Monthly Archives: April 2012

Leaving it up to others

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Yesterday, I spent time networking and reconnecting with old friends, new friends, and others, at the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s Business to Business Showcase. As usual, Kim Lindlof and her team put together a well-organized and worthwhile event.

I’ve been attending these annual business networking soirees since 2007, just after I began working for the Central/Western Maine Workforce Investment Board. What I’ve always enjoyed about them and why they provide value for the businesses, organizations and others that attend, is that they gather together key people from the community that you need to know if you are going to be working Waterville.

My role at the Showcase was a bit different this year.  I’m now operating in a diminished capacity with my employer of nearly six years, after having my hours reduced from 40 to 20. Knowing about the Showcase now for a few weeks, I timed my “soft” launch of my website for the JBE to coincide with the event, knowing I’d have a chance to network, talk a bit about the situation with the LWIB, but more important, I had my new business cards with me, and I had a chance to work the room for the JBE, articulating what I’m about and what I’m able to provide, and a little bit about my personal brand. Continue reading →

Better than mediocre

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Self-improvement is hard work. It’s so much easier to just let things slide. Whether it’s doing something about your weight, writing a book (instead of talking about it), building a better widget, or developing a topnotch company culture or world-class organization, striving for better rather than mediocre puts you in a small, increasingly rare group of people.

We all like to point fingers at others, criticizing their lack of vision, ability to balance budgets, or throw a baseball. It’s much easier to identify the short-comings of others. Our own face in the mirror gets a free pass more than it should.

Back in 2009, June 23 to be exact, my weight was at its apex. I knew it was time to institute a strategy. Know what it was? Eat less, exercise more. No fancy diets or bizarre combination of foods. I tried to cut 500-1,000 calories from my daily intake, tracking it via a nice free online tool called FitDay. I also joined a gym and began regularly leaving the house at 4:30 to get a workout in before my workday duties made getting away impossible. You make room for what’s important in life and this had become a priority. Continue reading →