Hey Deejay! Are You Taking Requests?

Monday Morning Match is a quick post - maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea - intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

On Sunday, I accomplished a big personal goal. I ran in and completed the Columbus Half Marathon. That's 13.1 miles of non-stop running. I have run several half marathons in the past and even completed the Columbus Marathon (26.2 miles) in 2006. A knee surgery in 2009 put my running on the shelf for a few years, so it felt great to get back "in the game" today and finally run in something big instead of just a training run.

Before going any further, I would like to congratulate all who ran the full marathon and the half marathon (almost 17,000 entrants were in the race) as well as thank all the race coordinators, thousands of volunteers and emergency personal and the tens of thousands of Central Ohio residents who stood on the chilly sidewalks and supported every runner, walker and wheelchair participant in the field. It was quite an event that everyone in Ohio should be very proud of.

Just Press Play 

In order to keep me pumped up and motivated during my almost two hours of run, I put together a play list of songs on my iPod that I felt would keep my legs moving, my head focused and my soul fired up to "push that rock" until the finish line. A good play list is sort of like a soundtrack for a runner, comprised of the early songs to get you started on a good pace, the middle tunes designed to maintain pace and stay focused and the ending songs which should be designed to give you that important second wind and keep the legs churning even when you're tired.

Here was my play list for this year's Columbus Half Marathon:

• Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones (great song to start your day)
• Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band (If you're gonna run with tunes, isn't this one required?)
• You Wreck Me - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (The guitar riff in this one won't allow you to slow down)
• Elevation - U2 (I felt like Bono and The Edge were screaming at me from the side of the road)
• D'Yer Maker - Led Zeppelin (I figured it might be chilly and overcast - it was - so a little rock/reggae was a perfect choice to warm the insides as the sweat started to warm the outsides)
• Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution - AC/DC (There were plenty of bands, musicians and entertainers along the course today but insuring I would hear some AC/DC was imperative to a kick ass run)
• Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers (strategically placed so I knew I should be approaching the 3 mile mark of the race. I had to make sure I was keeping pace)
• Alright - Darius Rucker ("When I lay down at night I thank the Lord above for giving me everything I ever could dream of...")
• Southern Girl - Amos Lee (the slowest tune on the play list but definitely one of my faves. It's not uncommon for runners to start a little quick due to the adrenaline they build at the beginning of the race. This was a reminder to stay within myself and not cramp up)
• Rain King - The Counting Crows (An awesome song to sing along to as we rolled through the streets of Bexley)
• Hippy Girl - Cup a Joe (One of my favorite songs from a good buddy, Joe Estes's college band. While I may have run alone, hearing this song reminded me that I had lots of people pulling for me locally and nationally).
• Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond ("So good, so good, so good!")
• A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley (Running isn't something you can talk about. You've got to get out there and run...all by yourself. The ultimate accountability event)
• Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago - ZZ Top - (No jumping on the bus for me but this classic rock song has such a driving rhythm it's hard not to kick the legs up a little higher)
• Next to Me - Gavin Degraw (First line = "Listen up Destiny...")
• Hold My Hand - Hootie and The Blowfish ("Cause I wanna run with you..." - A virtual anthem of the 90's that is hard to hear and not sing along. If you're singing, you're not thinking about your legs getting heavy)
• Rockstar - Nickelback (Time to dig as deep as the lead singer's voice)
• Cowboy - Kid Rock (time to strut...one step after the other. Timing on this was perfect because I had just turned back towards downtown so the line "I'm headed out west sucka" was dead on)
• Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash (Tell me a time in your life when you had cash and you weren't happy!)
• All Star - Smash Mouth (How many people can say they have completed a Half Marathon? That's right...not many)
• I Wanna Be a Boss - Stan Ridgeway (Former lead singer of The Wall of Voodoo (Mexican Radio) penned this anthem to "going solo" and that's what running is all about)
• Fly - Sugar Ray (Time to pick up my speed and make sure I don't start dragging. Still should have about 3-4 miles to go from here.)
• Jump Around - House of Pain (Just like the student section at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, I needed to get my mojo for the final quarter)
• Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (My favorite singer deserved two songs in the play list and this one was a 'no brainer.')

• Chicken Fried - The Zac Brown Band (A song about all the good things in life. "It's funny how it's the little things in life that mean the most. Not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes. There's no dollar sign on a peace of mind, this I've come to know...so if you agree have a drink with me raise your glasses for a toast." How true is that line?)
• Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon (Another one of my favorites that I knew would give me one final burst of energy)
• Calling All Angels - Train (As I crossed the finish line it was neat to think of all those people who had supported me and were going to be proud of my efforts...including my Dad who had a front row seat from up above)

What's on Your Play List?

Do you have a soundtrack for your business? Do you have any songs that pump you up and help keep you focused? What do you play as you drive to a listing appointment? What song do you listen to before making those daily calls which will inspire you to schedule appointments?

It's your business so quit waiting for the jukebox to play your song. You're the deejay. Make it happen!

Tell me in the comments below..."What song would help you build relationships, solve problems and have fun this week?" 

 

 

 

Are You Ready to Rock? Well...Start Pushing

Monday Morning Match is a short post - maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea - intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

Nobody likes a struggle, whether it's a business challenge or a personal obstacle. But no one is immune to difficulties in life, so how you handle adversity is a true key to success.

I have been trying to get back into a habit of daily exercise, especially running. I completed The Columbus Marathon back in 2006 and have finished several half marathons as well. Then, a needed knee surgery for a torn meniscus in 2008 set me back for about 9 months.

I got back in to running on and off and then last May, I really tried to re-commit myself to this form of exercise. I challenged myself with an "Every Day in May" campaign where I ran every single day that month - compiling over 100 miles while running each of the 31 days. It was difficult to skip because I promoted my campaign on Facebook and Twitter each day so all of my friends and followers were there to hold me accountable.

I continued running throughout the year but never actually signed up to run in a planned event until the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Once the cold weather sets in here in Columbus, I am sort of like a bear going into hibernation. I know that not having that "big event" to look forward to really holds me back from committing to my efforts.

Now that spring is upon us, it's time to get to work on that mid-section that has returned with a vengeance. And so my focus and effort has been to get back into a habit of running, exercising and eating a bit more healthy diet, so I can hopefully shed some pounds and gain energy throughout the day.

As many of you know, one day does not a habit make.

#PushThatRock

It's easy to work out one day or maybe two in a row, but to maintain the efforts long enough to create a habit experts will usually agree, it takes around 21 days of consistent effort.

The other day as I was seeking to get motivated, I used a mythological reference in a tweet on Twitter to my buddy Mike Randall, a top producing agent and partner with the Coldwell Banker Pinnacle Properties brokerage in Florence, Alabama about Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a King who betrayed the Gods and was condemned to rolling a rock up a hill for eternity. Each time he would get the rock to the top of the hill, it would roll back down, making him begin his efforts anew.

Sometimes I feel that my exercise routine is like that of Sisyphus. I get on a roll then fall back, only to have to begin anew. So Mike and I have teamed up to create some personal accountability and each day when we have completed our exercise for the day, we tweet the hashtag #PushThatRock to each other with a description of what we accomplished. Usually Mike is done before me and he's on Central time.

Today I didn't want to #PushThatRock because it was cold, windy and there was a steady mixture of sleet and rain falling here in Central Ohio. But I know if I didn't get out there and run it wasn't going to get any easier tomorrow and I would literally have to start back at the bottom of that mountain. So I bundled up and hit the road. Not surprisingly to anyone reading this who runs, I ended up feeling great and enjoying a great run.

• Are you ready to Push That Rock in Real Estate?
  
• Have you dreaded making those daily business development calls today? #PushThatRock
  
• Been a while since you have contacted all of your Sellers to discuss a price repositioning? #PushThatRock
• Don't want to hold that Open House on a sunny Sunday afternoon? #PushThatRock
  
• When was the last time you followed up with your clients from the last few years to see how they're doing and seek any referrals they may have? #PushThatRock
  
• Have you completed your 2010 taxes yet? #PushThatRock

You all know that the longer you wait to make something happen, the heavier the rock will be and the steeper the hill will appear. It's no surprise that most Realtor's income follows their activity - up and down and up and down and up and down...just like Sisyphus's rock.

It's time for you to figure out what your "rock" is and where you need to be pushing it. There's no need to wait. It's almost March and we won't get these last two months back to start over.

I even invite you to join me and Mike with your burden. Each day when you have a challenge or obstacle ahead that you have identified as your rock for the day (or week, month or year), share an email, a tweet or a Facebook message with me and/or Mike and be sure to add in the hashtag #PushThatRock. (You can follow me on Twitter at @SeanCarp and Mike at @mikerandall72)

Who knows? Maybe we'll create a small group of people who will gain strength each day when they start pushing, knowing that they will have the power of group accountability helping them move that rock.

Just think...maybe we'll begin a movement, one rock at a time.

Are you ready to rock? Well, start pushing.