I’ve heard it said that one of the best ways to accomplish a goal is to tell a lot of people about your goal, and then they will hold you accountable to yourself. So with that in mind, I will share with you, the Mini-Cassia Chamber membership, one of my goals: To train sufficiently to complete the Spudman triathlon this year and to be in better shape.

I try not to use the word “hate” very often, but I can honestly say, I hate jogging. I love playing basketball, and will chase a ball up and down the court for hours, but if it’s just jogging to get in shape I can’t stand it. I use to say to folks, “Sure I’ll take up jogging, just as soon as I see ONE of them smiling!” However I might feel about it, I think that the only way for me to really get in the kind of shape I need to be in for the Spudman, is to go jogging. . .regularly.I will confess that I have started jogging, and hope to continue until I’m ready for the triathlon, and perhaps even after. You may ask why, well the answer to that is contained in Dennis Perkins book Leading at the Edge as the 4th strategy for success: Take care of yourself: maintain your stamina and let go of guilt. Some leaders would argue that the only way you can guarantee success at your business is by being there all the time. I’ll grant you that in some ventures it requires a large investment of time—especially when getting started; however, I really believe that if you don’t create some separation of work and family life, then you are married to your business, and the other areas in your life will suffer from your lack of attention. I’m not suggesting that we all take a month off during the busy season, but there needs to be a balance in your life, and although you may disagree, you cannot do it all yourself.

Andrew Carnegie the wealthy steel tycoon—the Bill Gates of his time– said this, “Take away all of my money and riches, but leave me with my ten best people, and in a few years, I’ll have it all back again.”
We are not facing the challenges of his day, but of our day, a whole new set of challenges, and an unprecedented world economy, and even a world-wide net economy. With these challenges, we need to rely on others to help us accomplish our goals, whether it’s employees, other vendors, or even our customers. Let’s all take a step back and look at things, are we taking care of ourselves and balancing our time with our families. Are there duties that can be delegated to another to help run things more efficiently, or do you just smile and accept the excuse, “Well, that’s how we’ve always done it.” Don’t spend time looking backwards at past mistakes with regret, learn from those mistakes and don’t worry, you’ll make lots more mistakes, but if you’ll keep learning, then you’ll keep growing and challenging yourself and your crew. I have the privilege or working with so many good people, at the Chamber, the directors, and my place of employment. I will continue trying to take care of myself and mine, and let go of past mistakes and look ahead to a bright and promising future. . .and keep on jogging.