Running Your Guts Out

This Thanksgiving day I ran five miles in the rain. It was thirty-three degrees outside, and the wind was bitter as the pack wound its way along the Lincoln Park Turkey Trot race course here in Chicago. A few snow flakes found their way to ground level, reminding us that the midwest winter is nearly upon us.

This race was a milestone for me in several ways. It's the second official race I've ever run. The first was a five kilometer run just over a month ago. This eight kilometer run is a new personal record, both in distance and in pace (I ran it in just under ten minutes per mile).

Don't get me wrong. I have no delusions about my less than remarkable feat. I have a number of friends and colleagues who regularly run two and three times that distance as part of their weekly training regimen. One very dear friend of mine just qualified for the Boston Marathon, which he did by running the Chicago Marathon averaging less than eight minutes per mile. However, for my level of physical fitness (or lack thereof), this was an accomplishment of mind over out-of-shape matter. Frankly, I was ecstatic just to have survived.

So, why am I bothering to post this?

Something occurred to me after I crossed the finish line, as I was scarfing a banana and pounding a bottle of Vitamin Water. What if I could attack everything in my life with the same level of passion and commitment I put into this race? Let me explain that by taking you into my mind somewhere around the three and a half mile mark.


As I crossed the three mile marker, I was feeling fatigued but knew I had some energy left. But, about halfway to the four mile mark, my mind hit a wall that nearly sapped me dry. It dawned on me that I had now run farther than I ever had before. It also dawned on me that I had done virtually no training since the last race. All of a sudden I "knew" I was incapable of finishing.


Then I looked down at my GPS watch and noticed I was up to a seven minute mile pace. I needed to slow way down, which I did. I got back to my target pace, which was about nine minutes thirty seconds, and my head cleared a bit. By then the four mile mark was just ahead. I still wondered if I could run that last mile.


It was at that point everything crystalized for me. I was there because I wanted to do this. This was a goal I set, it was something that mattered to me. On top of that, my daughter was standing at the finish line, waiting for her dad to come running across. Almost instantly, my breathing slowed, my pace evened out, and the last mile disappeared behind me. I pushed with everything I had to get across that line. But, once I did, I felt like I could do it all again.


What's my point? We can have an almost limitless supply of energy when we're investing it in things that matter to us. If you find yourself drained, exhausted, and fatigued after a day in the trenches, it's more likely a matter of motivation and satisfaction than a legitimate depletion of energy.


So, reflect on what energizes you more the harder you work at it. You can run forever when you're running your guts out doing what you love.

Daydreaming is Good

In my last post I touched on the importance of working now on what you really want to be doing, pursuing your "bliss" even while you're wading through the morass. A late Friday after a grueling week seems like a great time to expound on that topic.

Most of our lives we're told to focus on reality. Somewhere along the way someone probably even told you, "Stop daydreaming!" Get your homework done. Get that project completed. Focus on the here and now. That's right, smash your dreams into oblivion and start squeezing lemons.

If you're serious about making a change, now may be the time to start thinking differently. Start indulging in daydreams, a least a little. Explore what captivates your interest and really gets your blood pumping.

Now, I'm not encouraging anyone to while away the hours fantasizing about cruising the Caribbean on P-Diddy's yacht, sipping mojitos, and sunbathing with super models. If you play your cards right, who knows? Maybe you'll be wildly successful and end up hob-knobbing with the rich and famous. But, that kind of daydreaming won't do much to help you get there. What I am encouraging is spending time contemplating where your passion lies. What makes you tick?

Great places to start are hobbies and magazine subscriptions. Hopefully, you're spending your discretionary time on something you truly enjoy. Is there a way to parlay that into a gainful occupation?

There's a proverb that says, 'out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.' When you're not reciting corporate mantras, what dominates your conversation? Listen to yourself. What you talk about may have some meaningful clues to where you should invest more of your energy.

Even when you're working and find yourself thoroughly immersed in what you're doing - you know, those days when you look up at the clock and can't believe it's five o'clock already - stop and think about what had you so engaged that the day flew by. Chances are you'll find something was satisfying about what you were doing. Hell, you may even find a path to your bliss right in the middle of that miserable cave you're currently inhabiting.

I don't think I'm offering any grand wisdom in this post. But, take a little time for daydreams. You might be surprised what you find.

(On a personal note, I just found an advertisement for a hotel property on the beach in Nicaragua. I feel a daydream coming on...)

Have a Game Plan Before You Bail

Let's face it, even the most intelligent, capable people can get pushed to the limits of their self control. In fact, I would argue that frustration with idiotic management decisions increases in direct proportion to the intelligence or just plain common sense of the observer.

So, it's very easy to find yourself in a Jerry McGuire moment. You know what I'm talking about. Even if you haven't acted on the impulse, you've fantasized about it. You've nursed the dream of confronting the powers that be head on with their own inane stupidity, packing your desk in a fit of righteous indignation, and marching out in a blaze of glory.

Unfortunately, in real life just like with Jerry McGuire, the grand standing emotional exit, the moment of heroism as you tell the establishment to go fuck itself and its lemons, is followed all too quickly by the painful epiphany that you are totally on your own without a plan, or even worse, without a source of income. On top of that, very few of us have a Dorothy Boyd to help us get our shit together after the fact. So, how do you tell them to fuck their lemons, without fucking yourself in the process?

Everyone has to figure out the details for themselves, based on their own circumstances. But, here are a few guidelines I believe everyone should follow to ensure you're able to bail successfully when the time is right.

1) Keep it simple.

I know, I know. Everyone these days is talking about simplifying financially. But, bailing out at a moment's notice is pretty hard to do with a lot of debt and lifestyle overhead. The higher maintenance you are, the more your goodies become shackles to that miserable pit you're dying to escape. So, get a good sense of what your actual financial needs are. If you bailed out tomorrow, how much would you actually need on a monthly basis to maintain food, shelter, and clothing? You also want to avoid having guys named Guido and Lefty come and haul away your toys. If your life requires more than your cut of the state unemployment insurance pie, start cutting back, start saving, and work on your deep breathing exercises. You're going to be there awhile longer.

2) Make regular backups of your contact lists.

You spend a lot of your time creating and cultivating business relationships. You're going to need those most when you strike out on your own into that brave, new world. Make sure you keep a current contact list, including people who you may not need now, but who may come in handy later. You also need to export your Outlook Contacts or other contact management software database periodically. Depending on how your exit goes down, you may not have the chance right before you run out the door.

3) Start working on your "bliss" while you still have a paying job.

Since item number one is probably a bit of a reality check for most of us good American consumers, number three is probably going to be big for you. If you can't bail out until the Gucci bag or last year's vacation is paid off, why not start working on that money making hobby or brilliant business idea now? For now the assholes are supporting your lifestyle, so do the minimum to keep it that way. But, start spending your evenings and weekends (and sick days) building your parachute. With all that shopping you won't be doing, you should have plenty of time.

4) Keep playing the hero.

As you're loping along doing just enough to be productive and not feel complete self loathing, be sure to put your energy where the output will be most visible. Now is not the time to burn the midnight oil on projects that will never see the light of executive approval. You're going for positive customer feedback and senior management kudos. Be sure you keep copies of any e-mails showering you with praise. When it's time to say, "ciao!" you want them to feel the pain. You want the higher ups to be scratching their heads, wondering how they could lose a gem like you. There's also an outside chance when you tender that satisfying resignation they just might sweeten the pot enough to keep your interest.

5) Remember it's a surprisingly small world out there.

Before you actually tell someone to fuck off, be sure there's no way on earth you or anyone associated with you will ever in this lifetime or the next even with remotest possibility need that person's goodwill or help. Whatever you're dealing with now is nowhere near as excruciating as tucking your tail between your legs and asking a favor from someone on whom you've unloaded a venomous diatribe. On the other hand, sometimes the most satisfying exit you can have is the one that leaves everyone baffled. If you walk out with a smile on your face, wishing everyone the best on their future endeavors, you'll be the topic of conversation for weeks, maybe months. Also, if your grand visions of freedom and independence don't exactly work out, you won't have done any irreparable harm to relationships with folks you just might need to provide you with a professional reference (or hire you back, god forbid).

These little strategies may not make for good cinema, but sometimes spontaneity takes careful preparation and planning. Tossing that leash at them with a moment's notice is much more effective if it's not still buckled to your neck. Take a few minutes and think about where you'd be tomorrow if you wanted to walk out the door. When you tell them to fuck the lemons, make sure you have a game plan for bailing out.

Who Is the Wise and Immortal Kunu?

With uncharacteristic optimism, I am assuming that sentient beings will eventually find their way to this blog and trudge their way through my feeble attempts at thought collection. In that spirit, it seems prudent to initiate this page with a bit of an explanation.

Some of you may immediately recognize Kunu, but may question my cognitive capacity or psychological stability for basing a blog on what you consider his "ramblings." Others may vaguely recall having seen him or hearing his sagelike wisdom, but can't quite recall the details. Still others, the majority, I imagine, have no idea on earth who Kunu is, and why anyone would launch their blog with an ode to him. It is for the benefit of all three of these groups I offer this post.

Without overstating the matter, I have to say quite simply that Kunu changed my life with a simple phrase:

"When life gives you lemons, just say, 'Fuck the lemons!' and bail!"

Let that startlingly simple yet provocatively non-cliché philosophical nugget percolate a little while before you read on. Mull a moment on the subtle implications of adopting this filter next time you're faced with a difficult life or career decision.

If you're anything like me, those decisions just might turn out a bit differently than those made under the typical (perhaps I should say "mainstream") paradigms people use at life's many complicated crossroads. What do I mean by that?

Typically, people operate under two assumptions. The first one is, "I have to maintain my current standard of living or better, or my life is worth exactly shit." The second is, "I have to acquiesce to the needs, wants, and whims of my employer or I will lose my job, and my life will be worth exactly shit" (see First Assumption above).

This second assumption is particularly common and heavily leveraged by employers in declining or stagnant economic conditions as we're currently experiencing. Also, it's often exaggerated by people's tendency to directly attach their identity and self worth to their occupation. But, I digress.

The two primary assumptions create a distorted decision making structure, which leads many people to spend numerous miserable years of their lives working at an unsatisfying, soul sucking job. Usually, that job is for an employer who sees them at best as a useful cog and at worst as a cost cutting opportunity. They hand you lemon after lemon - larger and larger workloads with fewer and fewer resources, longer days with less pay and perks, and so on - and demand that you make sweet, delicious lemonade - increased corporate revenue and profits, and probably fatter executive bonuses.

Oh, and where does the sugar come from? Your sweat, blood, and tears, of course. (Yes, yes, I know those are salty. Just track with the metaphor here.) The lemons could be "departmental restructuring," layoffs, forced relocation, or a thousand other perverse little curveballs that demand you keep in the race and make it all work out through your tenacity and endurance, your 'indefatigable human spirit!'

Then one day, you're either on the street searching for a new task master, or dead and buried. At that latter point your fears can be literally realized: your life is worth exactly shit.

So, how does Kunu's wisdom help us out of this predicament? Kunu asks us to consider the alternative: refuse to play along.

If they want lemonade, then they need to provide all of the ingredients, not just the lemons. You can willingly and enthusiastically do the mixing and serving. The profit making enterprise needs to provide the knife, sugar, spoon, and glasses - the clear vision and the necessary resources to accomplish it. You provide the hard work and ingenuity to help realize that vision by effectively maximizing those resources. Otherwise, tell them to fuck the lemons!

Of course, as many would argue, everyone needs to share the load in difficult economic times. (To clarify that point, this means everyone needs to share the load in difficult economic times, not just the rank and file.) Fortunately, in many well managed, balanced, and human-centric organizations, everyone does share the load. Teams from top to bottom pull together and everyone survives and succeeds together. If that's not the case, then bail! Life is too short and opportunities are too numerous for you to burn yourself out, unilaterally draining your vital energy for someone else's sweet, summertime refreshment.

Yes, "When life gives you lemons, just say, 'Fuck the lemons!' and bail!"

"Now, for the love of god!" you cry, "who the hell is Kunu?!"

Kunu is a character from the 2008 Apatow Productions film, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (written by Jason Segel). Brilliantly portrayed by actor Paul Rudd, Kunu (Chuck is his mainland name) is a burned out surfing instructor at a Hawaiian resort, whose enlightened perspective, along with that of several other resort staff members, helps main character Peter (Jason Segel) find his way toward realizing his true passion.

At this point, likely having lost all credibility with you, I can only thank you for staying with me this long. I hope you come back once in a while and see how I'm doing as I personally attempt to put Kunu's wisdom into practice.