Who is the person you will visit when you can travel? “People miss being with each other” Delta CEO Ed Bastian shared on the Masters of Scale podcast recently. I think his sentiment in this podcast balances well, connection, and living values as leaders and in family. I have flown Delta in the past and they have made big improvements under his leadership. They are leading by their values in the way they approach the market and feedback from their customers. Questions pondered in this episode: Can your business sustain if you put finances before making the right choices for your customers during a pandemic? Can you afford not to make the right choice for your customer and survive? Defeating Average. Colin

Breathe deep and stretch. You need to breathe in deeply to enjoy a deep breath out. I have been stiff lately. Being cooped up in a small apartment will do that to you. I did a great workout session Friday morning with my trainer. All stretching. As he said “active stretching isn’t just lying around. You need to focus on the breathing while you stretch, inhale deeply push into the stretch while you breathe out.” We improved my hanging hamstring stretch by 3 inches! This is the time for me in spring renewal to lean into stretching as we get ready to re-enter more normal times. What can you focus on daily, breathe into and release out from? Breath is the key. Colin

Self Regulation and Self Awareness, are all the rage. I was talking to my meditation instructor this past week. We were talking about the future of work and what managers need and what workers expect from their leaders. We were breaking down what resilience meant in this environment.  Endurance + bouncing back. Endurance requires self-regulation of energy and emotion. Bouncing back requires self-awareness. This requires daily focus. One of the examples that I have used is tracking obstacles you may experience daily. I update my list every weekend. I read them every morning. Building awareness of challenges you may encounter allows you to regulate and prepare energy to overcome. What are your obstacles for the week ahead? Defeating Average. Colin

I yelled at my almost-three-year-old last week. I felt terrible. True she has her moments and can be super whiny and annoying but I didn’t have the patience I normally do. The underlying anxiety from the pandemic, state of political angst (insert…whatever aggravates you daily) and much less patience turns into yelling at my daughter. We are all taking on a lot right now! Note for myself and anyone it helps. 1. Pause and breathe for one minute 2. Acknowledge how you feel, build the awareness 3. Choose your path forward with poise Defeating Average. Colin

Pre pandemic I would meet with my trainer or hit a spin class and push hard. In 2020, just bringing stability and moving the body was the goal. We are all seeing a light at the end of this covid tunnel and I need more exercise accountability. I was on a peloton ride last week from my condo, with two friends. You couldn’t have said that 18 months ago. We were riding the same class, comparing our stats and pushing each other harder than we would have alone. We start the ride with a quick conference call, “hit start” and close the ride with a quick call to rib each other. I have stats on Peloton and on my Whoop wearable and am finding when I ride with two friends I was increasing output by 30 percent.  Reminder, when you are ready, peer with friends, push one another and hold each other accountable to a higher standard. Defeating Average. Colin