Tag: storytelling

A Crazy Plan

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Your kids and grandkids love the details of how you pursue your dreams and adventures, even if they are crazy.

March 2012 – If I could swim 2.4 miles without drowning in open water, and if I could ride a bike 112 miles, then surely I can walk 26.2 miles to finish. That’s all I want to do is simply finish and get the t-shirt.

After telling my wife, the first thing I did was to go to the community pool. If I can’t swim, then the dream is crushed again, but it’s worth a try. Drowning is not an option. I researched swim training. I’m slow – real slow. But, I make progress.

The biggest decision was which triathlon to attempt. I settled on a race called the The Great Floridian in Clermont, Florida. It was only a few hours away from home, but most importantly, the results from the previous years included the times and names of those who finished after the ending time of 1:00 a.m. This meant that if I didn’t finish by the race’s official cut off time, they would still “keep the lights on”. This proved to be my best decision.

The Great Floridian – October 2012 – Paid the Registration. Let’s go!

Tell the details of your big adventure. Let your kids know how you planned or researched something that was important to you. The details make the story come alive.

Pay the registration.

It is your legacy. Tell the story.

(This is Part 4 of attempting an endurance triathlon.)

Welcome to Spin Class

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February 2012

I was instructed on spin bike basics, the music cranked up, we stretched, we pedaled and by the time the class was over, I thought I was going to die! I was dripping with sweat and my water bottle was long depleted yet, I was energized. Sitting, standing, climbing, tension on then off the wheel, heart rate up, heart rate down (sort of) was the routine.

The instructor would call out, “Mind, body, bike!” and “Pain is weakness leaving the body!” The clarity and brevity in his words, seasoned with encouragement and challenge, allowed the focus of the class to be on one’s own personal development. He would say, “This is your workout.”

I came back to the next spin class and then the next. Amazingly, my knees had no pain and my legs felt like they were stronger. I’m loving spin class!

One day the class was working hard and the instructor tells a motivational story of how he completed the Ironman in Hawaii. What? It’s been 22 years since I thought of that race, but for the remainder of the class it was all I thought about. The Ironman.

I go home. It’s March. I have a crazy idea. If I can swim, then bike, I’ll just walk the rest of the way.

Some dreams never die they are just delayed.

Give your children and grandchildren a window into one of your adventures. They want a piece of your life. They want to know what you were thinking and how you are shaped. They want to know the wins and the losses. And usually, the times you crashed and everything went wrong are the stories and the lessons that are most remembered.

Your legacy matters. Tell your stories.

(This is Part 3 of attempting an endurance triathlon.)

A New Journey

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First child married. Second child married. Third child in college. Fourth child in High School.

Gained weight – lost weight quickly. Gained weight – lost weight over a long period of time. As you get older the fork outruns your sneakers.

Gained weight again and now back to the gym. I’m bored with my routine and I don’t want to do this. My friend said, “Why don’t you join me in a spin class?” I thought he was crazy. He suggested an early 6:00 am class. I took the bait. I’ll go for one week.

Humpty Dumpty can’t put your crushed cheerios back together again, but you can buy a new box. And a new journey began.

A lot happened over 22 years. Those stories will have to wait.

Have you ever started something new? Tell the story of starting a new season, a new chapter, a new adventure. If you don’t, no one will.

It’s your legacy. Tell the story.

(This is Part 2 of attempting an endurance triathlon.)

Dreams Crushed

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The next few posts tell the story of attempting and endurance triathlon.

In 1989 I watched the Ironman World Championship on television. I had never heard of the race. It was spell-bounding. Just watching the average man and woman competing in a race, fighting to just finish was compelling. Their stories of inspiration came in different sizes, ages and abilities. They were so dramatic that I was in tears cheering for them to make it to the finish line. And for those who just missed it, I ached. Winners – who cares, I want to see who finished the race. When they crossed the finish line, I feel like I crossed the line with them.

An Ironman is a triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a 26.2 mile run (a marathon). 140.6 miles. The final cut off time is usually 17 hours later.

I was inspired! This was the beginning of my attempt to compete in an Ironman. I signed up for shorter sprint triathlons and had a plan to progress. And then as many of you have experienced, life gets in the way of our dreams.

Two painful knees stopped the running and then child number three and four came along and changed my priorities. The dream vanished ….crushed like cheerios in a minivan.

And then it was over ….

Tell the stories of dreams that are crushed. There is always more to the story. It’s your legacy.

Practice Your Stories

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Practice telling your stories. If you want to tell a story that people remember…..practice.

When I speak to others there is a general pathway that my stories take. I tell the basic facts or thought, but afterwards, I usually say to myself….”you could have told that story better”.

Last week I practiced a story. Instead of listening to a podcast or music, I repeated a story out loud while driving to the office. The key words were changed, an appropriate pause was included, and the timing was adjusted.

I gave a brief report in front of 75 people. I began with a family celebration that included one picture. I then said, “What could be better …. (Pause) … completing your open health enrollment and performance review by Friday.” Everyone laughed….then a few more laughed once they understood the line. Then I said slowly, “With open enrollment …… you keep your health benefits ….. and with performance reviews you keep ……. (Most said out loud- your job, but I continued)… the process going to help your supervisor complete their part of the review.”

Everyone laughed hard and the point was made.

I found out that one of the major staff Christmas parties replayed my brief comments (2 minutes).

Why was it effective? I practiced …. I spoke clearly and simply …. I also had an appropriate pause.

Leave your legacy one practice story at a time.

Just Great

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Every story I share is from my family, except today.

Yesterday I asked a friend of mine, “How was your Thanksgiving?” (I knew he was out of town seeing his family.) He looks at one of his sons and says, “How was it?” The son said, “ It was great.” Though it appeared to be sarcastic.

I say, “No, really, how was Thanksgiving?”

My friend says, “My wife cried the whole time, my mom cried the whole time, my father threw up on his plate at Thanksgiving, my car window would not roll up so we took the smaller car with 5 people packed in ….. (plus more personal things)…. our Thanksgiving was great….just great.” And the son says again, “yea, great… it was just great.”

Some things are really hard, but they are part of our story and we get to tell them to the next generation.”

Keep telling stories.

Leave your legacy one great story at a time.

Two Packs

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How do you help others know the healthy changes that your parents have made over the years?

I was visiting some relatives and asked them what they remembered about my mom. They remembered that she smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. I informed them that my mom had given up smoking 35 years ago and that her lungs were clear.

Here’s the point. Unless I told a new story, they would still think she was an active smoker. I had to take the initiative in telling a new story about my mom. Her legacy included making changes in her life for the good.

Helping our parents leave their legacy one story at a time.

One Blade of Grass at a Time

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Azaleas and dogwoods graced the landscape of my childhood homes. In the spring time the colors were breathtaking.

One of my regular chores as a teenager was weeding the flower beds. I learned how to get the roots out and always felt pride when the job was done.

When I became a homeowner I tried to keep up the tradition. And …like my mom … I have made our kids take their turn with the lawnmower and edger.

When one of my sons moved into his first home, one of the first things he bought was a lawnmower. “Dad, I just love the smell of fresh cut grass.”

Leaving a legacy for the next generation … one blade of grass at a time.

Pecans

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When I eat roasted pecans, lightly coated in butter and salt, I think of my mom.

During the holidays she would make them for me. I make them now and I think of mom.

My kids and grandkids think the pecans are the best thing they have ever eaten. And then I tell them how mom made them.

Leaving a legacy … one pecan at a time.