What a year!

This picture is of my wife Jessica and I having dinner in Lima, Peru on our recent Machu Pichu trip.

Tomorrow I will be leaving on vacation for the Holidays and this will probably be my last post of the year. 2006 was a tremendous year for me. I really ventured into some uncharted waters and got to live part of my mission which revolves around learning new things and having new experiences.

The year started with me getting a road bike – read my earlier post Getting ready for Time for Intentions. This really pushed me in the physical arena.

Next came the blog and the Xtraordinary Living podcast series – read my earlier post titled “Why?”. The writing of the blog has made my life much more interesting. Knowing that I will be writing regularly, I’m constantly looking for things I can share. This focus has truly enriched my life. Thanks to the podcast series, I’ve met some fascinating people who are doing incredible things.

I’ve had to learn a lot about the new technologies out there. This is both a source of great joy and great frustration.

The learning vacations in Portugal and Machu Pichu have left me with incredible memories.

Lastly, I’ve increased my leadership and management role inside of Pl&L by working with my sales staff. This has probably been the greatest challenge of all – since it happens to be my weakest area. The good news is that I’ve certainly improved my skills. The bad news is that I have so much more go before I will consider myself somewhat competent.

2007 is around the corner and I can’t wait to get started. We are putting the final touches on a couple of new products launching in January that will expand our client’s options to do personal development. We also have some wonderful Learning Vacations scheduled.

I’ll sign off by wishing you a Happy Holiday season and thank you for everything you all have contributed to my Xtraordinary life!

Faster is not better – Challenging the Cult of Speed

While I was in Machu Pichu I read this fascinating book – In Praise of Slowness – Challenging the Cult of Speed. The author explores, in convincing and skillful prose, a quiet revolution known as “the slow movement,” which is attempting to integrate the advances of the information age into a lifestyle that is marked by an “inner slowness” that gives more depth to relationships with others and with oneself.

A big reason why my experience while in Machu Pichu was so powerful, was that I was able to slow down from my habitual “faster is better” pace. The material in this book helped me slow down on several occasions. This yielded some surprising – end welcome – insights.

I’ll share one in particular. One morning, a group of about 10 of us set out to hike up the Waynapichu peak. This is a very steep and rather difficult hike. We were told that it would take about 1 hr. to climb up to the top. Given that the path to the top is very narrow, we started out in single file. Since all of us were in different physical shape, we soon started separating into clusters.

As I watched my wife Jessica and my partner’s wife Robin taking off, the competitor in me wanted to try to keep up with them – even though there was no way that I could since they are in far better physical shape than I am. So my next thought was – “Ok, I won’t be able to keep up with them, but I can at least push myself to see how fast I can make it.” And it was then that it “hit” me how obsessed I am with speed.

I had no reason to hurry. In fact, as I looked around and surveyed my surroundings, I realized that going slowly allowed me to take it all in. I then made a conscious choice to slow my pace down. It was magnificent!

The topic of our next yearlong course is Passionate & Balanced Living. My course has already started!

Technorati Tags: In Praise of Slowness, Balance, Awareness, Xtraordinary Living

Machu Pichu

One of the wonderful elements about my job is that I get to travel to magical places like Machu Pichu. One of the not so wonderful elements is that when I return, I often find piles of work that have accumulated while I was gone. So here I am, finally making the time to post about PL&L’s most recent Learning Vacation – Spirit Quest.

It is really hard to describe with words alone my experience. As people have asked me the inevitable “How was it?” question, I find myself answering with words like “incredible”, “fantastic”, “top five,” etc. However, none of these words really capture the essence of this trip.

There is something very special about this place. People talk about the place having a special“energy.” Maybe that is it. I can’t tell you what it is exactly. But I can tell you that it is there. While I was there, I felt a sense of calmness and connectedness that I can’t recall ever feeling. The course content also provided me with an opportunity to learn several powerful lessons. I will be sharing some of these in upcoming posts.

Another thing that I believe played a big role in my experience, was knowing that I would be returning to Machu Pichu next June – we have another Learning Vacation already scheduled there. Because of this, I didn’t feel a sense that I had to “see everything” on this trip. I was content with taking my time exploring parts of the park and not visiting others – like the famous “Inca Bridge” - knowing that I would have another opportunity to visit the rest in the near future. This was a new experience altogether.

While I personally didn’t take any pictures, many of our course participants did. I have asked them to share them with me so I can share them with you. In the next few weeks I will be posting pictures that will give you an idea of how majestic this place is.

Technorati Tags: Machu Pichu, Peru, Learning Vacations, Xtraordinary Living

Podcast Episode #21 – Busting Networking Myths

Episode #21 of the Xtraordinary Living podcast is out. The topic is “Busting Networking’s Myths.” At PL&L, we place an emphasis in our courses on living an Xtraordinary Life. Part and parcel of creating that life is perfecting the systems we use in our daily lives. We view networking as an amazing opportunity to create both strong personal and business relationships.

To gain more insight on the topic, I spoke with Mike Macedonio, president and managing partner of the Referral Institute. Mike is also co-author with Ivan Misner and Mike Garrison on the current best seller “Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths.” I just finished reading this book and I highly recommend it.

After you listen to Mike’s interview, post your thoughts below. Also, you can leave your feedback by phone. Simply call 206-337-0637 and record your comments and tell us what you think. For your comments you will be entered into a contest to win a fully loaded iPod nano. Watch for details, but start getting your entries today.

This episode is approximately 28 minutes long. To listen to it, click here:Podcast 21

If you listen to the podcast here, you may want to consider subscribing. Just head out to iTunes and set it up so that future episodes get sent directly to your iPod or other portable media player. The benefit to you in doing this is that it frees you from being tethered to your computer. You now have the freedom to listen to it WHEN & WHERE you want to.

Technorati Tags: Referral Institute, Mike Macedonio, Networking, Truth or Delusion?, Xtraordinary Living

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