Got Ideas?

Got ideas?  Yes indeed.  The challenge is ideas aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if you can’t make them work.  This is true in our business life and our personal life.

People constantly come up with ideas to run the government better. Or ideas to help their favorite sports team do better. Or ideas their boss ought to use to become a better leader.

But when do we actually use any of these ideas on ourselves?  When do we look at ourselves with the same level of scrutiny as we do others? When?

And when do we ever attempt to take one of our ideas and apply it to ourselves?  When?  Seriously, when?

My advice is simply this.  I don’t give advice unless a person’s situation is life threatening, or, they ask me for advice.

So, when talking to myself – which is everyday, all day – I’m constantly looking for ways to become better.  Lane 8 is only one of five daily blogs I write.  Why?  Because it’s an idea that’s being implemented.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki, Finland.  Yesterday, my wife and I were talking about the upcoming trip.  We agreed our current plan is the right one.

The day before, my son (nine) and I were talking about it too.  I told him, “I need to figure out how to not throw up or pee my pants before the race”.

He replied, “Huh”?

I said, “Seriously, I’m gonna be so nervous.  I have to figure out a way to deal with that or I’ll truly be faced with unwanted circumstances”.

In 25 days, I fly to Helsinki for the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships, 400 meters, 50-54 age group.

I told my son, I won’t be running with people from Central Florida, or even the whole state.  Not the Southeastern United States. Not the entire US.  Not North America or even the western hemisphere.

The entire world.

Until I found myself on this “stage”, and I’ve been a lot of stages as a professional speaker, I had no idea what it meant to be world-class.

What I’ve found is there is a monumental difference between dreaming about it, and actually going up against the world’s best.

I hope this inspires you to try harder, or differently, than you have in the past.  If you do, you will experience more, and live with less regret.

This will make you a better person in so many ways.   Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂