Daily Intent

Santa Barbara, CA
Would you believe the human body is capable of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days if Dean Karnazes hadn’t done it?  How about holding one’s breath under water for over 17 minutes, were David Blaine not to have done it on the Oprah Winfrey Show?  Or a “lunge mile” can be completed in less than 30 minutes?  What about a hyperactive dyslexix founding, leading and growing a business called Kinkos to a worth of over $1Bn?

You see, we’re each far more capable than we give ourselves credit.

Maybe we aren’t sponsored and paid to train ourselves to such levels as a man that can run 300 miles continuously or 26.2 miles for 50 straight days while living out of a motor home and getting 2 - 4 hours of sleep per night.   But we can run or walk one marathon.

We may not be able, or willing, to spend months waking up early in the morning to hold our breath for five and a half minutes, hyper-ventilate for one minute, then repeat nine times, over the course of the hour, thus, holding our breath for 52 minutes of the first 60 minutes we’re awake, all in training for a pure oxygen induced breath holding record.  But we are able to swim three consecutive hours, covering 10,000 meters on our 46th birthday, like a friend of mine did earlier this week.  A past college swimmer, this was the first time he’d ever eclipsed this mark in one set of swimming.

It is hard to imagine when I arrived to Santa Barbara I didn’t believe in marathons.  I had never done one, nor did I have any intention of doing one.  “They are terrible for your body,” I proclaimed.  This may be true if done excessively or improperly trained, but if done right it can be a feat that leaves you lying in the grass, devouring every sweet or salty snack in range, feeling on top of the world and questioning whether there is anything in life that can’t be done.

It is a feat indeed, even for runners.

Do you dream of feats you’d like to accomplish?

Start with small feats.  Eventually challenge yourself with new and bigger feats.  Climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  Hike Machu Picchu.  Maybe it’s much simpler than these.  Either way, be disciplined.  Be focused.  Enjoy the journey.  Then bask in the huge accomplishment and the reminder of how capable you really are.

I’m fascinated by it all.  Maybe this is why I made my mom buy the Guinness Book of World Records each year growing up.

Look it up online.  Perhaps you should buy a copy.  Be inspired.

My next feat?  I’m starting with the Romeo’s Run this Saturday.  Who wants to join me?  …baby steps.
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PLAN
Catalyst for Thought - MINDS Lunches.  Today, Jim Eiting, past CEO and now Chairman of Midmark, a $300m medical device company and author of the recently released book, Focus for Success.  Klaus Schauser, one of the founders of Expert City which later became Citrix Online, will be joining us in late February.  Register at www.CatalystSB.org to ensure you receive the registration emails.
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LEARN
Buzzword: Fractal…think broccoli.
“A rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole, a property called self-similarity.

Because they appear similar at all levels of magnification, fractals are often considered to be infinitely complex.  Natural objects that are approximated by fractals  to a degree include …snow flakes, various vegetables (cauliflower and broccoli), and animal coloration patterns.”  -wikipedia.com

One’s personality, if being true to oneself, should emulate a fractal nature.  Personality seen when interacting with one would then be experienced and show through with many.

  Six Points to Ponder:

   1. Flat Fed. Falling Market.  The Markets have been battered during this corporate earnings season.  Investors were hoping reports would prove we’re out of the woods.  Not so. The Fed concurs.  Headwinds continue, Fed kept rates flat.                                                                                                                             - The Dow dropped 4% in a week to 10,161. The S&P 500 followed suit, 1090.  And the Nasdaq finds itself down over 100 to 2191.  Oil is down to $74/bbl.
   2. State of the Union.  Humility and hope.  President Obama called himself out for failings in the first year while pressing forward with the notion of job creation and small business support.  Large banks are the new axis of evil.
   3. Toyota Trips.  5.3 million and counting.  That’s the number of cars Toyota is recalling from their fleet.  The problem?  Too much pedal to the metal. 
   4. Funny FDA.   Wisconsin Cheeseman recalls Cheese Balls.  MuscleMaster.com recalls 17 supplements  that “surprisingly” contain steroids.  Merrick Pet Care pulls HAPPYTOT  and HAPPYBABY.
   5. iPad Excitement.  Apple continued its sprint into the future.  Wednesday, Steve Jobs, welcomed into the world iPad.
   6. Favre Flails.   Will the real Brett Favre please stand up?  Favre did in the final moments of the Vikings loss against the Saints.  Two bad decisions led to their demise.  Australian Open.  Chinese women are out.  Serena vs. Henin in the Finals.  Murray could meet Federer.

Positives:

    * I just discovered that the FDA puts out a report on recalls.  At first I thought men with terrible jokes were being pulled from society.  “Cheese Balls, recalled.”  In reading the details, I quickly realized I’m safe.  That said, I did learn of a bacteria called “listeria monocytogenes is one of the most virulent foodborne pathogens with 20 to 30 percent of clinical infections resulting in death.”  This is more than Salmonella.  He’s a little guy but packs a mean punch.  I suspect he’s French, as he loves soft cheeses.  2500 illnesses and 500 deaths each year. Who would have known?  Anyhow, a few more funny recalls: “Publix Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Pie” issued a recall because of allergy concerns and their mislabeling.  Supposedly they should have declared “pecans” were included in the small print.  Isn’t it in the name of the product?  Oh and in case you were wondering, the Boiled Horse Mackerel was also pulled from the shelves.  Should you wish to stay up-to-date on such hilarity and body altering bacterium,visit:  http://www.fda.gov/aboutFDA/ContactFDA/StayInFormed/RSSFeeds/Recalls/rss.xml
    * More fun technology toys are on their way.  The iPad, whether you buy one upon release or its main competitor in the next couple of years, such a device will become part of your life.  Bill Gates envisioned a similar device 10 years ago when proclaiming the tablet.  Sorry Bill, Jobs wins this one.  The technology and price points have finally found common ground to be of interest to the average user.  The only thing I’m now concerned about is waiting in line at the airports.  “All laptops, iPods, and iPads.  Please take them out of your bag and put them in separate bins.”
    * Two class acts are leading their teams into the Super Bowl.  Peyton Manning and Drew Brees will clash on February 7th.  These are two deserving teams that were nearly undefeated the entire season.  Two powerful offenses with timely enough defenses to win often and often win big.  “Who dat?  Who dat?  Who dat gonna beat dem Saints?!”
    * Reminder: Verizon Wireless and AT&T have just lowered their monthly service fees.  Unlimited minutes and texts are only $69.99 / month.  I called yesterday and was able to update my plan, saving $25 / month.  Call your carrier today and save yourself dollars.

Negatives:

    * Despite corporations proclaiming higher profits, investors aren’t happy.  The higher profits appear to be resulting from “leaner” operations rather than heightened spending by the American people.  Yes, people have loosened their pocket books, but not at any rate that gives investors confidence the light is near.  Moreover, jobless numbers continue to remain high.  Those filing for unemployment benefits were above estimations, and durable goods orders, a good measure of manufacturing, were up, but not as much as projected.  In short, the economy is recovery, but rather slowly.  People are inherently impatient.  Investors are even more so.  We’re walking forward.  Soon we’ll begin trotting, then jogging, then running.  Just be patient.
    * The State of the Union Address is not a negative because of what was said.  More it is a negative because of how difficult it is to make change in Washington.  Whether one differs in opinion with the President and his priorities, I think we can all agree job creation is a must.  Moreover, we’d all like to see small businesses better thrive.  How we better both situations is a matter of opinion, fixing charts and graphs to match one’s beliefs, etc…  But sadly, at the end of the day, Congress is a huge ship which is reluctant to change course.  It is said that there were many standing ovations across party lines last night during the President speech.  The hope is they all return to their office and work as they believe in their heart, rather than what will keep them in good favor with their party.  For this, I’m not “optimistic with a raincoat”, more a “skeptic with my swimsuit”?
    * How would you feel if you were the CEO of Toyota right now?  The company, in efforts to over take GM and become the largest car maker in the world, expanded too quickly, ultimately sacrificing quality.  5.3 million cars!  Many models are made on the same assembly lines. 8 models in total.   This is the main reason for the high level of recalls.  They all use many of the same parts.  In this instance, Henry Ford wouldn’t be quite so proud of his assembly line creation.
    * Haiti’s struggles continue.  It is estimated that 20,000 Haitians are dying each day because of insufficient medical supplies.  Should you still wish to donate, visit this link and find your favorite group to support.                                        http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34835478/ns/world_news-americas/
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GET INVOLVED
Local:

Romeo’s 4 Miler
Where: UCSB’s Campus
When: Saturday, January 30th.  9am - Individual Race.  10am - Couples Race.
Cost: $25
Why:  Check in to see your early year running progress or have fun running with a special someone.  Then again, line up a ringer and win the thing.  $1000 in prizes will be given out.   Go online to http://www.ucsbruns.com/romeo
For other fun ideas, go to www.lovemikana.com

Live and Be Well,

Jeff Bochsler