Author: Kevscott1

I had a great start to my day. I got up before the alarm. I achieved my reading goals. I completed my biking goals. I even got a short lifting session in. This session was vital as I knew it would be a busy day. Then life happened. My coffee lid was not on tight enough, and I spilled some coffee on my shirt. Bad Luck; I was at work and had no spare one to change into. Good Luck; it was not that hot.

At this point, I had two choices.

1. Allow me to be angry as the perfect start to my day was ruined, and let everyone know I was a victim.
2. Move forward, rinse the stain out, and continue with my day focused on my goals.

Picking the latter allowed me to continue the day with my perfect start. Which choice are you prepared to pick when things go wrong?

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.

You never know when you are going to have a positive impact on another person.

My brother and I were “running” a Spartan Race two weeks ago. The weather and the course were working against us. In our group was an older runner (For context, I am 53) named John. He was keeping up with us and working hard. I was so inspired. I then heard his story, recovering from sickness and working hard to back to his 7-minute miles. John was at least in his 60’s and ran 7-minute miles. Better than that, he has signed up for 11 more Spartan races this year. I needed a week to recover, signed up for 3 more races this year, and am lucky to run 8:45 minute miles.

Inspiration is not motivation; the right inspiration, like John’s, provides focus. Because of his influence, I am laser-focused on my training, recovery, and nutrition to one day be the guy John was to me at the race. He has no idea how much he influenced me.

Thank you to everyone like John out there, especially the one who ran with my brother and me at the NJ Super on April 29 in the 8:45 heat.

Be Strong, Be Healthy

Just Be Better

Today I was waiting behind a car on a two-lane highway to turn left into a parking lot. The car in front of me did not want to turn into the parking lot because she wanted to let the person go from the parking lot and turn onto the highway. The problem was we were being passed on the right by traffic. If the car in the parking lot tried to enter our lane, there would be a significant accident. The person in front of me was going to cause an accident. Finally, I communicated with my horn, and she turned into the parking lot.

Everyone will get where they need to go. Stop trying to be friendly and drive according to the rules of the road. If someone has to wait to get on their way, let them. Do not try to be the angel of the streets by holding up traffic.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.

This weekend marked my return to OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) since my knee and leg issues with Lyme Disease were resolved. The Spartan Super at Mountain Creek was a good challenge, and I could not have picked a “better” day. It was cold and rainy, and the runoff destroyed the course as it had been raining for a while. The vertical parts of the mountain were challenging. At points, you had to crawl up the mountain. The descents were impossible to navigate without slipping in the mud. The obstacles were soaked and muddy and almost impossible to complete. I would not change a thing. I like doing what others do not and attempting to do it well. I cannot wait for the next one.

What one thing do you like to do that others choose not to do? What pushes your comfort level?

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

Meetings

Two types of people go to meetings. The first one is prepared, knows their talking points and counterarguments, and is interested in contributing to the outcome. The other just shows up and wastes everyone’s time with stupid questions about the information they did not take the time to read and side conversations about the latest correct event. I hate long meetings and when my time is wasted, especially by the unprepared.

Be on point, and Be prepared.

Many things can separate you from the pack, and few will have a more significant impact than being the most prepared person in the room.

Every time I go to a meeting, I expect 3 things: to be the smartest about my topic, the fittest person in the room, and the most prepared. The best sessions take place when others push me in all 3 areas.

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.

We are finally getting some rain in Northwestern, NJ, so I thought it was a good time to bring up driving in wet weather.

Why does everyone slow down to a ludicrous speed when it rains? I was driving to work this morning when the forecast called for heavy rainstorms throughout the day. A trail of 10 cars followed behind someone going 12 mph in a 35 mph zone. Why? The rain was nowhere near us yet.

Do you notice that certain drivers, like those in front of you, drive super slow when it rains? Why? Do they think that by driving slowly, they can count every drop of rain that strikes their vehicle? Is this superslow driving really safe, especially for those cars behind you? We have minimum speeds on the highway that one must maintain, and maybe we need the same for our local roads to remove those unsuitable for driving. It is one thing to drive with caution, and it is another thing to drive with fear. If you go with fear, you are a danger to everyone else on the road.

 Stay off the roads if you are not courageous enough to drive at an appropriate speed.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.

My wife and I are fortunate enough to take all four of our parents out to Easter Brunch each year. We go to one of our favorite restaurants that offer a great variety of food, and we usually have a date night at the same restaurant three or four times a year. It is rumored that Albert Einstein used to frequent this restaurant for its food. As science educators, this small slice of trivia is pretty cool.

We arrived 5 minutes early for our 2 pm reservation. The person behind us had a 2:15 reservation. She promptly went to the young hostess, asking where her seats were, and when she found out, she was not happy with their location. She was trying to be the star of the show. She seemed to watch too many Housewives of… episodes and thought this is how normal people act. The lady asked to be moved and gave several reasons her group needed to be given preference. I find this amusing, as the brunch was by reservation only. If I had seating requirements, I would communicate these needs while making the reservation. Since her reservation was at 2:15, I assumed the hostess would solve her issues once we were seated. Instead, the hostess switched the seating arrangements and sat her group first. At 2:10, I approached the hostess and asked why we were still waiting. She said our table was not ready yet. I told her I overheard her speaking to the head waitress that you were switching tables to accommodate the other group, yet they were seated before us. We had an earlier reservation, and this was not acceptable. We were seated shortly after that and had another great Easter Brunch.

In reviewing the unpleasant start to a fantastic brunch with our family, I am unhappy with the person who came in and tried to influence everyone else’s day with her need to be the star of the show. I recognize that the hostess was young and needed more experience to handle the selfish customer without inconveniencing anyone else. I am disappointed that a manager was not at the front desk to assist the young hostess, check in on her,  and help her to learn to make good decisions. I am also disappointed that I am still thinking about the situation and that it still bothers me, and I need to let it go. It was a great day with our family, and this is most important.

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

Based on my scores, every golf outing is a bad gold outing. I try, but I could be better. More importantly, I could be more consistent in my practice and the course. However, I have much fun playing golf with my friends and family. They respect my availability and encourage me when I do well, especially when I try.

Recently, I had an outing where I played poorly compared to my average and my handicap. It was all mental. I lacked mental focus because I did not prepare physically or mentally to play the round. I did not go to the range to hit golf balls before playing. I did not lay out my kit the night before and forgot two items I needed on the course. During the round, I was so focused on not being prepared that I did not focus on my play, my form, and the mistakes I was making.

As a coach, I preach performance and preparation every day. Yet, I should have done the same regarding the golf outing. I may have great ideas and strategies to offer others, but they are no good if I first remember to utilize them myself.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

What is up with drivers these days? Everywhere I go, people stop in the middle of the roadway to let others go. Why? Are they being nice, or do they want to cause an accident?

Most of the police officers that I speak with tell me that stopping to let others go is a leading cause of accidents. Yet, people do it all of the time. It is one thing if traffic is snarled and there is nowhere to go, and it is another thing when you stop a traffic flow to let someone turn into your lane. 

Why are we trying to be nice to someone by ignoring the people behind us? It makes no sense. Everyone knows they have to wait for a stop sign. Should we feel bad for them following the rules of the road? Is this like baseball, where unwritten rules govern and ruin the game? Or is this a group of drivers who want to rewrite how to drive by making it logical to stop in the middle of the road and potentially cause accidents to those behind them? 

Keep driving. The other drivers will eventually get to where they need to go, and the drivers behind you will be safer.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.