All posts filed under: Adventure

Which Wolf Are You Feeding?

There is an old parable that uncovers how I have felt over the last couple years, and maybe you too.  The conversation is between a grandfather and his grandson and does like this: “I have a fight going on in me,” the old man said. “It’s taking place between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” The grandfather looked at the grandson and went on. “The other embodies positive emotions. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. Both wolves are fighting to the death. The same fight is going on inside you and every other person, too.” The grandson took a moment to reflect on this. At last, he looked up at his grandfather and asked, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee gave a simple reply. “The one you feed.” This parable serves as a powerful reminder of the fight that every human being must face. Regardless of …

Trust builds better outcomes

I had the pleasure of spending some time last week with an old colleague, David Droogleever on his podcast Softer but Stronger. We shone sunlight through the magnifying glass and put the spotlight on Trust. We discussed: Leading from your values Being a trust detective Dissolving reticence to team building and mitigating trust leakage How trust build better outcomes What an example of a north star is and how to find it. We had a good conversation and recommend taking in his podcast. Defeating Average. Colin  

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Why making your bed first thing in the morning may be the one thing you are missing

My friend interviewed Admiral Bill McRaven recently. He was the 4-star seal commander in charge of the Bin Laden raid. They discussed a speech he did at a graduation ceremony at the University of Texas at Austin so I went back to listen to it. It 16 minutes and highly recommend it. You can click on the link above.  Here are his 10 recommendations on living a great life.  1. Make your bed. Doing one thing right first thing in the morning leads to doing more small things right. One success leads to more success. Life is about doing the small things right.  2. Find people to help you paddle.  Seals had to row for hours to storm the beach during one test. Only the teams rowing at the same cadence and speed would make it. You can’t accomplish anything alone.  3. Respect everyone. They had seals from all different backgrounds and diversity which made everyone better. Each person has unique skills that contribute. Respect all people.  4. Life is not fair, move forward. Upon inspection of uniforms each day, …

What can we learn from mountaineers?

Mountains have been here for millions of years. They are a picture of stability, calmness, shelter from the storm. At the same time, Mother Nature can make the path up a mountain slow, tedious, anxious, dangerous, even fatal. What do the best mountaineers do? They prepare relentlessly with back up plans B, C, and D They ration supplies and are prepared to wait out the storm  They take calculated risks yet may stop a couple of hundred feet from the summit to live another day  They leverage the power of the team  They take the journey, one step, hour, and day at a time.  We are going through trying times. We are all on the journey together.  Don’t go it alone. Ask for help from guides who have navigated the storm before.  Defeating Average.  Colin

What will they say when you die?

 I’m currently reading a great book called Wild Success by Kevin Vallely and Amy posey.  If you have an adventuress spirit, highly recommend. Summarizing an anecdote below and exercise from the book called my attention this week.  Prior to becoming one of the best ocean water rowers in the world, Roz Savage worked for a corporation for 15 years, when she answered this question. What will people say when you die? She wrote down two outcomes. The first one would be the obituary she wanted to have.  The second one was what she would have if she just kept doing what she was doing.  You can take an example from this parable.  There are three bricklayers in a yard and someone asks each of them what they are doing. The first, answers, I am laying brick. The second answer, I am building a church. The third answer I am building the house of God. One has a Job, one a career, and the third has a calling, his purpose.  I encourage you to take on the exercise when …

The Next Gear You Need in This Crisis

Crisis Creates Opportunity You have 40% more left in the tank. Right now. You Do. Trust Me. Science proves it as well! In 2013, I ran 45 miles over and through lava fields, a torrential downpour and along the North Atlantic Ocean to finish a 160-mile Ultra Marathon. After running 4 marathons back to back the previous 4 days, I was battered and bruised. My ankle was swollen and my spirits were down. How did I make it through? 1. Taking it one step at a time, literally. 2. Having the support of amazing tent mates who pushed me up into that first step. 3. Using a mantra (Strong, Relaxed & Grateful), that I must have said 10,000 times 4. Believing I had another gear because I had seen it in others. These are challenging times. I feel the weight of the moment. We all do. Trust me, you have that next year. Guess what, there is another gear beyond that one too. Once you find it, it never goes away. Like driving a stick shift, …

Leadership Matters

Crisis Creates Opportunity At this time, it’s very clear, people are watching and leadership matters. People will remember what you did when it matters most. Remember, your brand is built by people watching not what you say, but what you do. It’s built but what people are saying about you when you are not in the room. Character is built in these moments.   How would someone you really admire, recommend you respond in crisis? Follow that advice. What you do today and everyday matters. No matter if you lead other people or lead yourself. You influence so many people around you.   Get moving, get going. What is your potential at this moment? Defeating Average. Colin

If he can do it, I can do it

If he can do it I can do it  He showed up every day, whether he felt good or not. In 1980, when I was six years old, a young man named Terry Fox who had his leg amputated due to cancer captivated a nation. He was a regular guy who did something extraordinary. He was a young and vibrant 18-year-old University student in Canada. While recovering in the hospital he saw the impact cancer had on other young kids.   He said “coach, I didn’t understand cancer affects young people and they are giving up. They are not trying. While I was there, kids my age and younger, passed away. What can I do to give these people hope to keep fighting?” He asked himself “what can I do with one leg?” Powerful Question Terry heard about a man who ran the NYC marathon with one leg and that was the spark. Famously he said, “If he can do it I can do it.”  He created the Marathon of Hope and trained to run near a marathon …

Preparation – Be there before you arrive 

My running coach in high school 20+ years ago said if you invest time visualizing your race, you will have a much better chance of success than if you don’t.  I didn’t get it. Now I do.  I would show up to each race and experience a few obstacles for the first time, trying to handle them in high-stress moments in races lasting 60 to 120 seconds where 1-2 seconds were the difference between success and failure.  I finished 4th a lot! Would visualizing have made the difference between 4th (you’ll get them next year!) and a medal?  100 Percent How does that apply to presenting in a meeting? 1.  Drilling your content like going to practice every day is table stakes.  2. Testing yourself against different competitors will give you different feedback. Test your talk track and concepts through multiple people.  3. Visualize the process. From when you arrive at the event, to the warm-up to the race (or meeting) to how you want to feel during and after.  4. Define what success looks …

Thank You For Showing Up

Your pursuit may be individual but how you get there always has roots in a team. In my 1st year at Salesforce, we had a bunch of like-minded sales guys and gals who did a lot together. Worked hard, sold software had fun and found time to give back to our community. One thing we also did together that summer was meet one to two times per week at 6 am in a local park for a workout. Our friend Paul played high-level basketball and he ran us through some paces he did in his camps. Push ups, sit ups, carry bricks up and down hills and line runs. We were exhausted every time! We were also building the blocks or bricks of accountability. Just making that mental decision to get out of bed after 5 am to make it on time built our mental muscle. Once we were there, we always had a blast…and grabbed breakfast together after with a lot of laughs. We had many reasons not get out of bed or show …