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Photo Courtesy of jcantroot (flickr)

The first weekend of May was supposed to include my first experience running the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon.  Well . . . my plans changed.  Instead, I spent three days stranded in a flood – literally.  I wasn’t clinging to a tree awaiting a rescue from the Coast Guard (which some people experienced firsthand), I was stranded in my apartment without cell phone service, internet, cable TV, and sometimes we lost power all together.  A couple weeks ago I had to cancel my marathon in Cincinnati because of a scheduling fiasco, financial limitations, and a startling realization at the Country Music Half Marathon that I wasn’t prepared for a full 26.2 miles.  You can read about the half marathon experience here.  I changed my plans for the weekend to include hanging out with my wife Tessa and our friend Kendall who drove up to Nashville from Chattanooga.  I knew the forecast included a few days of rain, but I wasn’t initially prepared for a catastrophic flood.  After the highway flooded, Kendall was stuck with us for the duration of the storm.  We made it work with lots of eating, reading, and trips to the Redbox for lots of new movies.

The Great Flood of Middle Tennessee

The flood, which brought in more than 17 inches of rain in some areas, caused widespread damage in the Nashville area and around (more…)

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Photo Courtesy of NREA

Last weekend I completed my first competitive 1/2 marathon.  I ran the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, which is part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll series of marathons held all across the US.  My first reaction to the event?  “WOOOOOOO!!!”  Those were my exact words as I crossed the finish line and that’s what I yelled out multiple times throughout the race.  I never viewed running as a social event until now.  Running shoulder-to-shoulder with 36,000 other people is quite an experience, one that I won’t soon forget.  Despite the fear of looming storms, which caused a few issues for the full-marathoners, the race was nearly flawless. 

My previous experiences with competitive races were great, but this was positively amazing!  One of the joys of huge events like this is the (more…)

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10 Habits of the Ultra Successful

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Successful people are very similar.  It doesn’t matter what industry they work in or what passion they’re pursuing, there are a few shared habits that nearly all successful people possess.  Habits are some of the most powerful forces in your life and it is incredibly easy to predict your future based on your recurring choices.  For our purposes we’ll define habits as a recurring pattern of behavior.  In other words, your actions.  It’s not just what you do, but what you do OFTEN that will inevitably determine your destiny.  In terms of success, I’ll use Earl Nightingale’s classic definition: “the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”  In other words, your repeated progress towards something noble makes you successful.  By this definition, success is not an end destination, but instead it is something to be achieved on a daily basis.  That is why habits are so incredibly powerful, because they determine your level of success.  Ideally, you will make daily progress towards goals you have pre-determined to be worthy in your life. (more…)

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Photo Courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography (flickr)

In a world of constant connectivity and insatiable appetites for information, you’d assume that getting noticed should be easier than ever.  So why do you feel a strong desire for validation and why aren’t you getting noticed more often?  Lusting over validation is very common; whether it’s healthy or not is up for grabs.  Getting validated doesn’t happen nearly as often.  Assuming you’re overall objective is to get noticed, the primary method to do so is by violating expectations.  This means doing something that others won’t see coming.  You’ll have to be different, weird, and completely willing to take risks.  The best part is that once you fully master the ability to surprise and inspire others, you can apply that skill set to many aspects of your life.   (more…)

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Should I Go to Grad School?

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Photo Courtesy of Adam Procter (Flickr)

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To go or not to go?  That is the question.  Recently I made a list of my closest high school and college friends who I keep in touch with regularly.  On this list I categorized everyone by their formal education to compare how their training compares to mine, just a few years out of college.  Surprisingly, more than 70% of my friends are either currently in graduate school, or have recently graduated with a Master’s degree.  Does this mean I have really smart friends, or that a Master’s degree is the new undergrad?  Not necessarily.  But, what this list does tell me is that most of my friends have made the decision to go, which means many of you are probably considering the same.  So I have broken down the basic pros and cons to figure out if going to graduate school is the right thing for you. (more…)

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How and Why to Eat Organic

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Photo Courtesy of Trellina (flickr)

What does it mean to eat organic?  Can a person really eat 100% organic foods and is it worth it?  In my recent quest to become a healthier person I made the choice to eat more vegetarian and organic foods, without actually knowing what it meant.  I had heard enough news stories and personal accounts of the potential health benefits but I had never done the research myself.  Last week I started my adventure by buying as many organic and vegetarian foods as possible during my weekly trip to the grocery store.  You can read more about my shopping experience in my last blog post, Losing My Vegetarian Virginity.  I have bought a few books that others have recommended to encourage my growth in this area and I have watched a few documentaries.  The overwhelming message in American culture is that organic is good.  Organic is a buzz word; it’s trendy; it’s cool; it’s apparently helpful for someone, but who?  What does organic mean in real terms for the average consumer and is it worth my attention?  (more…)

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Photo Courtesy of law_kevin (flickr)

The rumors are true . . . I am going veggie!  Ahhhh!  No, it isn’t that scary but it is worthy of attention.  My decision to eat vegetarian food was spawned out of a desire to eat healthier, be healthier, and feel incredibly better.  The real story is that a few important and coincidental revelations took place in my life that sparked my interest in becoming a vegetarian.

How and Why I Made the Choice

#1 – I saw the documentary Food, Inc.  Though I was horrified at the way our food industry treats animals, and on a moral stance alone I could have made this decision, that wasn’t it.  The real awakening I had was (more…)

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