Running with your Heart

Friday night I started a new book "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner" that my friend Jennifer gave to me. After a stressful week of work, grad school papers and projects and no "time" or "energy" for working out I picked it up and finished it within 72 hours.

Key nuggets:

1. Find something active that you are passionate about and love doing. Something that really speaks to you, something you are excited about. Get out there and do it three to four times a week.
I absolutely love yoga and beach volleyball. I want to overcome the mental barrier I have to running more than 3 miles. I'd like to spend my mornings biking to work on the lake instead of sitting on the bus envious of others out there enjoying the weather.

2. Run with your heart. _____ with your heart. Whatever your chosen activity is, get past the physical and mental effort and connect with your heart. In his book Dean talks about running the first 100 miles with his legs, the next 90 with his mind and the final 10 with his heart.
I'm going to push past the physical and mental exhaustion and connect deeply with what I am doing. I'm grateful for my health and the opportunity to be doing the things I love.

3. Regardless of where you are in your life most people can improve their life significantly by exercising a bit more, drinking more water and eating more vegetables, less sugar and less trans fats (processed foods).
I have 10 times the energy and feel so much better when I eat healthier. I never realized how vegetable deprived my diet was. Vegetables are delicous! I still crave sugar and love chocolate. I'm working on dark chocolate as a substitute. I also try to eats more fruit.

This book is inspirational and insane (in a good way). I have only begun to fathom the strength and determination it takes to run even 50 miles let alone 200 without stopping...or sleeping! Even though endurance running is not my passion this is a great read providing insight into the unlimited possibilities of the human mind, body and heart.

Love song

Every time I hear this song, it speaks to me. It is simply beautiful. When you've found the person who loves you regardless, love them for who they are and never let them go. I'll never let mine go.

Brad Paisley, "She's Everything"

She's a yellow pair of running shoes
A holey pair of jeans
She looks great in cheap sunglasses
She looks great in anything
She's I want a piece of chocolate
Take me to a movie
She's I can't find a thing to wear
Now and then she's moody

She's a Saturn with a sunroof
With her brown hair a-blowing
She's a soft place to land
And a good feeling knowing
She's a warm conversation
That I wouldn't miss for nothing
She's a fighter when she's mad
And she's a lover when she's loving

[Chorus]
And she's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
I talk about her, I go on and on and on
'Cause she's everything to me...

One more step...

Each January our firm has Vision Night -a time where we come together to celebrate our successes and get ready for the year ahead. This year's event was about taking risks and stepping outside our comfort zones.

2010 is about leadership, personal growth, communication, new adventures and celebration. I started out the year by conquering my fear of heights. I climbed a 25 foot pole and jumped out to a trapeze...and caught it!

Impossible without the support of my team cheering me on!

What do you think of my form?

Remember - when you think you can't go any further, take just one more step.

Eating Healthy

In the past year and a half I've become more aware of what I am eating - putting in my body. I've always been a somewhat healthy eater (been able to eat whatever I want). Omnivore's Dilemma peaked my interest into the food chain and learning more about what I was eating. Then when I started grad school this fall we started 9 month consulting project focused on increasing the amount of local unprocessed foods in IL schools. This project has connected me to an amazing group of people including Seven Generations Ahead and their Fresh from the Farm program.

This fall I took Tony Robbin's 30 Day challenge after Unleash the Power Within - did someone say no sugar, no alcohol, no carbs, no meat?!??!! A glass of water with lemon to start the day. Gargantuan amounts of water rich (usually green) veggies let me count the ways I love thee. It is amazing how much energy you have when you eliminate all processed foods and sugar from your diet!

And now to the inspiration for this post - an amazing public school teacher who is eating school lunches everyday for a year! Check out her blog, Fed Up: School Lunch Project

Hats off!
I'd give up sugar, carbs, etc. any day. Poor me - I get to eat amazing fruits and vegetables each day :)

Coincidence?

It has been almost three years since my last post, since I last thought of nomad.life – yet in the past two weeks the universe has conspired …and I’m grateful.

• As part of my MSLOC program at Northwestern we are studying social media as a tool for learning and organizational development. We post weekly on our class blog - love it.

• Jason joins a community of practice of entrepreneurs -- one guy is starting a ‘Bloggers Post.’ Jason asks me if I’ve ever blogged before...in a former life.

• This morning I get an e-mail subject:Changes to Blogger Support.

This is the last nudge I need…
I’m back. I’ve missed you.

You can hear me...but are you listening?

How often do you really listen to what someone else has to say? When you ask, "how are you?" Do you wait to hear the answer? When you are introduced to someone, do you listen to their name? Are you always multi-tasking and partially listening?
Lately I have been trying to really listen to people. And I've realized that it is difficult. It takes a lot of focus and energy. It started with an experience a few weeks back when I met someone new. We spent a long time not saying anything but just looking into each other's eyes. Then slowly we started talking more and more about anything - life, family, friends. The connection I feel when I am with him is incredible because when he speaks I am completely focused on him and lost in his eyes.
Coincidence or not a few days later the book I am reading, The Road Less Traveled, had an entire passage on true listening and setting aside your own stereotypes, desires and expectations so that you can truly understand what the other person is saying as if you were experiencing it.
Then I was at a conference this weekend and there was a session on active listening that had us pair up and star into our partners eyes for 3 minutes while remaining expressionless. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Just looking into the eyes of a stranger. I felt so vulnerable--without saying anything I felt like he learned so much about me. It was a powerful experience.
The experience of truly listening to someone else-- the connection that exists is incredible... Conversations are so powerful. If you see me starring deeply into your eyes sometime soon don't get alarmed... Truly listening to someone else just shows how deeply you care.

Simple yet Profound.

Over Christmas while browsing in a bookstore I ran across a copy of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and although I have read it twice before it seemed to be calling me...if a book has ever found you at the right time in your life you know what I mean.
Two words: Remarkable. Refreshing. While reading I found myself thinking about how I live my life. I started dog-earing pages of simple yet profound passages. I found over 40 in all that I went back and really thought about but I'll share just a few now...

Food for thought.

"'It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.'" A sunset, a sunrise, the sound of birds chirping, the smell of fresh cut grass, big snowflakes you can catch on your tongue (Jen), the sound of waves rolling against the shore, rain, the crackle of a fire or the rustle of leaves. Yesterday on my walk to the subway I saw these two grey squirrels chasing each other in a tree. They were so adorable. How often do we really enjoy the simple things?

"'What's the world's greatest lie?' the boy asked... 'It's this: that a certain point in our lives, we loose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.'" Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like if each individual around the world saw their potential and felt empowered to take control of their lives. The result could be amazing or it could be a disaster. One of the things I love to do most is to help others uncover the potential they can't see or are forgetting in themselves.

"'Never stop dreaming...When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it,' the old king had said.'" This is something I truly believe in. I don't believe in coincidences yet sometimes things just seem to fall in place. Recently I was asked what people or events played the greatest role in who I am today. I attribute what I have accomplished to a simple message my parents sent resonating within me. "You can do anything you set your mind to." Once a dreamer always a dreamer but dreaming is only part of it, when you want something just take the initiative to go out and make it happen. If I only accomplish one thing in life it will be to empower my children and children everywhere to go after their dreams.

Simple yet Profound.