How to Make Measurable Progress Toward Your Most-Neglected Goals

I read the following article in Early to Rise. The message is so important, I’ve decided to include it here.

From Early to Rise:

How to Make Measurable Progress Toward Your Most-Neglected Goals

By Michael Masterson

To Master Plan your new life, you must begin with long-term goals that correspond to your core values. From that good start, you must establish yearly and monthly objectives. Based on those objectives, you create weekly and daily task lists. Doing all that will help greatly. But if you want to really change your life, you have to learn how to prioritize.

I didn't always know how to prioritize. For much of my business career, I relied on goal setting and task lists and was happy with the results. But when I turned 50 and started writing for Early to Rise, I began to read how other business leaders achieved their goals. And that's when I discovered what a huge difference prioritizing can make.

The most important lesson I learned came from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In that book, Covey presents a technique for prioritizing that impressed me greatly and soon became a central part of my planning process.

Divide your tasks, Covey says, into four categories:

- Not important and not urgent
- Not important but urgent
- Important but not urgent
- Important and urgent

In the "not important and not urgent" category, you would put such things as:

- Catching up on office gossip
- Shopping online for personal items
- Answering unimportant phone calls
- Responding to unimportant e-mails

In the "not important but urgent" category, you would include:

- Returning phone calls from pesky salespeople
- Making last-minute preparations for an office party
- Attending a required meeting that doesn't help your career
- Planning for a meeting that doesn't matter

In the "important and urgent" category, you might list:

- Making last-minute preparations for an important meeting with the boss
- Making last-minute sales calls to key clients
- Solving unexpected problems

And, finally, in the "important but not urgent" category, you might include:

- Learning how to write better
- Learning how to speak better
- Learning how to think better
- Working on your novel
- Getting down to a healthy weight

When you break up tasks into these four categories, it's easy to see that you should give no priority at all to "not important and not urgent" tasks. In fact, these tasks should not be done at all. They are a waste of time. Yet many people spend lots of time on them because they tend to be easy to do and sometimes enjoyable in a mindless sort of way. Or because they are afraid to get to work on important tasks because they are afraid of failure.

Even worse than spending time on tasks that are not important and not urgent is spending time on those that are not important but urgent. They should have been dealt with long before they reached the crisis stage.

If you discover that you are spending a lot of time on unimportant tasks, you've got a serious problem. Unless you change your ways, you're unlikely to achieve any of your important goals.

So which tasks should you give priority to?

In Seven Habits, Covey says that most people think they should give priority to important and urgent tasks. But this is a mistake. "It's like the pounding surf," he says. "A huge problem comes and knocks you down and you're wiped out. You struggle back up only to face another one that knocks you down and slams you to the ground." You are "literally beat up by problems all day every day."

All urgent tasks - both unimportant and important - are problematic: They are urgent because you've neglected something or because they are important to other people (like your boss). In either case, you need to find a way to keep most of them from winding up on your daily to-do list. This means making some changes in your work habits - usually a combination of being more efficient and delegating more chores to other people.

Urgent tasks will burn you out. And turn you into an unhappy workaholic. If you want transformation in your life, you have to give priority to the important but not urgent tasks - because those are the ones that will help you achieve your major, long-term goals.

It's not easy.

The important but not urgent tasks whisper, while the urgent tasks shout. But there is a way to get that critical but quiet stuff done in four simple steps:

Step 1. When planning your day, divide your tasks into Covey's four categories: not important and not urgent, not important but urgent, important but not urgent, and important and urgent.

Step 2. You will, of course, have to do the urgent tasks - at least until you get better at taking charge of your schedule. And you will have to find a way to get rid of the tasks that are not important and not urgent. But make sure you include one important but not urgent task that, when completed, will move you closer to one of your long-term goals.

Step 3. Highlight that important but not urgent task on your to-do list. Make it your number one priority for the day.

Step 4. Do that task first - before you do anything else.

Initially, you will find it difficult to do an important but not urgent task first. There are reasons for that.

- Since it is not urgent, you don't feel like it's important. But it is.
- Since it supports a goal you've been putting off, you are in the habit of neglecting it.
- You are in the habit of neglecting it because you don't think it's important and because you might be afraid of doing it.
- You might be afraid of doing it because you know, deep down inside, that it will change your life. And change, even good change, is scary.

But once you start using this little four-step technique, you'll notice something right away.

The first thing you'll notice is how good you feel. Accomplishing something you've been putting off is energizing. It will erase some doubts you have about yourself - doubts caused by years of "never getting to" your long-term goals.

That extra energy and confidence will grow, and will fuel you throughout the day. This will make it easier for you to accomplish other important but not urgent tasks.

As the days go by, you will realize that you are making measurable progress toward your neglected goals. In just a few weeks, you will be amazed at how much you've already done. And in 52 weeks - a short year from now - you will be a brand-new, much more productive person.

That year is going to pass by anyway. You are going to spend the time somehow. Why not do it by taking charge of your schedule? Why not spend that time on yourself - on what's really important to you?

On A Lighter Note, Happy Birthday to Me

I wrote this post on my birthday, February 22, around the supper hour. I meant to publish it later that night, but never did do so. The following morning my world was turned upside down. So here, now, is my February 22 birthday post, finally.

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February 22, 2008 – I awoke today to discover that I have travelled around our little star, fondly referred to as “the Sun”, a sum total of 42 times. I may have just started my 43rd lap, or I may just be finishing up my 42nd. I can’t say for sure.

According to PhysicalGeography.net, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is elliptical. I had forgotten this. (Interestingly, they refer to “the Earth”, rather than “Earth”. I’ve always used the latter, not the former.) At any rate, PhysicalGeography.net also notes that the average distance of THE Earth from the Sun over a one-year period is approximately 149,600,000 km. They don’t specify whether this is from the central core of the Earth, or from the surface, but since the Earth’s diameter is a mere 12,756 km (from About.com), I think we’d be quibbling to get more specific.

Ignoring for the moment that the Earth’s orbit is elliptical, and instead assuming a circular orbit, and using our simple formula for circumference (C) of a circle, as related to diameter (D) and radius (R) we see that:

C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x D
C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x (R x 2)

And substituting for R we find that:

C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x (149,600,000 km x 2)
C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x 299,200,000 km
C (Earth’s orbit) = 939,964,521 km

Since I’ve completed this crazy journey approximately 42 times, that puts a healthy 39,478,509,922 km under my belt! Not bad.

That pales in comparison to the average 10,000 km per year that I tend to drive. And of course we have not accounted for the Earth’s rotation. Perhaps next year.

I also surfed over to the BBC’s On This Day page. On February 22, in 1991 Bush Sr. gave “Iraq until 17:00 GMT tomorrow to pull out of Kuwait”, and in 1997 Dolly the sheep was cloned.

In February 1966, the Soviet space program landed a probe on the Moon and the US state of Hawaii hosted a US-Vietnamese summit.

Heading over to the Age Gauge, which is very USA-centric, and which gave a strange error and may not be working all that accurately any more, I was:
- 17 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh
- 13 years old during the time of the Iran hostage crisis – Way to go Ken Taylor and team!
- 3 years old when the Americans landed on the Moon

Catching Up, And Things Catching Up With Me

It’s been a week of catching up, and things catching up with me. I’m still not fully caught up, and I’m not sure things have fully caught up with me. And while I could end this post at that, some explanation is probably in order.

As for catching up, I’m referring, of course, to getting caught up on my work and commitments. I have many areas of focus right now, including some remaining financing, pre-opening marketing, center design and construction, and community partners. Throughout the week following my Dad’s death, I did manage to keep moving forward on financing, but the other areas all fell behind. I’m getting caught up, but not there yet.

As for things catching up with me, I was so busy during the week following my Dad’s death, that I didn’t have much time for his death to hit me. I had to take care of the living, my Mom, as well as funeral and other arrangements. Things have been catching up with me this week, which has, to a certain extent, inhibited my catching up with things, so to speak.

Within hours of my Dad’s death, my Mom suffered a heart attack. It was mild, and apparently did no substantial damage to her heart, but we didn’t know that at the time. She was in hospital, Ross Memorial in Lindsay, Ontario, from the Friday night until she was discharged on the Wednesday.

On the Sunday we were told that Mom had to go to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for an Angiogram, but they had no idea when she would be fit into the list of priorities at Sunnybrook. In the meantime, we had to make Dad’s funeral arrangements, and involve Mom in the decisions, obviously, without causing her any stress.

On the Monday we were told that she would go to Sunnybrook on the Tuesday. She had the Angiogram late in the day on Tuesday and we learned that her heart was fine, with no blockages, narrowings, or other damage. We had already scheduled Dad’s funeral for the following Saturday.

I came back to Kitchener on the Tuesday night and worked all day Wednesday. Thursday morning I headed back to my home town to be with Mom and complete Dad’s funeral arrangements.

On the morning of the funeral, last Saturday, Mom was rushed to hospital again with signs of a heart attack. After a battery of tests, the doctors determined that her chest pains were merely stress-related, and she was released in time to attend Dad’s funeral.

I spent Saturday evening and all of Sunday with my Mom. Monday morning I drove back to Kitchener, and began this week of catching up, and things catching up with me.

Thomas H. Southern – 1934-2008

I haven’t blogged since February 21. I had an entry ready for February 22, but I ran out of time on that day, my birthday, and didn’t get it posted. And I haven’t blogged since, because I haven’t had time, and haven’t known what to say.

My Dad passed away shortly after 11:00pm on the evening of my birthday, Friday February 22, 2008. He was pronounced deceased in the early hours of February 23, at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Ontario.

This post is about my Dad. He was a truly great man.

SOUTHERN, Tom – Entered into rest at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay on Saturday, February 23, 2008 in his 74th year.

Thomas H. Southern of Cannington was the beloved husband of Jean Profit of Cannington. Loving father of Stephen of Kitchener and Anne of Lindsay. Lovingly remembered by his grandchildren and by his sister Doreen (Bill) Elburg of Cannington and by niece Jane and nephews John and Jim.

Friends are invited to call at the Thorne Funeral Home in Cannington on Friday, February 29th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service from Trinity United Church, Cannington on Saturday at 2 p.m. Interment Cedar Vale Cemetery.

As a remembrance donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family. Order of the Eastern Star Service Friday evening at 6:30 p.m; Masonic Lodge Service Friday evening at 7:00 p.m.


I did my very best to eulogize my Dad appropriately. My attempt, as woefully inadequate as it is, is reprinted below.

Dad’s Eulogy
Died: February 23, 2008
Funeral: March 1, 2008

I want to thank you all for being here today, to support my Mom, and to help us say good bye to Dad. It means a lot to us. Dad loved to have fun. He loved to enjoy life. He firmly believed that people should work to live. And not live to work. He did his best to teach us, his children, this lesson.

Dad was born and raised in Toronto, in the Danforth Avenue area. He grew up on a little street called West Lynne, and had experiences there that shaped the rest of his life. His Father, my Grandpa Henry Southern, was a baker and businessman. His Mother, my Grandma Dora Southern, made the home.

Dad was involved in scouting and cubs at a young age. When he was late for supper he could often be found playing marbles with a local friend, or crokinole, or cards. Cards. He loved playing cards, whether it was euchre, cribbage or any other game. Or perhaps he was over at the TTC street car depot, fascinated, and having fun.

From an early age Dad learned the do’s and don’ts of the service industry. Everyone here knows that Dad could and would strike up a conversation with just about any stranger he came across. We always believed that he was just born that way, loving people and a good conversation. Of course, as children, Anne and I also wondered if he was just trying to really embarrass us all the time. But perhaps it was his early and continual work in the service industry, where he developed the skill to talk to anyone and everyone. And it just became second nature.

My Grandpa Henry Southern worked for Canada Bread, delivering bread door to door, with a horse and wagon. On Saturdays, at a very young age, Dad would walk up West Lynne to Danforth Avenue and meet Grandpa at a local drug store ... that also included a soda fountain! Dad would enjoy his soda treat, Grandpa would pay, and then they would both proceed to complete Grandpa’s bread route.

Having entered his early teen years, Dad took on a paper route, delivering both the Star and the Telegram. He then proceeded to grow his route, and purchase new adjacent routes as they became available. He built his empire up to some 100 plus customers! Delivering these papers could have taken quite a long time each day, but Dad devised a system. He could wrap papers up so tight that he could throw them from the street and land them neatly on each front porch. He also contracted out, paying my Aunt Doreen to make deliveries on West Lynne.

Dad used his paper route funds to treat himself periodically. He worked to live. These treats included picking up some French fries, or chips, at a local fish and chip store. And the rest of his life, he was a connoisseur of French fries.

Dad also played hockey with the Toronto Star Carriers. He played goal.

My Aunt Doreen has told me that Dad’s favourite part of school was at the end of the day, when the class was dismissed. School simply wasn’t his thing. And so it was no surprise that he quit high school on the day of his 16th birthday.

Dad’s parents, my grandparents, had come up to the Cannington area to visit Dad’s Uncle Richard, and they learned that the Brandon’s Model Bakery was for sale. The deal was closed on January 1, 1950 and Grandpa Southern, along with his brother Wylie, took over on May 18 of that same year. Dad turned 16 the day before, on May 17, 1950. He quit school and joined Grandpa, working in the bakery.

Being new in town, Dad quickly developed many life-long friendships. This young group of gentlemen would meet out at the three bridges on Saturday nights and then decide what to do for the evening. The group included Harry, Wes and Emery Southern, my Uncle Bill Elburg, Jim Gordon of course, Bob Hurlbut, Eric Parliament and others. I remember Dad telling me that this group used to laugh at the new city-slicker that felt he should lock his car as it sat out at the three bridges. They laughed that is, until thieves broke into their cars. This group often ended up at a local dance, which is how Mom first met Dad.

In their early 20’s, Aunt Doreen was looking for a ride to these local Saturday night dances, and Dad wanted to learn how to dance. A deal was struck. Grandma Dora Southern pumped up the player piano and brother and sister, student and teacher, danced around the dining room table.

Mom and Dad met at a dance in Mount Albert on a Saturday night in the mid-1950’s. They married in Zephyr in 1959.

By the mid-1960’s Grandpa Southern wanted to slow down, and the Model Bakery and land would be sold off. Mom and Dad looked at bake shops in Bobcaygeon and Orangeville, but decided to buy the old theatre on the Cameron Street here in Cannington. Southern’s Bakery opened shortly thereafter. Dad had worked for Grandpa. Now Grandpa was working for Dad.

By the early 1970’s Grandpa Southern had to stop working entirely, and it was difficult to find other employees. The bake shop was eventually sold, in 1973.

Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s Dad worked at the Briar’s Resort on Lake Simcoe, and also had various other businesses on the go. He and Mom also purchased a Chip Truck, and so his love of French fries continued. Throughout the Chip Truck years, thousands of customers came to know my Dad as Uncle Ernie, which was the name on the side of the truck when it was purchased. Dad took that truck to fairs and festivals, and also parked in Kirkfield for quite some time, serving cottage travellers.

Apparently he decided that I should also learn how to serve and interact with customers, as he left me high and dry one day at the Kinmount Fair. He had asked me to help cook fries that day. I agreed, but only after he assured me that I wouldn’t have to serve the customers. As some of you may remember, I was pretty shy! Well, sure enough, just as the first really large group of customers was approaching, my Dad announces that he had to use the washroom. And he left! Just left! I considered closing the truck window and posting a closed sign, but we didn’t have any such sign. And where would I hide? Ten minutes later Dad came back to find me frying fries, taking orders and serving our customers. I think he was pretty pleased with himself.

As the 1980’s rolled into the 90’s, Dad started to slow down. The chip truck was sold and Dad spent less time working at the Briars, and in other enterprises. This of course, allowed him more time to do what he loved.

Dad had many interests and things he loved to do. The list definitely includes watching sports, playing cards, shooting pool and curling. He was one of the founding members of our Cannington Curling Club. Dad loved to curl. And church suppers of course. Dad was a great supporter of church supper and would drive far and wide to attend. He also loved a great conversation, whether it was a fun argument with Jan Rendering, a chat with a stranger, or a debate over the Leaf’s, or business, or both. Dad often pursued and enjoyed these conversations over a coffee, or breakfast, at a local restaurant. He often did so with his nephews, John and Jim. We enjoyed countless trips to the family cottage near Carnarvon.

And of course, Dad loved time with his children, and his grandchildren. Dad would do anything for us, and he did. Time and time again.

In December 2006 Dad, along with my sons Braden and Ben, paid a visit to his old Toronto neighbourhood, West Lynne. It was an emotional time for all of us. He loved being back in the old neighbourhood.

Last Friday, February 22nd, Mom and Dad joined Bev and Murray Bailey at a church supper in Fenelon Falls. Something Dad loved to do. Later that evening they all returned to the Murray residence to play cards and visit. Cards and conversation, two more things that Dad loved to do. He had a great time on his final day with us here, and for that we are eternally thankful.

Anne and I had a great Dad. We HAVE a great Dad, for he’s still here, with us, guiding us. He made me what I am today. He shaped me. And trust me, any shortcomings that some of you may see. They’re not because Dad didn’t try. I simply wasn’t listening as carefully as I should have.

Thank you all for being here today.

We love you Dad.

Job Shadowing

My eldest son was job-shadowing me today. It’s part of a school program whereby a student “shadows” an adult throughout a workday. We started this morning in the office and then spent the rest of the day travelling between various meetings. It was fun having him tag along.

Later in the afternoon I asked him to start building a database for the business. He could glean all of the required information from local websites, and got off to a good start on the task today.

I had also asked him to type a few words to contribute to this blog entry, but he has yet to do so. Perhaps tomorrow.

The other day, while working away in a coffee shop between meetings, I overheard two local golfers talking about the game they, and I, love. The timing seemed right, so I walked up to them, handed them my card, and explained that Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo will open this summer. They laughed at the coincidence and then quickly started asking quite a few questions.

Since it’s coming to midnight, it’s about time to pack it in for the night. Just three more “work” days in this week, and lots to do, so must get some rest!

Fire Trucks Needed Here

I find I’m playing a lot of catch-up these days. The volume of work is increasing and my systems aren’t keeping up.

Throughout most of January I just worked very long hours, taking 5 or 6 hours sleep per night. While I was able to keep up, I also became sick.

It’s important to develop systems and work habits that are sustainable in the long run. Clearly, for me at least, running on 5 or 6 hours of sleep per night is not such a system.

I generally use my weekends to catch up on tasks that have slipped during the week, and also to keep organized. Weekends are also a great time to work on those Important but Non-Urgent tasks.

I’ve been busy or away from the office for four out of the last five weekends. Thus, I haven’t had much opportunity to get caught up and organized.

I wrote a letter to the editor of The Record newspaper. It was published yesterday.

You can find it online here, or inline below.


Fire trucks needed here

I read with interest your Feb. 9 coverage of the Cambridge fire department's planned donation of two "worn-out city fire trucks" to Pakistan (Turmoil In Pakistan Stalls Fire Truck Gift).

I have no doubt that the trucks would be put to good use in Pakistan. However, they are also badly needed right here in Canada, in any one of the countless small town and village volunteer fire departments that dot our largely rural countryside.

I'm quite certain that in my hometown -- Cannington, Ont. -- the fire department would love to "upgrade" to these 18-year-old trucks. They would likely be able muster enough volunteers to physically push the trucks, by hand, the approximately 200 kilometres between Cambridge and Cannington.

Cannington made the news this past Thanksgiving weekend when a historic church and several vehicles were lost to arson.

Whether the trucks are donated to a community in Pakistan, or a rural community within Canada, I'm certain they'll be put to good use. I simply hope that the Cambridge fire department has at least considered domestic needs, rather than simply looking abroad.

Stephen Southern
Kitchener

Thoughtfulness

It’s been a busy few days. Most of the weekend was spent in London, ON with my two boys. My eldest was in a hockey tournament there, and my youngest joined us to make it a nice father-sons bonding time.

The team won their three round-robin games quite handily, 4-2, 4-0 and 7-2. They also won their semi-final, by a score of 4-2, despite being down 2-0 well into the third period. However, they came out on the losing end of the final, 3-1, with the third opposition counter going into an empty net. They had a lot of fun, they developed new memories, and all probably grew a little too.

I had some wonderful moments with my youngest son, as we waited for games to begin, or for his older brother to change after each game.

On Friday evening, after the team’s first game, the entire team was in a room off the main lobby, playing mini-stick hockey. (It seems they can’t get enough hockey!) My youngest was up in our hotel room, with me. That is, until his older brother called up on our two-way radios and asked him to come down and join the team as they played mini-sticks. My youngest was very happy. That was a very thoughtful thing to do.

My youngest spent all of each game sitting inside, behind the glass. He was generally drawing, or reading. However, on Sunday, during the final, he came out to ice level, and stood with me, during the final minutes of the game. When I asked him why, he said it was because it was the final and he wanted to be out there. Again, very thoughtful.

Yes, dad was pleased. Thoughtfulness is so very important.

Monday was spent plotting a course for the future, while also talking about how we have arrived at our current position. I had extensive discussions and made quite a bit of progress on a number of fronts. Those discussions carried into today as well, with even more progress made. There was certainly some confusion and miscommunication, which was unfortunate. But that will happen, and it has now been rectified. It’s all about making sure everyone involved is on the same page, and we’re moving together, in a common and understood direction. As long as everyone involved is absolutely committed, and each understands that the others are also absolutely committed, virtually anything can be achieved. That’s how great teams do great things.

Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo will open this summer, and we look forward to serving an active and enthusiastic membership, as well as the general public.

Tuesday at the Masters

Parmasters Memphis (Tennessee, USA) has orchestrated a discount on a trip to the Masters. The discount is available to all Parmasters Memphis members. This is an example of the periodic, over the top, benefits of Parmasters membership, and also an example of the service mentality found in everything that we do.

This is the email that went out recently to all Parmasters Memphis members:

Dear Members:

As a valued member of Parmasters, I would like to take this opportunity to present you a wonderful opportunity to go to this year's Masters Golf Tournament. Please review the information below and when you call, please make sure you reference "Parmasters" to receive the special discounted price of $1,500. Retail cost is $1,675.

MASTER'S PRACTICE ROUND
TUESDAY, APRIL 8TH
Deadline to Register is Friday, February 29th or until the plane is Sold Out!!

Masters Trip Hotline is ###-###-#### (Sorry, Parmasters Memphis members only.)

This trip is being offered to all Parmasters Members at a reduced price of $1,500.00.

Includes:
1. All day at the Course
2. Air/Ground transportation from Memphis
3. Meals and refreshments
4. Master ticket for the day
5. Gift package, taxes & gratuities

Schedule:
1. Departs Memphis, 7:00 AM (private jet)
2. Arrive directly into Augusta, GA around 8:30 AM
3. At Augusta National by 9:30 AM
4. Back to Memphis around 7:00 PM

When you call, tell them you are a Parmasters Member to receive discount.

Mired in Important and Urgent Tasks

I have an earlier than normal start tomorrow. My eldest son is playing school hockey at 7:00am at a local arena. That means a 5:30am rise, which is about an hour earlier than the norm.

I’ve been lamenting lately the amount of time I seem to spend on paperwork, GST returns, statements, etc. Thus, of late, I’ve also been thinking a fair bit about those Important but Non-urgent tasks that I have blogged about many times in the past.

To have a truly effective day, we must have both energy (to do the work) and focus (to know what work to do). Energy is generally not a problem, at least not for me. Focus, on the other hand, is where my thoughts have been lately.

I don’t believe I spend much time on Non-Important tasks. But rather, I believe it’s tasks that are Important and Urgent that are tying me up. And thus, I have little time left for those tasks that are Important and Non-urgent.

Of course, efficiency could form part of the solution. If I could become more efficient, I could accomplish more in the same amount of time.

So I suppose, I should be contemplating both focus and efficiency.

One area I must also explore is leverage. While we don’t have a large team yet at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, we do have the nucleus of a very effective team. Perhaps other team members could share some of these Important and Urgent tasks.

Lots to think about. Solutions, we hope, to follow.

Communicating to Future Members

I spent some time earlier this evening drafting up our first email to prospective/future members. As mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve recently exhibited at both the London and Hamilton Golf and Travel Shows. At both shows patrons had the opportunity to enter our draw for Free Golf for LIFE! Some 1300+ golfers did so!

Of course, not all entrants included their email address. And some did not check off a box on the ballot that gave us permission to contact them. But many did include their email and many did ask us to contact them regarding membership options.

This will be our first large-scale communication to prospective members! It’s an exciting time. The email should go out later this week.

I was also reminded this evening that I am very blessed. It’s so easy to focus on the challenges in life, or in business, and not see the many opportunities and existing blessings. It’s so easy to constantly want more, or want it faster, or as some say, to see the glass half empty, rather than half full. In fact, as became clear again tonight, my glass is quite full, I am blessed, and I should spend more time in a deep state of gratitude. It’s a journey, not a destination. I shall trudge on.

10 Myths of Franchising

Tom Matzen, the President, CEO and Co-founder of Parmasters Golf Training Centers Inc., did an interview with Franchise Whale in mid-January. Anyone considering a franchise would do well to listen to this interview.

Tom is quite well known in the franchising world as an outspoken crusader working to uncover the ugly underbelly of the franchising world. As CEO of a major franchisor, this may seem uncharacteristic, but it’s not.

Parmasters is a highly ethical franchise system, lead by a highly ethical CEO. By ensuring Parmasters leads the way when it comes to ethical franchising, and speaking out against unethical franchising practices, Tom sets Parmasters apart in a dramatic way.

You can listen to the interview here.

Snow Day

It’s been another long stretch with little/no blog activity. I knew January was going to be a busy month. CRAZY busy really! And it was. There was simply too much to do and too little time in which to do it.

I generally catch up on things on the weekends. Two weekends ago, January 19 and 20, we had a booth at the London Golf and Travel Show. Actually, my last blog entry was just before the show. And this past weekend I was in Ottawa.

I had a fantastic time in Ottawa. It was a time to recharge the batteries and focus on the most important aspects of my life. Such times are currently far too rare and short lived.

The London Golf Show was very productive. We offered attendees a chance to enter a draw for Golf for LIFE!, and all but a few Show attendees were eager to enter. The draw will be held at our Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo grand opening!

Tomorrow and Sunday we’ll be exhibiting at the Hamilton Golf and Travel Show. We’re looking forward to another lively weekend with golfers of all ages.

And today is a snow day. All buses and schools in Waterloo Region are closed/cancelled. I had risen a little earlier than usual to take my eldest son to a school hockey game. We were up at 5:30am for his 7:00am game. But, with schools and buses closed/cancelled, hockey is also on hold.

Time now for a brief workout, before meetings with our landlord.

Chance at Free Golf for LIFE!

We issued the following release earlier today.

Londoners Offered Chance at Free Golf for LIFE!

Imagine free golf for LIFE! Visitors to this week’s London Golf and Travel Show will have a chance to win exactly that! Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo will offer this opportunity at the Hellenic Community Centre, 133 Southdale Rd. W., from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday January 19 and from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday January 20. Golf for LIFE! includes a Lifetime Full-Play Membership at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo along with an annual free round of golf at a local course, for life!

Parmasters Golf Training Centers is the world’s first indoor golf practice and training centre franchise. The Kitchener-Waterloo location is opening this summer at Market Square in Kitchener’s downtown core.

Flexible hours and climate-controlled indoor facilities allow golfers of all levels to gather at Parmasters to enjoy the ultimate golf training and practice centre. Charter Memberships are also available, which provide members with preferred access to the unparalleled indoor practice facilities and centre amenities, as well as additional member benefits such as special discounts and other member perks.

The Golf for LIFE! winner will be announced this summer at the Grand Opening of Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo.

“We’re very excited to bring Golf for LIFE! and the Parmasters message to the London Golf and Travel Show!” comments Stephen Southern, President, Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. “This kicks off our Charter Member marketing initiatives, offering future Parmasters members unparalleled value and amenities!”

To date, more than 90 Parmasters franchises and eight regional franchises have been awarded. The first location, a 25,000 sq. ft. centre in Memphis Tennessee opened in June 2006, and the first international centre in Guangzhou, China in April, 2007. Recently, Parmasters Noblesville (Indianapolis), Indiana held their grand opening event.

Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo: www.parmastersgolf.com/kitchener-waterloo

London Golf and Travel Show: www.golf-show.com

London Golf and Travel Show

As mentioned previously, we’re exhibiting at both the London Golf and Travel Show and the Hamilton Golf and Travel Show. The London event is this coming weekend, Saturday and Sunday, January 19 and 20.

Look for us in booth 414. You can find a floor plan here.

Stop by for your chance to win Golf for LIFE! The draw will be held on the day of our Grand Opening this summer. The lucky winner will receive a Lifetime Membership to Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, as well as a free round of golf at a local course every year for life! We can’t wait to make the draw and present the prize!

You can also visit our website to enter a draw for a 1-year Membership!

This past weekend was very productive. I typically use my weekends to catch up on tasks that are Important and Non-Urgent, as well as a few that are both Important and Urgent. This past weekend was no different. I also managed to squeeze in a workout, a run and an hour of hockey with my son’s team, during the annual parent-son tilt. The parents prevailed in a 15-12 defensive battle!

And today was both productive and very enjoyable. Today was like a glimpse into the future, and the future looks very bright! We look forward to opening Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, and then London, and Windsor, and …

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves …

Time for a little shut-eye. Early rise tomorrow!

Fans Crave More Success from Canadians

Lorne Rubenstein recently assembled this introduction to the 2008 Canadian golf scene. This comes from the Globe and Mail, here.

Fans crave more success from Canadians

LORNE RUBENSTEIN
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
December 21, 2007 at 10:01 PM EST

The 2007 golf season had its highs and lows from a Canadian perspective.

The high of highs was Mike Weir's win against Tiger Woods in their Sunday singles match at the Presidents Cup in September, while the low of lows is the fact that only three Canadians will play the 2008 PGA Tour — one more than this year.

Those three are Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont., Calgary resident Stephen Ames, and Oshawa, Ont., native Jon Mills. Weir and Ames won late-season events to set themselves up for a strong 2008, while Mills finished fourth on the Nationwide Tour to earn his PGA Tour card for the second time. He played in 2006, but finished 227th on the money list.

Mills, 29, is full of talent and experienced enough to win on the PGA Tour. He's a more mature golfer than the one who appeared to go for most pins a few years ago. One example will make the point.

During the 2001 Bell Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club's Blue course, Mills bombed a drive on the par-five 12th hole. The hole was cut to the left, behind a deep bunker. Mills went for the green with a towering shot, but his ball caught the bunker and left him with hardly any shot. He bogeyed the hole.

Woods came through around the same time and hit his drive to nearly the identical spot as Mills. Woods played far to the right of the hole, thereby taking the deep bunker on the direct line out of play. He hit the green and two-putted for a birdie.

Mills has since learned to manage his game. He plays smart golf now, which doesn't mean he won't use his power at the right time. Golf Magazine noted in its current issue that he makes a boatload of birdies, and included Mills in a list of five lesser-known players who could do big things in 2008.

Away from the PGA Tour, it should be interesting to follow Hamilton's Alena Sharp. She had her best season on the LPGA Tour, finishing 57th on the money list. Her finest moment came when she tied for 10th at the CN Canadian Women's Open. Sharp is getting close to a win.

Then, there's Charlottetown native Lorie Kane. Kane's been slipping in recent years. She finished 74th on the LPGA money list. Kane did tie for fourth at the Long Drugs Challenge in October, and believes she can win again. The 2008 season will go a long way toward determining whether Kane has much of a future left on the LPGA Tour.

Over on the Champions Tour, Toronto's Craig Marseilles might be worth watching, but this doesn't mean he can win there.

Marseilles has very little experience at this exalted level, as he's played most of his professional golf on the Canadian Tour.

But the 50-year-old did get through qualifying school. That gets him into a qualifying round before each tournament, where up to 90 players compete for seven or eight spots in that week's competition.

Richard Zokol also plans to play the Champions Tour after he turns 50 in August. As a PGA Tour winner and veteran member of the Tour, the Vancouver native gets into the same qualifying rounds as Marseilles. He's played no competitive golf the past few years, so he'll have quite a challenge ahead.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Open has a new sponsor in the Royal Bank of Canada.

On the Canadian Tour, commissioner Rick Janes and deputy commissioner Dan Halldorson continue to make strides toward a coherent, coast-to-coast schedule. They don't have it easy.

Nor does the Canadian PGA have it easy. Its Canadian PGA Championship was played from 1912 to 2005, and the roster of winners includes Gordon Brydson, Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman. Efforts have been made to revive the important championship, but no luck so far. That's too bad.

It's also too bad that the Royal Canadian Golf Association has yet to come up with a rotation of courses for the Canadian Open, or announce a venue for 2010. Tournament director Bill Paul said Friday that the RCGA plans to announce a number of courses for future Opens by the 2008 tournament in July.

Paul added that the RCGA is working hard to bring the 2010 Open to St. George's in Toronto, but that significant challenges remain. The 2008 and 2009 tournaments will return to the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Canadians love their golf. The pro game gave them some excitement this year. Revved up by Weir and Ames in particular, they crave more.

Shoulder Problems

I’ve been battling a shoulder injury lately. On Monday morning I visited Doug Chase at Active Therapy in Waterloo for an assessment. He started treatment, and he did explain what the problem was, but I forget the names of the muscles that he cited. They’ve been strained.

It was funny, because I asked him how these muscles might have been strained. The problem is in my right shoulder. He suggested that a very common cause is someone repeatedly stretching their arm back behind them, while seated in the front seat of a vehicle, to grab something from the back seat.

That was funny because my vehicle is currently my mobile office, generally with many files and documents in the backseat, and I frequently reach back to grab something. Doug had nailed it.

And I must now constantly remind myself to get out of the vehicle to retrieve my files, rather than reaching.

Holes for Sale

In business school, Wilfrid Laurier University in my case, we were taught that Black and Decker doesn’t sell drills. Black and Decker sells holes.

At Parmasters, we don’t sell golf lessons. We sell a 25% reduction in your handicap (or your handicap equivalent), GUARANTEED!

You see, no one purchases a Black and Decker drill simply to have a drill. Well, virtually no one anyway. I suppose there could be the odd individual with a drill fixation, but that’s beside the point. People buy drills for holes, not for drills.

I started thinking about this in terms of Parmasters Golf Training Centers, and our Straight-Line Golf™ System.

Throughout the golfing industry, most trainers and teachers offer no guarantee whatsoever, while a few brave souls guarantee “satisfaction”, that the student will be “satisfied” with the outcome of the lesson.

At Parmasters, we guarantee results. The following statement of our guarantee is taken from the Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo website.

The Parmasters Straight-Line Golf™ System guarantee:

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: The Straight-Line Golf™ System has delivered a minimum 25% reduction in handicap to thousands of golfers for over ten years. It works. So, if after completing the eight-hour Straight-Line Golf Clinic™ and the twenty-four private session Open Series training program:

• your handicap is not at least 25% lower (if you have an established handicap);
• your handicap equivalent is not at least 25% lower (for golfers without an established handicap); or
• your scores are not at least twenty strokes better than when you began training with us (if you are a new golfer)…
  

... then Parmasters wants to make it right.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Parmasters will work with you until you see and feel the results of the Straight-Line Golf™ System, or at your option, we will simply give you your money back.

You see, at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, we won’t be selling golf lessons. We won’t promote golf lessons and we won’t ask any members to consider golf lessons. We will sell results! We offer a 25% reduction in your handicap, GUARANTEED!

Return the Call

A close friend of mine left a voice message at a local hair salon, which shall remain nameless, on Friday afternoon. She related the story to me because, as of yet, she has not had her call returned! She’s knows that within the Parmasters world, service is paramount!

I blogged on a related topic recently here. We actually call our members every three months, just to ask how we can improve.

And of course, when someone calls us, we’ll answer the phone in almost every case. If, for some reason, none of our staff can take the call when it arrives, we’ll call you back, promptly!

Now it may be that this particular hair salon is absolutely overrun with business! They may be full to capacity, turning away new customers because they can’t keep up with their existing clientele. That may be the case. But I doubt it!

Even if this hair salon is currently overwhelmed with business, that’s no reason to alienate a potential new client. Why not grow the business? What if a few clients take their business elsewhere? Great businesses are always looking for their next client, while also focusing tirelessly on their existing clientele!

Needless to say, my friend will not return to this particular establishment. It’s all very unfortunate, and unnecessary.

Personality Types, Belief Systems, Values

I got thinking today about different personality types. Many are familiar with the Myers-Briggs tools and/or various other personality representation tools, many of which boil down to different colours indicators.

I'm a fairly strong Gold according to one of these tools. And in the Myers-Briggs world I'm an INTJ.

I was chatting with a close friend who is facing some frustration in a team situation at work. I believe and suggested that it all comes down to personality and values clashes.

As a Gold herself, she values punctuality, accuracy, meeting commitments, deadlines, etc. Others in the group, based on their colours, are more driven by relationships, a need to belong, new/fresh ideas, etc.

So I started thinking about a Parmasters golf training center, such as Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. We hire staff based on the values and personality types. We seek individuals that will thrive and maintain a high energy level, while providing the service that is integral to the Parmasters experience.

We then teach the skills that our team members require.

So, our team members will all have fairly similar values, beliefs and personality types. They won't be clones by any means, but they will all feel an affinity with each other.

Our members, on the other hand, will be as varied as the population of Waterloo Region. Varied personality types. Varied belief systems. Varied value systems.

Our goal is to hire staff that love and care about people, that love to communicate effectively, that love life, and that love to serve and please. We also look for a love and respect for the game of golf and all it represents.

Experience at other Parmasters centers shows that if we hire effectively, and train effectively, our team members will be well equipped to provide ALL members with exceptional service and a fantastic experience, time and time again! Personality types will vary dramatically throughout our membership, but ALL members will hopefully agree.

Parmasters provides a "WOW!" experience, every time!

To the Golf Shows We Go!

We’re kicking off the pre-opening marketing efforts for Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo with two golf shows. Look for us at the London Golf and Travel Show on January 19th and 20th and then at the Hamilton Golf and Travel Show on February 2nd and 3rd.

It’s a very busy month! We have lots or work to do to be ready for London. But, as with all things, we simply plan the work and then work the plan.

I met earlier today with another very solid potential employee. As I’ve mentioned before in this space, we hire based on personality and value system, and then we teach the skills that our employees require. So many companies hire based on skill sets, and then attempt to “instill” the desired personality and values. In the Parmasters world, we believe it’s easy to teach skills, and virtually impossible to “instill” values.

The gentleman that I met with today has the personality and values that we seek. Specifically, we look for things like a respect for people, respect for the game of golf, the grand old game as some say, an interest in people and their stories, a genuine desire to be of service, to help, and an outgoing, high-energy personality.

Golfers Can Practice Year-Round in Noblesville, Indiana, USA

Parmasters Noblesville, Indiana, USA received some media coverage earlier this week. The Indianapolis Star article can be found here.

I’ve also included the full text of the article below.


Golfers can practice year-round at center
By Betsy Reason
Betsy.Reason@TheNoblesvilleLedger.com
January 2, 2008

NOBLESVILLE -- Golf balls tee up every 1.6 seconds, playing Pebble Beach Golf Links is a swing away, and businesses can work and play in the same place at a new golf training center.

Mike Jaensson can't swing fast enough before another golf ball automatically tees up at Parmasters Golf Training Center, inside the Hamilton County Sports Complex, 9625 E. 150th St. He called the two fluency bays -- private rooms where golfers work with coaches to develop smooth, fluid swings -- awesome.

Four simulators offer play on 30 golf courses, and the 2,500-square-foot short-game area that's 30 feet tall doesn't leave a shadow on the ball.

"There nothing around here like it," said the 40-year-old Noblesville golfer, who joined the semi-private membership-based center to keep in practice during golf's off-season.

Which golfers can do, every day except Christmas, at a comfortable 72 degrees. They also can work out in the club's fitness center, said Noblesville's Betty Anderson, manager and co-owner.

She and husband Dave bought the franchise because they both love to play golf. Tom Christie of Connersville, Ind., is co-owner.

Their location is the third Parmasters center in the world. The first opened in Memphis, Tenn., and the second is in China. The Andersons own the rights to open up to five more sites.

The center offers a 13,000-square-foot wonderland. Golfers can pay as they play or buy a membership, said Dave Anderson, who's offering a complimentary two-hour pass to check out the facilities. He has 1,000 members, but the number can change every month because members pay month-to-month.

Golfing buddies Todd Thurston and Mark Breedlove tried out the pass Friday. Playing Pebble Beach on the simulator, Thurston said they'd become members.

"I just like the fact you can work on your game in the winter time," he said.

"And when it's raining," chimed in Breedlove, whose 6-year-old son Charlie practiced his short game.

Parmasters is the world's first year-around indoor golf training center franchise that guarantees results, said franchise co-founder Scott Hazledine, who played professionally from 1981-95.

In Noblesville two days last week certifying the center's golf coaches, Hazledine said the center will begin seminars this spring for companies that want to increase their sales on the golf course.

Scott Rebic, 59, of Fishers signed up for an eight-hour golf workshop, and said he's guaranteed a 25 percent reduction in his handicap, his money back or to continue instruction until he reaches the goal. Rebic said since he became a member when the center opened Dec. 3, he's hit the ball straighter with more accuracy and picked up 15 yards in distance.

He said, "This is about as close as you can get to the real thing."

Marketing Meeting

I’ve been a poor blogger again, over these Christmas and New Year holidays. It’s just been a very busy time.

I met today with Tom Matzen, Parmasters Co-founder (not to be confused with confounder), President and CEO. We dedicated close to three hours to a discussion of the initial marketing efforts for Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo.

You’ll start seeing our various marketing initiatives in January. Prior to our grand opening, we focus primarily on signing new members. We call these early members our “Charter” members, and they receive special bonuses and incentives for signing up prior to our grand opening.

I can’t wait to see our marketing efforts begin, and then bear fruit. We have such a positive message for any golfer or would-be golfer in Waterloo Region and beyond. It’s going to be very exciting as we start to really spread that message and see the reaction from the local golfing populace.

Moe and Nick

There are millions of great stories in golf. This is one of them:

"I'll never forget, I was in Niagara Falls about five years ago. My uncle had passed away and the day before the funeral I went out to Legends (on the Niagara) to hit a few balls. I'm at the end of the range, but I see this car cruising around. This big Cadillac drives up through the range, drives up on to the tee and right up behind me. It's Moe (Norman) and Nick," Weir said. "They just sat there and we shot the breeze for 2 1/2 hours and they watched me hit balls. That was pretty cool."

That’s a quote from Mike Weir, mentioning Moe Norman and Nick Weslock.

The quote comes from this story written by Dave Perkins and found on the Toronto Star website.

Non-Urgent, But Very Important

I’ve blogged previously about Urgency versus Importance. Many of us get swept up in Urgency, and forget to consider the Importance, or lack thereof, of our daily tasks. Many of us neglect those items that are non-Urgent, but very Important.

Later tonight I have focused on items that are both Urgent and Important.

However, most of today was dedicated to a wonderful part of my life that is non-Urgent and yet incredibly Important. It’s times like today that give me the energy and the drive to tackle periods where my tasks are perhaps more Urgent, but far less Important.

The End of One Week Brings the Beginning of Another

It’s been a full weekend! And soon time for bed, to get up tomorrow and start another week!

I’m very pleased with the progress we made this past week. It’s always nice, at the end of a week, to look back and be satisfied. Of course, those of you that know me also know that I secretly wish we could have accomplished much, much more! But, realistically, Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo moved much closer to our Grand Opening this past week! We’re getting there.

Friday evening I met with our banker, had discussions with a few folks at Parmasters HQ and also did quite a bit of Christmas shopping. With Parmasters HQ located on the west coast – Vancouver, BC – there tend to be a few discussions well into our evening, Eastern Time. I also had a wonderful chat with a dear friend who was quite excited about a new purchase. Christmas came early!

I worked most of Saturday, as I tend to do, but did break in the middle of the day to attend a Christmas lunch with the board of Spectradigital Corporation. It was a working lunch, but always nice to break bread with friends. Spectradigital is making great progress, but could also move faster. Time to money, time to market, speed in general, is always so critical.

Saturday afternoon I was back in the office working before heading off to a hockey game with my eldest son. It was my first time witnessing him scoring a goal in a game! I missed his first goal, earlier this season. He was one happy hockey player after the game! After supper we watched the Buds – aka the Toronto Maple Leafs – lose in convincing fashion.

And today, we here in southern Ontario awoke to a nice fresh blanket of snow. It seemed to be about a foot thick in my driveway. So, after breakfast I spent a few minutes moving said white stuff off the driveway and walks. Then after some housework and laundry it was back to the office. I took a brief break at supper time, did a little more shoveling, made some calls, and here we are again, in the office.

And now, it’s time to relax for a few minutes, before sleep. If we can make as much progress next week, as we did this past week, I shall be quite pleased.

Marketing Starting Soon!

We continue to be blown away, quite frankly, by the incredible and positive response to the information sessions we ran earlier this week! It’s been very busy trying to keep up with demand!

I think Bell Mobility will be very happy when they tally the minutes I’ve used on my mobile phone lately, all for a good cause of course. My battery came very close to failing on Tuesday evening and again tonight, after a long day of countless emails and phone conversations.

We’re now starting to strategize on our pre-opening marketing. Before we open, our marketing efforts are focused on signing up members. We offer many benefits to members that join us prior to our grand opening! We’ll register a minimum of 750 memberships before we open Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo.

Just to be clear, that doesn’t mean we will delay our opening until we have 750 members in place. Rather, we will do what it takes to ensure that at least 750 prospective members hear about the countless benefits to membership and thus sign on as members well before construction is finished.

This weekend I’ll be reviewing our website to ensure that it’s up to date. I should do so more frequently, but it can be difficult to keep up with some of these periodic tasks.

And lastly, it became quite clear today that a close friend of mine needs reminding that she must stop once in a while and “sharpen the saw!” I blogged about this many months ago here. Hopefully she’ll take the hint, and others too will benefit from the reminder.

Drug Testing

It’s another late night. I’ll have an early start tomorrow also.

We’ve had a fantastic response to the information sessions we ran earlier this week! We were always confident that our message would resonate well with attendees and that we would pique their interest, but the level of response and speed of response has been very gratifying!

Way back on Tuesday, which seems so very long ago, Parmasters received incidental mention a blog titled Deep Rough. I’m not sure who operates the blog, but the mention was appreciated.

Here's the quote:
"You may be able to find one [an AboutGolf simulator] at a local: PGA TOUR Superstore, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golf Town, Decathlon Europe or Parmasters."

Interestingly, the Mitchell Report on steroid use in major league baseball came out today, one day after media covered the beginning of mandatory drug testing on the PGA Tour.

Testing on the PGA Tour may seem crazy to some. I mean, we’re just talking about golf. But, given the nature of today’s game, and the seeming dominance of the power game, I believe the PGA Tour has made a wise move.

I just hope and pray that tour golf never experiences the drug-related turmoil currently hovering over major league ball.

Manipulating Time

It’s a bit of a late night tonight. We did the first of our stakeholder presentations this (Tuesday) evening. It went very well. The point is simply to convey a lot of information in a short period of time, and to do so effectively, such that people actually understand our business. We want people, simply, to “get it.”

Our presenter, Colin Christensen of Parmasters Alberta, did a fantastic job. We’re very pleased. Of course, as the owner and President of Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, I interjected periodically. But, for the most part, Colin ran with it.

We’re doing another presentation tomorrow, in about seven hours. I guess I should wrap up this post and get some sleep.

I believe there’s some way for me to manipulate the time stamp on each blog entry. So, I could post an entry at 8:00am, for example, and manipulate the time to say 6:00am, or whatever I like.

I’ve wondered why that feature exists. Why would a blogger do so?

Many of you may think I’m crazy to be blogging at this late hour. And yes, it actually is just after 1:00am on Wednesday morning. I have not manipulated the time. Others may be impressed by the dedication and long work hours.

Regardless, it is what it is. This, sometimes, is the life of an entrepreneur. Earlier today I committed to working through Wednesday night, likely all night, to accomplish a pressing task. As it turns out, we’ve found another way to accomplish this task, and I will not have to work through Wednesday night. But, in the end, as an entrepreneur, you simply do whatever it takes. Which, I suppose, is no different than anyone else in any other job or career. You do whatever it takes to get your job done.

Well, now it’s time for some sleep. Long day tomorrow.

Christmas Spirit

It’s been another busy weekend, preparing for what will undoubtedly be a busy week ahead.

I started with a breakfast meeting Saturday morning and then headed back to the office to knock off as many tasks as possible. Late Saturday afternoon I watched my eldest son play hockey. They suffered their second defeat of the season, but apparently it didn’t count, as the real referees had not appeared, and substitutes were used instead.

Saturday evening I did some Christmas shopping and found it very relaxing and also very enjoyable! This is a busy year. For that reason, and others, I’ve struggled to get into the Christmas spirit. Saturday night really helped. I was shopping for some people that are very dear and special to me. I was just quite saddened when it was time to leave.

Today was spent almost entirely in the office. We’re doing some presentations this coming week to some key stakeholders related to Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, so I was preparing for that. We have visitors flying in from Parmasters HQ and also from Parmasters Alberta to assist with these presentations.

I believe now, it’s time for some sleep, also in preparation for a busy week ahead.

Great Shareholder Team

I’ve had a couple of highly productive days since my last blog entry. Which I see as very positive, given my current value system.

I’m off to my eldest son’s school shortly for a brief parent-teacher meeting. It will be nice to get a more complete picture of what is happening in the class room, both in general, and with my son. Report cards are helpful, but I find I learn much more in a brief chat with a teacher.

And tomorrow morning I sit down with our shareholders. As part of running Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, I make myself available for two hours, every quarter, to answer any questions that our shareholders may have.

In reality, of course, our shareholders can contact me at any time, and I often call them to discuss various matters, to seek assistance, etc. I believe strong, open lines of communication are best. There shouldn’t be any surprises, neither good nor bad.

I’m very happy with the group of shareholders we’ve assembled. There all very intelligent, successful, and articulate. They’re team players, more than willing to work together for the common good. Basically, they’re good natured people who are quite happy to roll their sleeves up and pitch in whenever needed.

Of course, at the same time, our shareholders expect results and they expect the value of their holdings to grow. That’s my job. And I’m going to get back to it.

Better Days

I wasn't very productive today. I did ok, and bumped several initiatives along, but I could have done more, and feel bad about that. I tend to feel a sense of guilt and lost opportunity at the end of a so-so day. It's a day that I can't get back.

Clearly, at least at this point in my life, I place a lot of value on productivity and getting lots of "stuff" - that's a technical, entrepreneur term by the way - done. I say "clearly" because if I didn't value productivity, I wouldn't be lamenting a low productivity day.

I've always prided myself on my ability to do a lot, to handle a lot, to juggle many priorities, etc. But I also realize that there are lots of people who do so much more than me. Compared to some of these people, and I know one of them quite well, I look like I'm standing still! I don't know how they do all that they do!

And of course, we don't all value productivity. Life is about the journey, not simply the destination. Stop and smell the roses. Etc.

At any rate, I hope to sleep much better tonight, and be far more productive tomorrow. Because, at least for now, productivity is something I value greatly!

Excellence

I saw this quote in action this evening. I was in awe!

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle

City of Kitchener Environment-focused Workshop

I'm sitting at another hockey practice, this one at the Doon campus of Conestoga College. I've been trying to teach my son the importance of and proper use of speed. He seems to be gaining some understanding. He's out there experimenting and learning, which is wonderful.

This morning I attended a environment-focused workshop hosted by the City of Kitchener. I learned a lot. I find that new and varied experiences tend to stimulate new and varied ideas. In this case, I started thinking about our role as business owners.

As we open and operate multiple Parmasters golf training centers throughout southern Ontario over the next seven years, it seems we have both an opportunity and an obligation to be environmentally aware and responsible. But of course, at the same time, we must ensure the business thrives at the same time.

And isn't that interesting. Even as I typed that previous paragraph, it occurs to me that I did so under an assumption. The assumption was, "it can be expensive and draining for a company to operate in an environmentally responsible manner."

Is that assumption true?
Do others operate under the same unchallenged belief?

More to ponder, as the practice continues...

Creating My Days Again

It was another busy day. I managed to meet with the consultant that’s helping us drive down the costs of many of our furnishings, fixtures and other capital items. We’d been meaning to meet in person for some time.

On another topic, I’ve had great success lately with this practice of creating my day. I blogged about it back in April 2007 but must admit I languished a little throughout the late summer and early fall. I just didn’t make time to create my day. But lately, I’ve made the time, dedicated the time, and the payback has been tremendous. I generally achieve my perfect day, every day.

Give it a try!

Green to the Core

We were mentioned briefly in the media today. KW Record reporter Michael Hammond wrote a great piece on the many recent positive developments, most specifically new businesses, within downtown Kitchener.

You can find the entire article, titled “Discovering core values,” here.

Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo was mentioned in the following paragraphs, taken directly from Michael's article.

A self-described serial entrepreneur, meanwhile, is working on plans to open an indoor golf training facility on the ground floor of the Market Square retail-office building at King and Frederick streets.

Stephen Southern wants to open a Parmasters golfing centre with driving range simulators, sand trap practice areas, putting greens, a pro shop and a cafe.

When he unveiled his plans this summer, Southern said his biggest motivation in locating in Market Square was offering a golfing "health club" for the thousands of
people who work in the core.

Also today, our Canadian Regional Franchisor, Andre Ferris, issued the following release. It's included below, in full, and also available here.


Nov 28, 2007 13:00 ET

Greener days ahead for Canadian golfers

Parmaster’s indoor golf greens ideal for practicing year round

Attention: Business/Financial Editor, Lifestyle Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor

TORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA RELEASE--(Marketwire - Nov. 28, 2007) - The chip and putt are two of the most important strokes in golf which only get better with practice. Parmasters Golf Training Centers make it possible to practice these strokes year round in their indoor golf centres.

Just ask players such as Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir and they'll tell you that improvement only comes through consistent training and practice. Few ever imagine reaching their playing level, but concede that any improvement would be a step in the right direction.

Whether professional, experienced, casual or new, all golfers agree with the old adage, that "practice makes perfect." And yet, it's actually perfect practice that makes perfect. And that means training in the ideal conditions. What's challenging for the average golfer is finding the time and place to practice year round.

"It's no wonder that professionals putt well when many of them, such as Vijay Singh, have professionally designed golf greens right in their own backyard," says Parmasters Chief Golf Professional and Co-Founder, Scott Hazledine. "To have one of these would be any golfer's dream."

"Having a surface this good to practice on is incredible," says Vijay Singh, 2004 PGA champion. "[It]… performs like a tour green."

The putting greens are so realistic and play like real greens that a golfer can play the same stroke that's used on real grass. "We've found that pros and amateurs can greatly improve their putting strokes by being able to rely on consistent putts with a "true roll" from every position on the green," says Weston Weber, founder and owner of Southwest Putting Greens Technologies, Inc.

Over 25 PGA pros own these putting greens, and it is these same, quality greens that Parmasters are installing in each of their 12,000 to 15,000 square-feet golf centres, beginning with Canada's first Parmasters centre which opens early 2008 in Edmonton. Another 12 golf training centers and 20 Links Golf Cafes will follow in the spring.

"Not only is Parmasters 'the ultimate golf training and practice facility,' they make learning, practicing and playing golf fun," says Andre Ferris, Canadian Regional Franchisor of Parmasters Golf Training Centers. "As I speak with people across Canada about this opportunity, it's exciting to hear their enthusiasm and anticipation for the centres to open."

Parmasters is the world's first year-round indoor golf training centre franchise that literally guarantees results and is currently establishing itself in the Canadian market. And with over 30 franchises already awarded in Canada, and only opportunities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec, to be sold, finding a location close to home shouldn't be too difficult.

Visit http://www.parmastersfranchise.com/ for franchising opportunities and details.

We Will Phone You Every Three Months

It was another busy and productive day at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. Our grand opening is now within sight, finally. These are exciting times, and sometimes overwhelming, as alluded to in my blog entry last night.

I enjoyed a sandwich at a local Tim Horton’s today. I’ve had the same type of sandwich many times in the past, but this one, today, just seemed different. I can’t quite put my finger on the difference. And thank goodness for that! The sandwich just seemed a little, I don’t know, perhaps “flat” is the correct word. That said, lunch today was still very enjoyable. It was a very comfortable respite from a hectic day!

I’m having some challenges with my virus protection software/subscription. I’m told I have to renew, that my subscription has expired. When I proceed onto the company’s website, and log into my account, I’m told my subscription will expire in, are you ready for this?, 356 days! Wow! I better renew today!

And so I search for a phone number, and none can be found. I eventually gave up. I’ll take up the quest again early tomorrow.

This is quite a contrast to the customer service we will offer once we open. Of course, I may be somewhat biased, but you can be the judge. We will phone each of our members once every three months, to simply ask how we’re doing and how we can do better. We won’t try to sell anything. We won’t offer any special promotions or soon to expire deals. We’ll simply tell each member, every three months, that we care about his/her experience within our golf training center, and we want to make that experience even better, and ask how we might do so. Oh, and if you want to call us, simply dial our number, which is found on virtually every page of our website.

Better golf. More fun. Guaranteed.

When a Task Seems Overwhelming

I had a good chat with Andrew Winston at Parmasters HQ this evening. It was “good” in that I learned quite a bit and he really challenged me to think outside the box and get creative with certain challenges. On the other hand, the magnitude of this challenge, the sheer amount of work to be done to open Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, on time and on budget, now seems really overwhelming.

I don’t mind admitting, entrepreneurship can be an emotional roller coaster. Don’t get me wrong; we’re absolutely focused on the task at hand. We’ll do whatever it takes to open this business and provide amazing service to our customers. It’s just that, at times, this entire process can become very stressful.

It’s at times like these, when a project seems completely overwhelming, that I try to employ a few tried and true strategies. For example:

1) Break the task down into smaller, more manageable, sub-tasks.

2) Do something. Get started. Just make some early progress. Build some momentum.

3) Leverage. Can some sub-tasks be handed off to other team members, friends, professionals, colleagues, etc.?

4) Don’t lose sight of the eventual outcome. Do some visioning. In this case, I picture the grand opening of Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo.

5) Challenge the feelings of being overwhelmed. Is the project really as daunting as it seems? Sometimes our minds play tricks on us, portraying something that is not reality.

6) Worst case scenario. Spend a little bit of time understanding the worst possible outcome. Once you do this, you generally realize that it’s not nearly as bad as you thought it was, before you really understood it.

7) Look to the wise words of others. (Please note this list is in no particular order.) Talk to a friend, a colleague, a confidante. Someone you trust. Someone that will tell it like it is. Someone with wisdom to share. I have done so recently and will do so again tomorrow.

8) Look to other wise words, such as those that follow.

“Never confuse activity with results.” -Lou Gerstner, former CEO, IBM

“Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.” -Vaclav Havel

“Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” -unknown

“Some succeed because they are destined to. Most succeed because they are determined to.” -unknown

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” -Mark Twain

“No matter how big and tough a problem may be, get rid of confusion by taking one little step toward solution. Do something.” -George F. Nordenholt

Hockey Practice

I'm standing in the lobby of the arena and curling club in beautiful Wellesley, Ontario. I had my eldest son up at 5:30am for his 7:00am hockey practice. He's zipping around the face-off circles, forwards and backwards, while controlling a puck, as I type. It's a great drill that I did countless times myself some 25-35 years ago! Ouch!

Actually, to be fair, I didn't have to wake him. He had set his alarm and was just starting his breakfast at 5:20am, when I arrived in the kitchen. Impressive!

It will be another busy day in the office after this practice. It's just a busy period. We have a lot to do between now and January, to stay on schedule for a late spring or early summer opening. I'll blog more on specific schedules - and perhaps a press release - in the near future.

And later today I hope to enjoy, along with millions of others, the 95th contesting of three-down football supremacy. I suspect Saslatchewan fans will be celebrating later tonight.

Fifteen Minutes

Today was very productive. I worked late last night and started a little late this morning, but managed to clear up several outstanding tasks. I also managed to get a great start on some writing that I had been putting off. I’m not typically one to procrastinate, but there are certain tasks that I simply don’t enjoy.

To tackle this writing project, I used a friend’s 15-minute approach. Jim Estill advocates this strategy when procrastinating. Simply make a deal with yourself that you’ll tackle the task for 15 minutes. As Jim notes, we can all do pretty much anything for a mere 15 minutes. I did so this morning. I decided I’d put 15 minutes into this writing task and see what happened. Two hours later, when I finally came up for air, I realized I had just created a solid first draft.

While eating lunch I watched a bit of the LG Skins Game taking place at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in Indian Wells (surprisingly enough), California, USA. I witnessed Fred Couples pull out another skins game miracle, holing out for eagle from a deep green side bunker on the short par-5, 501 yard fourth hole.

The Globe and Mail provided a recap, which I’ve included below.

Couples off to flying start at Skins Game
Associated Press
November 24, 2007 at 4:27 PM EST

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Fred Couples knows one good shot can make a huge difference in the Skins Game.

After bouncing his drive off a spectator's bag and into the fairway and hitting his second shot into a bunker behind the green, Couples knocked his 35-yard shot out of the sand and into the hole to win $75,000 (U.S.) on Saturday.

"I don't think I played particularly well, but I did hole a shot," he said after taking the first day lead in the LG Skins Game.

His eagle on the par-5, 501-yard fourth hole was worth three skins because the previous two holes were tied.

"He got rewarded for hitting a great shot," defending champion Stephen Ames said.

The 48-year-old Couples hadn't played competitively for almost eight months because of back trouble.

"I'm very rusty, but excited to play," he said.

Ames, of Calgary, was the only other player to win a skin over the first nine holes of the two-day, 18-hole event. He picked up $25,000 by making a six-footer for birdie on the first hole.
Skins Game rookies Zach Johnson, this year's Masters champion, and Brett Wetterich were shut out.

"I think Zach and I are just waiting for the next nine holes; that's when all the big money comes up," Wetterich quipped.

The players usually are more relaxed on the first day of the tournament, joking and laughing, but things tend to get quieter when the big money is at stake on the second day.

Ames provided some fun on No. 9 when he pretended he was going to putt with a hockey stick. Couples joined in, waving his putter to challenge the hockey player.

Johnson said he didn't feel he needed to provide any levity.

"My wife says I'm not funny, so the pressure's off," he said, smiling.

He had several putts rim out of the cup, often shaking his head and grimacing.

The made-for-TV event is in its 25th year, and Couples is playing for the 14th time. He's the five-time tournament champion and has won 89 skins and more than $3.9 million, all topping the Skins Game list.

Most of the prize money remained up for grabs because the other five holes were tied on the first day. When the foursome tees off on No. 10 Sunday, that hole alone will be worth $270,000, and $900,000 of the $1 million purse will be at stake.

Couples' shot out of the sand was the highlight on a day when none of the four played especially well, at times making the relatively short, new course at Indian Wells Golf Resort resemble a gruelling U.S. Open layout.

Players are more aggressive in skins competition, not bothering to lay up shots in front of the green because they realize a par usually won't win a hole. That strategy sometimes leads to more shots straying into the rough or sailing beyond the pin.

"It was a little different scene out there for all of us, bombing drivers," Couples said. "In a regular tournament, you'd be doing different things. I changed some shots and hit some really pathetic shots."

When his bunker shot dropped on what seemed almost its final turn, Couples raised his arms in celebration, then added a brief end zone-type hip wiggle in the sand.

As Couples walked onto the green, some fresh bounce in his step, Johnson bowed to him a couple of times, honouring the player known as "King of the Skins."

The first six holes are worth $25,000, and Nos. 7-12 $50,000 apiece. The 13th through 17th carry a prize of $70,000 and No. 18 is worth $200,000.

A player takes a skin by winning a hole. If the hole is tied by any of the players, the money carries over and all four remain in the hunt. If there is a tie on the 18th, the players who tied enter a playoff.

Couples got a bonus along with the $75,000 he won on No. 4. Title sponsor LG had offered $50,000 in products for an eagle on either of the two par 5s on the course.

Parmasters Indianapolis-Noblesville, Indiana, USA Set to Open

It’s an exciting time within the Parmasters world. Our third center, worldwide, is about to open.

Parmasters Memphis, Tennessee, USA opened in June 2006.

Parmasters Guangzhou, China, opened earlier this year.

And now, Parmasters, Indianapolis-Noblesville, Indiana, USA is on the verge. Dave and Betty Anderson will open the center’s doors to members on Saturday December 1! The general public will be invited for their grand opening on Monday December 3!

All of us in the Parmasters family are very excited for the Andersons. They’ve worked many long, hard days, weeks and months to make this dream come true!

Following quickly on the heels of Parmasters Indianapolis-Noblesville are Parmasters Edmonton, Alberta (Colin Christensen) and our very own Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. Right now it looks like Colin may swing open his doors a month or two before us, but we’re working hard to overtake him. There’s a steak dinner (wager) on the line!

I discovered this golf comedy blog today. I haven’t reviewed it in great detail, but I did have a few laughs.

The electricity went out here this evening. It was nice to sit down with a few candles and a good book.

It’s amazing really. We don’t typically notice with ongoing whir of various small and not-so-small electrical appliances and gadgets that surround us. But when they’re all stopped, the silence is wonderful. As I’m typing this, clearly the electricity has been restored. I miss the quiet.

Blessed Art Thou

I met with our Mizuno Golf Canada representative today. Each Parmasters Golf Training Center, our Kitchener-Waterloo location included, will offer custom-fitted, custom-built Mizuno golf clubs. We offer only the one brand, and only custom-fitted.

The representative was in town to call on various accounts and so offered to show me some of their innovations for the coming 2008 season. He was also interested in learning more about our operation, our schedule and our future location within Market Square in downtown Kitchener.

Amongst the new offerings from Mizuno golf:
- MP-57 professional series irons – a more forgiving iron to complete Mizuno’s MP iron series
- MX-950 game improvement irons – blending three distinct game improvement designs in a seamless set of irons
- MP-600 driver – with two movable and versatile eight gram weights to adjust ball flight
- MX-560 driver – designed for extreme distance and forgiveness

We also discussed many apparel innovations, including the Windlite Performance Mock which includes material that wicks away moisture while also generating heat and warmth.

The new clubs are gaining significant recognition and attention, as noted by this recent Golf magazine article.

This evening I was once again reminded of how incredibly lucky and blessed I am. A friend, Jim Estill, believes he lives a “charmed life.” I’m not sure I’m prepared for that particular phrase, but I was reminded tonight that despite the many challenges and stressful situations I currently face, I am incredibly and overwhelmingly lucky and blessed. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Chief Lieutenant and Great Testimonial

My productivity has really taken a hit lately, starting with a few days off and then this cold that I’m still fighting. It seemed just a little better today. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

I did manage to get a fair bit done today. I had been procrastinating, just a little, on some writing but today managed to complete most of a good first draft. There were many calls, of course. And I also conferenced with Parmasters HQ.

I hope I’m not stealing their thunder, but Parmasters HQ has apparently established an agreement with a third party firm whereby this firm will provide project oversight services to franchise owners throughout the build stage of each center. I don’t believe this firm will act as a general contractor, but rather more of a chief lieutenant to the franchise owner.

Details on all of this are still sketchy, but this is welcomed news. It would free the franchise owner, me, to focus on building the operation, staffing, building revenue, and ensuring operational expenses are managed effectively from the start.

In doing a little reading, I came across this testimonial from a recent member newsletter issued by Parmasters Memphis, in beautiful Tennessee, USA. I have removed the attribution.
September 2007
"About 2 Months ago, after realizing people were getting promoted based on their golf game and golf tips, I decided it was time I learn the game. I had tried years earlier, even took a couple lessons with a TPC Golf pro, but what he was telling me to do seemed to defy the laws of nature, though he made it out to be so easy. After 2-3 weeks of missing the ball, punching dirt up into my eyes, I was getting frustrated. I didn't even keep score, because a lot of times I took so many swings that we were holding up the next group, so I would pick up the ball and move on. Then, someone I met on the course told me about Parmasters. I fell in love immediately! I was still bad, but I felt like I could improve with a practice facility as awesome as Parmasters. I attended the free 2 hour "Hit the Ball Straight" seminar, and within 2 weeks, using the techniques I learned, I shot a 106. Since then I have been at Parmasters 3-4 days a week, shooting about 103 avg during my weekend golf rounds. The people are so friendly here, both staff and members, which is why I like to think of it as my Second Home. The facility is top notch and they are constantly upgrading things. On another note, I highly recommend the burgers!!"

Nationwide Tour Coming To Collingwood, Ontario

This cold I acquired while on my recent mini-vacation is unrelenting. We’re now into day 8 or 9 with no apparent end in sight. I'm told by one of the smartest people I know that anecdotally it seems the common cold has morphed into something more nasty and long-lasting, so I’m hoping that’s all it is, the “common cold.” It shut me down over the weekend and a lot of Monday, but I did manage to breathe enough today to make some good progress.

We had some good news for the local golf scene on Monday. Here’s the text of an article from the Globe and Mail.

Gretzky brings Nationwide Tour back to Canada

Canadian Press

November 19, 2007 at 9:19 PM EST

COLLINGWOOD, Ont. — The Nationwide Tour is returning to Canada with a little help from The Great One.

The Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic will be played next June at two courses near Collingwood, Ont., which is about 150 kilometres north of Toronto.
Gretzky said he was inspired to start the event after attending the Nationwide Tour tournament in Greenville, S.C.

"Each and every year we've gone to the Nationwide event in Greenville it's just been better each and every time," Gretzky said in an interview with the Golf Channel on Monday. "That's where we came up with the concept of 'Wow, this is such a great tournament, we should do one of these in Canada."'

It will feature a field of 160 Nationwide Tour players, each of whom will be paired with a celebrity or amateur player for at least two rounds. The Nationwide pros will be playing for one of the largest purses of the year — US$800,099 — and all four rounds will be televised on The Golf Channel.

The tournament, hosted by Gretzky, will be split between The Georgian Bay Club and the Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay, which was co-designed by Thomas McBroom and PGA Tour player Tom Lehman and opened in 2006.

"What we hope to do by having this event in Canada is raise the awareness that youngsters in Canada can get to the PGA," Gretzky said. "It takes a lot of time and you have to put in a lot of effort but there are stepping stones to getting on the PGA Tour.

"The Nationwide is a nice stepping stone and hopefully my event will give it some exposure in my country."

Gretzky is an avid golfer and played in the pro-am at the CN Canadian Women's Open this summer at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton.

The Nationwide Tour last held events in Canada in 2005, when the CPGA Championship was played in Cambridge, Ont., and the Alberta Classic was held in Calgary.

Mini-vacation

I visited Market Square, our future location, this afternoon, to take some measurements. We’re working on some rough drawings and floor plans. Our architect/designer will finalize the layout, but it’s helpful for us to develop a rough idea.

I took a little mini-vacation Friday through Monday. No work. It was very strange. Friday and Monday were very enjoyable. I just did exactly what I wanted to do, morning through night. Both days were wonderful! Saturday and Sunday I stayed around home and relaxed, or attempted to relax, as much as possible. Of course, upon my return on Tuesday there was plenty to do.

And somehow, over the course of this mini-vacation, I came down with a head cold. I’ve mentioned this to a few people and each of them has said that’s always the way; you slow down for a few days and a cold catches you! Interesting theory.

I have some writing to do this week, which is something I don’t really enjoy. That probably sounds strange, as you read this on my blog. Why does a non-writer blog? I guess it’s just the type of writing. I enjoy writing for my blog, as I am doing right this second, but do not enjoy other, more arduous and detailed writing. But, of course, it’s necessary.

Well, for now, back to my backlog of work.

Full Of Life

I’ve been a very bad blogger of late. Hardly a blogger at all really. And this just a month or so removed from my Absentee Blogger post.

Part of the problem, as alluded to in another recent post, is that I can’t really blog much about our golf training center right now. The things I’m working on don’t allow for much public disclosure. And since the center is my passion, and what I love to blog about, when I can’t write about it, there’s a tendency to write less.

I look forward to a time when my day-to-day tasks can be more public and appropriate for publication via this blog and other avenues.

I ran 10 kms (10K) late Saturday afternoon. I’ve been getting back into running over the last few years and recently started running in a few organized/charity 5Ks. On Saturday, I had planned to run 5K. But before my run, I started considering whether I should do the route twice, and do 10K for the first time in a very long time.

At about the 4.5 km mark, where I had to decide whether to head back home or continue, I decided to continue. I felt good. Somewhere close to the 6.5 km mark I started to lose my form. My legs tired and I started getting a little sloppy. After another 2 km my legs were starting to get sore, partly from the extra exertion, and partly due to my poor form. I corrected as best I could, and finished fairly strong.

I’m glad I did it and will likely do so again. Setting the challenge and then meeting it, was enjoyable.

And lastly, I play a little pick-up hockey late Tuesday afternoons. This evening I had a very delightful opportunity to talk a little hockey with an exceptional young man. He was just a real joy to be with. Very polite and full of life. A strong skater and solid on the puck too. He definitely stands out both on and off the ice. As you can tell, he made quite a lasting impression. I’m hoping, someday, for at least a little while, he’ll work in one of our golf training centers. His future is very bright and he’ll succeed at whatever he tackles in life. I walked away feeling richer for having met him, and also inspired to be just a little more “full of life”, like him.