Let's Make Excellent Happen

When I started thinking of an approach to my first post of 2011 and the first in over 6 months, I was trying to come up with a way of highlighting all the things that have been most important over that time and pick out the areas that people might want to hear about.  Simultaneously, with the experience of the recent NB Indoor Grand Prix still fresh in my mind, I started thinking more about the theme of that event and the new slogan for New Balance in 2011... Let's Make Excellent Happen.

At first, I wasn't sure what I though of it, but after hearing it more and realizing what it represents, I was able to really embrace this new tag line.  Enough so that I decided to use it as the title of this post. I have a lot of thoughts for 2011 and a lot of ideas of how I can become better at what I do.  The statement above pretty much sums up what I want out of 2011, which is to be excellent in every focus of my life.  That may sound a little presumptuous, but excellence is a very relative term and can be defined in many ways.  For me, it means I want to get the most out of the qualities I have and the contributions I can make toward those qualities.  Like anyone, I don't like the idea of failing ...but more than that, I don't even like the idea of not achieving my best, no matter what the focus. For that reason, I have always been in a constant adjustment of the balance between various aspects of my life.  In addition to being an excellent runner, I would like to be an excellent professional (whatever profession that may be), an excellent teammate, an excellent friend, an excellent son and brother, and any other role that I have or will embrace.  At any given time, a shift of focus within that balance gives me the opportunity to be more excellent in any one of those areas.  But at what cost?  Which of those areas are most important to me?  Since that isn't something I can accurately answer (as they are all very important to me), the only way I can be more excellent at all of them, is to limit the distractions within those areas that might not contribute to their ultimate success.

Instead of trying to highlight the things I've done (or haven't done) in the last 6 months, I would like to look onward to 2011 and look at the opportunities that I have to become better, or more excellent if you will.  I can't keep comparing my current self to where I've been in the past, or what I've done right or wrong.  I realize my past is very much a part of who I am and I certainly don't take that for granted.  I want to use those experiences as a tool when making decisions each and every day.  But what I do today won't change what happened yesterday, last month, or last year.  Rather I need to focus on how my actions today will impact what happens tomorrow, next month, or next year.  So for those of you that wanted to read a recap of sorts, I'm sorry to say this post will not provide it.

I've really come to appreciate the demands of this sport and the rewarding fruits of its labors.  I appreciate the process of making myself better and can easily recognize the success of others as they do the same.  This is why I've become such a fan of the sport and idolize it's most prominent contributors. As some of my worthy adversaries and compatriots have also discussed, we need to look at our goals as those of a major corporation, where every decision affects the entire company.  For the Jeff Caron corporation, I am the CEO and any decision that is made within this corporation affects how well I am represented. At times, it may be easier to simply go with the flow or play it safe as everything continues moving so fast around you. But in order to see results, you have to take aggressive actions and step outside the all too common path of mediocrity. As I strive to be an excellent representative for myself as a person and a corporation, I also want to be an excellent representative for the sport that I am a part of. More than just being a participant, I am indeed a fan and an advocate for the sport of competitive running. The sport itself is on the rise and I want to use my knowledge, experience, and passion to rise with it.

Though I haven't shown much activity on this blog recently, many of you may have noticed my involvement in other outlets, including social media, event promotions, and various marketing paths in any effort to grow knowledge of the successes of my team, my brand, and my sport at various levels. In addition to that, I felt the need to clean off the dust that has built up here at the JC Experience and hold myself more accountable for my actions as I follow through with my plans and goals. In doing this, I started thinking about a post I read a while back from my teammate, Dan Hocking, talking about ways of marketing the sport and marketing the athletes and teams that are best representing it. One of the easiest ways to do that is through a website or a blog. Now, I am certainly not at the athletic level that Dan is talking about and this blog certainly isn't as fancy as some of the ones out there, but it is still a place where my voice can be heard.  It's a place where I can connect with the people that have an interest in what I'm trying to accomplish and/or have an interest in the growth and well being of distance running and the people within the sport of track and field.  It will certainly help me to be more accountable and focused on my pursuits as an athlete and as a professional, and if it makes even a small contribution to the sport in one way or another, I would consider it worthwhile.

With that being said, you can expect to see more frequent posts on here with more modifications to the design and information included in the content of this blog. And if I do things right, you might get to see some personal success stories along the way. There is plenty of inspiration out there to be had for all of us so help the cause by sharing your journeys and contributing to the greatness this sport has to offer. The most recent success story that I've just been reminded of is that of my friend, Stephanie Rothstein who just ran 2:29 at the Houston Marathon.  That alone is a success story in itself, but the story she tells of the road leading up to it is both inspirational and eye opening.  It reminded me that everyone deserves a chance at doing something truly great in life and all it takes is the acknowledgment of your ability and initiative toward your goal. You can take risks and jump at opportunities at any time as long as you have faith in the direction you're leaping toward. Let's all do a better job of seeing those opportunities, let's all do a better job of making excellent happen!

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