Think Huge by Mark Arnold

Favorite Olympic Moment Reminds Us To Think Perseverance

The Winter Olympics have concluded and in just two years we'll be on to the Summer Games in London. As images of Shaun White, Apolo Ono, Lindsey Vonn begin to fade I’m reminded of my favorite all-time Olympic memory:  Derek Redmond completing the 400 meter race in the 1992 Barcelona Games. Granted, it’s a Summer Olympic memory, but it is extremely powerful.

As you view the clip, notice two things:

• Redmond never gave up, despite tearing his hamstring, “Get back into lane five, I want to finish it,” he says
• Redmond needed help to finish the race (he and his dad crossed the finish line arm in arm)

I cry every time I see this video! It’s a moving image of a key Think Huge principle: think perseverance.

Is there something you want to give up on? Don’t—finish the race just like Redmond did. Also, let others assist you if you are struggling. And be sure you are helping someone cross the finish line.

Think Huge!

Run, Walk or Crawl

“Run when you can. Walk when you must. Crawl if you have to. Just never give up.”

—Dean Karnazes, the Ultramarathon Man

 

 

 

 

I love that quote from Dean Karnazes. Dean is a running icon—he doesn’t just run marathons, he runs ultramarathons. He once ran 50 marathons in 50 different states on 50 consecutive days. He ran a 200 mile relay race by himself and he also ran 350 miles once non-stop.

 

His run, walk, or crawl quote is certainly an illustration for the Think Huge principle “think perseverance” of never giving up.

 

Let’s break down the crawl, walk, run and never give up analogy into distinct areas. We all have strengths and weaknesses. There are certain areas you are weak in, certain areas you need to take to the next level, certain areas you are strong in, and certain areas you need to make sure you are not giving up on. We can use Dean’s run, walk, crawl quote as a Think Huge exercise:

 

Ø  Crawl = what area of weakness will you improve?

 

Ø  Walk = what area are you going to grow in, improve in or take to the next level?

 

Ø  Run = what area that you are currently strong in are you going to take and absolutely excel at?

 

Ø  Never give up = what area do you feel like giving up but won’t?

 

Let me explain this some more. I don’t necessarily like to use the word “weakness” but we all have areas that aren’t our strong suits. You should identify one area of weakness you will seek to improve this year. Similarly, there are also areas that you are pretty good in but that you need to take to the next level. In other words, maybe something that by practicing at or focusing on you can get even better. And of course, you have many strengths. But if we don’t focus on our strengths we take a chance of losing them.

 

You can determine an area in each of the above categories for both your professional and personal life. Need an example? Here is mine:

 

	Professional	Personal
Crawl (weakness)	Learn people’s names more quickly	Reconnect with past friends
Walk (next level)	Improve social media plan	Father (spend more quality time with kids)
Run (strength)	Sharpen leadership skills	Run “destination” races
Never give up	Improve attitude about budget cuts	Avoid burnout with balancing speaking and job responsibilities

 

Let me explain my example.

 

There are certain areas I’m weak in. I know it and I need to improve it. For example, I really need to get better at learning others’ names the first time I meet them. I need to dialogue with other areas outside my own departments more. I need to spend time outside my areas. Similarly, on the personal side of things I want to do a better job of reconnecting with past friends. So the “crawl” area is about managing weaknesses.

 

There are certain areas I’m okay in but that I can take to the next level. For example, I’m pleased with our overall social media plan. But I also know that if I spend a little more time with it and give it more attention to detail then I can improve it. On the personal side I think I’m an okay father (maybe good but certainly not great). The time with my kids is running out—to be a better father I need to spend more quality time with the girls. So in this “walk” area it’s all about the details.

 

There are certain areas I feel are my strengths. To be the best person and employee I can be I should spend time making those strengths even better. This is a strength-based philosophy. One of my strengths is leadership (please don’t take that sentence the wrong way—that doesn’t mean I’m “all that” with leadership; it just means I’m passionate about leading). But I need to develop that strength even more. I need to do things to grow in this area. On the personal side I enjoy running so this year I want to run a few races outside the state of Texas (“destination” races) so that I’m doing something different with one of my passions.

 

For the “never give up” section I have to make sure I don’t become frustrated if/when we have to cut the budget. On the personal side, I tend to juggle too much with my speaking so I have to watch becoming burned out and overwhelmed.

 

Now you can do the same. You can think of personal and professional areas. Look for specific actions or goals you’ll do in those areas this year.

 

Feel free to share your own run, crawl, walk areas and we’ll hold each other accountable.

 

Think Huge!

Breaking Through Plateaus

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

—Bruce Lee

 

 

 

Do you ever hit a plateau in your professional or personal life? Odds are, you have. I recently hit a plateau with one of my hobbies (or addiction, depending on your perspective!): running. My workouts were routine, my race results were down, my times were not improving. I had plateaued. To break through my running rut, I had to do different things (yoga, more running, additional stretching, etc.).

 

If you’ve plateaued in certain areas, here are a few steps you can take to break through:

 

(1)    Talk to experts

 

There are experts in every field, industry, hobby or any area you need help with. For example, when I didn’t perform well in the White Rock Marathon, I posted some questions on a Runners World forum and e-mailed some questions to a running program. The guys I reached out to were experts.

If you’re not hitting your sales numbers, ask a top-notch sales person for tricks and tips. If you’re kids are giving you headaches, talk to fellow parents who’ve raised great kids.

But seek out some advice.

 

(2)    Read and research

 

Talking to experts helps, but so does doing your own research. Google offers a wealth of knowledge. There are blogs for everything and everyone. Spending some time on the Internet can give you new perspectives on old subjects.

 

If you’re not reading, you’re not growing. When is the last time you read a business, motivation or self help book? If the answer is longer than two months you probably are hitting a plateau. No matter what area you’re experiencing “plateau-ism” pick up a book on the subject for fresh ideas.

 

(3)    Shadow someone from another industry

 

This point may not apply to personal issues, but it certainly does on the business front. For example, if you’re in the marketing profession but practice it in the non-profit area you might benefit by spending a day with someone who does marketing in a large corporation.

 

Sticking with the running analogy, not only should I talk to other runners but I should also visit with triathletes. Learning about their training and eating habits could improve my training as well.

 

(4)    Brainstorm tasks

 

Another effective technique for breaking through plateaus is to spend time brainstorming new ideas to implement. In other words, take some time to think. Too many times we get caught with the day-to-day rush of task completion.  The key there is “day-to-day.” If we just keep doing the day-to-day then we will get stuck in ruts and reach plateaus.

 

So get away from the rut and the plateau. Find a quite place and bring a notepad. Clear your thoughts. Then at the top of a piece of paper write, “Ways to Improve ____________________.” Then spend the next 15 minutes or so putting down everything you can think that could help.

 

(5)    Practice

 

I recently read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (you can check out my book review here). One of the key points he makes is that anyone who experiences true success practices. And not just any amount of time practicing—10,000 hours of practice. That’s a ton of time.

 

Of course, you may not be able to spend 10,000 hours to get to a point of improvement. However, if you do want to attain a higher level then you’re going to have spend time seeking ways to get better. Practice the sales pitch, practice writing, practice making phone calls, practice teaching, etc. Wanting to improve won’t happen unless you put the time into practicing.

 

 

Breaking through a plateau doesn’t just happen: you have to be intentional. Hopefully these five tips will help you breakthrough any plateau you might have hit.

 

 

Think Huge!

Patrick Henry Hughes is Thinking Huge

Note: Thanks to Tom McWilliams for sending the video link to this inspiring story.

Below is a video that illustrates how one young man is a living example of someone who is thinking huge; he has persevered more than most folks could possibly endure to live his passion. Both father and son are amazing.

Note that of his disability, Patrick says, “It’s more ability than disability.”

 

Think Huge!

Start New Year by Thinking Huge

Welcome to 2010!

 

As the New Year begins, there is no better time to Think Huge. We’re already several days into January and many of us are off and running. Activity and business, however, does not always mean success.

 

As we said in the book, Think Huge means, “Going many steps beyond where you are today and pushing past your comfort zone. In other words, not limiting yourself. We sometimes put an invisible ceiling on what we can accomplish in life. Thinking huge means removing those barriers and accomplishing our dreams and ambitions. Maybe you want to be the teacher of the year. Or the top salesperson. Or the CEO. Or a more involved parent. Or a more loving spouse. Or _______. You fill in the blank with what areas you want to think huge.”

 

You are probably thinking (or have already set) your goals for 2010. One way to set goals this year is to break them into the six Think Huge areas:

 

• Vision
• People
• Passion
• Time
• Perseverance
• Learning

 

Here are some questions to consider in each area and then examples you can use for your 2010 goals:

 

(1)    Vision

 

Do you have a vision statement for your life, department, organization, etc.? One goal might be to write your six word personal and/or professional vision statement.

 

(2)    People

 

Who do you want to be close to or get to know this year? For example, there may be a family member you want to reach out to, an old friend to reconnect with, or a child you want to hang out with more.

 

(3)    Passion

 

Is there a particular hobby or interest you want to develop more this year? Maybe this is the year you buy the Harley! One of my passions is to speaking so one of my 2010 passion goals is to do multiple Think Huge presentations (if you want to book me, click here—how’s that for a shameless self-plug!).

 

(4)    Time

 

How can you maximize your time in 2010? Maybe it’s to reduce the number of meetings you are in or to better streamline your meetings. Other time goal examples could include spending “x” number of hours a week for yourself, spending less hours at work, or improving a particular skill you have by practicing it more.

 

(5)    Perseverance

 

Is there some area of your life you are discouraged and want to quit? Don’t give up—persevere. Perseverance goal examples could be running a marathon or half marathon, finishing school, changing your job if you’re unhappy, improving your marriage, etc.

 

(6)    Learning

 

If you’re not learning, you’re not growing. What are you going to learn this year? Examples include taking a college class, reading one business book per month, attending a conference, etc.

 

 

You probably have multiple goals for 2010. Hopefully you have some in all six Think Huge areas. What Think Huge goals have you set for 2010? Please share yours in the comments section below.

 

Think Huge!

Think Huge Lessons From UT's Championship Loss

Note: I am a University of Texas Longhorn alumnus so this post is written from that viewpoint (no offense to you Alabama folks, who deserve many congratulations on your great win)

I was all decked out in my burnt orange UT gear for the national championship game: burnt orange pants, two burnt orange shirts (it was cold!), UT socks and even burnt orange slippers. Then five plays into the game, disaster struck when Colt McCoy went out with a game-ending shoulder injury.

As I watched the rest of the national championship game (and Colt’s interview after the game) in agony, I realized there were several  Think Huge lessons the game illustrated:

Think Perseverance

One of the six Think Huge principles is “think perseverance.” In the book, we note that “thinking huge is not a ‘name it and claim it’ gospel. You will encounter trials in your life and that chapter helps with tools for overcoming those obstacles.”

Last night, the ‘Horns encountered a major early obstacle: the loss of the quarterback with the most wins in college football history. But they didn’t give up. They could have easily rolled over and quit. A lot of teams would. Instead they fought and fought and fought. Even with a true freshman quarterback, UT closed the score to 24-21 with under five minutes to go. But then Alabama’s defense took over the game.

As commentator Kirk Herbstreit said after the game, “They never gave up.”

That is thinking huge. Sure they were deflated after the McCoy injury but they continued to persevere. And that’s what you will have to do in life as you think huge. There are going to be times when you’re going to get knocked out (lose your job, family member get sick, have a mean boss, etc.). But you have a choice: you can fight through those difficulties or rollover and quit. If you think huge, then you’ll never give up.

Think Passion

I hope you stayed up after the game to see Colt’s interview. He said some amazing things that are “Think Huge” principles.

“I love this game,” McCoy said. “I have a passion for this game….I would have given everything I had to been out there.”

Click here to see the full interview:

 

 

Is there anything you would give everything to do? Then that’s your passion. Whatever it is, go do it. Don’t wait. Time is precious.

How do you think Colt feels today? Some may think he feels sad that his college career is over and ended on such a down note. But I’m also betting he has a sense of joy: that for four years he lived his dream by doing his passion of playing college football.

Are you doing your passion? Think Huge offers a passion quiz to help you determine if you’re in the your passion spot or just bidding time.

While losing the  game was disappointing as a fan, it reminded me to think perseverance and think passion.

 

Think Huge!

Adjusting Your Goals

I recently completed the White Rock Marathon in just under four hours. There is good news and bad news in that statement: the good news is I finished; the bad news is it took me four hours (which is 30 minutes slower than what I trained for and was expecting).

Here are some lessons I learned about goals (and missing them) during my fourth marathon:

Adjust Your Goals on the Fly

I was cruising and ahead of my goal pace all the way until mile 17. Then disaster struck. I felt a sharp pain in my right knee and my legs began to feel like mush. It was pretty obvious that a 3:30 marathon was not going to happen.

Let’s be honest: there will be times in your life that you will not reach your goals. So what do you do? Do you get depressed and feel like a failure? Do you quit? No—you adjust your goals.

It may not even be a matter of adjusting your goals. It could be layering your goals. For example, my number one goal for the White Rock Marathon was to not wind up in the medical tent (which happened at the Austin Marathon last year); the second goal was to finish; the third target was to run it in 3:30. So with the layered approach I actually attained my first two goals; it was only the third and final “stretch” goal that I missed.

Let’s be clear: it’s important to set goals for you, your family and your employees. And those goals need to stretch you. However, don’t be a slave to the goal: give yourself some flexibility and adjust if you run into problems outside your control.

Analyze Why You Missed Your Goals

Immediately after finishing the marathon and missing my target time I began to ask questions. What went wrong? What mistakes did I make? What could I have done differently?

If you missed a goal, you should analyze why you didn’t reach it. That involves a lot of questions (both to you and others). For example, I went to multiple online running groups and posted questions about what went wrong. I received a great deal of advice from fellow runners.
If your goal is work related or family oriented and things didn’t go the way you wanted it to, ask others for their thoughts. There are probably others that have walked similar paths you are currently undertaking. Pick their brains. Don’t just sit back and settle for a missed goal: research what you can improve.

Never Give Up

After the knee injury at mile 17 I hit the proverbial marathon wall at mile 20. Not only was my knee hurting, my legs absolutely left me. I had a choice to make: quit or keep going. There will be times in your personal and professional life you’ll have a similar choice to make.

Even if you aren’t able to hit your goal, you should never give up. That is a key Think Huge principle. No matter what is happening, don’t quit. Even if you can’t make your target, finish the task. If you don’t finish a marathon, there is a “DNF” on the results next to your name. That stands for “did not finish.” Don’t ever let there be a “DNF” next to your name with any life goal you set.

Life is like a marathon—there will be times when you don’t hit your goals. But instead of just stopping and feeling sorry for yourself, adjust your goals; analyze why you missed your goals; and never give up.

Think Huge!

Running in the Rain

“I like rain, actually.”
—Bill Rodgers, running legend and former Boston & New York City Marathon winner

I’m nearing the end of my training for the upcoming White Rock Marathon. On one of my training runs last week I encountered some serious rain and water issues. It had been raining for two hours before my morning run so the streets were already saturated. And when I started the rain was still going strong.

So throughout the eight miles, I encountered (or shall I say “immersed my feet in”) puddle after puddle after puddle. Once I finished and dried off, I realized there were three Think Huge lessons I learned while running in the rain:

(1) You are going to step in puddles—Okay, you may call it something else but since we’re using a rainy running metaphor we’ll call it “puddles.” And sometimes, you just step in them. There were times I was literally ankle deep in water for multiple steps: my shoes and socks were drenched. I could have stopped but chose to persevere instead. Life is like that—you will have times when you’re going to get pretty wet in life. You have a choice to make: quit or persevere.

(2) Sometimes you won’t see the puddles—I wear glasses and can’t see much without them. When I’m running in the rain I don’t tend to wear them because the lenses get too wet to do any good. So on that morning I was running without glasses in the dark—which meant I didn’t see many of the puddles I stepped in. Once again, life is like that as well—you won’t always see problems coming your way. In fact, there are times when you’ll be completely blindsided. You can whine about it and have a sorry attitude. Or you can decide to directly meet the challenge with a positive attitude. Your attitude (even in the midst of puddles) makes all the difference in the world.

(3) You have to determine when to push through and when to redirect—At one point in the run I didn’t just encounter ankle deep water: I came to a low-point where the water started getting up to my lower calves. I looked ahead and saw more rushing water—and that’s when I turned around! As noted above, life is like that—while perseverance is key to success (and a think huge principle), perseverance doesn’t mean stubbornness. While you never give up (notice I didn’t stop running), there are times when you will need to redirect or go another way.

Life is not always a walk in the park—sometimes it’s a run in the rain.

Think Huge!

Overcoming Cynicism

"Cynicism is a lousy strategy."--Seth Godin, author, Tribes

I recently read the above quote in Godin’s book Tribes. It hit home on multiple fronts. Whenever you’ve been doing something for a long time, you can get cynical. If you’ve been doing your job for awhile or served at the same company for any length of time you’ve probably heard these statements (or made them yourself):

• “Nothing ever changes.”
• “We talk about the same stuff over and over again.”
• “Let’s do something different for a change.”

These statements don’t just apply to your job. We can get cynical whether we’re a stay-home mom or a manager of thousands. We can get cynical in our jobs, in our marriages, in our hobbies, in our lives. This can be especially true if we’ve been doing one thing for a long time. So how do you overcome cynicism? Here are a few tips I’ve found useful (and trust me, I have to do this in my own life as well).

(1)    Reflect on your core—Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why are at the job you hold? Why did you marry the person you did? Why do you love your kids? Sometimes when we get cynical we need to reflect on the “why” questions. Maybe you went into sales because you love people and are now burned out. If that’s the case, remember you are in your job to help people. The same principle applies to all areas of your life.

(2)    Catch yourself before making negative statements—Cynicism breeds more cynicism. If you talk negatively don’t expect it to end there. In fact, your cynicism will spread. Swallow those comments before making them.

(3)    Engage in activities that energize you—Whether it’s exercising, playing with your kids, reading a book or something else entirely, when you are doing actions that renew your spirit you are much less likely to turn into a Cynical Cindy. For example, running renews my mind as much as it does my body. When I’m not running on a regular basis I can tell a huge difference in my cynicism meter.

(4)    Take a break—It doesn’t hurt to get away. Of course, you can’t take a break from being a parent or spouse but every now and then it’s important to renew yourself. When it comes to work, be sure you are taking vacations on a regular basis. And there is something about “road trips.” Getting out of town and seeing new things is a great source of doing something different.

(5)    Mix up things—If you feel like nothing ever changes, then make change happen yourself. True change will only start with you. Sit in a different seat (at church, at meetings, etc.), change the meeting agenda, discuss an item everyone is afraid to mention, etc. It doesn’t matter what it is; just do something you haven’t done lately.

Cynicism and burnout are like bear traps. If you’re not careful, you just might step into one and start screaming before you realize what got you.

What else have you done to avoid having cynicism in your life?

Think Huge!

Think Huge! Think Career...

As I have been interviewing several candidates this week for an entry level position, I started to think about creative ways to get a job. The standard ‘send in your resume and hope they call back’ just doesn’t cut it right now. To show interest, I have seen many people make the right impression by doing a follow up call or emailing to check in on the status of the position. What if this isn’t enough? What can you do to Think Huge during the job search?

David Rowe knew that getting a job would be tough, but he did not want to settle for something that he would not like either. To battle this tough situation, David decided to Think Huge. He decided to go beyond the traditional approach and walk the streets of London with a sandwich board that read “Job Wanted.” The first steps were hard, but he pushed himself to persevere. Even his father bet him that he wouldn’t do it. David’s creative vision for his job search landed him a job interview and a collection of business cards.

Kelly Kinney also decided to Think Huge with her job search. After continuously applying for jobs and not hearing anything back, Kelly changed her approach. She recognized that one of her strengths was to connect with people through publicity.  She saw a guy with a shirt that read “Unemployed” and decided to take it to the next level. She put her resume on the front of a t-shirt with her cover letter on the back. Kelly has had several offers because of her t-shirt resume. Potential employees recognized her ability to Think Huge through her creative approach.

During the second round of interviews that I conducted, one of the candidates (without being asked) designed two ads specifically for this interview. This communicated an incredible amount of initiative on their part. This applicant definitely stood out by applying the Think Huge principles of taking the time to design the ads, thinking of the people that she is interviewing with and having the vision to show me that she can do this job effectively.

These are just a few fun examples that I came across as well as my personal experience through the interview process. What’s your Think Huge story?   Shout back and leave a comment with your thoughts.  I would love to hear about more creative job search techniques.