Tunnel Vision

Felt inspired to write what's on my mind, so I hope you guys find some inspiration.....

Every successful person (or anyone who accomplished anything lol) will tell you that when reaching their goal, there was a period of time when they turned off all distractions. S/he focused on the task at hand and eliminated all outside distractions until their goal was reached....sort of like tunnel vision....

This is such an easy concept to follow, but why do so many people fall short and become "unsuccessful"? Even myself, knowing how important and effective this is, am at times victim to losing track of my goals , letting frivolous things become larger than what they really are. Before you know it, you miss the mark.

Here I'll use my morning run as testimony to the power of tunnel vision...enjoy!!

Mile 1-2 - The Decision

No not Lebron James, but the beginning of your journey. "The Decision" is infamous around New Years. This is usually the easiest part of the process. You are generally motivated, full of energy and have a feeling of invincibility. Your goal is clearly stated and there is no doubt that you can get there. While running I say my "good mornings" to familiar faces and was my usual jovial self when I run. Breathing and pace was in sync and I thought this run would be a breeze. Looking around and talking to others isn't a distraction to you because you are running purely on energy and adrenaline.

Same as in life, this part is the easiest. You jump out the blocks with the task clearly defined. You and your mentor (as you should have one) are on the same page and you hit your marks without a problem. Optimism that you will have a 4.0 this semester, make X amount of money this year, or finish that project seems like a cinch.

Mile 3- Staying consistent/enduring

At this point in my run, I still felt good but had to start changing gears in order to stay at a consistent pace. Humidity started play a factor, as I had to take a couple of deep breaths to bring my rhythm back in sync. Still very optimistic, but that voice in my head started to say "maybe just get to the hill, you don't have to run to the top of it." This is a point in which a decision has to be made. Do you listen to your conscious, or do you turn it off and endure?? Growth is obtained at this point.

Again, in life this is a defining point. "Obstacles" start to present themselves more prominently and you have a decision to make. (I put obstacles in quotes because YOU decide if they are obstacles or not) Do I submit or do I endure? A lot of times you have to move out of your own way in order to get where you want to be. We start to listen to your conscious and find excuses to stop, slow down or do something else. Same with exercising, this is a point in growth, where you have to move out of your comfort zone and endure.

At this point some results are seen, but the goal isn't quite reached. For a lot of successful people, this is the point where they went "ghost" and you rarely saw them. Objectives become more routine and fluid, almost like you are on auto-pilot. I've heard that to make something a habit you have to do it consistently for 30 days straight.

Even friends and family can be obstacles if you let them. Intentions may be sincere, but it's on you to say no, not now, maybe later.

If your goal is to have a 4.0, do you miss a couple of parties, or do you study instead? If your goal is for your business to be at a certain point, do you stop when a few proposals are rejected, or do you make adjustments and endure??

Mile 4-5 - Tunnel Vision

Here I continued to remind myself of the end goal (Half marathon in September), and knew that I would have to focus and relax to get to the end. One of my mentors calls this period where you "slow down to speed up." Marathons aren't won by running full speed in the beginning. They are won by keeping a consistent pace. Gathering my wits, I had to take more deep breaths and relax myself, developing a rhythm that essentially made finishing the run a lot easier.

My eyes were looking at the road in front of me. I wasn't as eager to say hi to everyone I passed or look at the trees around me. Although I enjoy being social with other people who exercise (seeing grandpa running with his two wristbands and headband is really inspiring), I had to remain focused with my target. I knew if I looked up and around at people who were running faster than me (distractions), I would likely become discouraged and possibly stop. It's happened before! Why do you think racehorses have those blinders? Eliminate all distractions and see only the goal. Michael Jordan going off in the 4th, Derek Jeter game 7 in the World Series ,or Tiger Woods in the Masters will describe it as an out-of-body experience, where it's only them and the goal.

Final Stretch & Reflection

As I went around the last corners and prepared myself for the hill, my goal started to become more clear and attainable. I found energy from somewhere and found a bounce in my stride. When I got to the top of the hill and caught my breath, I realized how easy the run was when I eliminated myself as a distraction.

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I love to set goals. I don't reach them all the time, but regardless it's important to have something tangible to strive towards. I am far from perfect and wish I could say I've succeeded in everything I've set out to do, but that's far from true. But the more mature (hate to use old lol) I am becoming, I realize that having "tunnel vision" is the only way you are going to see significant results in whatever you want to accomplish.

As I embark on plenty more goals throughout my life, whether I hit or miss, I will always keep the concept of tunnel vision in mind.

Saying good morning goes a long way

So it's been a few weeks since I've been my training for my September half marathon. I'm still a work in progress, but definitely on track. Right now I'm consistently running about 4.5 miles, every other day, with some cross training in between.

I love running in the morning because it motivates me to be more productive throughout the day. As I get into my run, one thing I make sure I try to do as much as possible, is to say good morning to as many people as possible. Sure it may seem awkward, but there's a method to my madness. For that brief moment it takes my mind off my fatigue, but it also lifts others up as they are being acknowledged during their exercise, when they might be doing something that may be challenging or out of their own comfort zone.

Sure I get people who simply pass by me without saying anything back, and people who look at me like they're surprised someone is saying good morning to them. But the ones who light up and say good morning back makes my run that much more enjoyable. Hopefully as they are exercising towards their goals, me saying something that simple to them motivates them to push a little further.

Today, I was a perfect example of that. I was at about mile 3.5 and feeling the fatigue set in as I was trying to control my breathing. I started to catch up to a guy who was running particularly slow, and simply said "good morning".

At first he was taken back, but quickly reciprocated back to me. As we started chatting a bit and making jokes, I noticed that I wasn't even thinking about my fatigue. He shared his half marathon experience in Antigua and I my goal to complete my first in September. I finished my last mile and that deathly hill at Prospect Park, and thanked him for running with me.

Honestly if he didn't openly say hi back to me, I would have stopped short of the hill and given up for the rest of my workout. My mind was begging me to stop and clearly I had a lot more left in me.

Sooooooo, what have we learned here today????? Saying good morning is a lot more powerful than people realize and can make a person feel a lot better about themselves. You have no idea what a person is going through, and for you to acknowledge them with a smile, may lift them up in a way that no physical object or possession can.

Till next time....

Gettings started...again

Been a (long) while since I've posted. Haven't stopped working out or anything, but staying consistent with my updates I got lazy with.

My biggest motivator right now to share my new journey is a half marathon I just registered for (Probably about 5 mins ago). A mixture of feelings ran through my body as I actually committed myself to this. Anxiety, excitement, a bit of me questioning myself on whether or not I will actually commit myself for the next few months in preparing.

Now as I look forward to vent, share my highs and lows, and read everyone else's stories, I'll cut this off and leave the link to my next race!

New Year....let's get going!!

So this is my first post of the new year and 2010 is already looking promising. I can see things coming together but at the same time things won't happen soon enough.

Winter season seems to separate the athletes from the wannabees. And I slowly started to see myself fall into the wannabe category. The holiday season and new year partying can definitely knock you off track from those long term goals if you let it. Not to mention the frigid cold that seems to smack so many New Yorkers like a ton of bricks. I know I'm not the only one who wanted to sleep in that warm spot in their bed for an extra 15 minutes instead of getting up to work out. I noticed this trend for what seemed to be only a few days. But those days ended up turning into weeks. Then as the new year hit, I started looking at the events that I committed myself to doing and knew that my laziness would have to stop. I knew I'd have to turn it up big time if I were to get ready for spring, which we've sorta seen glimpses of. (Although spikes 45 degree weather isn't all that warm either)

I don't know what made me think of this but I figured in addition to my cardio workouts, I'd include that workout many of you have probably seen before. P90X!! I must admit I downloaded the videos, you know, just to get a glimpse of what these exercises were about. I find myself watching infomercials sometimes and in watching P90X, their results really seem unreal. So after downloading all of the videos I decided to make the commitment to go the whole 90 days and see if it's really what it claims.

January 14, 2010 about 10:30am marks the first day.......and let's just say at about 10:50, about a third into the workout I knew I was on to something!! I swear the next day muscles that used to ache from my athletic days were painfully throbbing all over again. I was so gassed and muscles burning so bad, I wanted to do what was easy....QUIT. But I shut that 500lb man on my shoulder (my conscious) up and gutted my way through the workout. DAY 1 FINISHED.....89 LEFT. Clearly I'm going to have to reconsider how much I want to do P90X as a supplement with my other workouts.

Today obviously makes day 3 of my workout and I'm just recovering from the soreness from day 1. As scheduled on the sheet today is yoga. I figured I'd do a lot of breathing and humming. A couple of mantis positions and such. A day off in my head to recover from the first two days of brutal punishment. And as you would have guessed it, it was just as hard if not harder than the first two!! I thought I had decent balance but clearly I was tumbling from doing even some of the basic positions.

I WISH!!!


One thing I'd like to stress and suggest if you are looking to start a workout regime that is going to require some
gritty work is to invest in the proper nutrition!!  SO IMPORTANT!! I would suggest some sort of recovery drink
or supplement that increases your endurance and decreases the amount of lactic acid that builds up in your
muscles. Natural ingredients of course!! I use a supplement called Rhodiola. It has various herbs and plant
derivatives that really give you that necessary push to get through such an intense workout. Go to Nutrilite's
to read more information about it and their other products.

So as I close (The Jets game is on), one thing I wish to implore of you is to not beat yourself up if you notice
yourself swaying off track from where you want to be. Instead, recognize it and make the necessary steps to
correct it. The longer you take to correct it, the more complacent you will be. Years will pass by and in time will
turn into regrets into what could have been. PLEASE....PLEASE.....smack that 500lb man/woman off your
shoulder and do the things you want to do instead of leading yourself into regret.

A defining 2010

Towards the end of the new year it always seems to bring about new goals and aspirations for what you are going to do differently this time around. Many of those goals for various reasons seem to get swept under the rug when you realize the actual work that is involved in getting to the end point. I myself am slightly guilty of that.

Here is a short list of events I plan on participating in. I will also be hosting booths at some of these events as well so be on the look out!

- Prospect Park Spring Biathlon on March 20, 2010

- March Madness Biathlon (Central Park) on March 28, 2010

- IronClad Triathlon on May 23, 2010

- DOW live earth run for water NYC on April 18, 2010

- Cupid's Chase 5k run on February 13, 2010...With my babe!!

- Nautica New York City Triathlon on July 18, 2010
Recently registered to volunteer. Definitely not ready to do one yet!!

Next step...The Bike

Good morning all. Before I start my workout I wanted to look up some bikes I can use as a step-up from the one I already have. The price I had set in my head for the avg price was TOTALLY different from what I saw on the site. A lot different from the Mongoose I used to ride when I was younger!

Now I do know that there are a lot of things that are factored in to the price and quality of the bike. (Size,type of frame, etc) I'm looking to spend at most $1000 on a bike and here's what I found.






If anyone has any suggestions on inexpensive yet quality bikes I'd greatly appreciate it.

That's all for now!!

~I don't game plan much, I play the game much~

Been gone for a min...But I'm back!!!!!

Life almost never goes as expected but I can definitely say I'm appreciating the journey thus far. Most people laughed at the thought of me training to complete an Iron man. If someone told me the same I might have as well. It's an extremely ambitious goal and anyone who knows me knows that I love to dream big. I mean why not? What are you really holding back for? Lol anywayz...I digress...

As I began to train certain things obviously became clear to me. In order to fully train and develop into the type of shape needed to complete an Iron Man, you need to be ready to be both mentally and financially prepared. I was definitely mentally ready, but the finances......they were not quite up to par. To properly train for all three aspects of the event requires not only the time (which is money) but also the proper nutrition (which requires a lot more money!!) I fell back for a minute and thus us the reason for my short absence in blogging. Don't get me wrong I still work out and am still great shape. Can run about 5 miles no problem at this point. Bike about 15 and swim...uhhhh still working on that part!!!

So from here on out as I grow my business www.tier1global.com, make my mark on the Real Estate world and just enjoy life and those around me, I will definitely incorporate consistently working out in my routine. Look forward to everyone I meet here as I embark on this journey.

Here's an amazing quote I hear at a business conference I attended about a month ago.

**I don't game plan much...I play the game much**

~STAY HUNGRY~