What do you do?

You know the question, because you get it all the time. "So what do you do?". This question creeps into our lives at work, at family get together's, at church, at dinner with friends or social events. So why is this question the first words that are uttered in a standard introduction? This is such an open ended, shallow, and selfish question that I tend to have fun with my response.

This simple question is a result of the status society that we live in. What kind of cars we drive, what subdivision we live in, what job title we carry. Sadly, the folks that are posed THE question love to respond to it. "I am the VP of this or Director of that"...with a big smile and a "yep, that's me!" *insert the head nod* Sad. Even more amazing is the person that asks "What do you do?" then acts like they actually care. For the next 5 minutes as the "VP of this or Director of that" goes into a montage of a job description, riddled with industry terms and acronyms. While the person who asked THE question give the standard "Uh huh", or "Interesting"..

Try this on for size. The next time you get posed THE question at a bar, restaurant, or church function..actually tell the person what it is that you DO. You do many things that you are passionate about that actually have nothing to do with your job title or career. So, "What DO I do?"

I spend time being a loving husband, brother, and son. I spend time with my dog Bailey. I am passionate about competing in triathlons. I enjoy all three sports of swimming, biking, and running, but I feel that I am actually better at cycling than anything else. I love teaching Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University to folks who are struggling with finances and it's tearing their families apart. I am amazed to see the transformation that couples go thru during this class while I am teaching it. I go to church and pray. That's what I DO. It's real, it's everyday, and it's genuine.

I have no problem with telling someone what career field that I am in to make a living, and many folks are passionate about their work and careers. Frankly, that's an OK response to talk about how passionate you are in your job or career, but that's not all that you are.

So the next time someone asks, "What do you do?"...stop, think, and actually tell someone what you do. God created you uniquely. God gave you passions, fears, skills, interests, and hobbies...and none of these things carry a VP or Director title on a business card. More importantly, the next time that you are introduced to someone, during that almost uncomfortable silence...ask that person a multitude of questions: "Where are you from?", "What hobbies do you enjoy?" You would be surprised by the refreshing response.

On the training front, today was a rest day. I am working from home today to meet the fridge repair guy as the ice maker is out. I have a 3 hour ride tomorrow that is going to be intense, so I welcome the rest.

I am an Artist!

"By my definition, art has nothing to do with oil paint or marble. Art is what we're doing when we do our best work" - Seth Godin

Growing up and even today, I have always wanted to be an artist and had envy for those who were writers, painters, musicians. I felt that I did not have the God given talents to be an artist. I think Seth brings a perfectly clear definition to what art is. For me, I am doing my best work when I am on my bike. In college I was a runner, and I just picked up swimming, biking, and the overall sport of triathlons. I find that I am an "artist" on the bike. This is where I do my best work. I am more confident on the bike than anywhere else in my life. While I am climbing up the most difficult climbs of the day in the mountains, this is where I thrive and become closer to God. I feel that I have a connection so close that I am climbing my way to heaven.

When I stop and think about making that climb on my bike, we all face climbs that are just as difficult in other aspects of our lives. We tend to stop and get off the bike and walk when things get tough. I find that I sometimes want to take the easy way out vs. staying in the saddle and keep working. At times, when things are so difficult and that mountain climb is so hard, this is where we become better Christians, better husbands, better employees, better friends, when we choose to "stay on it" and have the character and will power to continue on. We are all artists in some way, what is your art?

Today's swim was a good swim. Right now, I am have a very painful injury to my periformis in which I had an MRI this week. I plan on adding in some blogging on my training during Ironman this year. The good news is that I have 11 months to heal, but I had a goal of a marathon that is set to run this weekend. It's clear that I won't be able to attend, but I hope to learn a lesson from this. I hope to be back soon, as I do miss my running.

A Corporate Fog

I have been thinking about how a corporate career produces a mental fog that is hard to break out of. This fog demands that we conform to a certain standard that the company has set forth in exchange for adequate pay, benefits, free coffee (if you are one of the luck ones), and a few vacation days. Here is how the fog takes over...We wake up and to get ready for the day already tired because you did not get home until 8:00pm from the previous day's 13 hour effort. By the way, most endurance athletes can complete a full ironman and find out more about themselves in those 13 hours that an entire career could not produce. For this endurance effort of dried eyes, endless conference calls, and one too many coffees, one thinks for sure that they are making a "difference". A badge of honor for those killer hours that one logs. A false sense that you are more committed to success than the next person. A fantasy, that instead of that 2.2% raise that one will get a 3.0% raise.

Take notice of this corporate fog the next time you are in the airport. You know the guy. He has his laptop fired up at the first moment possible after rushing from one terminal to the next to catch that next meeting. The guy who turns on his cell phone as soon as possible to check those voicemail messages and e-mails. The guy who looks like he has been in the same suit for three days making poor food choices while sucking down a high sugar drink while frantically making changes to that "all important PowerPoint". The guy in the gym locker who every day talks only of work, and how stressed out they are. The guy who gathers at a social function only wants to talk about "what he does" and is the first to ask "what do you do?" (I will save this question for another blog post).

Take notice of the guys and gals in the cubes next to you. Frantic to get in the last word on the conference call. The associate taking the second smoke break before 9:00 am. Is it all worth it? What if we just stopped...for 10 seconds, 10 minutes..but I can't because I have to get this e-mail, or phone call...NO! JUST STOP! LISTEN. OBSERVE..

What if you just paused, took a long deep breath and thought about what your calling in life is. Would it include what you do day in and day out for a paycheck every two weeks and a false sense of job security? It might. Many folks have gone thru this process and it turns out that the corporate job is exactly what their passion is..and that's OK. I would suggest that most folks don't take the time to go thru this process.

Think about all of the hard work that you put in day in and day out. What's the goal? Are your priorities in order? What are your priorities? Are you in a corporate fog, or do you have the ability to step out, take a walk around the "office park" and make sure that you are following your passion. You might be surprised what door that opens or closes for you. It might mean walking right back into the door that you just came out of back to your cube, which is perfectly acceptable. Or it might mean that you open the door to your car door to start chasing your dream. I certainly don't suggest that you make a career decision in 10 minutes, but you get the idea.