“I’m convinced of one thing; I can’t convince you of anything.” – Paul Martinelli
I just got back from spending an outstanding week with my partners involved in launching the John Maxwell Team worldwide. We had hours and hours of extensive training on leadership development, personal growth, executive coaching and much more. There were partners from 44 countries around the world including: UnitedStates, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, and many, many more. We even had some dignitaries visit us during the week, as shown in the photo to the right.
There were hundreds of highlights that I’ll share over the next few weeks, but one that stands out is a comment from Paul Martinelli, President of the John Maxwell Team. He said, “I’m convinced of one thing; I can’t convince you of anything.” Truer words have never been spoken. We are presented with choices all day, every day. What are we going to eat for breakfast? What route will I drive to work? What radio station will I listen to on the way? What is the first thing I’ll do at work? The second? Etc. We get plenty of advice, feedback, and suggestions on what we should do, but when it comes down to it, it’s always our choice. I can tell you what to do and how to do it, but you ultimately decide whether or not you want to take my suggestions or blaze your own trail.
So my question is, what decisions are you making that are keeping you from living your dreams? Are you staying in a job you hate? Are there people in your life that are minuses instead of pluses? Are you forsaking spending time with your family to do things that add little value to you or the world? I can guide you and suggest alternatives, but I can’t convince you of anything. You have to step up and make the decisions that will determine your destiny. Once you decide, I’m ready to assist you in the realization of your dreams.
You may remember a few months ago when I posted about overcoming my fear of heights through my skydiving experience. Since then I’ve had hundreds of calls, emails, text messages, and notes from those of you who also conquered your fears. Some of you walked through fire, climbed a mountain, swam in the ocean for the first time, ran a 1/2 marathon, and many other amazing feats. You also described how breaking through those fears has given you a new perspective on life and has encouraged you to try other cool things. Congratulations!
My awesome wife Karla also broke through her fears the same way I did : skydiving. The good folks at Skydive OBX helped her with her first jump, which happened to be over the birthplace of flight in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?!
So, what’s next for you? What fears do you want to conquer? I’d love to hear about them and help hold you accountable. Drop me a line on Twitter @gambrillcom or via our Facebook Business Page and let me know. I look forward to helping you realize your dreams.
I am proud to announce that I have been selected by John C. Maxwell to become a member of his Founder’s Circle. For the first time ever, Dr. Maxwell will be training new leadership coaches to teach his curriculum and I am excited to be part of this endeavor. Over the next few months I will be fully immersed in his leadership training through his books, teleconferences, one-on-one calls, and a week-long, live event at the end of the summer.
In case you aren’t fully aware of John’s background, here’s a short bio:
John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries worldwide. Each year he speaks to the leaders of diverse organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, the National Football League, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell has written three books that have sold more than a million copies: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. His blog can be read at JohnMaxwellOnLeadership.com. He can be followed at Twitter.com/JohnCMaxwell.
Because I’ve always been interested in personal development and leadership, I’ve come to learn that leadership is always a work in progress. If you want to succeed, as with most things, you need to continually learn and grow through exposure to books and the people you associate with. John sums it up nicely in this short video:
If you or your organization would like to learn the same success and leadership principles that John Maxwell teaches, I would happy to work with you to develop your leaders. I am available to deliver keynote speeches on all of the subject matter listed above, facilitate small groups, or provide one-on-one coaching in person or remotely via Skype, Facetime, phone calls, and more.
Dave Gambrill
Gambrill Communications
dave [at] gambrill [d0t] c0m
530-GAM-BRIL
530-426-2745
One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Plan your work, then work your plan.” Most of us would find this applicable in our jobs or building a business, but have you considered using the same technique for your fitness goals?
In 2010, I used one simple technique to keep focused on my fitness goals: I put fitness/athletic events on my calendar. Since I never competed in a 5k, I put a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot on my calendar in May and worked backwards from that date with a training plan. I embraced the simple Couch to 5K training regimen which was effective and easy to follow. Although I wasn’t exactly a couch dweller when I began the program, I resisted the urge to jump ahead and simply followed the prescribed plan. The lack of obvious progress in the first few weeks was frustrating, but I trusted the plan and forged ahead. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around I had built a solid cardiovascular base and completed my first 5k without feeling like I was going to die. Although my time was mediocre at best (31 minutes), the fact that I planned my work, worked my plan, and completed the task made it all worth while.
So what’s on tap for 2011? This year I put a Spartan Sprint on my calendar for June. Since this race requires some decent upper body strength in addition to a cardiovascular base, I’ve changed my workouts and added significant strength training. At this point I’m two-thirds of the way through the P90X program, which has helped me add noticeable upper body strength and size. I like this routine because it’s easy to follow and incorporates functional movement. I’ll be following this program with a couple of TRX Suspension Training routines. The TRX setup is nice because it creates instability in almost all of the exercises which causes you to utilize your core more often. Here’s a short video overview:
In addition to those routines, I’ve been utilizing some of the diet and fat loss strategies that Tim Ferriss discusses in his New York Times Bestseller, The Four Hour Body. I’ve seen measurable results using the supplement stack, slow carb diet, ice bath/cold shower, and abdominal workout advice that Tim suggests. I’ll be adding his endurance running routine to my schedule once the snow thaws around here.
So that’s what I’ve got planned for my fitness goals this year. What is your plan? Do you have a few events on your schedule to work towards? Do you have a workout plan in place to help you train? If not, what are you waiting for?
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partners from 44 countries around the world including: UnitedStates, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, and many, many more. We even had some dignitaries visit us during the week, as shown in the photo to the right.
