Be a Riser - 3 Ways to Positively Take On Life

A few weeks ago, I heard country star Dierks Bentley perform at the Deer Valley outdoor concert series. It was a great night up in the crisp mountain air. Dierks has a song called Riser. The song has an awesome message. He reminds us to be a riser.

Be a Riser

So what's a riser?

Dierks Bentley describes the characters of a riser with these lyrics:

"I'm a riser. I'm a get off of the ground, don't run and hider. Pushin' comes to shove, I'm a fighter. When darkness comes to town, I'm a lighter. A get out aliver, of the fire, survivor"

'Riser' Characteristics 

• Rise Each Time You Fall
• Have a Never Give Up Attitude
• Be the Light in the Dark Room
• Give Others Hope
• Fight for the Good Things in Life
• Learn from Your Mistakes
• Set Your Goals High
• Give 110% Everyday
• Overcome Tough Challenges
• Seize Each Day
• Help Others Rise

Now we understand some of the characteristics of a riser. Let's discuss 3 ways to be a riser and positively take on life.

3 Ways to Positively Take On Life

1. Rise Each Time You Fall

Doing hard things and growing up to meet our true potential means we're going to fall and make mistakes. Many times these are little mistakes and many times these are big mistakes. Not matter what, rise up.

We need to rise each time we fall or make a mistake. It first starts with doing our best to make things right and then moving forward—rising.

I've learned that no matter how hard we fall, it's the getting back up that feels the best. I know it's hard, but you can do it—be a riser.

2. Light Up the World

Each person that's in the process of rising needs a helping hand. Look for ways to help and serve them. You'll become their light in a dark room. Not only will it help the person who is rising, but it will help you. Service is the medicine that works 10 out of 10 times.

3. Learn to Love

I know this sounds cheesy, but it's true. We're all going through different circumstances and challenges. Learning to love others for who they are and who they want to become will help them rise. Love breaks down hate, differences, and life challenges that seem impossible. Spend time each day learning to love those around you. Who doesn't need a little extra love.

Be a Riser.

Each of us can be a riser. As we rise, we help others rise.  

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3 Ways to Reenergize Your Life

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4 Principles to Put Yourself in Position to Win

Tonight I had the opportunity to listen to, six time Olympic medalist and champion, Jackie Joyner-Kersee as part of the National Athletic Institute speed camp kickoff event. I grew up cheering her on. She is a true champion with a story that inspires each of us to believe anything is possible.

Put Yourself in Position to Win

During her keynote, she said a profound statement, "Put Yourself in the Position to Win." This she explained, was a state of mind, an attitude—as much mental as physical. 

She explained how the 1984 Olympics really drove this point home. Even though crowned with an Olympic medal she felt as if she had much more to give and was personally disappointed with her performance. 

Like any great athlete, Jackie learned from her mistake and would change her approach to training in preparation for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. It paid off and she won Olympic gold in the Heptathlon and Long Jump. 

4 Principles to Win 

Her success, she mentioned, was due to applying four principles. Each of us can apply these and win.

1. Be a Little Better Each Day

Jackie said, "I wasn't the fastest day one. I had to work a little harder each day. I knew if I didn't, another competitor would. I knew as my legs burned that I was improving and becoming better. This is how I really began to grow as a world-class athlete." 

2. Mind Over Matter

Jackie said, "I really had to learn to compete. Not just how to compete physically, but how to compete mentally." I agree with this, it really starts with our attitude. How we approach each day, each challenge, will largely determine if we have the capacity to win.

3. Learn Your Pace

Jackie said, "You must learn your pace. Many athletes would start out fast and slow down at the end. Other athletes would start slow and turn on the kick toward the end of the race. For me it was always knowing my pace. If I trained hard enough than my pace would be good enough to win." 

4. Be the Ultimate Decision Maker

Jackie said, "Many people make excuses for how the day is going or why they are failing. Each of us are the ultimate decision maker of our day. We each need to believe in ourselves. You should never put your self in second place. You need to go out to win. A big part of this is having the right mental state of mind, so the physical can really kick in high gear."

I think each of us can really benefit from Jackie Joyner-Kersee four principles to position ourselves to win. It was a privilege to listen to her speak. 

I also got to take pictures of her as she spoke tonight. These pictures I have highlighted in this blog post.

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3 Ways to Reenergize Your Life

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7 Steps to Increase Personal Productivity

I'll start with one question about your business work day, "How many hours do you work uninterrupted? 

Productivity Killers

When I mean uninterrupted, I am not just talking about people who may stop by your office or desk looking to chat, collaborate, or just ask an important question. 

There are other distractions or productivity killers that can cause each of us to lose our productivity, distract us, drain our energy, and make use feel like we are running around in circles.

Here are a few productivity killers to watch for:

1. Email
2. Checking social media
3. Unplanned drive bys
4. Doing non important tasks

7 Steps to Increase Personal Productivity

Lets start here. 

Just imagine a day with 3 hours of uninterrupted work. Just imagine the focus and progress you would make that day.

In an article by David Franzen in this month's Content Marketing Magazine, Franzen explains 7 steps to achieve personal productivity and high performance.

Franzen first explains three important elements that need to be present to achieve productivity.

1. Clarity
2. Organization
3. Systems

Below are Franzen's 7 steps that will help you achieve better personal productivity at work.

1. Clean Your Desk

Your desk should be reserved solely for the few items that your are currently working on. Place everything else out of your field of vision.

2. Separate Projects Into Folders

This can be physical or digital. The key is to focus on one thing at a time.

3. Keep a To-Do List

Keeping a to-do list with items prioritized based on importance keeps your brain focused. This way the next action you should take is always right in front of you. 

4. Do Your Most Important Task First

Making progress or completing a high priority task is vital to productivity. It sets the stage for the rest of your day. You will also tackle it with the most clarity and energy.

5. Do Not Check Email, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter

If doing the most important thing first is setting yourself up to win, checking emails or any social media is setting yourself to lose. Don't do it. You brain will go into instant distraction mode.

A better strategy is to designate a specific period of time each day to reading and checking emails. 

6. Eliminate Distractions and Interruptions

When you're working, you should shut off the sounds of email, tweets or Facebook messages. Imagine hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door of your mind. Mentally you can  achieve a high level of focus by setting clear start and stop times for your work sessions.

7. Eat, Move, Sleep, or Suffer the Consequences

Recent studies have shown that eating at the right times, moving (walking, running or just getting in motion), and getting enough sleep daily help to invigorate your life with energy, creativity, and clarity—which are three important things to be more productive.

Get started today and get in the productivity zone more often—get more of the right work done at the right time.

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3 Ways to Reenergize Your Life

3 Ways to Reenergize Your Life

As a business leader or athlete energy is crucial for success. Life has some ups and downs that can drain your energy. Here are three ways to reenergize your life.

3 Ways to Reenergize Your Life

1. Exercise

This is simple—get in motion. There are tons of medical studies that show the importance of exercising. It sounds counterintuitive, but the results are amazing. Start now and you'll see the difference. You'll have more energy, be more creative, solve problems better, sleep better, you'll increase your self confidence, and you'll be more healthy. You'll find ways to confront and overcome any challenge. Creating this habit in your life will pay off huge. You'll reenergize your life.

2. Serve Others

I know of no better feeling then serving others. Helping others succeed is one of life's greatest gifts. It brings with it tons of positive energy. If you're feeling down, start looking for someone to help or serve. Each day people are in need of help, whether you give someone a smile, a confident pat on the back, or just a nice compliment—you'll reenergize their life and yours.  

3. Be Grateful

Focus on the positive of life. What are you grateful for? I know the storms of life hit each of us and it seems like there is nothing to be grateful for. Start with a simple list. What are the good things that are going on in your life? If you think about it enough, you'll find many things to be grateful. This exercise daily will reenergize your life. 

There's so much good for you to do in the world and you'll need energy to do it. There are people waiting for your positive influence. If you are feeling down, try these three things. One thing I promise—you'll find energy and you'll find your purpose.

Never give up

Learn more about my philosophy here

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Surround Yourself with Believers

Life Without Regrets

Each moment of this life is precious. We must live a life without regrets. Dieter F Uchtdorf, former Lufthansa Airlines executive, gave a great talk about living a life without regrets. 

Life Without Regrets

In his talk Dieter reflected on a nurse who cared for the terminally ill. The nurse would ask her patients one question as they prepared to leave this life, "Do you have any regrets?" Many of them had regrets. Dieter than discussed the top three regrets people have before they die. As I read about these top regrets, I knew I would want to write a blog about this topic. My goal is that these words might help each of us focus on living a life without regrets, a life to our fullest potential.

My goal has been to learn from history and to learn from wise people who have gone before. If I do, maybe I can make less mistakes in this life and live life to its fullest, without regrets.

The World's Top 3 Life Regrets 

#1. I Wish I Had Spent More Time with the People I Love

People deeply regretted that they spent so much of their lives on the daily treadmill of work. Many had lost out on choice memories that come from spending time with family and friends. If this is the top regret. How can each of us not have this regret?

How to Not Have this Regret

I believe it will take a life of balance. And when we are given leadership responsibilities over teams or we run companies, it will be vital that we make sure we promote a well-balanced life outside of work.

#2 I Wish I Had Lived Up to My Potential

To me this is an important regret we should never let happen. Too many people look back on their lives and realize that they never lived up to their potential, that too many songs remained unsung.

How to Not Have this Regret

Each of us must spend time understanding our talents. Each of us have talents. We also have many talents that are undiscovered. It needs to be our pursuit to understand our talents. Too many times in life, we only focus on our weaknesses. As a manager, an executive, or a coach, the goal needs to be to understand the talents of our teams and help our team members unleash their talents. Finding our talents will help each of us live up to our potential.

#3 I Wish I had Let Myself Be Happier

Dieter said, "So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial. The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don't really determine our happiness. We determine our happiness."

How to Not Have this Regret

Each of us must be grateful each day. We must look at the positives of our situations and the positive of others we meet and work with. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react. To be happy is to enjoy this journey of life and help others succeed. Helping others is the easiest way to find happiness daily.

Let's make the commitment today to live a life without regrets. 

About Me

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Learn more about my philosophy here

Mark Twain - Explore. Dream. Discover.

One of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Many times it's our fear that stops us from moving forward. Find your talents, use them for good, and live a fulfilled life focusing on the positive and the positive of others.

You can follow me on twitter here

Learn more about me here

Run Up Mountains

It's a new year. As we set goals for 2013, let's not forget the importance of overcoming the challenges that will stand in the way of these goals. These challenges will be like mountains. Run up them.

Run Up Mountains to Achieve Goals

There is something about running up mountains that I love. The ability to move one step forward closer to the summit. You can apply a lot of what it takes to run up a mountain to what you need to do in life to achieve goals. You can't give up. You've got to move forward with every step over the challenges to the top of the summit. The vistas from the top are worth the climb. 

And that is what we need to do, move forward, up mountains, making ourselves and our lives better step by step until we achieve our goals.

When we look back on the journey to our goals this year, we will say, "You know what, the climb was well worth it and we are stronger because of it." Keep moving forward with your challenges. Never give up. Keep running up mountains.

You can follow me on twitter here



Learn more about Burke Alder here

Unleash Your Talents For Good

This blog post is dedicated to individuals who use their talents for good. Those individuals who use their talents to inspire others. 

Talents

Each of us are given talents. Gifts that make us unique. Talents that if used properly can bless lives. Many times we focus on what others tell us to be or what others say is our weakness. The time has come to focus on the positive, on the gifts that make us great. The time has come to unleash our talents. 

Unleash Your Talents

Here are three steps to unleash your talents.

1. Discover Your Talents: What are you good at? Take time to write down what you are good at. Identify them. If you are stumped ask a close friend. 

2. Mesh With Passion: Focus on those talents you are passionate about.

3. Practice: Many talents take time to refine. Be patient and practice

Shine—Do Good

I would like to highlight two individuals who are unleashing their talents for good. Meet Devin Graham, a cinematographer who has captured the world with his breathtaking videos. Meet Lindsay Stirling, a violinist who has captured audiences around the world with her music. 

Both have unleashed their talents for good. Their videos have a combined total of more than 150+ million views and they are just getting started. A few months ago they both traveled to Africa where Devin captured the experience of an Africa tribe who for the first time heard the sound of violin played by Lindsey. The video is a perfect example of unleashing talents for good.

There are people waiting for you to unleash your talents. Life is short, discover your talents. We make this world better by sharing our talents with others. Unleash your talents for good. Start today.

101 Goals - Goal Setting with Focus

During my first year of business school, one of my business mentors gave me a challenge. 

The Challenge

He told me, "Burke as you pursue excellence in business and life, remember to enjoy the journey. To help you do this, I want you to write down 101 goals with the assumption that you have all the time and money in the world." He told me to be descriptive with each goal, where would I be and what would I be doing. He also told me he would give me two weeks to complete my list of goals.

101 Goals 

At first thought, not too hard right?, 101 goals, easy. I started to write down my goals. It was tougher than I expected. After writing down 25, I was pretty satisfied with what I would accomplish. I continued to write, 48, 49, 50. I divided the project into multiple writing sessions. After about 10 days and a lot of reordering, I had my 101 goals. 

Go and Get Them Done

I reported back to my business mentor with my 101 goals. We discussed a lot of my them. He told me something I will never forget, "Now Burke, go and get them done." He told me that I would probably change some of the goals as the focus of my life would shift, but that I should always have the 101 goals in front of my mind as I set out accomplish the vision and the mission of my life.

He said, "You will be surprised on where you will go and what you with accomplish with this added focus."

Since that original challenge, I have accomplished many of the 101 goals. Of course, I still have many more to go.

Below are a few of the 101 goals I have worked hard to accomplish:

Focus

During the first week of February, the world's best mogul skiers came to Deer Valley. I grabbed my camera and tried to capture the essence of this event. Here was the end product, a short ski film called "FOCUS".

Video of the Week

A week later, a friend emailed me and told me to check out mogulskiing.net. To my surprise, "FOCUS" was the video of the week. I was honored and pumped that they highlighted my work.

Leadership with Tim Tebow Mic'd Up

Over the past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to watch Tim Tebow deliver an inspiring example of leadership. His leadership has taken the Broncos from a losing team to a team with a new level of execution, energy, and unity. He has created an environment that is delivering wins and world recognition. A true underdog story powered with strong leadership.

Leaders Step Up

Tim Tebow was giving his start with the Broncos at a losing record of 1-4. With pure passion, confidence, and a contagious attitude, Tim Tebow has taken the losing Denver Broncos to team that has won 7 out of the last 9 games.

Tim Tebow Mic'd Up Leadership

During the Broncos Dec 11th game versus the Chicago Bears, Tim Tebow took the field Mic'd Up. As I watched the 10 minute highlight clip, I witnessed powerful leadership from a young NFL quarterback and was truly inspired.

6 Leadership Principles From Tim Tebow Mic'd Up

As a watched the Tim Tebow Mic'd Up clip on ESPN, I noticed 6 powerful leadership principles.

1. As Much As The Team: Tim Tebow knows he has to give much or more than the team. To be a leader you can't just seat on your throne, you have to roll up the sleeves. If you do, you will have the respect of your team and you need this to lead effectively.

2. All Together: Tim knows knows the winning formula, everyone has to be working together. "Let's stick together all 60 minutes.", Tim says. To win in football and to be a great leader, you have to develop a team that wants to stick together.

3. Focus: Great leaders help their teams focus and achieve small goals. In football, it is just one first down after the other that gets you a touch down.

4. No Blame: Not every catch is going to be made, not every play is going to run exactly as it should. The best leaders don't point and blame, they support and teach the correct action. They motivate future positive action.

5. Confidence Vibe: Confidence in football is everything, your team can feel your confidence. Confidence in your direction as a leader provides a catalyst for greatest on and off the field. With confidence in you, your team will start to believe and it takes belief before great things happen.

6. Humility: Humility is the key to greatness as a leader. If your are cocky leader, your team will lose all respect. When you are on the battlefield of football and life you need full commitment from your teams, you need to know your team is with you. Humility is the key.

Watch the 10 minute Tim Tebow Mic'd Up YouTube video here. It is inspiring to watch the above principles in action.

How to Beat Your 5K Personal Record

Last year I ran my first 5K race and did a blog post about what I learned. One thing I really enjoy about running the same race is the goal or pursuit to beat last year's time.

Don't Make the Same Race Mistake Twice

Learning from mistakes and not doing them again is the key to beating your personal record (PR) on a course you have run before. You can read here what mistakes I did from my first 5K race.

Three Things You Will Need to Beat Your Time

1. A Stop Watch - this will help you keep pace at each mile marker.
2. A Race Plan - understand your mile times (where you need to be and when), so you can stay on pace and beat your time
3. A Course Map - know the course well. There are parts of every course that can make or break your race.

Of course, you have to train evan harder then you did last year.

Did I Beat My Personal Record (PR)?

Yes, as I approached the finish line, I really had to sprint. I knew if I did not give an extra kick I was not going to beat my time. The last few hundred feet were very painful, but worth it as I finished the race and minute or so faster. I gave everything I had and paid for it in the finish line as I almost passed out.

My official time was 21:58 which was a 7:04 minute mile

Race Retrospective (How To Do Better Next Time)

1. I ran my first mile at 5:40 which was too fast. Which really killed me on the last mile which is all up hill. Next year I would like to run the whole race at a 6:30 pace which will put me top 30 of the race and help me beat my time again.

2. The last mile of this race is all up hill. This was my weakest part of the race. Next year it needs to be my best mile. Looks like I am going to do a lot more training running up hills.

I am currently training for my first TRI which is two weeks away.

Don't Give Up - The Mt Hood Story

You can't ever give up on life, even when the clouds and storms are raging. This is something I learned first hand while visiting Mt Hood, Oregon this summer. Mt Hood is almost open year round, making it the perfect training ground for the best skiers and snowboarders in the world.

Clouds, Rain

My visit to Mt Hood was 7 days long and a trip I will never forget. Life tends to teach you valuable lessons at the most opportune times and I would like to try to explain one that happened to me while at Mt Hood.

I arrived at the base of Mt Hood around 7 am. It was raining and cloudy. This is not the ideal conditions for summer training, but many times you have to brave the storms. I got on the lift in the pouring rain. The life ride was miserable. I was wet and cold and I wanted to give up and turn around. I got off the first lift and could not see 3 feet in front of me. I got on the second lift and it was raining and blowing even harder. Just when I was about to lose hope and give up I broke through the clouds into the blue sky. I could not believe it, I was above the storm. I was in the blue sky and the sun never felt better.

Above the Clouds

As the sun hit my wet face and I looked back upon the storm, I had a thought that made the experience even more meaningful. We all have storms, these storms many times rage in our lives and try to get us to give up on life or turnaround on our dreams. Remember one thing, the storm will pass, be patient, have faith because the sun and blue skies are waiting. Never Give Up.

Never Give Up

"I've learned that no matter what happens or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. You gain strength, courage, & confidence from every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." - Anonymous

Living Life - Daily Suggestions for Success

While I was traveling in Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago, I read this quote. Many of its principles are what is needed to live a high-performance life™.

Living Life

"Life is not a race - but indeed a journey. Be Honest. Work Hard. Be Choosy. Say "thank you", and "great job" to someone each day. Go to church, take time for prayer. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental - search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become that which you inspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Some of the best things really are free. Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it frees the soul. Take time for yourself - plan for longevity. Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know. Live for today, enjoy the moment."

Quote by Bonnie Mohr

Roger Bannister: 1st Sub-Four Minute Mile

Living a high-performance life™ means you have to believe in yourself more than anyone else does. As you set goals and work to achieve them, there will be skeptics who will tell you that you can't, that what your are trying to do is impossible. When the skeptics appear, which they will, remember the story of Roger Bannister who was told it was impossible for a human to run a sub-four minute mile.

The Sub-Four Minute Mile Story

This historic event took place on 6 May 1954 during a meet between British AAA and Oxford University at Iffley Road Track in Oxford. It was watched by about 3,000 spectators. With winds up to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) prior to the event, Bannister had said twice that he favoured not running, to conserve his energy and efforts to break the 4-minute barrier; he would try again at another meet. However, the winds dropped just before the race was scheduled to begin, and Bannister did run. Two other runners, Brasher and Chataway, provided pacing while completing the race. Both went on to establish their own track careers. The race was broadcast live by BBC. The stadium announcer excited the crowd by delaying the announcement of the time Bannister ran as long as possible:

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event 9, the one mile: 1st, No. 41, R.G. Bannister, Amateur Athletic Association and formerly of Exeter and Merton Colleges, Oxford, with a time which is a new meeting and track record, and which - subject to ratification - will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire and World Record. The time was 3..."

The roar of the crowd drowned out the rest of the announcement. Bannister's time was 3 min 59.4 sec. Roger said this about his run, “The earth seemed to move with me. I found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never knew existed.”

Believe, Achieve, Change the World

You have to believe, Roger said, “Doctors and scientists said that breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead.”

For the first time in history Roger Bannister beat the 4 minute mile. Roger helps us remember to not lose site our our goals and dreams. Our success, if we don't give way to doubters, will be a catalyst to help others believe they too can achieve the impossible. In 1955, the next year, over 86 other runners recorded sub-four minute miles.

The next time someone tells you it's impossible, dig deep, believe, achieve, and be the catalysts the world needs to believe.

2011 Codie Award Win - Why Awards Sell

Why 3rd Party Recognition Matters?

Industry awards, analysts recognitions, and customer success stories are powerful ways to build confidence with prospects when they are deciding to purchase your product or service.

Think about the last product you bought, online or in the store, that was more than $100. You probably did not fully believe what the marketers were saying on their websites or what the sales people were telling you. You most likely wanted to find out what current users, reviewers, analysts, or the web was saying about the product or service you were about to buy.

It's easier to make a buying decision when supported by positive 3rd party recommendations.

2011 Codie Award - An Important Win

I have passion for marketing and am currently doing product marketing in a billion dollar industry called project and portfolio management software. Our company sells SaaS project management software and we deliver it in the cloud (on demand) saving companies thousands of dollars.

An important award for our company is the SIIA Codie Award for "Best Project Management Solution". The finalists for this award are usually are closest competitors and each year the race is tight to see who will be able to tout their product as the best project management solution.

Each year a panel of judges (industry experts) are selected. This year a colleague and I collaborated on a product demo we presented to the Codie judges panel. We focused on what made us different (The Why?) and how our product solved our client's challenges quicker and more effective than anyone in our market. Just a few weeks ago, we got the news that we won! This is the third time in four years that we have won this award and just like I mentioned above, the Codie is a an important win and a great 3rd party validation that helps our sales team and sales process.

I want to give a shout out to my colleagues Adam Michaelson and Ty Kiisel who were instrumental in this win. Great teamwork!