After a week of rehab, I managed a 40min run, without so much of a twinge in my leg, this morning. It was the simplest of pleasures, running without fear and worry. It was my first run since the brutal 21km at 70.3 almost two weeks ago and it got me thinking about the simple pleasures around me that I may not be taking note of (read: taking for granted). Here is the list of simple pleasures I am grateful for this Friday. I only write it down because I feel it could be a useful exercise for anyone to do, so make your own list today.

There is a lot of talk around the 1% and if you are reading this, you are a part of the 1%. That makes you 100% more likely to have a few things on this list that you take for granted, which puts you in the 1%.

- I am grateful for my car. It’s a reliable source of transport.
- I am grateful for my career. I work in a great office with great people with great prospects.
- I am grateful for my health. I have been on anti-biotics once in the last 5 years.
- I am grateful for my equipment. I lack nothing when it comes to having access to the best stuff.
- I am grateful for the choices my parents afforded me growing up. They are rockstars.
- I am grateful for my friends. They are loyal, trustworthy and mindful.
- I am grateful for this space. Having a platform to produce and be creative puts me in the 0.001%. Thank you for reading.

As is tradition here, I keep it to 7 things to that I can remember all of them. What are your 7 things?

Have an amazing weekend out there.

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I wrote an article for Bizcommunity around Health being the new Wealth.

Click HERE to read that and if you have any comments, leave them on the site or below the article here. I am passionate believer in Health being a large part of my Wealth. I intend being healthy far longer than I intend being fit and fast, so its an essential part of my daily life.

Hope you enjoyed the article.

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No one likes the feeling that other people are waiting – impatiently – for you to get back to them.

At the beginning of the day, faced with an overflowing inbox, a list of messages on your voicemail, and the to-do list from your last meeting, it’s tempting to want to “clear the decks” before you start on your own most important work. When you’re up-to-date, you tell yourself, your mind will be clear and it will be easier to focus on the task at hand.The trouble with this approach is that you end up spending the best part of the day on other people’s priorities, running their errands, and giving them what they need. By the time you finally settle down to your own work, it could be mid-afternoon, when your energy has dipped and it’s hard to focus on anything properly. “Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better,” you tell yourself.

But when tomorrow comes round there’s another pile of emails, phone messages, and to-do list items. If you carry on like this you will spend most of your time on reactive work, responding to incoming demands and answering questions framed by other people. It’s a never-ending hamster wheel. And it will never lead to remarkable work, in Seth Godin‘s sense, “worthy of being remarked on.” We don’t find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded, or when we are surprised by something completely unexpected.

The single most important change I’ve made in my own working habits has been to start doing things the other way round – i.e. begin the day with creative work on my own top priorities, with the phone on silent and email switched off. And I never schedule meetings in the morning, if there’s any way of avoiding it. This means that whatever else happens, I get my most important work done – and looking back, all of my biggest successes have been the result of making this simple change.

We don’t find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded.

These days, I have two brands to manage and 10 partner brands to work with and manage expectations for. I am soon to release by first e-books, already doing training programs, and soon, a new brand to launch as well. On top of this, I have built a great network of great contacts I can call on for help. All of these things are assets that create ongoing value for my partners and sponsors. Yet there wasn’t a single day when I sat down to write each individual essay, blog post, training plan, or e-book chapter, without a string of people waiting for me to get back to them.

It wasn’t easy, and still isn’t, particularly when I get phone messages beginning “I sent you an email two hours ago…!”

By definition, taking this approach goes against the grain of others’ expectations, and the pressures they put on you. It can take an act of willpower to switch off the world, even for an hour, during the working day. For some strange reason, it feels “unprofessional” to be knuckling down to work in this way.

The thing is, if you want to create something truly remarkable, it won’t be built in a day. A great novel, a stunning design, a game-changing software application, a revolutionary company – this kind of thing takes time, thought, craft, and persistence. And on any given day, it will never appear as “urgent” as those four emails (in the last half-hour) from Client X or Colleague Y, asking for things you’ve already given them or which they probably don’t really need.

So if you’re going to prioritize this kind of work – your real work – you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done. And you’ll probably have to put up with complaints and reproaches from people who have no idea what you’re trying to achieve, and can’t understand what could be more important than their needs.

If you’re going to prioritize your real work, you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done.

Yes, it feels uncomfortable, and sometimes people get upset, but it’s much better to disappoint a few people over small things, than to sacrifice the big things for an empty inbox. Otherwise you’re sacrificing real productivity for the illusion of professionalism.

Here are a few tips to help you make the switch:

1. Creative work first, reactive work second.
Either start the day on your creative work, or make sure you block out time for it later in the day – preferably at a time when you typically feel energized and productive.

2. Tune out distractions.
You know the drill – email off, phone off, work from home if you can, stick your headphones on if you can’t.

3. Make exceptions for VIPs.
Don’t be reckless. If you’re working with a client to a deadline, or your boss needs something urgently, treat them like VIPs and give them special access – e.g. leave the phone on and answer if they ring (everyone else gets the voicemail).

4. Be really efficient at reactive work.
You can’t ignore everybody all the time. The better your productivity systems, the more promptly you’ll be able to respond to their requests – and the more time you’ll have free for your own work.

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If you can get those 4 simple things right, I believe you are more than halfway to creating remarkable things.

Please share your stories and tips – that way we all grow, including myself.

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I am all for goals and plans, but lately, it seems the world is a little overbearingly filled with them.

On twitter I have read a thousand resolutions that involve planning, compromise and a lot of work. I wondered how many of them could be bettered and achieved without all this by simply applying a few elements to our lives, very simple things that I am passionate about and shared towards the end of last year.

I wanted to note these down for myself here, so that I can return and reflect if I have achieved any of these in the next 6 months. I set a calendar reminder to return to this post on the 1st July 2012 to check on myself. Here is what I want to apply this year in bundles…

1. Kindness.

I am going to do everything in my power to be as kind as possible this year, in every scenario that is deserving of it. Being kind has little to do with being nice.

Kindness is infectious and people cannot help but be amazing to you when you show genuine kindness. It asks for nothing and wants nothing in return. This is my biggest goal in 2012 – to show it where it’s deserving. So often we opt to be nice when we don’t want to be. By being kind when the feeling is there, is to be kind more and more as we learn to be kind at all times. It takes practise and I know I have a way to go, but this is my commitment.

2. Attack Life.

This is the year where I over commit to life. This means taking the Assume Nothing, Pursue Everything motto to the limit. It also means I have to clear the clutter to make way for the opportunities.

It means racing with less caution, being willing, more than ever, to fail, in order to achieve the best results I ever have.

3. Ask For More

If there is one trait we can earn learn, it’s to ask for more. We go through so much alone when there are loads of people around us who could help. In the last 6 months I really starting asking more questions and asking more for help than I ever have.

It has worked and this year I want to do so more. If you are in a tight spot, ask those around you for help. You`ll find there are some great people around you with loads of knowledge to share. Relationships make the world go round and you may even have to ask from strangers, which is another skill all on its own to learn.

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3 Simple things. Let’s. Do. This…

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I deal with many people on a daily basis. Most them trying to make a living, doing what needs to be done, in order to pay bills, thrills and spills.

Most of them doing a compromised version of themselves to fit into society, to make it work, to fit that round peg into that square hole.

This is what makes people grumpy, unfriendly and spiteful, I am pretty sure of it. As my great friend Doc G says, the only thing he is truly impressed by, is kindness. Kindness comes from being real to the absolute core, being willing to compromise in spite of disappointment and being comfortable in your own skin.

Find what makes you real and practise at that, because let’s face it, you may have no practise and suck at it, at first. You`ll know what makes you real, what the best version of yourself is. It’s the stuff you are happy to do on your own, the things which make you happy even when you have to disappoint others to do them.

This holiday season, practise being real. Do as you please, not what others want you to do. Take the time to get back to your roots and get into the zone where you are not compromising the best version of yourself for the benefit and comfort of others.

For most guys, this means doing something manly. It sounds archaic and ridiculous, but climb a mountain, make something with your hands or service your vacuum cleaner. Be a man, man… you`ll be surprised at the effect of this. This means adventure, excitement and possibly, some danger for good measure. For the girls, it means being a lady. Make sure your significant other is aware that you want to be captivated and that it’s a part of his duty, as the man, man… to captivate you. Have long lunches with your team of friends while he is out cutting down trees (you get the idea). Be aware of what you like about the situations, the ideals and what the touch points are in conversation for you.

You know what real is, but often, we are so disconnected from it, we can’t even see if when it’s staring right at us. So we need to put ourselves in situations which allow discomfort, emotionally and physically as well as mentally, to bring out the real us. Paint, create, mould, cut, paste, run, climb, swim, cycle, walk, dig, clamber, etc. Do things that challenge you.

Me, I am heading on a big cycling adventure again. It’s the total disconnect and the choices out there that connect me with my real side and bring out the biggest kindness in me.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Dave Ursillo ofDaveUrsillo.com.

If there is any one indication that life is best lived slowly, it’s that among all of the busyness, racing to fulfill tasks and rushing to complete goals, there is one race that nobody wants to finish first: the race of life itself.

Our culture has a mild obsession with racing — not racing for the sake of sport or simple competition, but racing through many aspects of our lives, so as to fulfill a sense of productivity.

When conquer sprawling to-do lists we hopes that we will feelaccomplished.

But “productivity” is a false-comfort.

When I remember back to my college days, I recall seeing fellow classmates who were so obsessive about fulfilling the idea that they needed to be constantly working, racing, striving and evensuffering that they would spend as much time as humanly possibly within the confines of the campus library.

It’s not that they didn’t have work to do or need to accomplish assignments (they did).

But what I realized was that it was almost an obsessive-compulsion to simply reside — as if subconsciously reinforcing a feeling that they were being “productive,” and obliging a widely-shared notion by our culture that said, “if you aren’t constantly working, you are falling behind.”

Do you do the same?

Outside of a collegiate environment, as adults we still largely obsess to fulfill the idea that living in a constant state of unrelenting work is good.

The obsession is a quiet, subconscious, subtle cultural meme that we all inherently understand as members of our society.

And so we spend a significant portion of our lives tirelessly racing to an imaginary finish under the guise of “productivity” — only to realize that the finish line never comes.

Before long, we forget that life itself is about experiencing the journey — not racing to the finish.

And considering that take so many measures to prolong the length of our lives and increase the quality of them, wouldn’t it logically follow that we ought to slow down each and every day, and escape this senseless “race” mentality?

Start Slow

I’m as much a victim of the “race” mentality as anyone else. But what I have discovered is that the pace and quality of my days are largely dictated by how I start my days each morning.

When I wake up, part of me feels obsessively compelled to “dive in” to my work and to-do lists. Having recently written and published my first book, on recent mornings my “race” mentality would even take the forms of physical anxiety, shortness of breath and nervousness.

However, each morning I strive to quell those feelings by starting slow.

• I will go for a run or immerse myself in nature.
• I’ll do an hour of slow yoga.
• I will practice mindful breathing while accomplishing a short t’ai chi or qigong routine.
• I’ll read a chapter or two of a good book.

Starting slow is less about what you do, but beginning the day in accordance with a sense of inner peace, patience, and contentment.

And, don’t get me wrong: starting slow can feel like an agonizing affair on some mornings.

Our self-imposed demands to constantly work, strive and race feel like an overwhelming addiction — and all we want to do is quell those subconscious demons in our heads that tell us that slowness, quietness, and simple “being” are wrong.

However, every morning that I choose to “start slow,” something amazing happens.

I am calm, relaxed, and balanced throughout the day. Each moment feels like a gift, and not merely an “opportunity” to accomplish goals or fulfill tasks — as if sand in an hour glass that needs to be consumed by “racing.”

When I start slow, I am naturally more productive — and feel more accomplished by the day’s end.

How to Start Slow

Here’s how you can start to begin your days slowly:

• Write a list 5 activities, hobbies, or practices.
• Choose activities that are positive, constructive and/or healthy.
• Try one for every weekday morning of next week.
• Wake up earlier or go to bed sooner to best ensure you have plenty of time and energy to experience the moment.
• Focus on patience, pace, and calmness when you “start slow” each morning.

Starting slow paces each day in accordance with a natural internal balance: a meaningful peace within that resonates with our human core, and denies the obsessive addiction to the race.

Life itself is not a race. Nobody wins by finishing first. We all strive to live as long as we possibly can.

And when we make the little effort to “start slow” each morning, we remember to dedicate ourselves to the journey of life itself — and not the race to reach its finish.

Original article from Zenhabits

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Some wise words from the guy who founded the sport of Ironman.

As I`ve progressed through the sport, and taken on new ventures like Cape Epic, Sani2c, African-X, I have to say that the one thing missing out of Ironman is a focus on partnership. Sure, we compete alone, but without the support of a range of partners leading into the race, it’s just not possible.

My patient, superb Bio in Line’ Griffiths, my Functional Strength pain giver in Johnny Eagleton, my Sponsors (Velocity Sports Labs, BoE Private Clients, Garmin, Rehidrat Sport, Puma, etc) and my inner circle of loving family, girlfriend and friends are all a part of this partnership into the race. We all carry some expectation and some responsibility. Together, we make a hopefully winning team on the day, but our journey together is a large part of the partnership. Sure, I compete unassisted on race day, but I cannot get there without these partners.

Into this weekend, I want you to think about these partnerships and what they mean to you and how you can work them a little better in the coming months. Recently, I have added Johnny Eagleton to my list and this week I have hurt in places I didn’t know could hurt. I trust his experience to give the extra edge I am looking for next year. It’s a new partnership and it got me thinking about how many people take part in my journey towards an Ironman race.

Solo sports = loaded with partnerships. Have a great weekend out there. I am enjoying my time where I am not training much as I know that from the middle of the month, I will be firmly into the good stuff again.

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I am a million miles an hour before we take on Double Century this weekend and I am struggling to settle down to get it all into a blog post. Some weeks are blissful, flowing and others are like this, where I have eaten lunch in my car 4 times this week driving back from chores and collections. C`est la vie.

So I thought I would jot down some random thoughts which have passed through my mind this week, questions which I wondered about and ideas which irked me a little.

I recently wondered about the fact that people with disabilities have heightened other abilities. So those who may be deaf, or cannot speak, become super strong, or ridiculously good sommeliers (smell). I wondered how far in years to come this would be exploited once genetic doping becomes a reality. Will athletes deliberately have their hearing removed to gain extra power or extra brain power should they be in sports like Chess (yes, a sport) or where an athlete would gain enough to become a world champion.

It’s a question which irked me. I am completely against all forms of doping, cheating, et al. But where do you draw the line? As the lines become more and more blurred as the options open up to would be cheaters, how do we govern our sports to remain clean of these people. Then you have to ponder, for a kid from the poorest family in Russia who isn’t raised with the same sense of morals as you and I – is it even cheating to them?

What is your view?

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Then onto something else – the crutches we carry to keep us busy. Everyday I deal with people who are busy for the sake of being busy. It’s ridonkulously easy to get caught up in this busyness, which becomes the crutch that keeps you moving, perhaps from dealing with your problems, issues which you are in essence, running from. I think Ironman attracts these people who can stay busy all day training, discussing training in forums and with coaches and hanging out with other athletes just talking about training, never dealing with their problems. THIS is a great post on the matter. As the holidays are approaching, I urge you not to fill them with chores, busyness and avoiding the things which have bugged you all year.

They are holding you back.

Break free. Walk without the crutches.

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All to recently, I discovered that I need to be better at asking for help. As someone who loves to achieve (not like – I freaking love this stuff) it’s often tough to ask for help because your success has often come from a set of self-made decisions, so you have success.

As an athlete, it’s important to work with other people. I have read I`m Here to Win in the last week. It reminded me to ask for help, so I am working with a functional strength specialist, a pilates genius and seemingly, soon, one of the smartest people in the sport. It’s not easy for me to let others take control but in ways, that is the lesson for me to learn.

Letting others run with things is the fundamental core of my job. I lead by serving where I am and trust the team 100% that they are doing everything possible. I have almost no control on many of the outcomes and this has been not a breeze of fresh air, but a tornado of crisp west-coast sea awesomeness. I am trying to carry it into other arenas.

Watch this space.

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Kaizen is on my mind this week. Small improvements, continuously. I am at a point in my life where, unless I start a new sport, career or attempt to get as fat as possible, I am going to be making small changes, little improvements. But if I make them continuously and in various arenas, they can add up to a somewhat sizeable gain.

But never again will I enjoy dropping 30sec/km in a block of running, or 15sec per 100m in a week or two of swimming. I won’t take 20min off my Argus time, ever again.

I think so many newbies to all sports forget this vital part. Relish in the changes, the current change, compared to where you were. You are all so obsessed with a future number, where the margins of improvement get so much smaller towards that number, that you forget the amazing gains you are making right NOW.

Stop it. Sit up and smell the freaking roses mate. They are good, filled with craft beer and bacon and may never ever return again. Right now is pretty awesome. Remember that.

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That’s it for now. Time to breathe out, properly. Not much left to do between now and 6am tomorrow morning when I`ll be riding with an immensely talented bunch of guys for around 6 hours, relishing in the moment, dreaming of bacon and craft beer for dinner and smiling at the beauty in the pain.

Practice what you preach. Watch me go…

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I have just been on a 2 day course to improve my work skills. As a project manager working with incredible, yet corporate clients, my job is to take the pressure off my teams in the office so that they can produce the best product, and by that, I mean the best value, for the client.

Simple. We develop in Agile methodology and it’s worth noting the Agile Manifesto and relating that to my sport of choice, Ironman.

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

If I had to imagine the endurance athletes manifesto, it would look as follows:

Individuals and interactions over teams and equipment
Results and Performance over smack talk & speculation
Sponsor collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

When I clicked those simple things, a massive pause occurred in my mind. I had to rethink the way I went about everything. I consulted my peer group for the smartest info, worked with a coach, a strength coach and developed working collaborations with my sponsors instead of race reports and negotiation. Today, I got the go ahead from a sponsor for 2012 on just what is says in the manifesto there. Collaboration, Interaction, Change, Performance. I am so excited about the future at the moment because the present is filled with opportunity.

Next year, I plan to race 3 Ironman races. Stupid? Read THIS FIRST. Add in 3 Xterra races, Sani2c, Wines2Wales, 70.3 Buffalo City, 2 Oceans Half Marathon, possibly African-X and who knows what else, right? Does NOT mean I am racing them all to win, but whilst I can, I am going to race as much as possible, before life settles into the routine where it’s not possible to race AS much.

Whilst the pause for the end of the year is approaching rapidly, I urge you to find a space to truly pause before the year resumes with a bang in January. Recharge fully, breathe deep and for a week or two, walk slowly, ride with open eyes and run some new trails like a kid. The pause is coming quickly, are you ready?

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As you may know, in 2011 we started Pure Planet Racing to raise awareness to the large footprints we, as athletes, leave on our planet.

Here is a short reel of some of the highlights from the year so far. You can find all the info on www.pureplanetracing.com as we head into the final stretch for the year.

We still have Wines2Wales, Double Century and the small matter of planting up R10 000 worth of shrubs, trees and plants along the bike paths in Cape Town left before the end of the month.

A big thanks to the sponsors who have been involved this year so far… BoE Private Clients, Garmin, Velocity Sports Labs, Fairbairn Private Bank and Axis House. Watch out 2012, we are coming for you.

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