Is Tiger Still A Champion?

I have followed Tiger Woods since he tied for 60th at the Milwaukee Open back in 1996. I have blogged about him, his attitude, his skills, and his competitive spirit.

I have never blogged about his character, other than how it is displayed on the course. I've ignored the cursing and club throwing, understanding the intense pressure he is under from outside and from within each time he tees it up.

Now, he's a week into his worst situation ever - media bombardment, the fickleness of fans, and the ramifications cheating on his wife will have on his family, most important of all (to me).

I do not find it to be my place to judge Tiger, sympathize with Tiger, or defend Tiger.

However, he has provided us with an amazing example of what happens when our choices don't align with our overall goals (or what he has put out there as his goals - I suppose he would be dead on if his goals were to become a virtual sports god and then risk it all by conducting an extra-marital affair).

A week ago, our perception of Tiger was still pristine, and about to get another shine with his Tournament this week that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, which largely benefits kids education.

Today, his endorsements, his ability to draw fans, his focus to his craft, and his marriage are all at risk. His legacy has changed forever. Just as Kobe Bryant may never truly out-play his rape trial, no matter how many championships he wins, Tiger may forever be seen as the fallen angel.

Of course, he still has choices. Moving forward, he can make some great choices, as can any of us who have made mistakes of all types and varying degrees in our past. He's already making choices, and they are being scrutinized every second, from his communication on his website to reports of his pre-nuptial agreement rewrite, a large payment to Elin, his supermodel wife, and immersion into marriage counseling.

What he does from this point one will determine his future, just as his past choices have determined, in all of its mayhem and stress, his present. He has to live with his choices, past and future, just as we live with our own.

Two things to think about:

1. Learn from Tiger. Align your choices with your ultimate goal - whether it's to become a revered golfing legend, a successful entrepreneur, or a great dad and husband. Don't let your short-term choices short-circuit your long-term success.

2. Monitor the Big Choices with the Big Consequences. After all, no matter how many titles Tiger wins, how much money, how many people he helps - these Big Choices will always be carried somewhere in his golf bag.

Tiger is still a champion. Whether he will be a Champion of Choice is up to him.

Who the Champion of Choice Really Is

When this all began back in May, I called myself The Champion of Choice. I have struggled with that 'title' because I've been so concerned with viewing it as a title, when, in fact, it is an action.

I champion choice. I fully believe we have the power to choose every action everyday, and we can deconstruct the present state of our lives based on the choices we have made, or chosen not to make. I know I am where I am right now because of each choice I've made. Continuing this blog is one of those choices.

Even after deleting the posts and videos from the first challenge, which I already regret, there is enough in this blog to let people know I'm not as financially successful as Tony Robbins, Ed Tate, or even OctoMom. Well, maybe OctoMom.

Do I want a meeting planner, corporation, or potential coaching client to read past posts know that I'm not an all-out success yet? That I still have goals I'm pursuing, and the big house, fast car, and massive bank account don't yet exist? That I'm still at the beginning of this journey, as opposed to being inundated with bookings and enjoying the speaker life in full? All it takes is a quick look at this blog, and they can see what struggles I face, without yet acquiring all the victories I aspire to achieve. (Of course, I don't have meeting planners bothering right now, since many of those goals revolve around marketing, but that's beside the point.)

Beyond this blog, the silver screen is lurking. Next year, a movie called SpeakEasy will come out, and it won't be hindered by my fear. It's a documentary about Public Speaking, with the storyline of the 2008 World Championship of Public Speaking as its overriding silver thread. I wasn't doing great during this time of my life financially, and was facing personal and family health challenges (some we knew about, some we didn't) throughout. Anyone who sees that movie will see a very stressed-out version of me in the midst of crisis. Of course, the viewer can also see it as "wow, he made it to the World Championship even through all that crap?"

There's no hiding from reality. I'm a financially strapped speaker/coach who can speak with the best of 'em, and inspire and coach others to transform their thought process and speaking skills in ways they never thought possible. Really. I hear that, or a version of that, every time.

I have allowed my present reality to hold me back, essentially extending my reality. My choice has been fear. Fear of being 'found out'. Fear that my competition will point to me and say "if he were really that good, would he be where he is?"

The reality of my reality, however, has nothing to do with talent or ability. It has to do with fear. Fear of not being credible, fear of investing everything and coming up empty, fear of giving others too much to judge. That means I haven't made the choices to succeed.

I've had enough. Because there isn't an audience out there that wouldn't benefit from what I have to say, there isn't a speaker I couldn't help improve in some way, regardless of my bank balance or stress level. Sound arrogant? I've been afraid of that too. No more.

So read the blog. Watch the movie. But remember to talk to my clients, too. Read Speak & Deliver, and my wife's blog Thriving with Neurofibromatosis. Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook. See who I really am. My life proves my own philosophy - our future is ours to create by choice. I've made the choices to survive. The choice to hold onto my family without losing grip of my dream. The choice to build my wife's dreams even as I pursue my own. But ultimately, the choice to fear failure so intensely I have failed by not charging forward with every ounce of energy. Which brings us to now.

The choice I'm making today, December 1st, 2009, is to stop being afraid of reality, in order to build a new one.

What is your reality? What can you do better than anything else, regardless of any other circumstances in your life? What choices are you making out of fear?

The future belongs to The Champions. The Champions of Choice.

Challenge 3.0 Update

This has been a down week compared to last week, quite honestly. With kids only going to school half-days all week, and doc appts. Mon, Tue, Thur., leaving me here with two young kids for the other half of the days, my focus has been virtually non-existent.

This morning, Kristi took the two young kids with Braden for yet another doc appt., and has given me a chance to write, which is the only reason this blog post exists!

Since my personal focus has been off, I've been putting it more on the kids and Kristi this week. The e-book I was going to do with Kristi has switched to a real (albeit self-published) book that will be available mid-January. I have been sending her out by herself to sit and write, and molding the form of the book in my spare moments. We have built tremendous momentum on this project.

Yeah, I can sit back and wish I'd blogged more, or started my book, or any number of other things, but I'd rather focus on what's working. This book is something we dreamed up in August, but simply wasn't going anywhere until this week. By changing the choices we were making, shifting our focus, we have been able to light a fire under this project.

Success one step at a time - one Choice at a time.

The Choice of True Heroes

image credit: jcolman

I wear shorts a lot. If I don't have a business meeting, I'm in shorts, 12 months a year. One result of this habit is that I get a lot of comments on my super-deluxe, robot leg. Particularly from veterans. The assumption is that I lost it on the battlefield, of course. I did not, and I always tell them straight-away, and thank them for their service.

I chose to remove the lower half of my left leg. It was the best choice available to me to live a fuller life.

Veterans made a choice to serve their country. It may or may not have been the best choice available to them, but it was a choice they consciously made. The choice to serve in the military is bigger than enlisting, though, bigger than service.

Their choice isn't even just to sacrifice - it's a choice to be WILLING to sacrifice. They know they are sacrificing their time, sweat, and energy. What they can't be certain of, despite an awareness of it, is they may sacrifice their own leg in battle, or their ability to walk, or their mental health, or their very life. The choice to be willing to sacrifice, without so much as a moments notice, is what makes our Veterans True Heroes.

I never had the choice to make this choice - 4F all the way, physically. I thank God there are so many of YOU, so many of THEM, who have made these choices, so that I can make mine.

God Bless You.

How Many Do-Overs Do You Get?

When I was a young boy, Weebles were all the rage - they wobbled, but they didn't fall down. This chant was often used against me on the playground, as I limped with every step. Inherent in the insult though, was encouragement. No matter how much I fell, I would always get up. Even those who tortured me were forced to admit it.

I had the original Champion of Choice Challenge - and it didn't go the way I'd hoped. I learned a lot, but in terms of accomplishing my goals, it was an anemic effort.

Then, in mid-August (an amazing 86 days ago), I rebooted to the Champion of Choice Challenge 2.0. While I accomplished several things, my overall yield was light.

So - it's time to admit that it's impossible - the power of choice isn't what I thought. We can't decide to create our future. We are at the mercy of the world. I need to give up, delete this blog, forget about my dreams, and sink into the great masses of despair who inhabit so much of the world.

But I can't. Because if I choose to do that, it's still a choice, and I will create that reality. The negative proves the positive. And frankly, I'd rather be POSITIVE.

Who's up for the Champion of Choice Challenge 3.0?

Parameters:

It starts NOW. As soon as you've read this post. Not on the first of the month, or on a Monday, or after the football game, or once the project on your desk is done - NOW.

It goes till December 3Oth - 50 days all told.

Pick three things, three Foundational Footsteps, you want to have done by that time. Big, small, doesn't matter. Three things. Do them, and report back. If you get them done early, celebrate, and pick a few more - push yourself. If you're having trouble getting them done, let me know, and the Champion of Choice Challenge NING community. We need something to do over there anyway.

My three Foundational Footsteps are:

1. Write and release an ebook for my wife
2. Write and release Speak & Deliver: A Public Speaking Book for the Speaking Public
3. Create an amazing Christmas for my family

Yes, there's more things I want to do, that I need to do, that I have to do. But these three things will add to my life and lifestyle the most.

My Secret Weapons:

An accountability partner - everyday I'll be going back and forth with this person to help ensure I continue to move forward.

A profitable project - today I agreed to work on a special project which will help my bottom line, allowing me greater ability to focus.

The Experience of Failure. I know what's worked this year, I know what hasn't.

I call myself the Champion of Choice, and encourage you to become one as well. For my Devoted Minority - remember that that doesn't mean always make champion-level choices, though that is the goal, champion-level results following quickly after. It means I champion the world acceptance of their Power of Choice. My mission is to help you take back your Power of Choice - and use it to improve your life.

For better or worse - we are who we've chosen to be. The Champion of Choice Challenge 3.0 - It's time to choose better. We can wobble, but we won't fall down.

The Devoted Minority

Do you take criticism to heart? Was your last book poorly received? Yesterday's blogpost not read and commented on enough? Worse yet, did you get NEGATIVE comments? Does your YouTube video sit with only 12 views, 10 of them your friends and family? Does it make you want to quit? Do you want to hide your ideas, your talents, yourSELF because your competitor has more Twitter followers, has a bigger Facebook Fan Page, and constantly brags about the 30,000 dollars they made in 24 hours with their latest product release? Then you need to discover The Devoted Minority!

The most popular, most famous, and/or the most successful people in the world are hated by more people than they are loved. And even more people in the world don't even know who they are. Guess what? You won't be hated as much as most, and most likely, the vast majority of the world won't even know who you are. And that's OK.

President Obama. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan. Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, and Alex Rodriguez. We often hear more negative things (some true, some not, and most often somewhere in between) about all of them more than we hear the positive. Someone's always willing to take a potshot at them – yet they continue to survive and succeed (even in death, for MJ) despite drawing the ire of so many.

The key is The Devoted Minority. In a world of nearly 7 billion people, no one will have The Devoted Majority. In the U.S. Presidential election, President Barack Obama won with 69,456,897 (source: Wikipedia) votes, in a country whose population is over 307 million. The entire number of votes cast for both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain was roughly 141 million – not even a majority of the country, despite the highest voter turnout in 40 years.

Your Devoted Minority is a group of supporters that keeps your success afloat. It may be 100 people, it may be 1000, it may be 10 million. The Devoted Minority loves you, spreads your ideas and ideals, and buoys you from day to day. The Devoted Minority may be your emotional or financial lifeline, and is often both. They give you approval, and they spend their money when you give them the chance.

Feed your Devoted Minority. Stay in touch, by newsletter, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, books, media – stay in front of them and give them what they want from you. Only the biggest movie stars can afford to put out a movie every three years – most are filming a movie every 8 months or so, and only the rarified writer can go more than 2 years without releasing a book. For the average businessperson, you need to be in front of your audience at least once a week. With the advent of social media, putting something out there (even if its just a few tweets or a daily status update) every day may be the only way to keep from being forgotten.

Your Devoted Minority can be a very fluid group. Don't fall into the trap of thinking “Oh, I wrote about this 6 months ago, and I'll bore my audience”. Not only do you have new people in your Devoted Minority, you have no idea how many of the read your post or book in the first place, or how many of them need to be reminded of it again! In Make It Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath, they mention the Burden of Knowledge – the idea that because WE know something, we assume everyone must know it. Your Devoted Minority either doesn't, or they want to know it again, differently. How else could Sleepless in Seattle AND You've Got Mail be hit movies, almost a decade apart? The Devoted Minority wanted to see Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together again, or, for those that were new, they got to enjoy it for the first time, and then likely went and rented Sleepless in Seattle!

Embrace your Devoted Minority. Build it, nurture it, love it. Don't worry about the fact that someone else has a bigger Devoted Minority – your own will grow faster when you focus on what you have instead of what you don't. Don't disrespect or abuse your Devoted Minority by being someone they don't want you to be, unless you're willing to part with them. For me, this means not barraging my speech coaching Devoted Minority with MLM opportunities. What does it mean for you? How can you stay in alignment with your Devoted Minority?

Choose to identify and accept your Devoted Minority. They are why you can continue to do what you do, successfully. They appreciate your services, your expertise, they appreciate YOU. On the days when you wonder if anyone is reading your blog, or going to your website, or cares if you ever do anything ever again, remember your Devoted Minority. They will keep you going, and in turn, they will add to their own number. Frustrated because you're starting with only 100 fans? Guess what? They're still a Devoted Minority. And that's OK.

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.