2012 has brought some great lessons my way. Whether it was professional or personal I really took a lot home with me on winter break. I wanted to throw something out there that I have been thinking about while on break. Something I really learned about myself this past year, and that is how much ability we have to accomplish things we set our mind too. I set a goal last August. That goal was to run 100miles before Jan 1, 2013, which was a pretty advantageous goal for someone that hasn’t ran since, oh…1999. However, December 28 I ran the longest and farthest run of the year to reach my goal ahead of schedule. Thanks to that 4.09 miles I flew through winter break with a bit more confidence and a spring in my step. How cool is that? A mere 6 months prior I had not even put running shoes on, but with some supportive friends and more will power than I ever remember I was able to do this “thing” I had never done before.

With a new year upon us, I found myself driving into work thinking of this execution and how I could apply that to other things in my life. The interesting thing is I feel like I’m learning “how things work” for me and what this world’s expectation is in so many different ways. That is a really hard sentence to put on display since I normally am 90% unsure of myself and my abilities. But in the end I feel like the scale is tipping. With taking in how my creative process works and being able to filter through my skill set I’m learning that any goal is reachable. Things are working. Momentum is building. People say “take the bull by the horns” but they never tell you what to do next. I think I know, now. Keep going. Keep pushing. Keep doing the things you have done to gain that momentum and gain that “stride.” That is a revelation I’m really excited to think about.

I read and watched a lot of inspirational things throughout the days of 2012 and this is a small story for me to expose. So what’s next? Don’t stop. If you can set goals for yourself, whatever they may be, and keep them in your sights, you can do some big things for yourself and others. So keep doing!

Happy New Year to anyone reading.

SDG

So a few months ago I really decided that I was going to change something about myself. It’s funny when we’re young, say in high school, and I thought I was out of shape. I look back and would love to be that 165lb male in his senior year again. Not that things are bad, it’s just time to take health more seriously. After witnessing my father go through a bout of health issues recently, something has clicked for me. It’s easier to put on those shoes and go run and in all honesty I’ve really enjoyed it. The hardest part is getting out the door, right?

I’ve had some great convo’s with some friends and those conversations seem to continue. Most of them are in the vein of “you can do this” or “good for you man, keep going.” However, for me it’s just the beginning. I want to look at what life will be like when I’m 40. I don’t want to be huffing and puffing just getting mulch at Lowe’s. Through all this I’ve really enjoyed using the Nike+ app. I’m sure to some point it’s annoying to see my social news feed post every time I go out for a few miles, but for me it means a lot. It’s a daily reminder to keep going.

I’ve had a few things shared with me and I wanted to turn them around today. One was a Nike spot that I really love. You can watch it here. I’m a huge fan of Nike advertising and it seems that every ad reaches to the core of what I enjoy about sports. What I love about about this “Find Your Greatness – Jogger” ad is that we all have our own greatness. Now some goals may be reaching the olymipics, others may not be so grand, but I’ve realized that amidst all the things that are happening in life there’s still that inner thing that drives us to be who we are without consequence. I think in the creative field it’s easy to compare yourself to others, and be a tiny bit insecure. I know I can certainly be that way. However, as I grow older I’m beginning to see that I need to focus on me internally. My mind, my body, what I want, what I want to do, and just work towards it.

So for me running isn’t about flexing my abs in Vegas next month it’s about what life could be if I work hard enough 5 years from now. I doubt I’m alone. I know we all have our own things we’d like to conquer and I think we can all conquer them. Surrounding yourself with the right people and the right attitude can change everything.

There’s also this article that I read today that explains how running literally saved this mans life. Pretty awesome stuff. You can read that article here.

Cheers,

SDG

I’ve mentioned this prior, I love finding articles online that just spin my head around for days (in a good way). I mean we all find internet goods and share them, right? We find something cool, share it, or post it to our network and then scoff at those who share it a week later…because we got there first. It’s not a competition people. You’re not better at the internet than your sister. Okay, maybe you’re a better human. We understand.

I found this great article and wanted to share as it has hit a few points that were in my mind. Mainly, how you spend your time. I’ve gotten some advice from trusted friends and they have made me aware that I need to say “no” a bit more often to the small things that orbit my life. That way, I can fully embrace and work on the things that make me feel good. I’m not sure if I 100% agree with this, but I do think there’s something there to pay attention to. Am I putting too much effort into sowing projects that will have zero return on my life or my time? I have no idea. I really just try to work and be around people that are smarter than me and know more than me. Hoping to learn more in return of course. Frienships are cool too, and you never know when you can make a new friend (even at the young age of 32.) Long story short, here’s a snippet from the share article below…”The point is – if your trajectory isn’t perfectly aligned towards your target, you’ll find it harder to reach that target than if you spent just a bit of time once in a while adjusting your trajectory and reviewing how you’re doing things.”

I hope the link makes you think a bit. Please share it, and I promise I won’t scoff.

Music Think Tank – Are You Reflecting On Your Goals?

I’ve been reading and watching more and more about our space program lately. I have to say it’s an amazing topic that keeps me engaged and wanting to learn more. I’ve been astonished to see that our space program budget has dwindled so much since 1966. I understand all that we are going through (ok, maybe not all) as a nation, but the link to the video below is wonderful. I love the line “We went to the moon and discovered earth.” Do yourself a favor, think about this, watch it, and share it. If you have the means please donate.

We Stopped Dreaming – Pt 2
http://www.penny4nasa.org/

With a growing career I’ve found that a few things truly ring and help make my year more tolerable. Not that I’m a grouchy person or anything, but let’s face it the world is rapidly becoming faster and information is abundant which can leave us all tired and sometimes over worked. I have found out I really do it to myself. I volunteer for extra projects, and take on a lot in my free time but I would rather do that and learn to push myself. I hope to look back, when I’m older, and see that I’ve maximized my time with my friends and family. Where were we? Oh yeah, the point. My first vacation of the year is upon me and I’m really looking forward to unplugging from my Apple products and unwinding with one of my best friends. No Photoshop, no Illustrator, no iChat, and I will not miss tuning a guitar a billion times for one riff.

As Spring approaches I can’t help but think about how the weather plays a huge role in our days on this earth. Sure this topic is usually reserved for “I don’t have anything else to talk about moments while at dinner” but I’m trying to connect to something that is a bit deeper here. In my mind contrast makes me love things so much at the age of 32. When winter sucks the life out of me I really appreciate the day that I replace the glass door on the front of the house with the screen door that’s been in hibernation in the basement. Yesterday was that day.

After having my fair share of challenging moments to work through, I really related and enjoyed this article, especially this quote “What we believe about ourselves affects how we react to people who show us that we are wrong about something.” I think it is very challenging to look someone in the eye and take what they see as your weakness and move forward.