at.

Why do we not take the time to do those things until we have to? My guess is because the act of doing it is not as enjoyable as the reward. I am reminded of R giving up the chance to make and eat cookies (reward), because eating her dinner is too much work.

Most of these acts mentioned are things that we know we need to do. So how can we make the actions more bearable, so we can get the reward? Work tends to go by faster when you are having fun, so lets make these things fun! The next time you need to clean the house (for me this is very past due), crank up the music, put on an old pair on socks, spray the bottoms with Pledge, and do your best Olympic speed skating impersonation. Getting motivated to get back to working out is a tough one, so we need something over the top. Plug your Internet router, and tv powerstrips into a timer. Set them so that they will shut off for at least one hour every day. Now, this one does require you to be on the honor system, but this should cut off the distractions for you to workout.

In the end, there will always be those things that we struggle to get motivated to do regardless of the reward. Just remember, the only people that can get by without doing the tasks that are needed but not fun are politicians. We see where that has left us!