Champion of Choice Challenge 2.0 Update

Between the Swine Flu, Toastmasters Contests, Car Troubles, and general stress, my choices have taken me away from my blogs in the last few weeks. Time to revisit the goals set for the Champion of Choice Challenge 2.0.

I. A Financial Life completely supported by my career as a speaker and a coach. The specific amounts are for me alone to know – suffice it to say my goals are high.

1. Multi-page speaker brochure by August 31
2. 4 scheduled speaking engagements in September
3. Two sets of business cards – one for speaking, one for coaching, by September 4th
4. 100 proposals to speak sent out by September 30th
5. Speaking e-book completed by September 30th
6. 5 articles up on e-Zine Articles by August 31st
7. Coaching specific website up and operable by August 31st
8. 25,000 Twitter followers by August 31st (15,200 as of August 16th)

Accountability is a bitter pill in the Financial Life area - none of these goals have been met. We continue to maintain the status quo, financially.

II. Support my wife with her Thriving with Neurofibromatosis campaign

1.Finish her book by August 31
2.Create posters for free disbursal by August 31

While these two goals haven't been met, Kristi's blog and networking has taken off. In addition, we have focused on finding out more about her condition, and the medical choices she is facing. This has been a focus that we have chosen together to make top priority.

III. Reconnect with Toastmasters. The choice was made several weeks ago for me to take a year sabbatical. That choice was a bad choice. I receive so much support through the Toastmasters organization that leaving left me feeling without family. While I have a large family at home, a professionally supportive family is very important.

1. Complete TM DVDs and deliver on Monday, August 17
2. Reconnect with District Leadership by August 18
3. Return to Spokane Falls TM by August 27
4. Earn CL by June 30, 2010

Goals 1-3 are all completed, and I'm continuing to move forward, having taken on the role of Division Governor.

IV. Create a Healthy Physical Body for Me to Inhabit. (No, I'm not looking for a host body!)

1. Lose 60 lbs by February 15, 2010 – 6 months, 10 pounds a month.
2. Daily tracking of food intake – to be publicly posted on the NING site.
3. Daily exercise – to be publicly posted on the NING site.
a. 100 push-ups program by Sept. 30
b. 100 sit-ups program by October 2nd
4. Finish dental work by October 31st

I made some strong progress on this with the push-ups program for 4 weeks, then dropped it. The dental work has also been delayed into November. The rest remains status quo.

V. Create stronger mental discipline

1. Daily work in the Secret Abundance Files
2. Daily min. 30 minute exposure to positive reading or audio learning – to be posted publicly on NING
3. Read Atlas Shrugged by October 31st
4. Daily reading in the Bible – to be shared publicly on NING
5. Wake up by 6 am daily
6. Watch only 10 hours of TV per week (except football in the background as I work – lets be realistic.)

Goals 3,4, and 6 have become regular lifestyle features. I'm on schedule with Atlas Shrugged, and my TV viewing has significantly dropped. Still, the others are very important, yet have been allowed to stall.

VI. Create a stronger family unit

1. Spend more one on one time with each child, guilt-free, each day
2. Build family-time in the evening – 30 minutes minimum to check in, read from the Bible, and pray – starting tonight.
3. Spend more fun time with Kristi, away from the kids, the financials, and the house.

Of all the big goals, this is the one that has been most successful, and I am proud to have made large strides with my family.

Every day is a battle for choice. What choices will I make today? What attitude? Which work do I focus on? What do I do for the family? How do I spend my time, money, emotions? What food do I eat? What exercise do I do? Where do I go and for how long? And dozens more.

No matter how many times I make the wrong choice, or make choices in the wrong way, I know tomorrow is another day. And I will never, never, never give up. That is my choice - to ignore the naysayers, to overcome the doubts, to tell myself yes even as I tell myself no.

I am a Champion of Choice, regardless of my results. Because in the end, each result is from the choices I've made. That's where being a Champion begins - taking responsibility, and taking credit. I choose. You choose. They choose. Choose the route of a Champion.

I'm Sorry. So Sorry. Please Accept, My Apology...

The public apology has become a bit of a sport since the days of Bill Clinton. He wouldn't admit anything, but was still sorry. Some say he wasn't sorry enough. Some say he wasn't sorry early enough. Some say he wasn't sorry LONG enough. Of course, he's still married to our Secretary of State, so he either was sorry enough, or continues to be sorry on a daily basis.

Before him was Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, both performing apoplectic apologies publicly, and year after year, more preachers, writers, politicians, athletes, and entertainers have walked the tightrope of regret.

We begged Pete Rose to admit his sins of betting on Baseball, and apologize, so we could see him in the Hall of Fame. He finally did, but we decided he didn't mean it, and are left empty inside.

The parade of politicians sleeping with women who are not their wives has been rather long of late - with apologies that sound a lot like little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar - 'It was wrong, I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop myself'. The term soul mate has been a favorite, lately.

David Letterman is the latest apologizer to hit - and he took a unique approach. He has the advantage, of course, of addressing the world from his home field - his own television show. By both apologizing and revealing a blackmail scheme, he introduces a couple of threads to the public discussion. Yes, he's a typical jerk who had affairs at work (at a time when he involved, but not married), but now he's introduced a bigger jerk who threatened to rat him out if he didn't pay large sums of money. An affair of the heart is understandable in today's world, but blackmail is a major crime, and we love our crime shows even more than our soaps.

We all face moments in our lives when we must apologize. We make choices that aren't the best. We hurt people. We let them down. We offend. The very concept of Reclaiming our Power of Choice cannot work outside of the concept of taking responsibility for those Choices, and occasionally having to apologize.

Anatomy of an Apology

A. The Earlier the Better - don't wait to get 'caught' - catch yourself.
B. Acknowledge the Pain - THEIR pain, not yours.
C. Check their Pulse - are they ok? What consequences are they facing thanks to YOU?
D. Propose a Solution - how can you make up for what you did? Warning: sometimes you CAN'T.
E. Follow Through - put the solution into action quickly, with enthusiasm and contrition.
F. If you blow E., return to A. and begin again.

Of course, too many apologies will lower your credibility, both with others and with yourself. Make them, mean them, and then work to avoid them...by making your choices with more precision each day. Be a Champion!