A few summers ago I did some running in my neighborhood. I’d start at my house, run until I hit what I felt was a good halfway point, then turn around and run home. I’d always like to push myself, especially with this big hill I’d run partially up so as I’d start to get to tired, I’d tell myself “just one more mailbox.”

Sometimes that next mailbox was twenty feet away, other times it was fifty. While running an extra mile or two seemed like something out of my reach, certainly I could go another twenty feet. And then when I hit that next mailbox, the next one was only a little farther away so I could repeat that process until my legs started to wobble.

Sometimes in life we’re faced with daunting tasks. It could be something small like cleaning up our houses or doing our taxes or it could be a larger goal like starting a business. You might see it as this big task that seems impossible or undoable. But it’s similar to running a mile (or a marathon if you’re in really good shape). It seems tough but if you break it down into smaller, doable pieces, it’s not so bad. Often, just getting started is the toughest part. With running, all you need to do is walk out your front door and start. With other big tasks, the starting point isn’t so obvious but you can usually figure it out by asking yourself what the logical first step is. And sometimes, that first step is to seek advice.

But once you take that first step, you create momentum. Once you get started running down a street, you start passing mailboxes with ease at first. The same holds true with starting a project. Eventually, you start getting tired and it’s time to stop running. The same thing happens with projects; eventually you get tired or frustrated and need to stop. But just like with running, you have that option to push yourself just a little bit harder and complete one more task or one more step.

Big projects and tasks are easier to accomplish when you break them into smaller steps. The smaller the steps, the easier it is to not put them off. If you find yourself constantly struggling with big projects, then keep breaking the steps and tasks down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Then all you need to do is push yourself to get to that next mailbox.

Related posts:

1. Success is Simple – Just Follow the Instructions
2. The Power of Systems
3. Mental Toughness
4. The Trouble With Thinking Big

Okay, you might have noticed that I haven’t blogged in a while – a long while. Was I too busy? Something bad happened? No ideas for writing? Well, fortunately nothing bad (at least nothing too bad) has happened and I have a lot of ideas for writing. But truthfully, I’ve been really busy with a lot of other things going on my life and I’ve been rethinking a lot of things. I know, sounds heavy but don’t worry – it’s nothing too crazy.

The big change in my life is that I started seriously working out. You may wonder what that means as it can mean practically anything. To me, it means a structured weekly workout programs created with targeted goals in mind. In my case, I have some pretty particular goals for how I want to look and feel so I train seven days a week with a mix of cardio and weights. Today, I just completed day 52 and it feels great.

So what does health and exercise have to do with communication and personal development? Well, a few things. First of all, without your health you have nothing. While there are people that have become successes in business and politics with poor health, it’s the exception not the rule. You can’t motivate and inspire people when just walking to the stage makes you out of breath. You can’t be successful with your job or business if you lack the energy to put forth the effort needed to succeed. Yes you can get by with some extra cups of coffee and a sugar rush here and there, but it won’t sustain you for long. Eventually, it affects both your physical and mental health and it sets you up for failure. I’ll get more into detail on this in another post. Plus, there are a lot of correlations between exercise and personal development – I’ve been using analogies with exercise in my classes for years. Again, more to come.

As for the rethinking, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about a lot of different things since last summer. I’ve asked myself some tough questions, contemplated some radical changes and just spent some time brainstorming, reading and daydreaming. I have to say it’s been a fun process and I feel like I’ve grown from it. And no, I haven’t succumbed to any new age crazy thinking, I’ve just learned a few things and I’m excited to share them.

So from all of this, expect a few new things on this blog. First, I’ve added a category for health which will include all health-related posts. No, this blog isn’t going to get swamped about posts on how I eat or my workout routine, but I will be tagging posts that include information on health in the health category. If this turns you off because all you care about is public speaking or Toastmasters, you might to open your mind a bit here. You might not only learn some tips on how to be a better presenter or some stories to include in your talks, but you might just learn how to extend and enjoy your life.

The next thing is that you may notice a difference in the way I do posts. Historically my posts have been written like articles that you’d read in a newspaper or magazine (in terms of length and format). I’ll keep producing those types of posts but don’t be too surprised if you see some occasional personal posts from me as well as commentary. There’s so much out there to write about and sometimes, I feel it’s more beneficial to you the reader if I crank out a couple paragraphs on a focused topic rather than trying to find something else to add to it to make it a full length article. So keep a lookout, hook up to the RSS feed and as always, become a part of the Overnight Sensation community.

Related posts:

1. Why We Feel Inadequate
2. The Trouble With Thinking Big
3. Sharpening the Axe
4. Making 2010 a Fantastic Year

I’m not really into resolutions – I’m into goals. Resolutions are typically made around this time of year and are often long forgotten by Valentine’s Day. Goals (when set correctly) are measurable, require particular actions and have milestones for checking your progress. So that’s why I’ve set a big goal for this coming year to improve something that will positively affect the other areas in my life: my health.

Over the last five years, I’ve developed some very bad eating habits and stopped exercising regularly. Clothing does a wonderful job hiding our flaws (especially in men), so most people had no idea how badly out of shape I was. I didn’t realize it myself until I noticed how sluggish I was – I lacked the energy and enthusiasm I normally had. Then people started commenting. First, my family and close friends started dropping subtle hints that I could benefit from a little exercise. Then as I started looking through my more recent photos, I started realizing that it wasn’t just the camera that put ten pounds on me. When I looked at the belt I wore most of the time, I noticed that it was size 38 (for a 38 inch waist) and that I was closing in on the last hole – not a good sign. The last straw was when I ran into three people I hadn’t seen in a while. Each of them blurted out something like “wow, looks like you’ve gained some weight.”

So when the New Year (2009) rolled around, I decided it was time for a change. I looked at some of my bad health-related habits and began making changes. The first thing I tackled was soda – which was by far the worst of my habits. I don’t drink coffee or anything alcoholic, so soda was where I got my kicks – I would joke that I loved Dr. Pepper so much I wish I could hook it up via IV. I remember one morning I was barely able to stay awake during a training session so I grabbed a 40 oz. cup of Pepsi during a break. That was over 500 calories and it was only 10:30 in the morning.

The other big thing I needed to do was start exercising again. I had exercised every single day from January 14th, 2000 until December 10th, 2004. I was so determined to get my daily routines in that I would often find myself cranking out a few sets of push-ups and sit-ups in the oddest places such as airports and hotel parking lots. It took a tragic event to end that streak.

I quit drinking soda back in January and lost 10 pounds within the first two months. My stomach felt better and I started fitting back into my old clothes. Then in May, I started exercising regularly again which proved to be a big help.

In 2010, I plan to return to the shape I was in back in 2002/2003. My weight is fine, it’s the distribution just needs to change so I’ll be setting my goals to gain muscle in certain areas where it’s lacking (arms, calves) and reduce fat where needed (mid-section). I’ll put up a special page on this blog where I’ll post before and after photos as well as progress. I’ll use the regular blog feed to post any lessons learned as well as update notices when I’ve posted something on this topic.

While I know that this deviates a bit from the usual topics I post about, I think there are some very important lessons to be learned here. While public speaking and communication skills are important topics and can save your career, good health can save your life.

Related posts:

1. A New Direction
2. How I Stopped Dying
3. Success is Simple – Just Follow the Instructions
4. The Million Dollar Month