FROM GOOD OLE UNCLE VIC

November 2005

   The answer to last month’s quiz, "Who was the first person to climb the north face of the Eiger?" I thought it was a trick question. Being the trusting, naïve soul that I am, I believed the Clint Eastwood movie, The Eiger Sanction where he stated that no one had ever scaled the north face. Turns out it was a trick question, but only because not one but four men were the first (and not last) to scale the north face. They were: Heinrich Harrer, Fritz Kasparek, Aderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vorg.----- Those that got it right were: Valerie Kreunan and Pam Monacelli.

   This week’s trivia question, again for a $5 Target gift card (for members only), "What animal is responsible for causing the most human fatalities in Africa?" Please turn your answer in to Vicki.Brick@BrickBodies.com. .

   John Wooden, the great basketball coach from UCLA said it best. He said he could not motivate a player. A player had to motivate himself. Self-motivation is one of the keys to success. Recently I woke early on a Saturday, very motivated. Maybe it was all the self-help books I have been reading. Maybe it was the time I spent observing my buddy Tony deLeede’s very successful health club chain in Australia in September. Maybe it was the recent trip to Florida to observe my other buddy, Geoff Dyer’s very successful health club chain in the Tampa area. Maybe it was my wife calling me a lazy bum as she darted out the door to do the warm-up for the Heart Walk for The American Heart Association in downtown Baltimore. I am not sure, but for whatever reason, I decided to re-evaluate myself and do better in the areas that needed improvement.

   I don’t know what came over me but, since no one knows my weaknesses better than my lovely wife (who is not afraid to tell me about them, by the way, over and over and over and over and — well, you get the picture), I decided to e-mail her a list of things I promised to do better. I sat down and came up with a list of ten. And then I sent them to her. I can imagine how shocked she was to receive them on her blackberry! But, more importantly, I printed the list, copied it, and put a copy in my briefcase so I would always have it with me. I also put one in my office where I can see it everyday. Because, you see, the promises are to me. Only I know whether or not I am keeping them. She can’t motivate me to keep them. Oh, she can help keep me on track, but, ultimately it is up to me.

   I am not going to discuss my list because it is really irrelevant. If you are interested, you can click here (pdf) and check it out. But I am going to talk to you about some of the principles involved with making promises to yourself.

   First, a promise is like a goal or a New Year’s Resolution. And, just like a goal or a resolution, if you don’t write it down, it is not a goal, it is an idea. And we all know what happens to most ideas. They are never acted on. Write down the promise.

   Put your list of promises somewhere where you will see it. This works the conscious and the subconscious mind. You will find yourself reading your promises even when you don’t intend to. Your promise should take discipline and will-power, and you will need all the help you can get in keeping them.

   Keep your list as short as possible. No one can improve in 100 areas. I like round numbers like the number 10.

   Promise to work on things that are your weaknesses, not your strengths. This will help you focus on the areas that need improvement. For instance, I promised to become a better husband, but I did not promise to become a better father. As you can imagine, it is tough working with your wife. Sometimes it puts a strain on the relationship. However, it is easy to be a good father when one child is away at college and the other is out of the country.

   Finally, send the list to someone that you look up to and trust. Someone who you consider a confidant and will help hold you to the higher standard that you just set for yourself. In my case, I sent it to my wife and kids. And, if you want to read it, I sent it to you! That must mean I think a lot of you, I guess? Imagine that!

   I found it to be such a helpful exercise that I asked each of my kids to write their own list. Try it. Analyze the things that you need to improve, sit down, write out a list of promises to yourself, put it where you will see it regularly, send it to a confidant and ask him or her to help you stick to the list. Now, here is the hard part. Do everything in your power to keep your promises!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY