Best Ever vs Best Effort

BEST EVER

is seldom a requirement

but consistently applying

BEST EFFORT

creates greater opportunity

for it to become

a more frequent occurrence.

Angel for a Moment

Today’s commute into town was different. I made it to the train with time to spare and made it to my building before the top of the hour but checked in at my desk 10 minutes later than my scheduled arrival.

You see, this morning, I decided to slow the pace down a bit. I decided to walk a little further than normal. I took a chance and decided not to walk alone.

As I took my normal route, at my normal pace, a young Italian lady, likely in her mid-70’s, asked me in an almost indecipherable accent, whether I could point her toward the Italian Consulate in the 600 building of Atlantic Ave, downtown Boston. Thankfully she had the address printed on a scrap of paper.

When I found that her morning destination was very near where I work, I was more than happy to point her in the right direction. I did just that, I pointed her in the direction of my building, and began walking again…but as she did her best to keep up with me I slowed down a touch. She motioned that she would walk with me since she noticed I was headed in the same direction. It would be another mile before she arrived at her destination, which I didn’t mention was just a block away from mine. I don’t know how she got to Haymarket, where she was coming from, or how long she had been asking passers-by for directions.

We walked side-by-side in silence for a minute or two and then I asked “So you’re from Italy?” (not ESP, just observation since she was heading to the Italian Consulate and I could only understand about 50% of her English). She gladly accepted the invitation to tell her story.

I strained to understand her but managed to pick out bits and pieces of how she had been to Boston before, but it had been many years ago and her son, who I believe lives here, apparently wasn’t available this morning. Their family had lived in London for a while before coming the first time to America, she mentioned something about her son and husband liking London and working in the factories. She advised me with a smile to stay young and strong, and to stave off getting old for as long as I could.

As we passed my building nearly a mile after beginning our brief journey (I didn’t tell her that we were walking beyond my destination), slowing a bit, becoming a little more expressive with her hands and making more eye contact, she asked me my name again (she had asked earlier on) and said, “Let me tell you a little story.” What I recall leads me to believe that she is part of the Ferragamo family as she recounted how a young Salvatore Ferragamo once made shoes in a tiny box of an apartment and had a steady stream of customers, more than could ever have been expected of a small one-person enterprise. She told me of how he was referred to the queen of England as a shoemaker and became somewhat of a personal footwear provider to the Queen. It was a very interesting story and the way that she told it left me no reason to believe anything other than that it was somehow a real part of her life. I’m not sure if she told me her given name or not – she probably did but it must have been one of the words I just couldn’t hold onto.

As we approached the entrance to the 600 building, I unthinkingly led her over a large steel grate in the sidewalk, and felt a little badly as she dropped back, slowed quite a bit and said out loud that she was scared as she looked down through the grate with each…careful…step…but she was a trooper and made it over. As she headed the last few meters to the building door, she turned, shook my hand and thanking me, said something to the effect of God will be good to you today.

Just minutes before, as we had prepared to cross the final intersection, she said with a big smile and quite obviously with a very grateful heart, something to the effect of “Today I meet angel. Not from out of sky, but from ground. You are angel.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been called an angel before. I know I’ve never met a Ferragamo before…and I have never been more proud to show up to work 10 minutes late.

When I got on the train after having a rather fantastic pre-commute morning, I had no idea that the decision to slow down and share a morning commute with a stranger would make such a big difference for a young lady from thousands of miles away.

I’m glad I decided to take the extra time, to walk the extra block, and to intentionally practice listening and smiling, even when I didn’t understand.

It made my morning to make hers with no chance of her ever paying me back (that I know of)…and I can emphatically say that I’ve been handsomely rewarded throughout the day for it.

Anyone can be an angel for a moment. It doesn’t hurt one bit.

Whose angel will you be?

Thankful for a Price Unknown

To all who have defended our freedoms domestically or abroad; to all who have guarded our coasts, rebuilt levees, protected our homeland, or proudly marched colors down Main Street or side street; to all who have left home, family, friends, and familiar for training or mission; to all who are among the civilian world, serving in reserve, ready at a moment’s notice; to all who have ever followed an order not completely agreed with, or issued one; to all who cannot, or hope never to need to speak of their experience and service again; to all who have lost components of their own lives in the defense of others’; to all who have returned home happy and contemplate redeployment because the call of arms is still strong; to all families whose heroes returned only to be laid to permanent rest, or did not return at all; and for all those who have gone before, placing their own lives at risks that the rest of us will never understand so that we wouldn’t ever have to, this Memorial Day, you are appreciated. We salute you, and pray for you and yours.

Thank you for what you have lived, what you have lost, and what you have secured for all of us.

Enter Year 38

There are days that seem to have no end, where exceptional efforts seem to go unnoticed and feel grossly under-appreciated, where nothing seems fun, and relaxation happens only as a short-lived descent from high stress to [very short] sleep (as my Monday was this week).

Then there are days like today that seem to be wall-to-wall relaxation with no external pressures (though in some spots I bore quite a heavy load on my shoulders – literally, e.g. five rep sets front squatting 185 lb), surrounded by friends and appreciated by so many that I wonder what favor I may have done the world to deserve all the love I received today.

Global greetings, some from the future (Vietnam, Australia, London), others from the past (California, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada), and a whole lot from the present poured in all day long, many accompanied by smiles, handshakes, and hugs. Reports of great things happening all around and the bright light of hope being shared with various communities made it an unbeatable today.

Thank you to all my friends, all my family, all those who look up to me and all those to whom I look up for making day 1 of year 38 quite an amazing adventure (though I chose it to be and appreciated it as quite the “ordinary” Saturday).

There are great things heading this way. Great things indeed!

Starting gate 38 has opened and I’m off to the races once again!

Push Through and Make it Happen!

Thoughts from tonight as I work through balancing my time, energy, and focus among three different projects, two of which I love passionately and have great long-term vision for, and a third more immediate that demands higher output than I would like to invest with only meager promise of short-term returns:

Great is the disappointment of knowing that something much greater lay just beyond a short burst of intense work well within our ability, yet not having applied the full effort required to achieve it.

Let us not live less because we have settled for what is familiar.

-steelbladeninja

2013 CrossFit Open Workout 13.4 Redux – WE Win!

This one’s not about me. (Sure, I’m the guy in the forefront of the field of view, but actually, I’m tucked the furthest back in the whole building.)

This one’s about community (specifically at North Shore CrossFit in Danvers MA, but really across all concepts, localities, and people groups).

When you watch the video below, do yourself a favor and look past me. See everyone else in the mix. Watch as we all feed off of each others’ energy, encouragement, and achievement.

Everyone plays as an individual, but everyone’s playing on the same team.

Some will register scores for global comparison in this workout and others will just post another “I did it!” on their social media pages or run home and tell their families about something new they just did. Some went at it with prescribed weights and ranges of motion while others modified either or both to suit their particular conditions and experience levels.

When I watch this video, sure I’m looking for things that I did well and things that I can tweak to be better next time (no, I will not be three-peating this one, at least not in 2013!), I also watch for the thrill of seeing all the barbells head straight for the ceiling within a few seconds after “GO!” is called (what an awesome sight!) like pistons in a giant engine of sheer human power output without regard to cylinder age, finish, displacement, or origin.

When I watch this I notice the individuals, the everyday athletes, the folks who, outside of this building, you’d never know were such monsters of movement:

• I see Matt tearing it up, who just a couple months ago, had surgery on a foot and who a few days ago was identified in a photo that I still can’t believe was him (at 2x his present size and about 1/4 his current physique).
• I see Adam, who two years ago was just looking on from the sidelines, watching, supporting his then girlfriend (now fiance, a phenomenal athlete in her own right) at a weightlifting competition, never once letting on that he was going to dive in and become a benchmark for so many to chase after.
• I see [Super] Ed, who decided that he’d spend his birthday with the crew, doing what we all love to do – pushing past our comfort just so we can say we did those 60 reps and demonstrate what we’ve been working on over the last few years [he even gifted us with A) no burpees, and B) coming to play in full uniform!].
• There’s Tara over there playing hurt, scraping for every rep (sticking those jerks like a nationally ranked weightlifter or something), knowing that within reason, once the condition it indicates is acknowledged and addressed, pain is just another obstacle to be overcome along the way.
• I’ve got Amos counting my reps, knowing what my target is and making sure I stay on pace to achieve it – he got me exactly there (he’d go on in Heat 2 to put out some serious work himself, with solid focus and a ton of determination).
• Toward the end, you’ll hear a little bit of extra moral support from my brother Dave, who just came to check things out (and who now has a completely different perspective on CrossFit, up close and personal).

When you watch the video, don’t just see me. See the people I’m surrounded by.

See the adrenaline-pumping hearts and at-capacity lungs of thirty individuals all out to get past their own mental inhibitions and achieve something they’ve never before achieved (this is just one of two heats – half of those folks hadn’t even stepped up to the bar yet).

Don’t just watch this to see “another one of those CrossFit workouts”. See what a community of like-minded individuals who don’t focus on or fight about their differences can do when they’re targeted on the same things, knowing that their own psyches are their only enemies.

If you really think about it, it might even make you wonder what great achievements these people must be able to accomplish outside of the gym too. If you’re so inclined, go check out a CrossFit near you and ask. I don’t think they’ll be timid about it; and if you’re not so inclined, just enjoy the game from the bleachers (but please do find something that you enjoy that engages your own mind and body in such a manner that it produces greater health for your own story).

2013 CrossFit Open workout 13.4:

• 5 AM Thursday, Heat 1 – 63 reps
• 6:30 PM Friday, Heat 1 – 64 reps. I win again!

Heat 1 in its entirety:

One need not be a BIG dog to LEAD from the pack. – steelbladeninja

The Pull of Community: 13.2 Redux

I rushed home off the train today after a long and arduous day at the office, starving for a good workout to get rid of the last two days’ jumbled workbrain.

I had made the 5:30 PM train which meant I could get home and zoom to North Shore CrossFit in time for the 6:30 PM attack on the CrossFit Open 13.2 workout. I was stoked for it, but only to get the movement in. I didn’t go looking to break any records since I had already done it at 5 AM Thursday morning. My intent was just to jump in and have some fun on a Friday evening with a crew of great folks hitting it hard together.

I opted to go in heat 2 since I led off the morning before and I knew what that felt like. I counted for my buddy Amos, who took off like a shot and stayed steady throughout, leaving every last bit of energy on the mat. Dude, you certainly deserved the turf time afterwards!

Like I said, when I first walked in, my sights had been just on having some fun and working out the stress of the last couple days. That was short-lived. As soon as Amos was finished with his win, the game was on and my own expectations were raised to meet the pull of the community – people who know my potential because we’ve been in the trenches together for years, and people whom I haven’t known for very long but whose unfamiliarity didn’t matter to them or to me – we’re all part of the same community. There were folks who knew that the 214 reps I happily recorded early in the morning  the day before was less than I had in me, next to folks whom I love but never get to work out with in person, next to folks I’ve never met before. They were all pulling for me. (What the heck? I just came to have some fun! Now I have to work hard!)

The bar had been raised [thanks Ed, just wait until the next time I get to count you! >:o} ]: 240 reps was the new goal – same weights, same 10 minutes but tonight, the game was different. I got a boat load of encouragement and some strategy I didn’t have going into it the first time (just because there aren’t too many folks around at 5 AM, and certainly not many who have already lived through it). I decided to push for it…I was feeling good, why not?

The strategy provided great efficiency I didn’t have in my first attempt and the biggest push came from the community that had me boxed in on all sides, pulling for me to stay on course through the 10 minutes (including guys whose scores I can only ever dream of producing). When it was all over, I had missed my goal. Yes, I missed it – by two reps – but I had surpassed my production from the prior day by 24 reps! Six reps shy of a full round!

I went in looking to skate through a workout, but came out with a bigger smile than anticipated, and a significantly better score. All because a crew of people, from all different times, places, and positions in life, decided to throw some extra energy my way and keep me gunning for a higher goal. This is what community is about. This is what we were made for.

I certainly could have, but I definitely wouldn’t have done it without you NSCF!

A couple more days before this week closes up – go get it! [Yeah Burpee, that means you!]

Thoughts on CrossFit Open Workout 13.2

After logging seven rounds plus four reps for a total of 39 shoulder-to-overhead barbell movements at 115 lb, 70 barbell deadlifts at 115 lb, and 105 jumps to a 24″ box in 10 minutes at today’s 5 AM session at North Shore CrossFit, I posted that I had only 100+ reps to catch Iceland Annie – the defending CrossFit Games women’s champ who demonstrated the workout last night.

Fact: Iceland Annie is 10+ years younger
Fact: Iceland Annie is a young woman who work on fitness as an occupation, while I’m a dude who doesn’t
Fact: Iceland Annie is an inspiration to thousands of people around the globe (I’m not, just yet anyway)
Biggest fact: My “meager” 214 reps this morning, though only about two-thirds the workload that Iceland Annie cranked out in last night’s workout demo, is still a whole lot more work than the me who could have slept past 4:30 AM this morning would have done by now.

Lesson:
In this game, it’s me against me, you against you.

Yes! Use those out front as inspiration, challenge, encouragement, and motivation but it isn’t necessary to compare our performance directly to theirs (unless we’re gunning for their spot in the world, then you better be keeping a close eye on them).

We can and should all be inspired by the top performers in all of their particular fields (whether athletic, occupational, familial, etc.) and strive to emulate their work ethic, but let’s let them play their game while we play our own. Everything we can implement from their examples into our own lives will make us better today over what we were yesterday, and no matter where that puts us today, there’s no shame in that game!

3-2-1 Go get it people!

[And then smile really big when you’ve done your best!]

Making It Happen on Day 2

It’s 12 degrees outside and dropping quickly. Into the single digits we go.

The day has been long and tired but well accomplished. My dailies are now complete.

• I’ve just finished my 15 minutes of personal growth reading (revisiting How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Part 4 Chapters 6 & 7).
• A minimum of two leadership/business audios is very easy to consume when the commute to the office is an hour long in both directions…and when it takes as long as it does for me to cook a decent dinner (by decent dinner, we’re talking baked garlic and herb chicken breast, roasted Brussels sprouts, and a buttery garlicky saute of zucchini and spinach).
• 40 minutes of walking was the movement for the day. I guess I did get out for about 15 minutes of walking during lunch as well, so almost an hour of movement without an official “workout”. I’ll take it today.
• 15 minutes invested in stretching the mental motivators – the dream. I found some new videos to feed the imagination tonight…
  • Sony Dream Home Tour – Sony
  • Tour the 2012 HGTV Dream Home in Midway, Utah
  • HGTV 2012 Dream Home Interior Tour

A few phone conversations with friends tonight were brief but good. I enjoy bringing hope and excitement to people. I love to hear them smiling on the other side of the phone because they are happy to hear from me, even if it’s only once in a long while (I’m trying to be better about it, believe me).

There’s excitement in the air for the near future. There is business to conduct tomorrow. Not simply work, for there will always be simple work, but rather business – a pipeline to secure a future not owned by anyone but me.

Before I spend another work day fighting off the sleepies that should only attack so strongly when I’m home on the recliner in my summer sunbeam…until next time…

2013 Day 1

2013 is off to a decently productive start!

• A sunny wake, a (rather grueling) morning workout among friends, and a little downtime in an early afternoon sunbeam.
• Lunch and productive discussion about daily disciplines that will produce the results we want to achieve this year.
• A precious hour with dear friends discussing how together we can help the people around us grow in living the lives they’ve always wanted.
• Multi-tasking: a couple of hours of essential dream-building – clarifying the “why’s” that drive the “what’s” to come…while the laundry rolls.

The game is ON!