Category: Uncategorized

If Today Doesn’t Count

Not counting today, there are 18 days until I leave for Helsinki, Finland.

Representing the United States at the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships is beyond anything I could have dreamed of.

Why?

Because, in the simplest explanation I can offer, it’s like the Biblical story of David and Goliath.

By the way, I’m in the role of David.  The total underdog.  That’s why this feels like a dream.

What makes this dream real is that the goal is impossible.  And I have never given up.

Make it a GREAT day, because if you don’t, who will?  If not today, when?  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

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  🙂