Most of you should, by now, be aware of the history behind the brands Puma and Adidas – two companies that were one, before the Dassler brothers split it in two. If you want to know more about it, I strongly advise you read the book Pitch Invasion.

But now, 60 years after their founders went their separate ways, the two companies are uniting to celebrate “One Peace Day.”

It will be a historic hand shake: 60 years after the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler went their separate ways to found PUMA and adidas, the two companies will shake hands for the first time. In support of Peace Day on 21 September, PUMA and adidas joined up to create awareness for a day of ceasefire and non-violence. As a sign of amicable cooperation, employees of both companies will play football together on Peace Day, 21 September.

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA, said: “We are uniting on this day as a commitment to Peace Day. Our common goal being that our collaboration today will help create awareness for the day. Kofi Annan once said that individuals can make a difference and collectively we can make a major contribution. I believe that is the case also for companies. And our unity, in support of Peace Day, is a small step in a positive direction as well as an expression of the united power of sport in a world which we are all responsible for.”

What a great initiative, and about freaking time they kiss and made up. Now, there will be world peace, and love will reign…

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In my last post, we explored branding yourself and why it’s one of the best ways to control public perception of yourself and make you irreplaceable. In this post, I will ask the key questions you should answer in order to get started with building your personal brand.

What’s So Special About You?

The first step in developing your brand is pinpointing exactly what it is about you that makes you so special. What do you do better than anyone else? What have been some of your biggest successes? What do your clients or employer say are your strengths? What do you do that gets those around you pumped up?

Much like the process you followed in creating your USP, when you develop your brand you need to specifically outline the value you offer that is unique to you. Once you’ve identified your statement of individuality, make sure it’s marketable and something you can incorporate into everything you do.

During this stage, you’ll also want to make sure your own perception of yourself jives with how you want the public to perceive you. After all, if you don’t truly believe you have the power that you are building your brand upon, you’ll be balancing on a very weak foundation.

Can You Get the Word Out?

Once you have your personal branding statement, you need to start living it. The value of your brand should be clear across the board – in your interactions with clients, on your web site, through your social media conversations, in communication with colleagues, on your blog and within your comments on other blogs.

If you can voice your brand’s message without screaming, you will begin to establish your credibility. It simply requires that you keep your brand visible, and be consistent and steady in all of your activities. If you’re not able to do this, you will hurt your brand’s authority and possibly cause people to lose trust in you.

The way you present yourself is especially important in social media. You’ll also want to make sure you are maintaining professional and consistent profiles, including your avatar and photo. When focusing on you as a brand, there is no better identifier than a photo of yourself, and if you use it across the board, you make it easy for people to distinguish and interact with you.

Are You Going Beyond Just You?

It may seem contradictory, but developing a personal brand is not all about you. You need to go beyond yourself and interact with those you are trying to influence. This means participating in conversations on social media networks, responding to comments on your blog, and engaging clients and potential clients in two-way conversations. It’s also vitally important that you listen to and incorporate feedback you receive from the public.

Aim to be genuine and transparent in all of your communications. And don’t forget the importance of customer service! Your clients should know and understand your brand better than anyone else because they should experience it in every interaction with you. Consistency in managing these interactions is the best way to build a reputation with your brand that will be recognizable (and respected) by others.

Do you focus on branding yourself? How have you done it?

Image credit: Karyn Christner

Article Originally posted here and up, as promised. Interesting read.

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Today has been a wonderful day, with a fantastic realization in the morning, somewhere on a farm out in Botrivier. I have to share something with you.

I posted up this link today, as I was walking around Wildekrans Wine Estate, sourcing picture ideas and story concepts for them.

The picture caused a furor on my Twitter account as the replies flooded in. Yes, another tough day in Africa. Indeed, lately, there have been some tough moments and decisions.

You see, a while back I made the decision to go on my ace, to do three things which I was passionate about;

1. Write
2. Coach
3. Grow

So I took the option to coach more athletes, in a better way. All the time I am doing more technical things with my athletes, and indeed, over the next year, the service is set to grow almost exponentially for them, at the same cost. I have time to organize camps, create decent affiliate structures for them, etc.

I took the option to start a small media based business which focused on telling the stories of brands online, through a platform much like Urban Ninja. So far its been great and after a few months of struggling to make payments, I can happily say that I am indeed, above the breadline again.

And lastly, I took the option to stop working so hard, and in a way, live the holiday. I am doing less, traveling less, phoning less, emailing less, and getting alot more done. I don’t fill my day with crap and pretending to be busy, the missus calls that presenteeism, and you can read all about it on her site.

If you have a look at the picture, that was my life this morning. At one point, I sat down in a field of yellow flowers and there were about 200 swallows around me, in a frenzy, chomping away on little creatures in the air. It was so quiet that I could hear the wind in their wings. They got closer and closer and I could have reached out at one point to grab one if I wanted, but the moment was pure and I just let it be.

That was my work, and I know have a sticky story to tell about the farm, about the wildlife there, that indeed, if you wanted the same experience, they would more than likely not care if you went to lie down in the field, preferably with a bottle of their amazing wine of course, and listened to nature doing its thing.

I am taking on new challenges in the next year, learning to ride a mountain bike, paddle in the ocean, and I have a list of things I want to achieve or master as well. Simple things I would never had the time for in my “previous” life, where I spent 8am to 6pm doing very little, actually.

I am fortunate enough to be a simple guy. I love my car, which isn’t fancy. I never want a huge house, and I have amazing people who make my life easier, better. You see their brands on the sidebar, there on the right hand side. They make my life MUCH easier. They help me live the holiday.

Do I want more? Obviously. I had to slow down now, and get the basics right, and from here, I can grow my life with the same focus, the same essentials, even though these businesses are growing, I am going to keep the core the same.

More than anything, I have time again, and time gives me a freedom I had forgotten about. My own time, which I share willingly, but selectively.

2Oceansvibe talks about living the holiday. He does live that brand. I applaud him for the choices he makes (not always easy) to make his dream a reality. At times, you have to take the leap, and go with it. For a few months, you might have to forgo luxuries like movies or dinners in fancy restaurants. Who cares, really? Your ego might tell you that you are cutting yourself short.

If I look back now, I would rather have been breadline based with this freedom, than doing what I did previously.

My hope is that more people will live the dream, the holiday, and get what they want. If you are living the dream, please, let me know, so I can buy you a coffee, and share some of the secrets which can make it so much easier to live a simple life of meaning. I am NOT an expert, I merely have some experience.

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Something slid away from me at Eurobike, but thank goodness it ended up in my inbox today.

Have a look at this thing…

WOW!

Integrated front end. Integrated drinking system. P3-like rear wheel tuck.

and full custom. If you rock out with one these (Dura Ace DI2, Sub 9 disc, 808 front, VumaQUAD cranks) at your local race. I guarantee you will end up on TV.

you can have the frame for 50k. That is 50 000 (fifty thousand) south african rand. Vyftig duisend rand ou chomma!

If I had it lying around, I would invest. NOW. I am in love.

How do I go on with my life, knowing this is out there? LUST is a terrible thing. head to their website for more info.

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Encourage them….

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Whether you are a freelancer, a business owner, or a corporate professional, you have the ability to become a powerful commodity. You are what sells your services, gets you hired, and enables you to develop valuable relationships. You are what makes your business and your name recognizable and sought-after. You are a brand.

You may have created a business named after yourself, solidifying the unity between you and your business. You may do business under a different business name, or you may be working for an employer. Regardless of these dynamics, you have the ability to create a brand that emphasizes your biggest value and incorporates the best of you into your professional life.

To get a clear understanding of the value that comes from building your brand, first we need to look at why branding “you” is so important. Part I of this two-part series focuses on self-branding and how you can benefit from taking time to develop your own personal brand.

Actively Branding “You” Does Matter

Developing yourself as a brand is happening, whether you’re out there facilitating it or not. If you have a web site, use any kind of social media network, or participate in public forums and discussions, you are building a brand. And if you’re not actively controlling the brand that’s developing, you could be in for disaster.

Everyone, regardless of the individual skills they bring to the table, is leaving behind a legacy of who they are, what they’ve done, how they’ve done it and who they have influenced along the way – both positively or negatively. So, it’s in your best interest to take control of the brand you’re creating and mold it to fit your ideal perception.

Your Brand Can Make You Irreplaceable

Creating a brand that revolves around you provides a way to reinforce and control the elements of yourself that set you apart from the next guy. There isn’t anyone else out there that can build the brand of “you” better than you can.

Because of this, branding yourself makes it harder to replace you. It makes you recognizable for who you are and what you do. It can be a constant reminder about the value you provide better than anyone else, and reiterates the reality that there is no substitute for you.

And That’s Not All…

If being able to control how others perceive you and making yourself hard to replace aren’t big enough selling points on the importance of developing your brand, here are a few other benefits:

• It gives you a voice that is more likely to be listened to.
• It allows you to zero-in on what you do best.
• It makes you more credible.
• It sets you apart from everyone else.
• It helps people develop trust in you.
• It keeps you on people’s minds.
• It gives you new opportunities.
• It can make you considered an expert in your field.
• It helps you develop loyalty.

There are a lot of reasons to develop and consistently monitor your brand. And one big reason not to — if left alone, your brand can take on a life of its own and hurt your potential for success in the process. Not much of a decision is it?

So…are you ready to get to work on strengthening the brand of “you?” Stay tuned for my next post, which will explore the key questions you should answer in order to get started with building your personal brand.

Image credit: Dimitri Castrique

This article can be found in its original form here. There are a lot of people much smarter than me who read Urban Ninja, and I thought the information would be pertinent to them.

Part 2 to follow on Friday…

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Inspire from Scott Lynch on Vimeo.

Are you going to be that girl, taking off her helmet, swinging higher than she has ever gone, and then leaping, full of faith, into the air? Are you going to inspire others with your leaps of faith?

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So hopefully you have read my post on Personal Planning. Not? Find it here. Have a read through and get the process started. For me, its a continuous process and this time of the year, I find its a great time to reflect and check on progress for the year, and make some vital tweaks so that you are able to power through the last 3 months of the year, whilst everyone else is waiting for holiday.

For me, the big picture is essential, and it’s why I love endurance sports so much. I have to say I have learnt more about life through my correct approach for endurance sports, than I ever did at varsity or in any job I have ever done.

I will admit to not training as hard as many other athletes out there. I know of guys who train 25 hours a week to go much slower than I do at Ironman. I often ask those guys/girls how much normal time they put into good habits (all Ironman time to me), like good eating, regular sleep, de-stressing, massage, recovery, etc.

How many athletes are training to eat sugar, or to win races?

How many athletes are training to a commitment of long term health and vitality?

I am the second type, and athletic prowess comes as a benefit from that. I spend quite a bit of time to eat right, sleep right and make the sacrifices to be able to recover session to session. In each session, there is but only so much you can do perfectly, and if I am tired, can’t focus (a result of many things mentioned above) and too hungry, then chances are, I will not get the benefit from the session, and to me, there is no point in just cruising through 25 hours of training per week. I would rather train 16-18 hours, and hit them with purpose and crush the important parts to each work-out.

So how much should you be training if you are training for wellness/vitality?

Gordo spoke about it this week, and reckons that if you can’t train without the sugar rushes in your diet, then you are pushing the limits. He reckons 20 years of training to reward yourself with sugar afterward would result in some long term health regrets?

Agreed. Slow Clap.

Then you have to add the control factor to your life, and endurance training and correct lifestyle choices are the key proponent to my ability to control my emotions, and my body. Essentially I train myself to deal with fatigue, mild hunger, and control the sessions with correct pacing, so that I finish strong (but considering the rest of the day) at every session.

Those principles translate to my diet, where I control my calories in a very systematic way which leaves me with loads of energy, keeps me healthy and fit, which are two different things totally.

This also relates well to my work, where I try to get as much done as possible in 4 days every week, so that I can have Fridays to myself, a very important part to my life (quiet, me-time). Working with control, pace and feeding myself every few hours in the day keeps me focused. I have also learnt when not to work i.e. when to take an hour break.

Ok before this gets too long… the basis of having a biiiig picture is to have a plan, to exercise control to power through the end of your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly plan, and to track your progress (slightly) obsessively, so you can benchmark.

Why?

because if you get it right, your goals will continuously grow, because you have NO idea of what your potential really is. I leant this from FROM Monday, from Gringo, from Ekhart Tolle, from my amazing parents, now that I am old enough to really understand their wisdom and from you, my readers. You are proof of it. I never believed this blog would get any bigger than my small circle of email friends.

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A while ago I wrote this article about weight loss, and the plan. I neglected to say where I got my sources from and how to go about losing the weight effectively, or how I calculated my diet. I got quite a lot of flack for that, so sorry to all those who wrote in and politely kakked me out.

It all started with something called The Daily Plate, a free application from Livestrong, of Lance Armstrong fame. Its a beauty of a program, and allows you to calculate your energy needs dependant on weight, height, age, and most important, your activity level.

When I started, I wanted to lose 1kg per week, so 2 pounds per week roughly. My values worked out to 2300 calories per day, as my activity level was high, but not super high at that point.

Since then, I have formed a regular exercise habit, and have dropped 7kg in weight. The veins on my arms and legs are proof that things are starting to come together, or as good mate Conrad Stoltz calls it, the Green Bean Index.

So yesterday I thought I’d have a check to see how my values have changed, now that I am leaner, and exercising more. Here is the input…

It spat out a new value of 2500 calories per day. Stoked! 200 calories up, with my new weight goal of around 450 – 500g of weight loss per week. 200 calories per day might seem like nothing to celebrate about, but its an extra banana and an extra apple per day, which still makes me happy.

To clear it up, I am FULL of energy at the moment, my biking and running and gym work are coming along very nicely, and I am still in the start of my base phase of training, so no speed is expected yet, but its already showing promise.

So I did a few other things, on Livestrong, which I thought might interest you. I did a Body mass Index calculator (BMI for future ref)

Glad to see I am still normal. When it shows I am unhealthy and too skinny, I`m sure I’ll be ready to rumble.

Another graph I think everyone would like to see is how steadily I lost this weight. I have a graph for that too, and its nice to see. Its starting to pan out and get flatter now on the graph, but thats the way I am planning it, as the weight loss will be more gradual now. Here is that graph.

But how on earth did I work out what to eat, is the most common question I hear. First off, if you wanted to lose the weight badly enough, you would click this amazing link and type in “calories in foods” and you would get thousands of results. It might take you 20min to half an hour to actually work out a diet that has the amount of calories in that you need to get in, to lose weight at your target rate.

If you can’t do that, I almost want to tell you that you don’t want to lose weight badly enough.

Its true, but I will try keep it to myself….

A useful resource for that information can be found here for:

Proteins, dairy on page 1, and click through to page 2 for vegetables, fruits, etc…

When going to the shops to buy your pre-determined diet, which by the way, saves loads of money, you need to look out for vegetables that look like this:

Packed in plastic simply does not count. Overcooked, ready made meals do NOT count. The other vital tips, which work for me, are:

1. No dairy
2. No wheat
3. No sugar

I can’t find a way to cut all 3 out all the time, as there is some natural sugar in many things, and I have a coffee every day with at least a splash of milk in, but my energy levels, my skin health, my vitality and yes, my regular morning bowel movements are much better when I cut these things out. My fiber comes from the fruit and vegetables I eat, so that sorts out the morning movements.

I am not a freak and I eat normally. I don’t go to restaurants and ask for “special food”. I don’t have vegetarian pasty skin. I do not talk about food all the time.

But I do realise that as part of my long term wellness, I have to take responsibility for my food intake, because it makes a huge difference to my long term outlook on life and the ability for me to grow old with grace.

I am a exercise nut, and I do train more than most, but that means I can also eat more than most people, which makes me happy, because the preparation, consumption and enjoyment of food is something that particularly excites me.

In the next part I will get all technical with the sporty guys on exercise nutrition and post-exercise nutrition specifically, as this makes a huge difference to the sporty guys.

Thanks, and have an awesome weekend.

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I suspected as much, but there are already supposed leaks on our girl being AC/DC, or more politely, a hermaphrodite. I was amazed that newspapers had information before the IAAF had spoken to her, and truth be told, a little apprehensive about the information. So bless Ross Tucker, he had the best information out there.

Find it here.

While you`re at it, read the article on testosterone here.

Let’s hope the rumor mill stops till we can get the right information to her first, so that she can face the world with the right information. This, all, in the week, when she’s on the cover of the Huisgenoot, looking like a lady. Shame.

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