Be Aware Just getting back on my feet (literally) from racing Ironman Austin, and when sharing its good, bad and ugly stories I find it fascinating that most people focus on me loosing three toenails instead of me accomplishing the… Read More »Thriving Thoughts: Be Aware
Just getting back on track from racing Ironman Austin. Now I have to find another race to “Feed the Hunger”.
Still, before taking on a new race, I wanted to share some reflections & tips for improvement.
Before putting on the wetsuit, don’t forget to tighten your tri shorts. That way, after the swim when the wetsuit is stripped off in front of hundreds of people, the shorts will stay on … yep, still feeling a bit mortified knowing a few lucky bystanders got to see all my glory.
If feeling down because you fell short of your goals, read something inspiring. Case in point, on the flight home I read an article from USA Today about LeBron James; LeBron Still Unsettled, Back-to-back championships only make James hungrier to succeed.
Well, that caught my eye. Why was LeBron James hungry? Wasn’t he content at being #1? Apparently not.
That I maximize my potential –
That I got everything out of my career, and I got everything out of my game that I could, and that I pushed the envelope….
When people said I couldn’t get better, I continue to strive to get better. If I do that, I can be very high.
LeBron’s words resonated with me, not only as an athlete, but also as a business owner who’s aim is to inspire people and small/medium size companies to succeed by transforming their lives to Thrive With Purpose™.
I understand the challenges of taking it to the next level. For example, while training and racing Ironman (ok, while running) I’d ask, “Annemarie, how bad do you want to succeed?” Usually, the question would get me to finish that training goal. Still, it’s a mental challenge … day-by-day, minute-by-minutes, & at times second-by-second.
Well, come to find out LeBron James also asked the same question after the Miami Heat lost the 2011 championship. Looking for inspiration, he found the secret to success via an Eric Thomas’ speech.
Feed the Hunger; Succeed like an elite athlete.
Here are 5 TipsRead More »Feed the Hunger; Succeed like an elite athlete
Recently I read a FastCompany article titled, 10 Ways Today’s Purpose-Driven Brands Can Bring Their Core Values To Life. The Take Away: Create a Purpose-Driven Brand Today’s brand must live and breathe through its core values in order to survive. Purpose… Read More »Purpose-Driven Brands
Today a homeless man asked me, “Do you know the meaning of life?”
I said, “It’s a mystery.” Yet the question stuck. You’d think by age 52 I’d know the answer.
The question reminded me of my TED Talk interview. Then the indelible question was, “If given 24-hours to live, what advice would you give the world?”
The ultimate TED quest was to be relevant by being irrelevant in less than 10 minutes.
I searched for wisdom by talking with family, friends, associates, teachers, children, and even the dog, Lily, who (by the way) had one of the best answers. She brought me a dish and a ball. From her point of view life boils down to eating and playing, not necessarily in that order.
Offering advice to the world was paralyzing for two reasons. First, I was uneasy with giving advice, for rarely was I asked to share it. Second, I couldn’t think of any advice to share. Too cliché to say, “save money, don’t go to bed angry, and have faith.”
Really, what timeless advice could I share that could connect with everyone: young, old, man, woman of any race, religion, and culture? Some said preparing for a TED Talk would be more challenging than Ironman training. That proved to be true.
After watching Diana Nyad swim from Cuba to Florida I was pumped for my next 50 mile ride. I want to harness her energy, so yesterday I rode like she swims, finishing in 3h & 30m. Loved it. Before taking… Read More »Live Like Diana Nyad
Ironman Austin training is hot underway, literally. To help prepare for the hot & humid weather, I just road 50 miles in 100 degrees.
Ten miles in and the tortuous heat had nearly every part of my body crying. To make matters worse I forgot sunscreen, lip block, only filled one of two water bottles, and craziest of all – I forgot a sports bra. What was I thinking??? Go braless or wear a sexy black lace bra. I choose the bra. Don’t know why. It didn’t even have support to hold my drivers’ license in place. Oh, but I looked good.
The road produced clear reminders of life’s frailtyRead More »Hot Weather. Cool Minds.
If you’re working to strengthen your leadership skills then everyday allocate time to read FastCompany. They never fail to provide productive boosts of information. Today’s focus, the boomer generation, was no exception. Read More »Business Leadership and Boomers
Swam open water this week in Los Alamitos Bay, and for the first time wore a half wetsuit, sized to fit women 6’ or taller; clearly too big for me. Still, that didn’t matter when the water is 60 something… Read More »Swimming Away the Clutter
Check out this old clip of Popeye, a timeless sage reminding us to find our courage. Enjoy.
There comes a day when you have to let go and say good-bye, and yesterday was one of those days. RIP my dear friend, Ed Maddox. Cancer won the battle, but you won our hearts. After Dad died Ed sent… Read More »Ed Maddox