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Want some inspiration for winning? The fearute article, Lessons from Cycling, gives you ideas from the Tour De France to keep you in the race and reach the finish line of your dreams. A monthly ezine for organizations, business owners and professionals who want to excel.August 2003 IN THIS ISSUE Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us. How are you doing with the dog days of summer? I hope you are playing and having fun. There is no time like the present to enjoy life. My eyes and mind have been opened wide to what that statement really means since I spent two weeks in July doing battle with an intestinal parasite that turned me inside out and upside down. It is good to be back in the swing of things and yes life is good now! This month's feature article uses cycling and the Tour De France as an inspiration to what is possible in life and business. Winning is truly not just about the bike! Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you. Keys to Success is written and published by Carol Gegner. Are you ready to excel? Check out http://www.coachexecs.com. We are ready to help you. Any questions about your subscription? Check the end of the newsletter for information to subscribe or unsubscribe. If you like what you see, will you please help us grow by forwarding the ezine to your colleagues and friends? We truly appreciate your support. The Tour De France is over and Lance Armstrong won the race for the fifth time. The grueling 3 week race covering over 2100 miles with almost 200 riders is clearly an event most of us will never do. We will however, compete in our own personal and professional races of life and business. What can we learn from the bicyclists who rode in the Tour De France to help us be more successful? First, let's look at the external factors they faced. Weather. Hot temperatures, wind and rain did not stop the race. The cyclists continued despite the elements. Terrain. From the rigors of pedaling up and down the Alps and the Pyrenees to the flat plains, the cyclists were striving to do their best. All their training and conditioning was put to the test every day for speed and endurance. Equipment. The cyclists use state of the art bikes which are finely tuned to fit their style. Competition. Each team knows the strengths and weakness of the other teams and each rider. That knowledge helps them develop strategies to win. Supporters. Spectators provided cheers all along the route to help motivate the racers. Otherwise, it would be a long, lonely 3 weeks. Support comes from team members who ride offensively and defensively to support the lead cyclists. If you are in business, what are the external factors impacting you? Is it the economy in your geographic area, the market segment of your business or your competition? Are you keeping up with technology? Do you have a group of people cheering you on and supporting your efforts? Yes, external factors play an important role in winning but the real race is won using internal factors. Cycling requires more than pedaling fast and hard. Success comes from what is found inside each cyclist. Here are four of those factors to help inspire you. Desire. The cyclists have an inner drive that compels them to race. That desire supercedes everything else. What is your desire? Positive Attitude. Adversity just gives these elite cyclists a stronger spirit to keep going. Armstrong kicked into high gear when he avoided a crash by riding through a field to stay on his bike. He knew he had to push harder if he wanted to stay in the lead. How is your attitude? Focus. The finish line is over 2000 miles and 3 weeks away. Each cyclist knows that to survive and finish the race they have to be alert and focus on their goal. How do you keep your focus? Courage. Each day is a new challenge with risks. There will be ups and downs. The cyclists have the courage to bounce back and continue on their ride even if they have a broken collar bone or wake up with stomach flu. How determined and resilient are you? We can't all be champions like Lance Armstrong yet we can all be winners like the other cyclists who completed the race! The Tour De France is an inspiration of what is possible in the world of bicycling as well as an inspiration for what is possible in life. WORDS TO INSPIRE "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." "Men are born to succeed, not to fail." "All that spirits desire, spirits attain." GUEST ARTICLE - CONCENTRATON by Jim Rohn The best advice I ever came across on the subject of concentration is: Wherever you are, be there. When you work, work. When you play, play. Don't mix the two. Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of attention. On the way to work, concentrate on the way - not the work. Pay attention. Don't just stagger through the day. Return to the Newsletter Index. |