Thursday, July 28, 2011

A Running Story...

So yesterday was a gong show of a day. I was going non-stop and being a super productive rock star. Then I looked up at the clock and it was almost 11pm. I hadn't run the 5km's that was in my half marathon training plan. That's when the guilt started to sink in...

A part of me wanted to say screw it. It was late. I was tired. I wanted to watch TV. But instead of conceding to the excuses, I laced up my shoes and got my ass on the treadmill. I bolted out 5 fast km's and sweat my face off.

Afterwards, I had that feeling of accomplishment that I've been craving for a long time. Success is peace of mind in knowing that you did everything in your power to reach your potential. It's about holding yourself accountable to your goals. Excellence doesn't just come because you want it, you've got to put in the "miles".

That's my story...I felt pretty proud of myself when I got back to my hotel room and knew I did something to fuel my success.



The only problem with running at 11pm is that you are totally wired for the rest of the night…but I'll take wired over guilty any day!


Today was a day off, tomorrow is a 4km run and then Saturday is a big 12km. That will be a good test!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Training Camp

Yesterday was a mock meet for the guys participating in the training camp I'm at in Tawatinaw. 


Here are a couple of videos of Jackson Payne and Nathan Gafuik on highbar:








I've got to admit, it's a little weird being here. Awesome, but weird. It feels like so long ago that training was my main gig. Things seemed so complicated at the time, but in reality they were so simple. Wake up, eat, train, eat, nap, train, eat, sleep, repeat. 


I keep trying to remember what the environment and atmosphere were like back in my day. How did I bring intensity to training. Where did my motivation come from? What was the driving force behind my commitment to excellence? 


Things feel a little different being on the other side. Sometimes I feel totally useless because I'm not able to step on to the floor and lead by example. I'm trying to be positive and encouraging, but actions speak louder than words. I keep asking myself, have things changed or is everything still the same and I'm the one who's changed? 


Something feels missing - I'm not too sure what it is. Perhaps it's the fact that I am so used to feeling an intense sense of purpose at camp. Now though, I feel like I have no control. The thing is, you can be as encouraging and positive as you'd like but that doesn't mean anyone has to listen to you.


I hope they are listening. 

London Calling!

Today marks the one year countdown to the 2012 London Olympic Games. I wonder how many athletes are posting or commenting about this milestone? Tons, I'm sure. Twitter is probably all kinds of CRAZY!


There's a reason for that. The REAL countdown begins today.


The life of an Olympian is thought out in 4 year cycles. First is the year AFTER the Olympics. This is the year where you have some down time to experience the post-Olympic slump. Everyone gets it - even the casual viewer at home ;) There is always so much hype and build up towards a Games that it usually takes some time to decompress and re-focus…except for those who were on the cusp of making it - they are more motivated than ever!


Next comes the awkward 2nd year after an Olympics. New faces begin to emerge in sport and older experienced competitors are still recovering. Results can be misleading because the best often aren't at their best. They don't have to be for another 2 years. This time in the cycle is when you feel like you still have a lot of time left. There's not too much urgency. You're just trying to re-align with your "excellence" footing. It's kind of like Wednesday morning - 2 days of the week are done, but you still have 3 more to go. 


Wednesday afternoon however is when momentum starts to build…this is what the third year's like. This is when things start to get serious. You can see the Olympics over the horizon, but they are still pretty dim and blurry. You still sometimes put important things off until tomorrow. Celebrations are long over - focus becomes imperative. Results are important because you need to start re-establishing your reputation. Training become your main priority again. You start saying no to distractions. You start feeling the groove. Media starts to get interested in you (who?) again. Pressure begins to build.  


And finally, we come to where we are today - ONE year out!


At this point in an Olympians cycle, they turn the corner in their preparation. 366 days feels much different than the monumental 365! 364, 363, 362…it seems like you have a lot of time left and then it's 152, 151, 150…before you know it, the one month countdown is on! Mantras and mottos start to form. "No Regrets" is always a good one. So is "Today not tomorrow". You start to make the most of every moment. Each turn is an important turn. Physio, Chiro, Massage and visits to your Nutrionist seem even more important. Media starts calling ("Yo bitches, this is the MEDIA calling! You're important to us now. Answer the phone!"). I'm one of them now. You better not screen my calls! People start asking you if you're going to be ready. Those extra 2 lbs shave off, the journal starts to fill with plans, thoughts and victories. You start to notice the Olympic Rings everywhere you go. The big sponsors start kicking up their promotions - Have you had a coke or a cheeseburger today? You have a constant reminder of how close you are to the imminent deadline. Your heart pounds a little louder at night when you visualize the competition. You wake up in the morning and PURPOSE oozes from your pours. Your reason for pushing yourself beyond your point of comfort every single day is tattooed on your mind. You can't help but get excited when thinking about red Maple Leafs. You can't help but get a little scared when you think about everyone watching. You can taste success and your focus begins to narrow. Filmstrips of Olympic dreams coming true begin to play in your mind. You have a solid reason behind every decision you make in your life for the next year. And guess what? For the next year, this is your life. It needs to be. You are so much better off when you embrace it.







To every athlete preparing for the London 2012 Games, I wish you an amazing journey over the course of the next year. May it be filled with laughter, tears, sweat, joy, excitement, stress, pressure and brilliant lessons learned. This is YOUR time to turn on the switch and show yourself how great you can be!










  

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I'm going to London with CTV!

I can remember being 10 years old in the summer of 1992 and watching my friend Jennifer Wood compete in the Barcelona Olympic Games. My memory vividly recalls me being glued to the TV screen watching in awe and imagining what that experience would have been like. I lived every moment of those Games vicariously through CTV's coverage with Larissa Lowing and Suneel Joshi being the commentary team. 


I can also remember the thought crossing my mind, "I would love to commentate at the Olympics one day"…


Well folks, I have some very exciting news!


Drum roll please…


I am officially going to be a part of CTV's Broadcast team for the London 2012 Olympic Games!!! I am so excited!


It's my hope that I can bring the stories to life and make viewers feel like they are right there in the gym. I want to educate Canadians on the sport of gymnastics and highlight all of the incredible athletes. I want to help viewers get a true sense of the pressure, the joy and the excitement of competition - all from the comfort of their local bars and living rooms. I want to help all of the young gymnasts in our country fall desperately in love with the Olympic Games. I want them to be obsessed with gymnastics and to know all of their favourite gymnasts names. Most importantly, I want them to lay in their beds at night after watching the coverage and dream of what it might be like to be an Olympian!


I will specifically be covering the Men's Artistic, Women's Artistic and Trampoline competitions. I will also be playing a role in the Opening Ceremonies coverage and of course, I will be blogging, tweeting and facebooking through out the Games for CTVOlympics.ca


I am totally psyched to be a part of the CTV Olympics Team! This is definitely a dream come true!


KS

Monday, July 25, 2011

Flashback

Today I drove 4.5 hours from Calgary to Tawatinaw. 



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I'm here to do some mentoring with the Canadian men's gymnastics team…and perhaps to do a little spying for a big announcement that will be made tomorrow;) Stay tuned!


On my drive here, I had some major flashbacks. 


The song Ghetto Superstar brings me right back to the summer of 1998. I was the first of my friends to get my drivers licence and naturally I would pick everyone up on a Saturday night. We'd just cruise around Calgary and laugh our faces off. Six of us would pile into my dad's 1992 periwinkle blue Plymouth Acclaim and blast this song with our arms waving out the window - not a care in the world. That was a magnificent summer and hearing the song today transplanted me right back into that moment.


Smell often induces a flashback moment for me as well. Today I rolled down my window somewhere between Red Deer and Edmonton and I could smell the fresh canola fields. This instantly brought my brain back to being 6 years old and having my summer vacations in Manitoba. I can vividly remember driving to the Shewfelt Farm outside of Basswood and sitting on my Uncle Nelson's lap. He would let me take the steering wheel and drive his truck on the highway and it was the best feeling in the world! The windows were always down, the air was thick and hot, the wind would be blowing and you could smell canola for miles and miles. Ah….


Finally, I had a crazy flashback to 2008. My teammate and friend, Grant Golding, and I drove to Edmonton together for one of our final training camps before the Beijing Games. I could remember the feelings of anticipation and the conversations that Grant and I had almost to the word. We talked about what was going to happen after the Olympics and where life would take us. It's funny to look back on that now because Grant knew he was going to join Cirque and I knew that I wanted to continue speaking and get more involved in broadcasting. I guess the fact that I was driving to a gymnastics training camp today, something I haven't done in quite a while, fuelled this little tid bit of nostalgia. Still, it was weird. It felt like I was on my way to actually train at camp and I had forgotten my grips…but then I had a huge sigh of relief when I realized that I don't have to do a single routine! Not even a backflip if I don't want to:) I'm just here to inspire excellence and to help the team reach their ultimate potential at the Worlds Championships and Olympic Qualifier in October.


It's funny how a smell, a song or even driving a familiar route can immerse you right back into your past. They say that memories can last a lifetime - I sure hope they're right!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Accessing Now

We, as air breathing humans, are often reactionary and habitual in the way we are aware. We do things and say things without really thinking about the how and the why. We are on auto pilot and are too busy living in the past and future. Regularly we forget to be in the now. Perhaps it's because we don't exactly know how to be immersed in the present moment. They don't have a NOW class in school ;)


The now is the only thing in life that is guaranteed. The past is fiction - you can't change it. The future is only a vision - an important vision, but still not real until you make it so.


Have you ever looked back on the calendar and wondered where the days went? Have you ever been immersed in a moment and wished that you could remember it forever? Have you ever had 10 screens open on your laptop and unsuccessfully tried to research, answer emails and check voicemails all at the same time? Have you ever surfed facebook for more than 30 minutes and looked at random pictures of people you don't really know? Have you ever been in the car, driven 2km's and then realized that you don't remember driving them? Have you ever been in the bathroom while brushing your teeth and remembered that you had something to do in the kitchen? But when you walk out of the bathroom with your toothbrush still in your mouth, you completely forget what it was that you needed to do? 


If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then welcome to the club of majority. Life gets busy and distractions are endless. Our minds wander and they can constantly be chasing thoughts. We have been conditioned to believe that more is better. We have been told that multi-tasking leads to more productivity. In today's world, staying on task and being immersed in the present moment is a tremendous challenge.   


So how do we immerse ourselves in the now? Here's a few tips that I'm discovering in my life:


1. Pay Attention - Instead of letting our minds run when we are sitting in traffic or at the grocery store, take a moment to look around and see what you see. What does the person look like behind you in line? What colour of shorts is that person on the bike wearing? How many dogs do you see in the dog park. The first key to waking up and being present is making a conscious choice to pay attention.


2. Breathe - Inhale. Exhale. Repeat often. Take ten minutes a day to just breathe. A couple of helpful techniques that I've discovered are:
           
          a. Breathe in while counting to five. Breathe out while counting to five. Breathe in while counting to six. Breathe out while counting to six. Breathe in while counting to seven. Breathe out while counting to seven. Repeat this pattern until you've reached ten breathes and then start working your way back down to five. 
           
          b. Lay on your back and put a book on your stomach. Watch the book rise and fall. Do this for 15 minutes. When your mind wanders, bring your attention and focus back to the rise and fall of the book.


3. Observe - Next time you are at a gathering or in a meeting, just sit back and have the intention of observing. Pretend you are watching a movie. Watch the way the characters in the room move, act and really listen to what they say. Don't be concerned with looking smart or saying the right thing - this often keeps us in our own mind with the intention of creating the perfect response. Just be there. I think you'll surprise yourself with how much more connected you feel to the situation and how much more thoughtful your responses will be.


4. Meditate - Meditation is not about reaching enlightenment and floating off of your pillow. Its about being disciplined and creating the time in your life to be aware. The biggest trick I've learned for meditation is this: You don't have to solve anything. Just be. My mind tends to try and fix things, solve things and come up with magical answers to my life's problems when I meditate. Reminding myself that there is absolutely nothing to solve allows me to focus on my breath and be in the now. Start with 5 minutes and work your way up to 30. 


5. Create a Routine of presence - We all have things that we do every day. Whether it's eating, showering, washing the dishes, exercising...heck, even peeing. Pick something that you do regularly every single day and set an intention to be present during those moments. Think of nothing else. Do nothing else. Just be fully immersed in the experience.


Being in the now is not a destination, it's a constant journey. It is a practice that can open up many new and brilliant doors in your life. A few benefits of accessing the now are:


Better Relationships with others and yourself
A more pro-active approach to life -vs- reactionary living
Calmness and confidence - less stress!
Better sleep
Less guilt and more enjoyment
More productivity - get things done!
Better and more intense ability to focus
Increased sense of worth and purpose 
Keen awareness of self and what you need to be successful






So, when was the last time you took a moment to feel and experience your life just as it is? When was the last time you scheduled in 20 uninterrupted minutes to just sit and observe where you're at? When was the last time you felt immersed in the now?


Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat often. It all starts now.



Thursday, July 21, 2011

Postponed - Youth Super Hero Leadership Summit

Timing is everything.

Unfortunately, we were a little aggressive with ours.

Jayson and I made the decision to postpone the Youth Super Hero Leadership Summit. Our apologies to all interested individuals. In the end, we needed a few more registrations to make it worthwhile for the group.

We have the entire weekend mapped out and it is going to be a kick ass experience. Now our focus must turn to figuring out ways to fill up the room. Promotion must become our newest Super Power!

It's always a bummer when you have a great plan and you want to make an impact and it doesn't quite work out. But it's even more of a bummer when you let it get you down.

This is a learning experience for us. We'll make some adjustments and we'll rebound. Please stay tuned for our new plan. 

Kapow!

Kyle


100 Push Up Challenge

I've decided that I'm taking on the 100 Push Up Challenge

Who wants to join me?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I WIN!

It's now 4:20pm and I am proud to say that I WON. The bad wolf is wimpering. I ran my 5K faster than expected (22 mins) and now I am glowing in satisfaction. Right on!

The Struggle

Pierre Du Coubertine once famously said:


"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."


This afternoon I went to the lunch time yoga session at Yoga Mandala and we did a lot of back openers. Doing these always gets my mind rushing on the walk home! Today, I began to think about the concept of "struggling" and where it shows up in my life.


I recently signed up for my first half marathon in Calgary on October 1st, called the Harvest Half Marathon. I didn't quite have the guts to attack the full marathon just yet. I'll grow big enough balls some day soon;) But for now, I will celebrate the victory of taking on this challenge rather than guilt myself into feeling like a failure because I didn't push far far far past my point of comfort. Baby steps. Far far enough is fair for now.


A couple of my good buddies and I are going to train for the race together (well, we will be holding each other accountable as we all live very busy lives!) and then we'll celebrate with delicious liquid lunches afterwards. I've got my training plan on the fridge and I am really enjoying having it there as a sense of accountability in my life. 


Yesterday's run consisted of a 3km warm up, then 4 sets of "hills" and eventually ending with a 3km cool down. Sounded easy enough. But what I didn't really consider was that yesterday in Calgary it was a blistering 30C. The sun was hot and the air was humid. I, being the unseasoned long distance runner that I am, laced up at 1:30pm to embrace the open road and mighty hills. Bad timing.


I made it through the run, but when I got home I was so HOT that I couldn't cool down. I was sweating profusely and I thought that my head was going to explode. The minute I walked through the door I ripped off my runners, squished off my socks, pulled out my headphones, wriggled out of my sweat drenched Lululemon shirt, guzzled a gallon of water and laid dead centre in the middle of my living room. I was panting worse than Patch does after he disappears to chase birds for an hour. My heart was thumping, my skin was getting hotter by the second and beads of sweat dripped off my body into a giant pool around me. I kept thinking, "I might die. I might actually die."


Eventually, after 15 minutes of laying there with a fan blowing on me, I cooled off. It was a pretty painful experience and one that I am hoping to avoid in the future. 


So today I have a 5km run in my plan. And when I was walking home from yoga I started to notice an interesting pattern in how I approach struggle in my life. My bad wolf starts to be very loud and powerful. It growls:


Remember how you felt yesterday? Remember that awful suffering you were experiencing when you were so hot? You don't want to feel that again, do you? Your legs are still tired from that experience. 5km might actually be too hard for you today. You don't really have to do it. How will you feel when you start running and you can't push past 3km because you are starting to over heat?


Shut the front door! 


I have a really bad habit of going to the most awful scenario that could possibly occur. I have always done it and I am sure I will continue to do it until the day I pass away. I like to try and talk myself out of things and make up excuses in my mind. I think many of us do.


Sometimes I let the excuses win. But today, I refuse. 


I am going to be smarter about the time that I run. Perhaps a 3:30pm jaunt will be more convenient for my body engine. But most importantly, I am going to enjoy the struggle. That's why I'm doing this. That's why I signed up for a half marathon. I want to embrace the struggle and try to find pleasure in the process. I want to push myself beyond my point of comfort because I want to prove to myself that I am capable. I want to be immersed in the process and I want to be faced head on with the choice between stopping and continuing on. I want to choose 'continue' because that is the person I am. I don't back down. I push through. I embrace challenges. I accomplish my goals. As Pierre alluded to above: I fight well. 


I'm lacing up and going for that run. Crossing out today's mission on the running plan is going to be satisfying, but perhaps not as satisfying as the struggle it will be to get it done.


K.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Womentum Super Hero Summit

A crop of new Super Heroes emerged yesterday at the Womentum Super Hero Summit!


Some of the missions that emerged were:


Evolation 
Om with the flow
Choose to inspire
Hostess for your mostness
Leave it out there


During the day, participants worked on discovering their super powers and how to use them. They also established their super chargers and identified the times when they needed to plug in. The question: "What's possible?" was bouncing around the room. By the end of the day, Super heroes were being named and some of their physical characteristics were coming to the surface. It was a rock star party hosted on cloud 9!


Jayson and I had an awesome time with the group from Womentum. It was so cool as a facilitator to see the mind light bulbs turning on during the day. It was an energizing and brain scrambling experience that left everyone feeling closer connected to their Super Hero self.


I'm really looking forward to gaining some momentum with the Super Hero Strategy. It's an engaging and playful workshop that creates awareness of potential. My Super Hero is the 'High Fiver' and during the workshop, I felt my powers of communication, engagement and energy coming alive!


A special thanks to Lana Wright, creator of Womentum, for her support. She brought tons of Evolation to the day ;)

Monday, July 11, 2011

Thoughts on Success

"Success in any endeavour depends on the degree to which it is an expression of your true self." 
                      - Ralph Marston
When you aren't true to who you really are, you cheat yourself of success. If you compromise your values while on the way to the top, the top will never feel like success. Success is something that is felt within; in knowing that you did the right thing on as many occasions as possible.
John Wooden said it perfectly:
Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being. 

When you know you've reached your ultimate potential, regardless of the result, you just know. There is no one that can tell you otherwise. No one can make you feel like you didn't measure up. No one can tell you that you failed. No one else in this world can tell you that you did your best except for you. 
A thing that I've come to realize in life is that outside-in victories always lead to dissatisfaction and disappointment. When you look for validation from others, you never get exactly what you were seeking. Inside-out victories, on the other hand, always feel amazing. It's when you trust 100% that you have done your best. These are the times in life when you don't care what other people think and where validation from yourself is all that you need.  
Want to know a little secret that I believe could lead to eternal happiness? Look for inside-out victories on a daily basis. Do the right thing. Hold yourself accountable to your goals. Make choices based on what your true self says. Take time to listen to that voice...I know you can hear it. We all hear it. Sometimes it whispers and sometimes it screams, but it's always there providing insight and guiding our journey. 
"Success is a journey, not a destination."
- Ben Sweetland 
I hope that today, you are committed to excellence in yours;)
Kyle



Saturday, July 09, 2011

What do you need to do to be GREAT?!

I had a meeting today with my coach, Pat Lipovsky, and we had an excellent discussion about potential. One question he posed was: What do you need to do to be greater?

This is an open ended question that really makes you think about where you are and where you can get to. I come from the way of thinking that you can always make a bigger impact. In fact, this belief drives me to the verge of insanity on some occasions because I am often left feeling dissatisfied. Want to know a little secret? When I was standing on the podium in Athens I was extremely joyful, but I was also thinking, "What comes next"? This sense of 'always wanting more' is something that I will have to forever keep in check. I've found it's important to find a balance between celebrating the little victories and relentlessly pushing your limits. I've also found that my life doesn't feel complete when I'm not asking for more of myself - hence, insanity makes me feel sane. 

When I take a look at all of my current projects, I always ask myself: what I can do more of? How can I be greater? On a scale of 1-10, where am I? What does a 10 look like and how do I get there? I am constantly trying to improve - to create new systems and new rituals that will help me get one step closer to my potential. That's all I'm seeking in this life. It's about creating measurables and setting goals so that I can track my progress. I enjoy celebrating the milestones along the way, but I am also driven by setting new limits. If I can accomplish goal X, then I now have a new potential available to me beyond that - On to goal Y!
If I can accomplish goal X, then I now have a new potential available to me beyond that - On to goal Y!

I think it is important to ask yourself the question: What do I need to do to be greater? This keeps you looking forward and not settling for mediocrity. This keeps you holding yourself accountable to excellence. This also gives you a starting off point to create a framework for getting there. 

So what do you need to do to be greater in your relationships, your health, your career or your life? What needs to happen for you to move from an 8 to a 10? Is there something that you can do TODAY to get started?

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Who's playing tricks on me?

I am convinced our universe has a plan.

Two days ago, in my post Expecting Everything, I wrote about my pal Emily Brydon

Yesterday, on my way to a meeting downtown, I was riding my bike (named JB - short for Jail Bait) and who pulls up beside me at a traffic light on her bike?…Ms.Emily Brydon! I had to squeal a little bit as I told her how weird it was that I had just written about her and read through her blogs the night before. We were both in a rush so we had a quick high five and then parted ways, but it was excellent to see her ;) 

I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in energy and the law of attraction. Yesterday was confirmation to me that this is true. When you put it out there, you find it. When you think about it, you become it.

So, guess what I did today - I ran a wicked 7km's with Patch! And the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about how painful and exhilarating that marathon is going to be ;) 

Stay tuned for a date and location!

Kyle  


Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Expecting Everything

On the drive back from Kelowna I got to thinking about where I'm at and what I'm pursuing. I often get pensive when I have lots of time to sit back and just think. 


I mentioned single minded focus in a post a while back and the concept of it is really starting to show up in my life. The thing is, it's the lack of it that I am starting to notice.


I have so many projects on the go and they are all so important to me. I want to pay equal attention to them all and I often feel guilty if I don't. I have been having a hard time prioritizing my projects because each day brings on a different feeling of what resonates the most. Each day puts a different project on top of the "things to do" list. 


There are so many different areas of my life that I think about and where I have goals. I have career goals, physical activity/body goals, relationship goals, leisure time goals, writing goals, spiritual goals…I've got me a lot of goals!


Let's take my physical goals as an example. I want to do yoga 5 times a week. I want to run a minimum 5KM every day. I want to hit the gym 4 times a week to work on my upper body because I hate the way it vanishes when I don't work it. I want to train for a marathon. I want to go to crossfit. I want to buy a road bike. I want to hit the paths on my roller blades…and the hardest part is that I honestly want to do all of these things every single day. 


I came to the realization that I am setting myself up for failure. I am putting too many things on the top of the priority list and they are all turning out to be equally mediocre. I make it to the gym 2 times a week. I run 3 times a week. I do yoga 3 times a week. I do some research on bikes and marathon races. I put my roller blades in my car, but don't actually hit the path. 


Why am I coming up short of my expectations?


I think the simple answer is: I am putting too many expectations on myself in too many different realms. I am expecting everything. How can I honestly believe that I will be able to find enough time in the day to do all of the activities I want to do? In order for me to complete just my "physical" goals per day, I would need a few more hours tacked on to the 24 hour clock. It's just impossible. 


As a high performance athlete, I focused on one sport and one goal at a time. Anything else that I wanted to do was extra and I didn't feel guilty if I didn't get around to it. Now though, it seems as if I want to do it all - and all at the same time. And If I don't, I am left picking on myself for lack of drive and accountability.


My friend Emily Brydon recently retired from skiiing and she seems to have a really awesome approach to her physical goals. She is challenging herself to only one new physical goal per year. This year she ran a marathon. And the coolest thing is, she actually ran it. She didn't just spend time researching it and trying to talk herself into doing it. She got off her butt, laced up her shoes, committed herself to training and then ran a bloody marathon! 


I try to look at the bigger picture as often as possible - right now, I am trying to understand why I am so gluttonous with my goal setting. Why am I struggling so hard right now to pick just ONE goal and fully commit to it? I know that I am someone who really thrives on a sense of accomplishment and I know that doing this would definitely fuel that fire.  


BING. A light bulb just turned on inside my head.


I am afraid of failing. I am petrified that I will set the goal, completely dedicate myself to it and then come up short. I am protecting myself.


It's easier to overwhelm and overbook myself with activities and use the excuse "I don't have enough time in the day to do them all and do them well" as the reason why I come up short. Tricky.


This is not who I am. This is not who I want to be. Perhaps it's time for me to do some prioritizing and make a commitment to be single mindedly focused on just one pursuit in each of the different realms in my life. This way I can actually complete them, celebrate them and then move on to the next set of challenges with momentum. 


Sometimes you just have to pick something - and once you've made that commitment it becomes the "right" thing.


I feel a big and surprising commitment coming on soon…


Stay tuned.


Kyle

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Kelowna

Kristin and I took a road trip to Kelowna for the Canada Day long weekend and to celebrate the marriage of our friends Geoff and Robyn.


Enjoy these photos from our weekend!


Of course we stopped at a few vineyards ;)

Kristin and I with our good friend (and roomie for the weekend) Jules!

Kristin and I at the wedding on Saturday night. I was also the emcee!

Busting mad moves


Front layouts into the freezing lake!

Dork

Paradise - My friend Robyn's parents place. The wedding was on the dock and this photo was taken at the beach party on Sunday

Lazy days rock

With Lola the pooch

Jules, Robyn, Geoff, Kristin and I hanging on the dock

Us being awesome - and Oliver the dog wanting to join in