My case against Instant Gratification

Instant gratification is all around us, no matter where I look it seems that I cannot get away from it and I hate it. You need to look no further than get-rich-quick schemes, miracle diets or the growing need to have everything at our fingertips as proof.

I think instant gratification is killing our future and the hope of a future. Instant gratification implies that we will never be enough or have enough and that we should expect anything and everything right away and if we do not see or get what we want it has been a failure. It neglects the long-term vision, success and ideas that truly form real success. Instant-gratification is not sustainable.

We will never be enough or have enough with instant gratification because once we get it, we want more and we want it now. In fact we cannot possibly get it fast enough. If we get one thing in a minute everything else now needs to be under a minute or it is taking too long. This goes for not only material things but things like love, success and relationships.

If you are always focused on what you want right now, you will never think about your future and how you want to get there and instant gratification only allows us to focus on the present. Think about it in terms of living a healthier lifestyle or wanting to lose weight. In the moment it is so easy to eat that piece of cake because it will make you feel great, yet in the long term it will hinder your goal not help it. That is the problem with instant gratification; it puts the long-term against the very short-term.

The shelf-life of instant gratification is just that an instant. It is gone in the blink of an eye and a majority of the time you have nothing left to show for it. What you get from it is the want for more and to be more, do not get me wrong I am a strong believer in constantly improving but putting it all in an instant is not the right way, it takes time.

So what should we be doing instead of wanting instant gratification? We should be setting long-term goals and realizing the small victories that come along with them. I believe we need to celebrate our successes but we need to see them as part of the bigger picture. If you have a dream write it down and think of everything that leads up to it. These can be your milestones to celebrate. Success takes time. The success you see is just the tip of the iceberg. Just like an iceberg it is not the tip that you have to be worried about or that has the most mass it is what is beneath the surface, it is what you cannot see, when you see success remember that there is an iceberg beneath it supporting it. Finally remember how awesome you are and that you have an amazing gift to give the world.

Run with it

Running has changed my life, in more ways than one. It goes beyond the physical and is far more about the mental, emotional and spiritual. It has helped me become who I am today. Here are just a few of the lessons I have learned from running.

1. One step at a time: As much of a broken record it may be, it is the truth. Take life just one step at a time. No matter what run I have been in all it took was one step at a time. Those steps turned into feet, feet into yards, yards into miles and those miles became the finish.
   
   Have a place you want to go, a dream you want to reach, or a race you want to run, but never forget all it takes is one step at a time.
2. You are far stronger than you could ever imagine:  I will be the first to admit that running is not always pleasant, fun or enjoyable. There are days on my training runs, where I hate it, I cannot stand it and want to stop, but I continue on. The simple reason, is I know that I can. I remember one run where I fell numerous times, I slipped and could not keep up with my group. It was painful run. Yet I kept going. It is an amazing when you run your longest run ever or break a PR. It is amazing because you get to find out just how strong you are. It proves to you that there is more that you can do.
   
   You are far stronger than you believe and far stronger than everyone tells you that you are. You are strong enough to accomplish anything you put your mind to. You need to believe it to achieve it.
3. Stop caring what other people think: I get asked all the time, "Why would you ever want to run a marathon" or "You are crazy for running a marathon" If you are a runner, no matter what distance you run, I am sure you have heard something along those lines.
   
   Just imagine if I were to listen to those people. I cannot even imagine how different my life would be. In life, you are always going to have people around you telling you that what you are doing is crazy and should not be done. Forget them and do not listen to them. Follow your heart and do what you want.
4. If you want to change the world, do one thing: One of my favorite things about running a race, besides the massive amount of food I get to eat are the people (especially in moments of hanger.) I love the people out on the course cheering everyone on. The greatest part, they did nothing more than come out, stand and cheer us on. Some made signs, some brought cow bells others whistle however it was those small acts that got me through some of the toughest parts of my runs.
   
   Stop trying to change the world and change one persons life with one simple act. Give them the gift of yourself and make there day better in some small way that will change their life. Far too often, myself included, I saw changing the world as something that seemed unreachable. Stop looking at the whole world and focus on one small part of it. Go out and give the people in your life the gift of yourself.
5. Surround yourself with people that inspire you: The fact of the matter is, you do not have time for anyone else except for the people that inspire you. You deserve to have the most inspiring and amazing people in your life. Running has taught me this. I am lucky enough to call some of the most inspiring people out there in the world my friends. It is not just the runners, it includes the fans cheering you along the way, supporting you and making you feel amazing. It includes the people that get up far before I do for a race, set up the course and assist those runners in need.
   
   It has been said that you become the people that you spend the most time with. Ask yourself, do you want to be inspiring or uninspired?
6. Its all about relationships Last but not least, it is all about the relationships. When you die, no one will remember how many runs you completed, your best PR or how many miles you logged. What they will remember however is the relationship you had with them. (P.S. This does not only go for running) No one will remember how much money you made, positions held or how big your house was. They will remember the relationship they had with you, good or bad.
   
   Running is not a solo sport, it is one of the biggest team sports in the world. While there may be only one first place, we all end up being winners. We help and encourage one another. Life is all about relationships. Running has brought some of the most amazing and incredible people into my life. It has changed my life and has been and continues to be one of the biggest blessings in my life.

Go run

It is the journey, not the destination

I want to tell you a secret that I just learned about leadership. It is all about the journey and has nothing to do with the destination. In fact you will never reach your destination, if you think that you have you are incorrect. It is when people believe that they have reached their leadership destination when they fail. Great leaders go to their grave knowing that there was more they could learn and they are okay with it. They are okay with it because they constantly gave their best to the world and took every opportunity to learn.

The great news is that since it is about the journey, you can start anytime that you want, you do not have to wait for anything or anyone to tell you that you are a leader, you just have to take steps to be one. The first step you take is when you become a leader.

Leadership is not one giant step, it is a bunch of tiny steps. Steps that many times you may not even notice. Steps that a majority of the time 99% of the world will never know. However if you choose an action that impacts one persons life in a positive manner, you are a leader.

It is my belief that we have leadership all wrong.We make it about changing the world in one action. We compare ourselves to the ones that have gone out and changed the world and we idolize them for their greatest actions. What we forget far too often are the steps that led up to that moment. No one just happened to show up one day in August to hear a man named Martin Luther King give a speech. He dedicated his life to make that happen and it all started and was built upon tiny steps along the way. 

Take one step today to make the world a better place by having a positive impact on one person's life. This is what leadership is all about.

I cannot leave this post without telling you about an amazing organization that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. This organization is called RYLA. It is a leadership retreat that is led by youth. If you want to see leadership at its best you need to look no further than this group and the ones that came before them. They are driven to go out and change lives in everything they do. I would love for you to attend and have your life changed by their awesome presence. To find out more follow this link: http://greenbayrotary.com/ryla6220/

Here is my source of inspiration: http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

Forgiveness and Forward Progress

I listened to a podcast yesterday that I found to be very informative and had an impact on my life. It was about dealing with fear, guilt and achieving your dreams. One major point is, we have to deal with our fears and forgive ourselves to truly be the best version of ourselves. Here are a few tips that I gained from the podcast, if you want the full version visit here.

In order to move forward in life you must first identify the limiting beliefs that are holding you back. When you think of your dream life, what are the thoughts that stop you from pursuing it. How do they impact you and how do they make you feel? Why do you think that way? What triggers it and how can you stop it. There is a magic here that many of us forget, if it does not work the first time, we can always change it. Limits were made to be broken.

There are so many times I have set goals for myself and I have fallen short, sometimes I have not even started them at all. I used to beat myself up for not meeting them, get in a bad place and the thoughts would just pile on from there. Where did I get, nowhere, how did I feel, like crap. The result of my negative thinking created nothing positive in return, in fact it created everything negative, yet I thought I deserved to feel this way. I took the present over the future.

A majority of the podcast talked about forgiveness but one thing they did not hit on was appreciation. I think appreciation and forgiveness are very closely related. One of my drivers, that the wonderful folks at Pathmakers helped me discover is appreciation. In order to forgive yourself and to forgive others I believe you have to appreciate who you are. See yourself for the person you were born to be and how you can change lives just by being yourself. This does not mean you are settling in fact it is the exact opposite, you are setting yourself up for great success.

From the podcast, I learned how to handle a breakdown. The steps can be seen here

1. Handle a breakdown
1. Identify it
2. Take responsibility
1. Even if it is not your fault 
2. No ego
3. Acknowledge what happened in a positive light
4. See the opportunity it it
5. How are you acting that stops you from achieving your goals
1. What is missing
2. What do you need
3. What needs to be removed
6. Forgive yourself
2. How to spot a breakdown
1. Know the warning signs
2. Get feedback from your friends
3. Do not avoid what you are afraid of

Since this is a new activity for me, I wanted to share with you one of my breakdowns.

I had a goal to start my own business that would help people understand their gifts and lead their life from place of passion, freedom and joy. However I have not done that and I have failed in many steps in that direction.

1. Handle a breakdown
1. Identify it: I did not reach my goal of starting my own business.
2. Take responsibility for it:: I did not follow through on taking the necessary steps to make this happen. I let other things get in the way.
3. Acknowledge what happened in a positive light: While I should have been working on my business, I was able to meet people that changed my life forever. 
4. The opportunity I have is reminding myself of why I want to start my business. I want to help people live the life they have always imagined.
5. How are you acting that stops you from achieving your goals
1. What is missing: I do not think about the future as much as I should. I am missing the self assurance that what I believe and what I can do is enough.. I lack structure or a progress timeline. I do not have the carrot to get me going. The biggest one is the fact that I lack belief in myself to do what I love. I see so many great people out there and I wonder how can I measure up. 
2. What do I need: I need to support myself and restructure my belief system to see that I am enough and I can do what I love. I need structure to help me get to more progress. I need to keep the end in mind.
3. What needs to be removed: Negative and judgmental people, anger, fear, holding grudges, holding on to the past and forgetting my gifts.
6. Forgiveness: At the end of the day I need to forgive myself for what I did not do and where I fell short. If I do not, nothing good will come from it.

What you need to be a leader.tle

Do a quick Google search and find out just how many articles there are about leadership. In my search I found 458 million results. The messages, facts, figures and ideas out there can be pretty confusing, terrifying and down right discouraging. It left me to wonder if I could ever really get there and truly being a leader. Then it hit me.

There is one thing that you need to be a leader. It’s you, your personality, your dreams and your aspirations.

If you are looking for proof, consider what I said before, there are 458 million articles out there alone about leadership. Not to mention all the subsequent topics that goes along with it. Yet so few if any suggest an idea that could change everything, what you need to be a leader is you. How can all of them be right and how can we be everything they tell us to be? The one thing that we can be, yet we are so often discouraged to not be is our self. We are unique, we are special and we all matter.

Leadership needs a redefinition for most of society. It is not leading a group of people with power or by title; it is leading people by being yourself and your own personal journey. Need proof, let me tell you a story about Bo Johnson from Door County in Wisconsin.

Bo inspired people he never met to do more, be more and give more. It was because of his spirit and drive that over $75,000 was raised by a community. He helped lead people of all ages to see the positive in life, love and give back. Bo has touched people to truly look inside them selves and see how much they matter. How much more of a leader can you be? Bo never had a title, was never given the position of leadership but still managed to change the world. Bo never graduated high school; in fact he never lived to graduate high school. Bo had cancer and passed away after a long and courageous fight.

Bo followed his heart, decided to be himself and he was able to change the world. It does not matter what age you are, where you have been or what you have done. You can be a leader by being yourself because you are enough.

What’s wrong with the election? The People

What’s wrong with the election? The People

Forget who won, what legislation passed and which party has the power, there is a problem with the election process and it is not the Electoral College, Advertising or the Politicians themselves, It is the people. We are to blame because we let it happen and point the finger at what needs to be changed. The blame falls on us because of we focus on what divides us rather than what unites us. Blame belongs to us because we for the most part talk more than we listen.

In this country the people have the power, go ahead and say it is the Electoral College and you are right to a point, however we forget that we can change the election process. We the people can change the way that we elect officials. If this is done we allow for a more parties to be in the game and more change to take place. Point the finger at advertising is pointless because we fund these campaigns. We put our hard earned dollars into organizations that fund the mudslinging rhetoric. Lastly we blame the politicians, which is ironic considering we are the ones who put them there.

It is about time we put the United back in United States. In case we have all forgotten we are all in this together. Over this past election cycle I have been threatened to lose friendships over who I vote for, what I believe and where I stand. Families and friends break apart over one issue instead of focusing on what unites them. You can vote for whoever you like but lets get together and go change the world.

When was the last time you actually listened to another person across the aisle? How long ago was it that you did research to find out not what you believe but why you believe it?  We listen to the vile and hate filled rhetoric but do we listen to the people? Do we show the slightest bit of respect and prove that we are united? We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

In this past election I have been thinking a lot about the complaint that our youth is no longer interested in politics. Can you blame them? We fight and bicker over where our vote will go. Watch disgusting videos pointing out every mistake that the other person has made and all the time we sit back and point the finger at someone else. The fact that the youth is not interested in politics does not bother me but inspires me.

It is not too late, the people still have the power and there is no time to change like the present. While it is true that the people are to blame for this rhetoric we are the ones that can and will change it. We live in the greatest country in the world. If you need any proof take a look at the power of the people to help after Hurricane Sandy. This is the country that America needs to be every day. Go change the world.

Just one drop...

Even the greatest oceans started with just a drop of rain, which is made up of molecules, pretty simple science. The greatest movements have stated with one thought that led to a passion which led to an action, which led to a movement. Our life is made up of years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Every action that we take thought that we make and idea we have has the potential to change the world.

The greatest oceans started with just a drop of rain. The ocean is massive body of water going on for miles and reaching miles below the surface. Can one drop really matter? Can one decision we make in our life truly make a difference?

Every action you take may not seem like a lot but it is. The best part, its okay to screw up, its natural it teaches you a lot and it gives you an opportunity to improve. Every action can change the world. My friend Christian Jensen followed his dreams because of a video. The video lasted five minutes, changed his life, he found his passion, he took action and began changing the world. One drop matters. I have been lucky in life to have amazing opportunities, people and events change my life. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is one of them. One of the biggest gifts I have ever been given is a note, on sticky pad, letting me know the gifts I have given. It was a drop in time for my life but made an impact. One drop matters.

Your one drop creates a ripple; it carries the energy out to the world. Christian has made an amazing impact on me. His passion, dedication and love for what he does has changed my life. Imagine the ripple affect, imagine a child at the age of 13 having chancer, what is the impact he can make? The impact he made is great, his name is Bo Johnson and sadly he passed away on September 28^th 2012 and let me tell you about the impact he has made. He has inspired thousands to love one another, give the gift of themselves and change the world. I have witnessed it first hand. A complete stranger to the family and friend of my self, Brian Gruender dedicated to running 100 miles to honor Bo and the passion, love and lessons he gave to the world. A close friend of family and my good friend Heather Goodwin dedicated to following Brian for the first 50 miles. It started at 9:00 pm and ended at 6:30am the next day. Now how can a child of just 13 years old impact a man who lives over an hour away, who he never met, never knew and never would. He chose to add just a drop to the ocean and watch the ripples create magic.

One drop matters but think what ten drops can do, 100 drops and 1,000 the impact is inspiring, you actions matter. Brian’s journey to honor Bo, started with just one step, a step in the miles he would run to honor Bo and his legacy. Take the first step. The Grand Canyon, one of the greatest wonders of the world was formed by trillions of drops carving through stone. Keep giving you drops, its what will change the world.

Do not get lost in the ocean of life. It is an amazing and fascinating place and at the same time it is easy to feel alone and see you actions as nothing but splash in the pan, but it is so much more. Your actions, thoughts and ideas are what will change the world. The greatest movements, innovations and achievements started with one thought, that led to a passion, which led to action that led to a movement that changed the world. The greatest oceans in the world stated with just a drop of rain