Thursday, May 28, 2009

Paralysis by Analysis!

Paralysis by Analysis!

Being the huge racing fan I am, I consider Days of Thunder one of my favorite movies. In that movie Cole Trickle, played by Tom Cruise, is advised to head right toward the smoke during any crash in front of him; by the time he gets there, the spinning cars involved in the wreck should have slid down the track and out of the way. At 180 miles per hour, a driver does not have the luxury of time to analyze all of the information thrust at him in a crash situation. If Cole had had to hit the brakes to slow down to make a decision whether to go high or low on the track, odds are that he would have been hit from behind, sending him spinning and probably wrecking himself.

Instead, there was a plan in place before that set of circumstances ever arose. He knew to head right toward the smoke, without letting off the gas, without slowing down. He did not have to think in that situation because there was a plan in place beforehand. Because of the smoke, he would not know if the track were clear ahead of him or not. He could not be sure of the outcome. He just had to trust. He had to believe in the plan.

In life I see so many people who want to move forward but are not willing to make a plan. They dream of winning but do not trust in either themselves or the plan. Because they cannot see through the smoke, they are not willing to go charging in, even when they know that victory could be waiting for them on the other side.

We all need to decide what we really want in life. Then we need to ask ourselves, “What am I willing to do to get what I want?” Formulate a plan and go for it! Until you do, you will continue to be involved in life’s wrecks with no shot at victory.

Erik Elsea

www.erikelsea.com

Quote of the Day!- “Your mind is like a parachute, it works best when its opened.”

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

It's Better to Be Lucky Than Good

It Is Better to be Lucky than Good!


One of my former bosses used to say this on almost a daily basis. I am sure you could find many examples of this being correct. There is probably some element of luck involved in almost every success. In the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 this past weekend, David Reutimann won the rain-shortened race by staying out on the track during the caution for rain that ended up being the last caution of the race. There were 13 cars in front of David when the yellow flag was waved. All of them decided to come into the pits to get tires and fuel, expecting the sprinkles of rain to end soon and the race to get back under way. David’s crew told him to stay out on the track. This was a huge gamble: if the race were restarted, he would either have to race on old tires, making him slower than the competition, or give up track position to come in and pit, putting him nearly in last place.

David’s team had to determine if the risk was worth the reward. In this case it was: the rain never did let up and the race was called with David taking the victory, his first in NASCAR’s premiere series. It was also the first win for Michael Waltrip Racing and for its crew chief. They rolled the dice and came home winners. They got lucky that it kept raining, but thirteen other teams had had the opportunity to make the same call and probably would have ended up winning. Yes, there was an element of luck, but only David’s team had the guts to make the right call. It took the risk, and now it’s the 50th winner of the Coca-Cola 600.

All of us need to determine what risks we are willing to take to win. We need to decide whether the risks are worth the reward. Then once we take the risk, we must own it. Live with it no matter what the outcome. Remember, it could be our shot at victory.

Erik Elsea

www.erikelsea.com

Quote of the Day!- “ Never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.”-unknown

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Last week I celebrated my 31st birthday, causing me to pause and reflect on my life. To me a birthday is almost like New Years. It’s a time to make decisions about how I want to live the next year of my life. It makes me think about what I have accomplished so far and what I would like to accomplish before the next anniversary rolls around.

The evening before my birthday someone posed the question to me, “What is the most important thing on a tombstone?” I gave it as much thought as I could in the short time I had to stand there and ponder. He answered for me: it is the dash between the day you were born and the date you die. The dash is the most important thing on a tombstone. It represents your life—all the days between your first day on Earth and your last. It appears on your memorial as a simple, plain line, but it is so much more than that.

I was speaking to one of my closest friends that same night and told her that I could not believe I was going to be 31 the next day. I feel like I should be 41, or maybe even 51. I did not say this because I feel old physically. I feel great and am probably in the best shape I’ve been in since high school. I said this because I am amazed at how much I have done in 31 short years.

Not all of those things, most people would say, have been positive. I have made more than my share of mistakes, including addictions and costly business decisions. I have been selfish and sinned, but I have also learned. I have experienced real love. I have seen the beauty of God’s work in people and on this Earth. I have been fortunate to travel and to meet people from all walks of life in many parts of the world. And on my 31st birthday I can honestly say that I am finally headed in the right direction.

I will probably have many more birthdays, but eventually that final date will be engraved on my tombstone. Until then I am going to keep working diligently to make sure I have one very impressive dash.

Erik Elsea

www.erikelsea.com

Quote of the Day!- “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anything.”-Mark Twain

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Slow Down!

Slow Down–The Fastest Way to Get Everything You Want

This book has meant a lot to me. I picked it up, early into my sobriety, as part of a course I was taking to get my life coaching certification. The course was taught by the author himself, David Essel. I was not sure at the time that I wanted to be a life coach, but I knew that I needed to make some major changes in my life if I were going to maintain my sobriety. I was willing to try anything–even slowing down.

Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that my passion is racing. Going fast is just the way I am wired. David’s book Slow Down and his course have taught me a lot about how to slow down in order to achieve my goals faster. He debunks the notion that I personally held that in order to be more successful you have to work faster and harder and always be first.

David Essel is an author, lifestyle coach, speaker and TV/radio host whose nationally syndicated motivational program was heard in over 220 cities for nine years. An athlete, poet, and more, David has been labeled a “21st century Renaissance man” for his ability to inspire millions through the combination of his creative, authentic and philosophical energies and drive. David’s mission is to inspire others to reach their own personal potential, and his professional presentations have drawn rave reviews from Fortune 500 companies across the U.S.

David’s book, his course, and his theories have helped me shift my beliefs about what it takes to be successful and has helped me maintain my sobriety. I highly recommend this book if you are facing any challenges in your life, in business or with spirituality. This book will offer you a formula for achieving all that you desire in life. You can find Slow Down by visiting www.erikelsea.com/books/.

Erik Elsea

www.erikelsea.com

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Do you have a strategy?

Pit Strategy


In racing, pit strategy is a major factor in determining who wins the race. Crew chiefs and drivers have to determine the right time to come into the pit. Can you make it to the end of the race on the fuel you have or should you come in for a splash of gas? Should you take two tires or four? This past weekend’s race saw the winner’s team debating on whether or not he had enough fuel and whether or not his tires still had enough grip to hold off challengers who would come in and get fresh tires behind him. Then a late race caution came out for a wreck.

The winning team decided to take a chance and stay out so it would have good track position for the restart. It was a gamble, although a calculated one. Even though there was a risk that their car would run out of gas or that cars that had pitted would be much faster with fresh tires, it was worth it. They made a strategic call based on their calculations and figured that being out front when the race got under way was better than having fresh tires farther back in the pack.

There is no exact science to the decisions made during a race. However, through experience and by studying available information on engine performance, track conditions, and opponents’ records, a race team can put itself in the best position to win.

Do you have a strategy for your life? Have you decided that you want to win in your life? Are you willing to take some calculated risks to accomplish your goals? Have you studied the information available to you so that when it’s time to make a split-second decision you are able to do it with confidence, knowing you have put yourself in the best position to finish first? I hope you answered yes to all of these questions. If not, take some time to reflect on what you really want out of life and on what steps you can take to achieve your goals. Develop a strategy!

Erik Elsea

www.erikelsea.com

Quote of the Day!- “The greatest happiness is to transform one’s feelings into actions.”- Madame de Stael

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

In order to finish first...

In Order to Finish First


This past weekend Mark Martin did it again! We talked in an earlier post about a person’s being too old to accomplish his dream. Well, Mark Martin proved that his win a few weeks ago over the age of 50 was not a fluke. He won again Saturday night at Darlington in the Southern 500, conquering “The Track too Tough to Tame” for only the second time in his career.

Darlington is one of the toughest race tracks on the NASCAR circuit. It couples high speeds with tight racing conditions, meaning there is not much room to maneuver around competitors. This often causes drivers who are fighting for the same piece of real estate to beat up and bang on each other, sometimes with one or both of them ending up in the wall. Hitting the wall is common at Darlington, and rubbing it is almost expected sometime during the 500-mile race. Scraping the wall leaves a strip of paint down the side of one’s race car known as the Darlington stripe.

It’s a feat to keep one’s car in one piece for 500 miles at Darlington. In his post-race interview Mark Martin revealed that back in the 70’s, early in his career, fellow racer Dick Trickle told him, “In order to finish first, first you must finish.” Dick Trickle, who is known by most racing historians as the most winning race car driver in American history because of his estimated thousands of wins on local, Midwest short tracks before moving up to the national touring series, told Mark this, as Mark put it, because at that point in his young life he was all about giving the car as much gas and going as fast as he could. Mark admitted that he kept crashing, knocking off the front of his cars by being too aggressive.

Mark learned with experience to keep his car in one piece throughout the race so that at the end he was in a position to go for a win. It’s impossible to have a chance in the final laps if you have spent half the night in the wall.

The moral of this dialogue can be applied to our everyday lives: use your energies wisely with attention to the end result. In business set yourself up for success when it matters. Do not dive into a project at work full force and burn yourself out before taking it to completion. Be patient with relationships, sometimes waiting for them to find you instead of forcing the issue . . . or letting the one you are in develop naturally.

When we set our goals, we need to look at them as the victory lane in the race of life. We need to set action steps to achieve those goals that ensure we will make it to the end. If we crash halfway through the race, we and our pit crew will have a difficult time getting the car to the finish line. Not that some races haven’t been won by overcoming great adversity; it just makes more sense to set yourself up to take the checkered flag.

Erik Elsea

www.erikelsea.com


Quote of the Day!- “Lose your wishbone, get a backbone.”-unknown

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Relieve Pressure!

Too Much Pressure!

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get a race car to handle better and increase its speed is to adjust the tire pressure. This can be done to the next set of tires while the car is still on the track, before its next pit stop, based on communication with the driver. When the new tires are put on, the handling of the race car improves without any other major adjustments. If the crew made the right adjustment, lap times also improve. Usually tire pressures are reduced so that the tire is softer, makes more contact with the track and provides better traction. Less pressure, more traction, faster speed!

One of my clients has a big show to put on this coming weekend. She has put so much pressure on herself to get every detail right, from the marketing materials to the website to collecting money through a merchant account to what kind of coffee to serve. She has put so much pressure on herself to get the details right that she is missing the big picture of what she wants to accomplish at this show. If she can reduce the pressure she is putting on herself about the details and focus on how she can best serve her clients, everyone will benefit.

In our daily lives we put so much pressure on ourselves to perform the day-to-day tasks that sometimes we miss the big picture. One of my mentors in business told me in my early twenties that I was stepping over dollars to pick up nickels. I was running around, worried about everything I thought was important in my business, but I wasn’t making any money. The same can be a problem in our personal lives. We can spend so much of our energy trying to keep up with the Joneses or doing too many relatively unimportant little things that we miss the big picture.

Do you think your children are going to remember that you spent last Saturday cutting the grass, doing the laundry or vacuuming? Or do you think they will have memories of you playing ball, baking cookies or taking walks? My four-year-old daughter does not care what I do at work; she cares that I take pressure off myself to take her to the park or the beach. She is not going to remember that I have a speaking engagement this weekend. She is going to remember my pushing her on a swing.

Your assignment this weekend sounds easy, but I know some of you are going to have a hard time with it. No matter what your plans are now, remove pressure from yourself and do something that you really enjoy with people who are most important to you. Make a conscious effort to take in EVERYTHING around you and truly EXPERIENCE things that really matter in life: relationships, family, life itself. Live it and love it!

Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com

Quote of the Day! “People who wait for a magic wand fail to see that they are the magic wand.” – Thomas. J. Leonard