Broken Bones

My son just had a cast put on his arm. The poor little guy busted his arm jumping on the bed. He now only has to break his arm 5 more times, break both legs, and get a whole bunch of stitches to catch his dad.

My son cried for a few minutes when his arm snapped but the cast serves a badge of courage. At 5 years old he already lives life with reckless abandon in the pursuit of fun! I am wondering if a few more broken bones might caution my son to slow down or if the need for more mementos of a life worth living will keep him moving forward....as they did his dad!

I recently heard the story of the Broad Street Bullies. The Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970's. They were the toughest guys in the league...they also won back to back Stanley cups. People don't like that. The hockey purists were of the impression that the Broad Street Bullies had tainted the game with their rough style of play and neglect of the rule book. This is a 'purist' way of blaming losses on something other than the scoreboard.

When the Zephyr Skateboarding team showed up at a skateboarding contest in Southern California right around this time they provoked a similar reaction that the Broad Street Bullies did. The kids who where technically perfect on their boards were beaten by the innovative stylings of Jay Adams and the Zephyr team. Like the fans of the NHL's original six, they did not want a new style to trump tradition. The thing about tradition is that it doesn't evolve....How can anyone defend stagnation? How could anyone miscondone progress?

Like the Broad Street Bullies, the Zepher Team won multiple trophies. Not necessarily because they broke the rules but because they had the willingness to push past convention.

I can remember planning for a meeting by proposing to try something completely different, off the wall even. We went in dressed differently than our competition, we conducted the presentation with a special energy, and we presented our solution from a non-traditional point of view. We won the deal because we were not boring or predictable and we knew our customer didn't want to do the 'safe' thing.

Why not jump higher on the bed? Why not use physical toughness to open up your offense? Why not try tricks that have not been attempted? Why not approach a presentation with the intent of differentiating yourself (instead of being like everyone else)?

The worst that can happen is a broken bone. The cast comes off in 3 weeks and your back to jumping on the bed.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Victory; A Definition

Growing up I had great success in two sports:
* Skateboarding
* Wrestling

I never was able to define synchronization between these two seemingly distant activities. But, it struck me while watching the X-Games last weekend. Both sports are extraordinarily competitive....in neither sport do you have teammates (essentially).

Skateboarding and Wrestling have one distinct thing in common: 100% Accountability!

When you get pinned on the Wrestling mat you cannot blame the guy in the next weight class. When you fall on your face after missing a board slide you cannot blame the hand rail. What an awesome connection, to Love that which is completely within your power. To choose to commit yourself to winning or to pull up and fail. To drive your laughter to tears. In each situation, the more you practice, the better you become. So that's where I discovered myself...with no one to pass a ball to, with no one to blame a loss on, with no one there to catch me when I fall.

Independent, Free and Accountable!

To pop your board into the air high above several stairs and to land all four wheels down is a thrill experienced by a committed few. It is next to heaven, even if no one else sees it. To experience a hard earned trick and to roll off into the sunset alone is the purest form of joy!

Likewise, when you win a wrestling match, your self-confidence shoots through the roof. There is no guess work as to who should be the match's MVP - you either win or lose. When you lose, a period of deep self reflection follows...how to avoid embarrassment at the hands of another for all to see next time I step on to the mat?

So it should make sense that the truest form of victory (and defeat) are those that rest squarely on our own shoulders. When we get to a point in life where we can be 100% accountable to our short comings we have found authenticity. When we can win without the validation of others we have discovered grace.

What motivates you professionally? Is it the act of achievement or the pat on the back. Does it mean more to you to please those who are watching or to formulate and take action on a business solution? Do you live for the business relationship or the bravado that goes along with creating it.

If someone landed a 360 kick flip, and no one else saw it, did it really happen?

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave