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There’s Something About…

Ever have one of those spontaneous moments where something ordinary, turns into something extraordinary?

I just did, literally 20 minutes ago. I’m now in my hotel room, Macbook fired up, clothes put away. I gotta write this now, before I get too busy.

Amara, my taxi driver, moved from Ethiopia to St Louis ten years ago, looking for the promise and hope that America gives to people. I’m not sure how to spell Amara’s name, but if he reads this, maybe he’ll leave a comment so I can spell it correctly.

I was filled with joy at the way our conversation went in the 20 minutes or so we were together. He’s an excellent listener – professional speakers love that.

He was also a great contributor to stimulating my thinking. Thank you, Amara, for that.

He said he liked my vision for the future, which is a tale for another time. But for now, I just want to remind myself, and anyone else who cares, that ordinary experiences can become extraordinary very quickly.

The challenge is, we must be ready, at any moment. I’m so glad he and I were.

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

11 Tips for a Great Workout

11 Tips for a Great Workout:

  1. Establish a long-term goal before you start
  2. Preview your workout – visualize it
  3. Warmup
  4. Keep it intense, and, fun
  5. Stay focused
  6. Sweat when you need to – cardio, strength & core
  7. Write/log your workouts
  8. Vary your workouts – hard, medium, easy
  9. Cool down
  10. Stretch
  11. Partners are ok, if they show up

Hey, I’m not an Olympian, but I am in great shape for a 50 year old.

Bottom line, we all have to find what works for us.

If you’re just getting started, GO SLOW.  Nothing is worse than trying to do too much too soon.  Seriously.

If you don’t have patience, you’ll probably fail.  There is no short cut, despite what the media tells you.

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Lane 8 or Lane Eight?

Lane 8 or Lane Eight?

It doesn’t matter.

I discovered, as I was handing out my virtual business card (domain name) this past week, that many people don’t grasp Lane 8 as readily as I had hoped.

“Eight the number, or do you spell it”, they would ask.

So a went to GoDaddy again and added several other domain names so it doesn’t matter what domain name they use, they’ll find it.

Go ahead and click here to test it if you want:

The road to excellence has no finish line.  Everyday is an opportunity to learn and improve.  But only if you are focused and disciplined.

Carpe diem, my focused and disciplined Internet Explorers.  jeff noel  🙂

When I Run, I Feel God’s Pleasure

“When I run, I feel God’s pleasure”. — Eric Liddell

That’s It!   Perfect!  Thank you, Craig Nickoloff, for sending me your critical email message yesterday.

The week-long Writer’s Retreat I’ve been attending on Sanibel Island concluded yesterday.   I have been working very, very hard.  Committed.  Intense.  Focused.

I took a well-earned nap, woke up, checked my blackberry, and here’s the message I read.  It was almost like a dream – a real, heaven sent type of dream.

With permission, here it is in it’s entirety:

“I’m still trying to figure out a way to not be so nervous that I make myself sick before the first race.”
Yeah, Buddy, you can do it!
If you’re visualizing yourself running & doing well, your body won’t have time to realize why it should be nervous.
Concentrate.
What’s your drive to run this race?  Run the race for him.
Forget Lane 8.  Run it. You’re running in your lane, to advance.  You’re winning this heat. The other runners are pushing you. You no longer care about time. Qualify with this heat.
As Eric Little said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.”
You feel God’s pleasure.
You feel your son’s admiration & love.  Cheryl’s proud of you, to no end.
You don’t have time to think about nerves.
That’s what will drive you.
You’re already an inspiration. That’s not on your shoulders anymore.
You’re here.
This race.
This race for the next one.
You’re running it.
And you feel that pleasure…
GO.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Gonna read this again and again.

You know, it’s really weird, but I too can say, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure”.  Seriously.

Way seriously.  Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Life Isn’t Fair In Lane 8

Life isn’t fair in Lane 8.

During a break from writing yesterday, I Googled the last (2007) Master’s Track & Field World Championships results.

In the 400, there were nine qualifying heats in the 50-54 age group.  The top two finishers automatically qualified for the semi-finals.  The next six fastest finishers, regardless of their finishing place, also qualified.

This means a third, or even fourth place finisher, in the fast heats, were faster than the top two automatic qualifiers in slower heats.  It’s the luck of the draw, as they say.

What this means is that some of the top two in one heat would not have qualified in a faster heat.

It’s all part of the competition.  All part of life, as the saying goes.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to not be so nervous that I make myself sick before the first race.

Wish me luck.

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂