How many doors have you knocked on?

I was sharing some of the plans for Connor's House with a friend today. As we were discussing the issue of procuring property he commented that we should be able to find someone (person, town, city, state, university, company, etc..) to donate the property but we will probably have to knock on at least 100 doors before someone says 'YES'. That means hearing 'NO' at least 99 times. If you have a vision you really believe in are you willing to hear 'NO' 99 times and still knock on the 100th door? Are you getting discouraged even thinking about the 99 no's or are you getting excited thinking about the 1 yes?

If you have 3-5 acres of property in the greater Philadelphia area (within 30 miles of center city) and want to say NO please let me know and I will ask you. Every one of you that says NO makes us one more NO closer to YES. And if you want to be our one YES, you can let me know that too...

The Week in Review

• I finished my first full week of training for the Ocean Drive 10 Miler and the Long Branch Half Marathon. It went really well. Still nursing a nagging hip injury but it seems to be holding up OK.
• Really good meeting with the planning team for Connor's House. Our founding board is taking shape and we are starting to make progress on the incorporation process.
• The second Connor's House blood drive is on January 18, 2009. We currently only have 16 of 40 slots filled which is a little discouraging.
• I'm constantly amazed by my wife. She is a great networker. That is not really new this week but I watched her do it again this morning and was once again impressed. That is only one of her amazing qualities. Everyone should be as lucky as I am.
• I'm tired of ice and snow.
• It was hard to blog this week. Work was extremely busy plus I was in a funk most of the week. When I am in a funk it is hard to find the mental energy to write.

Growth

"Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown." Author Unkown

One of those days

Today is one of those days. I have no motivation, don't feel like doing anything and just have an overall feeling of malaise. I have learned as you journey through the grief process that these days pop up. The aggravating thing is there is typically no rhyme or reason for when they do. I have also learned that the best way (for me at least) to combat it is not to give into the malaise but to keep putting one foot in front of the other and do whatever is supposed to come next. Pick up some little thing off the desk that needs to be done and do it. So that is what I will do today.

Focus

"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully." Steve Jobs

Choosing to appreciate the good in people

I recently had to spend time with someone who for years I have had a fairly negative view of. During our time together I noticed they had a tremendous dedication and focus on the task at hand, despite a number of distractions around them. As I watched, I found myself appreciating this persons dedication and focus (which I had never previously noticed) and it reminded me that all people are a combination of good and bad characteristics. Certainly, from our own perspective some people seem to be more bad than good but everyone has some good. Our choice is which we choose to focus on, the good or the bad. When we focus on the bad, it blinds us from seeing the good. But, if we choose to find, and then focus on, the good it will change our entire view of the person and perhaps the bad will not seem so bad anymore.

The worst month of the year at the gym

Beginning tomorrow morning gyms around the country will be flooded with people who have made a New Years Resolution related to their health. Unfortunately, New Years Resolutions related to health are almost always doomed for failure from day 1 (so are most resolutions for similar reasons):

1. The goals are typically too vague (I'm going to start working out, I want to loose weight, etc...)
2. People have unrealistic expectations about how quickly they will see results.
3. Enough thought is not given to creating a plan that will create the desired results.
4. Most people have an aversion to hard work and an unwillingness to make the necessary long term lifestyle changes.

If you have not seriously considered the above four things please don't come to my gym.