“What if today, we were just grateful for everything”?
(Charlie Brown)
Here’s to a great day for everyone who reads this! Hope you take time to enjoy your family, friends, and great food.
Continue to Walk into the Future!
Calvin
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things”.
(Maya Angelou)
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most”.
(Buddha)
Merriam-Webster defines resilience as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
Happy to report there has not been any misfortune for me, but the change has been an adjustment to my training regimen. I am still putting in work but not able to get the same quality sessions I put in pre-COVID. This can be directly attributed to my work role in Fort Pierce but please do not think I am complaining.
We have made some major operational improvements and there is light at the end of the tunnel where we will soon normalize operations and I can get back to putting in more training miles.
The concept of resiliency reminds me of the old saying: try and then try again!
Decided to use shorter races as a bigger part of my training program to get me prepared for the rigors of the half marathon distance. I have the 2021 Rock N Roll Savannah half marathon in November and the 2021 Track Shack OUC half marathon in December. My overall goal is to run a half marathon under 2 hours and the Track Shack OUC half marathon is the ideal setup to make this happen. I need to put in additional training miles to build my endurance back to my 2019 levels.
My fastest half marathon was the 2019 Track Shack OUC half marathon with a time of 2:05:51 (two hours, five minutes, and 51 seconds). 2020 was set to be my fastest year ever but of course COVID-19 shut down racing and my training lagged—that’s on me! 😊
So, what’s my plan to correct my training and speed issues? Well, I check multiple running clubs to see what races are being offered locally and within driving distance to me in Fort Pierce.
I routinely scan the Fleet Feet Stuart and Orlando Track Shack events pages to determine which races are available to help with my training program. I just shared with my best friend I have a hard time training with race pace—it is a mental thing for me since I do not have competitors or anyone to pace with. I am sure I may be the only active running with this issue but targeting real races seems to get my competitive nature going. This may not be the ideal strategy, but I will try this out to get me closer to my half marathon goal.
Made my way back over to Orlando for the 2021 Track U Can Finish 5 Mile race to get some speed work in. I ran this same event when I lived in Oviedo, but this is the first time I tackled the race distance in 8 years.
This is an interesting event because it has multiple distances available for runners to try. The first event is the U Can Finish 2 Mile race and Track Shack has a distance dare. Runners can sign up to run the 2-mile race and then compete in the 5-mile race right after. The hook for distance dare runners is the opportunity to collect 3 medals: 2-mile, 5-mile, and distance dare medals. Runners love their bling and a lot of them took part in the distance dare. I did not—officially. 😊
Did something new on race day to ensure I got in extra training miles. I stay in the same hotel each time I visit the Orlando area and it is down the street from the UCF campus.
I decided to leave my vehicle parked at the hotel and ran the 2-mile distance to the UCF campus for the start of the 5-mile race. Figured this was a great way to warmup and stretch my legs before my race and ensured I would get in a long training session—it was just broken up into segments.
Toed the line for the 5-mile race completely warmed up and excited to run on the UCF campus again. The race village was setup directly in front of the Career Services building where I worked for 4-years prior to moving to Tallahassee and the FSU Career Center. Great being back on the old stomping grounds. 😊
My goal for the 5-mile race was simply to test my endurance and consistently run miles splits with a 9 on the front of them (9:05, 9:10, etc.). Mission accomplished.
The UCF campus is completely flat which helped a lot. Went out with the intent to run my race based on feel and then push myself when I could.
Mile-1 went by at an 8:44 per minute pace and I felt good with the effort. Mile-2 through 5 were: 9:15, 9:33, 9:57, 9:42 which got me to the finish line at 47:29. Targeted 45 flat but happy with my results considering I put in a 2-mile run before my race.
Collected my 5-mile medal and took some pictures to commemorate the race and my time back at UCF. Got some refreshments and stretched a bit before heading out. I tucked my race medal away and began my 2-mile journey back to my hotel—yes, I ran back for a total of 9 training miles for the day. Felt great every step of the day!
I will look for additional races to help me prepare for my next two half marathons. Still have some speed in these legs, just need to release it in my unique way.
FYI—I am still on pace to meet my 2021 goals of 1,000 training miles. Imagine my mileage if I could stay consistent with my training.
Irie!
How do you display resilience in your daily activities? Thanks!
“Life does not get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient”.
(Steve Maraboli)
(Image by Mediamodifier from Pixabay)
“The worst form of justice in pretended justice”.
(Plato)
Dictionary.com defines white privilege as inherent advantages possessed by a white person based on their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.
Merriam-Webster defines bias as a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly.
So, where am I heading with these definitions? I will get to the point but need to ask you a few questions.
Who is Gabby Petito? Who is Brian Laudrie?
I am sure you did not need to run a Google search to provide an answer to either of those questions. We have learned more about both individuals on the morning, afternoon, nightly and cable news shows almost daily since September.
We know she was a travel influencer and they traveled out west to hike and camp while documenting the trip. We also know there was an incident during the trip and police were called in to investigate and/or deescalate the situation between the couple. No arrests were made, and the couple continued the journey without a warning from the police.
I will not dive much deeper into the situation because it has been covered extensively by the news media. We know where they were before Gabby went missing and Brian decided to return to his parent’s home in Florida. The media set up outside the homes of both families and conducted interviews with them. The media spoke with local law enforcement, FBI agents and experts on finding missing people.
The media coverage for this ONE case was 24/7! We got in-depth and breaking news coverage to let us know every time something new was identified in the case. Bravo to the news media for being so aggressive providing us with these vital updates.
Next question. Who is Jelani Day? I am going to wait so you can go Google his name.
He disappeared the month PRIOR to Gabby but no round the clock coverage to inform us of updates in the investigation. We did not get updates on a person of interest, circumstances surrounding his disappearance or background information about him.
I found an article on USA Today in the News category—it was not listed as Breaking News or a Top Headline. I am happy his story was listed at all but why the disparity in how both cases were covered by the media? Another question I must ask is how many other people went missing during the same time frame, but we heard nothing about them on the national news either. This is what media bias looks like!
People of color are missing right now but there appears to be only one story the media is interested in covering. I am fine with the media covering this case but why do they completely ignore everyone else? It is hard to not see the media bias in the coverage, but the sad thing is multiple networks/outlets are all doing the same thing.
Would we know more about Jelani Day’s investigation IF the media put as much interest in his case as the one we all have been hearing about since September? Don’t answer that—I know the answer!
Jelani Day and all missing people should be afforded the same coverage and investigation we have seen for the disappearance of Gabby Petito—nothing more or less!
I wrote about The Two Americas last summer—this is another example. You be the judge.
Research:
“Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes”.
(Public Enemy)
“Paisley Park is in your heart”
This is a lyric from the song titled Paisley Park on Prince’s Around the World in a Day album. It’s not one of his most well-known songs but the title was translated by the artist to name his artistic palace in Chanhassen, a suburb of Minneapolis.
Paisley Park is a combination of residence, recording studios, sound stage, video editing and party spot (concerts, DJ’s, etc.) designed by Prince in the late 1980s. This is a place where he churned out hit after hit from his own recording platforms. It afforded him the opportunity to create new music and concepts right where he lived. Simply, come downstairs and walk into a recording studio to lay down some tracks that would one day become a #1 hit.
Paisley Park is a place I always wanted to visit to experience the place responsible for the soundtrack of my life. I grew up listening to Prince from the very early stages of his career and wanted to Walk into the Future and see Paisley Park first hand.
Wow…what an experience! I decided to make a visit to Minneapolis and then venture over to Chanhassen to tour Paisley Park. They have multiple tour formats to select but I decided to reserve my spot for the General Admission (70-minute tour) and was not disappointed. There were roughly 20 other Prince fans along for my tour timeframe. We’re talking people from all over the world who decided to make the Paisley Park journey to reconnect with Prince, his music and the place where he created magic.
The tour started with a brief history of his music, why he wanted Paisley Park and what happens there now. The tour’s most emotional moment for me was when we stepped into the foyer at Paisley Park. Prince’s ashes are encased under glass overlooking the foyer. Didn’t expect the ashes to be there but it was a goose bump moment for a lot of us on the tour.
We were provided free time to explore multiple rooms dedicated to specific albums/tours (LoveSexy, 1999, For You, etc.) and his personal office. The tour guide identified the office was intact just as Prince left it. Of course, it was a very cool set-up to include video, music and a sitting area to entertain visitors.
The tour then took us directly into Studio A where most of his hits from the 1990s were recorded. Very cool place to see and experience the sound system and unreleased music that will be coming out soon! Sounds great and you will love the concepts! LOL.
His numerous awards (Grammys, BET, MTV, etc.) were displayed in hallway cases. The effect of seeing these awards put a smile on most of our faces as we remembered watching Prince receive these awards on TV over the years. Fantastic opportunity to actually see history.
Prince’s movies/soundtracks had separate areas at Paisley Park. The Purple Rain display included the motorcycle from the movie, his iconic purple trench coat and the Grammy awarded for the soundtrack.
Under the Cherry Moon with the black and white theme provided a unique contrast to his other movies. Graffiti Bridge, Sign ‘O the Times and RAVE were displayed, and all were shot on the sound stage at Paisley Park.
Speaking of the sound stage, our tour took us into the enormous space used by Prince and others for tour preparation, make videos and shoot movies. Prince allowed other musicians to use this area to help them get ready for national tour dates.
The tour ended in the New Power Generation (NPG) club which is still used to host dance parties for Prince fans. This area was used by Prince to host fans and sometimes play live shows for the few lucky folks in attendance. It was noted Prince normally didn’t start playing until 2 am in the morning so you would have to be an extreme night owl to catch one of these impromptu shows.
Cameras are not allowed at Paisley Park so the memories from this experience must be lived and not streamed out. I believe this enhanced the overall experience for me.
Very happy my Walk into the Future led me to Paisley Park!
Where have you always wanted to go but never made the time? How can you leverage a trip to help you decide to walk into the future?
FYI–I plan a return trip to Paisley Park in 2022. Who is going to meet me there? 🙂
(Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay)
“There is no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated”.
(Richard Branson)
Psychology Today identifies intellectual curiosity as a deep and persistent desire to know.
Betterup.com dives deeper by defining intellectual curiosity as curiosity that leads to an acquisition of general knowledge.
At this point I am sure you are wondering where I am headed with intellectual curiosity. Glad you asked! 😊
This has become a major characteristic I look for when working with others. I was never able to find the exact term until recently but intellectual curiosity in the workplace provides a foundation for success.
Interestingly, this is not something everyone is able to display easily. I see people who practice this trait when something is near and dear to them on a personal or professional level. The key for me is for everyone to translate intellectual curiosity daily in the workplace.
Why you ask? Great question!
People who display intellectual curiosity can find new ways to get things done. There are multiple work environments where the mindset is we have always done it that way. This may be true but organizations and people who cannot evolve are doomed to fail. It may take time for the demise, but it will happen.
Intellectually curious people understand how things are done and continue to look for ways to improve the process daily. I love being surrounded by these type people because they understand the concept of moving forward. Processes and techniques change daily, and organizations need to be able to pivot. Pivots and adjustments are needed quicker as we introduce more technology into the workplace.
COVID-19 allowed intellectually curious people and organizations to make the necessary adjustments to ensure services were provided. Most of my work colleagues had never heard of Zoom prior to the pandemic. Turns out the Zoom platform in the hands of intellectually curious organizations increased the ability to provide services and made meetings more efficient. Staff did not lose time driving or walking to meetings anymore—they simply logged into their computers and joined the meetings via their laptops.
I never imagined university career fairs could be done completely online. Intellectual curiosity has allowed people in my career field to find more efficient ways to connect students and employers. There are some organizations that have been slow to adapt to the changing world and they are rapidly being left behind.
I challenge staff to become intellectually curious daily. This is the only way to ensure an organization has a growth mindset. The way we did business two years ago is not coming back so organizations need the ability to adapt, grow and move forward.
I propose organizations staffed with people with intellectual curiosity will thrive—those without will slowly fade away.
How do you display intellectual curiosity? I welcome your thoughts!
“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding an answer”.
(Denis Waitley)
“Someone who is busier than you is running right now”.
(Nike)
The quote above speaks to me on multiple levels. There is always something happening in our daily lives and skipping a training run can become a habit.
I continue to look for ways to motivate myself to stay consistent with my training. It would be easy to blame COVID-19 since the racing world and protocols have changed. Again, that would be an excuse because we do not need a start or finish line to get a run in. My goal for the rest of the year is to maintain training consistency and get out and run.
I have written previously that running is my therapy. Running gives me an opportunity to clear my head and gather my thoughts after a long work week. This sport also helps me maintain a healthy body weight while I continue to eat without counting calories.
Decided to find a start line and signed up for the Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k. This race served two purposes: helped me determine my fitness level and got to shop in a great city.
I ran this race multiple times when I lived in Oviedo, so it was an easy decision to get over to Winter Park for another Track Shack race. I did not get in town early enough to visit Track Shack, so I do not have an in-store shopping experience to share this time. I am pretty sure I own every color of the Track Shack training shirts—will add more to the wardrobe in the future. 😊
Got off work early on Friday afternoon and drove over to Oviedo. I normally get into a race town early the day prior, but this was a 5k and I did not need the extra prep time. Guess that’s what real runners say when they show up not knowing how well they will run the next day. My goal was to toe the line and run with enough intensity to determine what I needed to do to complete my half marathon training.
Happy to report physical distancing at races is still a thing. People were respectful of spacing and did not crowd together at the start line. Made my way to the 8 minute per mile area with the intent to avoid the crowds behind me and minimize bumping into other runners. I recognized quite a few runners from my days living in Oviedo. I smiled when a few of them recognized me too—guess runners never forget! 😊
I started with a controlled pace to ease into the race and to determine if there were any runners I wanted to pace with. Orlando has a great running community and there were several runners available to tag along with during this race. Somehow, I did not get my music playlist set prior to the race and ended up running without music. This is not normal for me during races or training so had to create my own rhythm listening to my breathing and feet pounding the ground. Not as interesting as bobbing my head to T.I.’s Motivation. I will have my music situation corrected before heading to Virginia Beach for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon.
My miles splits: Mile 1: 8:45 / Mile 2: 9:20 / Mile 3: 9:40 / Mile .1 / .59 = 9:13 pace.
Not bad for a training run. Decided not to push too hard and enjoy stretching my legs while getting in some extra road work.
Laughed a few times during the race when several Orlando runners complained about the HILLS on the course. I have experienced the Tallahassee and Nashville hills during training and races—the Orlando hills were simply sidewalk inclines. I did not even break strides to get up those big, bad hills the Orlando folks dreaded. I had to control myself and not give folks a hard time for walking up these very small inclines—guess hills are subjective to runners.
Crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and gas left in my tank. Made it over to the vendors and got pizza as an after-race snack. Yes, runners eat horribly once the race is over.
Happy with my efforts during the Celebration of Running 5k. Will continue to work on my conditioning as I prep for my visit to Virginia Beach in September. My goal is to enjoy the course and my time on the beach. I do not have a goal time for this race but will finish and enjoy the grind.
I’m sure I will have an article to discuss my race weekend! 😊
Irie!
“Long distance running is 90% mental, and the other half is physical”.
(Rich Davis)
My how the time flies
When you look back and wonder
How did we get here?
When did that happen?
The promise that was promised
Had diminished over time
And left the wonder of why
And can the path be adjusted
To fulfill the destiny of the wonder
That was first wondered by me
(Image by Radfotosonn from Pixabay)
“Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets”.
(Luke 6:26)
My Walk into the Future in 2020 was an interesting journey!
I am sure everyone who just read that last sentence can highlight how 2020 was a unique year to remember—good or bad. We all had to adjust in 2020 due to COVID-19 and these adjustments impacted our daily lives.
One area I needed to adjust was how I lead an organization with COVID-19 work protocols–working from home, virtual meetings and having staff with preexisting conditions. None of these things were on our radar when 2020 started but quickly became necessary talking points in early March 2020 for most of us.
My gravitation to the Luke 6:26 verse came about because even when I am doing great work, I continue to look for an angle to motivate myself to do more. I am not a person to rest on my laurels but look for ways to motivate myself and team to do more. Luke 6:26 stands out to me today because I am happy to report not all men speak well of me on my current Walk into the Future.
I do not make that claim lightly but have found a level of motivation, enjoyment, and humor in this fact. Turns out the people who do not speak well of me are the people who are slackers in their daily work endeavors. It is obvious I take a lot of pride in getting positive things done, correctly and on-time. I have discovered people who do not take pride in their work, who are satisfied with the status quo or who are plain lazy are not fans of people like me.
I enter new organizations with the mission to make a difference daily—amazingly simple concept but one I do not take lightly. I have discovered in my new work environment there WERE several people who were not held accountable for their daily actions. You cannot make a difference daily without being accountable, so these people hear from me they are not meeting my expectations.
Please note, these folks work or worked in multiple departments, so it was not isolated to just one area.
“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes the wicked incur abuse.”
(Proverbs 9:7)
A funny thing happened when I identified we all need to be accountable in the work environment. Some did not speak well of me! Not saying that to be nonchalant or play it down but I heard someone say they could not thrive in a work environment with expectations. True statement!
I wish I were making this up, but it is true. Imagine being in a work environment and a staff member has an issue with being accountable to the team and overall mission. I have been on this professional journey for 30+ years now and find this a terribly sad state of mind for anyone.
Turns out the previous leadership did not value accountability as much as they should have. It is amazing how much energy is needed within an organization to correct these type thoughts and actions. There have been times new leadership has been questioned but The Energy Bus continues to move forward. Great things are happening and staff who did not have a voice are now able to fully contribute. The new energy is contagious!
I hope there are other folks who do not speak well of me! My work speaks for itself. I was promoted to Administrative Director of Advising and Career Services on July 1, 2021. Must be doing something right, huh? 😊
We will continue to Walk into the Future and do great things! Irie!
Believe Shakespeare perfectly sums up this episode below!
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown”.
(Shakespeare)
Really?
Black Lives Matter you say
Is that real or just a cliché?
Cannot believe we have to scream this everyday
Just to be heard, seen, and protected
From the brutal society trying to stamp us out
The daily body counts continue to rise
With no end in sight, we fall
Does not matter if it is a southern thing
Northern thing or western thing
Black lives continue to be extinguished
With no end in sight
So, I ask again, do Black Lives Matter?
When will you step up to make this true?
Simply saying it with no action makes it a hollow cliché
Something woke to say?
Time for action, some type of display
Marching is fine but there cannot be additional delay
Let us put more meaning to Black Lives Matter
Do it today!
“Running: my sport is your sport’s punishment”.
(Funny running quotes)
Took me a little time to fully understand what being a runner truly means. I started getting serious about running when I moved to Oviedo, Florida from Bonaire, Georgia.
I ran in Georgia because I was still in the Air Force and needed to maintain my cardio fitness to ensure I completed our annual fitness test. I was always in shape but focused on football, basketball and weightlifting while in the Air Force. I signed up for an occasional 5k but never really trained for them—just showed up and ran. I also had NO idea how important the correct shoes can be in this sport.
Now, back to the quote above. I played football, basketball, and baseball back in the high school days. I transitioned to flag football, basketball, softball and weightlifting during my time in the Air Force. Coaches in both worlds routinely assigned RUNNING as a motivational tactic or punishment depending on how they felt. A missed assignment in football was punished by running a lap or two around the track. A missed free throw in basketball was punished by unlimited ‘down and backs’ on the basketball court. An error in baseball or softball got a lap around the field to regain your focus. So, as you can see, the quote above rings true in more ways than one. 😊
Fast forward to today and punishment from my younger days is something I routinely leave my house to accomplish, for fun! The therapeutic benefits have been amazing also.
Running has taken on a large part of my Walk into the Future, and I do not see it diminishing anytime soon. I got into running later in life, so I am blessed to not have run related injuries that limit my ability to get my miles in. I also know the importance of nutrition and stretching so make sure I take care of my body before, during and after my runs.
Another fun fact about my running program is I bring my running gear whenever I travel in case I can sneak a run in. Sometimes I never get a chance to break out my gear but want to be ready.
My work with the Central Florida Employment Council (CFEC) back in May brought me back to the Orlando area and the large trail systems available there. My event with CFEC was on a Friday afternoon so I decided to hang out in Oviedo after the event so I could get up on Saturday morning and run the Seminole Cross Trail while in the area. Yes, you read that right—Inspiration Man made a point to get a run in while in town making a difference.
I love the Seminole Cross Trail because it has visible mile markers and most of the trail is shaded. I made sure I got out early because I wanted to beat the Central Florida heat and still have time to enjoy time in Oviedo.
There was a lot of activity on the trail with bikers, walkers and runners sharing the trail. I made a point to wave and say hello to everyone I saw on the trail. My Fort Pierce runs do not provide many opportunities to see many folks during my runs, so it was great seeing others out enjoying the morning on the trail.
A first for me was seeing someone riding a unicycle on the trail. Guess I only thought people rode unicycles as part of a circus act but this guy rode by me at a good pace. I was impressed with the ability to balance and ride a unicycle while avoiding people on a busy trail. Started to wonder if I could ride one of those things. Running provides time to think about stuff. 😊
I was able to complete a quick 6 mile run on the trail before it got too hot—not bad considering I was there for an event.
I look forward to leveraging the Seminole Cross Trail more as I ramp up my half marathon training. I plan to get back into racing later in the year and need to start getting long runs in again.
My run gear bag remains packed, and I am ready to keep logging miles. Each run brings me closer to 1,000 training miles for the year.
How many miles have you logged this year? Let’s get busy!
“Running helps me maintain my ‘never killed anyone’ streak”.
(Pinterest)
Walk Into the Future 