A week's results

A quick rundown of last week's results....

I ran 31 miles total last week in total. Great week...the highest in the past six years, I'd say. I capped it off with an absolute sufferfest this weekend with my wife. She and I have never really been able to run together much...we have always ran at much different paces. But, she's worked hard at building her mileage and her pace, and has gotten into badass shape, so we're good to go. What a cool thing -- to go out and run until everything in you is screaming to stop, with your mate right by your side, suffering through it with you. Sounds weird to say it but I think it was a phenomenal experience we shared. I can't put my finger on what specifically it was that made it such an impact, but there was something to it. We had been out there before together, but she always had to ride her bike along side me on my long runs. This was different. She was in it with me, and she took great pride in doing so.

On the strength front, I did 900 pushups, 1100 crunches, and 310 pullups. Pretty good start. The one thing that concerns me is that I've not been able to get to that level where I'm sore the next day...from the strength training side of this deal. I'm concerned. My past experience and conditioning tell me I have to be sore as hell to know I hit it hard the day before. Not sure that's even accurate. Who knows?...there's so much information and misinformation out there. Hell, read Mens Health or any other fitness mag and you'll find four articles in there, all taking contradictory positions, with research backing all of them. Paralysis by analysis. Who cares. Do this, don't do that. Do that, don't do this. It's confusing as hell. Just move your fat ass, I say.

All in all, I'm stoked about the progress I'm making in my life right now. The consistent running at high miles always seems to strip away the noise in my head and allows me to enjoy myself, instead of obsessing about every little detail. Details in my business, details in my other business, details in my investments, details in my relationships, details in my cash flow. This stuff adds up. If I'm not able to stow it away and deal with it in chunks, I hear the noise and it hurts the quality of my life. Ultimately, it effects the quality of my family's lives, and I don't want to ever be the guy who drains the room of energy and life. Hell, my family looks to me to "bring it" every time I walk through the door. If I'm distracted, I let them down.

Both businesses are cranking right now. My contracting biz is starting to explode. My activity level has been tremendous...canvassing personally, building the marketing systems, and closing deals. We are 25% ahead in sales of YTD in 2009...off to a great start. My other biz endeavor is rocking as well. We are 42% ahead of last year's numbers. Amazing! No question in my mind that it's about what's going on inside of me that's giving me the results. It's 90 Days to Discipline that's driving this train. The discipline and perserverence it takes/builds is all we need to build the life we want for us and our families. I, personally, will never look back. I will never accept mediocrity for us again. This is who I've become. Have I made all the changes I want to make? No...absolutely not. But, am I rockin and rollin? Hell yeah.

So, here we are...a month or so later and we're still doing our deal. We're visualizing first thing in the morning. We are locking in for our hour of power, during which we go through gratitude, visualize as if, and then bust our butts in the gym. We lock into our plans to achieve and make sure our day is focused 100% on executing our Simple Disciplines -- those highest-value tasks that drive 95% of our positive results for our fitness, businesses, relationships, bank accounts, spirituality. Then we do the deal at work...selling, building marketing systems, doing the things that allow us to experience massive growth through personal relationships and closing deals with confidence yet a sense of urgency. We work hard, we work smart, and we serve(at the highest levels), those who can help us.

Then we come home and be the best men we can be...for our wives and our children. We lead, by example, lives of virtue, of discipline, of compassion and of hard work. Our kids will never want for anything because they've learned, by example, what a life of true service is about.

Then we wrap it all up with some blogging, writing, studying, so we can separate ourselves from the rest of the pack. Because, in the end, everybody is out selling, calling on customers and prospects, adding value. The difference is that we study and pour ourselves into mastering our craft, so that we are able to serve at the highest level, not at a mid to low level. Commitment fellas. It's what will determine whether our families get to experience all of what life has to offer or they get rationalizations about why they can not. That will be determined at certain moments of decision...early in the morning, when you're all tucked in bed still and you're deciding whether or not to get up before dawn and get your butt moving for the day, and when your evening is winding down...the kids are in bed and you must choose between blogging, writing, studying or watching the ballgame or Criminal Minds. It's these moments of decision our destinies are shaped.

Life, Success are a marathon, not a sprint. This I know for sure. But, we have to get on board right now, because our future is determined by what we do every day, not what we do every once in a while. Get your Simple Disciplines down on paper. Commit to doing them. Commit to doing the things that will set you free. You may not become rich, in financial terms...but you'll absolutely become rich in knowing you have the courage and discipline to follow through on whatever you set out to achieve. That's freedom.

Flip the Switch