I’ve been watching Tim VanOrden’s energetic YouTube videos for a while, but just today ventured over to his website. He’s a Raw Vegan and on a mission to show that that you can achieve world class athletic performance on that kind of a diet, and at an older age.

Tim is 40 years old, setting personal records and beating runners over a decade junior to him.Here’s a taste of his goals for 2008:

• 2008 - US Tower Racing Champion at the Empire State Building
• 2008 - US Mountain Running Team - World Championships
• 2008 - World Record - Mile on outdoor track - First 40 year old to break 4 minutes.
• 2008 - US Olympic Track & Field Team - 40 years of age
• 2010 - US Olympic Nordic Ski Team - 42 years of age

I’ve been searching for a top Raw Vegan athlete that managed to improve performance radically after embarking on a Raw Vegan diet. I know of a few Raw Vegans who were top athletes, but they were either super fast before going raw, or stopped racing seriously altogether after cutting out cooked foods.

It looks like his diet is mostly fruits and raw food bars during the day (Lara Bars is a sponsor of his), with a monster salad in the evenings. No supplements either! He’s been doing this since late 2005, after several years as a vegan.

If someone like Tim can achieve significantly improved performance at an age where most would say his career as a top runner is over, then I would have to say there is something to his dietary approach. If this diet can power him to this level, just think about what incorporating more living foods in your diet could do to your energy levels at work or school?

Skip the sandwich, go for the salad.

I just watched the old Biography episode on Tony Robbins. It’s available on YouTube in five parts. The whole thing is a joke.

First of all, it is really old and generally focuses on the outward techniques Tony uses without delving into their meaning. It’s definitely made out to make him look like a super salesman out to get rich. Even though they have a few positive statements from Stallone and mention of his foundation, they portray what he does as equal parts cult and pep rally. They totally miss the boat.

Based on my own experience with Tony’s teaching; having seen him in person several times, having attended his Mastery University program now as director of the Seattle PowerGroup (through which I’ve met many others who have gone through his programs)….I find the story told in this program to be misleading.

First of all, the energy and movement used in his programs are done with a purpose. Physiology is an incredible tool we can all use to change out state. That’s why we feel good when we cheer, dance, breath deeply, exercise, etc. Put your body in a state of being where you would be if you were happy and feeling good….and pretty soon you will be happy and feeling good. A key part of what Tony teaches is using physiology as one gateway to make personal change. Along with physiology, your language and mental focus also matter. It’s proper application of this “triad” that becomes a fundamental technology for personal growth. You practice this during his programs so you can develop this skill and apply it throughout your everyday life without trouble.

Second, the firewalk is an incredibly powerful anchor. Think of it as a reference point you can refer back to (consciously or unconsciously) as a proof point that you can excel and achieve even in the most challenging of circumstances. I did this several years ago and will never forget the experience.

Lastly, the Tony Robbins of today is very different from the Tony Robbins of the 90’s. As I’ve heard from some long time students who attended his earliest programs, he’s “toned down” a bit and incorporated more relationship and health/wellness teaching into his programs. One thing about Tony is that he never stops learning. Every year his programs change and adapt as he discovers more effective techniques. He adds new guest speakers and topics to his talks all the time.

In fact, when I attended Date with Destiny in 2006, he actually conducted a guided meditation and chakra cleansing. This is the sort of thing that Tony would never have done a decade ago.

I think people who watch an old infomercial or developed some opinion about him through his book or an old seminar experience ought to give it another shot. His teaching today has evolved a lot over years.

I just stumbled across this stuff at Whole Foods, and yes it is killer! I got the Dave’s Killer Bread sprouted grain variety and have already had 6 slices today….boy was it tasty.

It’s locally made, organic, healthy and Dave’s story is super compelling (it’s on the back of every load). Gotta love that mullet. Go Dave!

I’ve blogged ad nauseam about how the WHY is so much more important than the HOW. In other words, it is the meaning behind what you are doing that is far more important how you carry out the activity. In fact, you could even extend this axiom to imply that the WHY is not only more important than the HOW, but it is more important than WHAT you do as well!

I recently was given a copy of Never Eat Alone, a book on networking by Keith Ferrazzi. I had low expectations for the book, having been through numerous middling works that teach me less than I already know. I’ve been been very pleasantly surprised by Keith’s book. It is full of practical advice and some interesting theories based on his own experience as a young rising star in corporate marketing and consulting fields.

Anyway, Keith has a newsletter service that sends tips based on topics from his book. Today’s tip was very intriguing…referencing a story from Jon Gordon’s book, The Energy Bus;

“There’s a story about when President Lyndon Johnson visited NASA and as he was walking the halls he came across a janitor who was cleaning up a storm, like the Energizer bunny with a mop in his hand. The president walked over to the janitor and told him he was the best janitor he had ever seen and the janitor replied, ‘Sir, I’m not just a janitor. I helped put a man on the moon.’…Even though he was cleaning floors he had a bigger purpose and vision for his life. That is what kept him going and helped him excel in his job…So drive with purpose today and every day and cultivate it in your team and they’ll not only stay on the bus when it’s cruising but they’ll also get out to help push it when it breaks down.”

Wow! This just about floored me. A janitor putting a man on the moon. Puts work in a whole different light doesn’t it? Today, I wasn’t just working on a PowerPoint presentation, I was helping to move Microsoft one step closer to putting opportunity in the hands of every child in the world, through ubiquitous, powerful and affordable computing. Might sound corny, but when you think about it, it is TRUE….and it is VERY MOTIVATING.

What were you helping to accomplish today?

James wrote an post about Max Levchin, referencing this NY Times article with some details about his past and current endeavors. Max co-founded PayPal in his early 20’s, selling it to eBay shortly after going IPO…for over $1B.

Call it braggadocio. Call it attitude. Call it confidence.

We can all use a little more of it, applied properly, during important life situations.

Take a look at this interview of rapper 50-cent (watch the video), and tell me isn’t one of the most confident people you’ve ever watched. He talks deliberately, like he owns the conversation. His words never placate himself. He assumes he is on top, and that any indicator to the contrary is a false one.

While he called West a talented producer, he also said the Chicago MC is a “worker bee” while he’s a “boss.”

“Don’t get lost in the hype,” he continued. “I got the right records, so we’re gonna sit here and I’ll see you next time. Maybe next time they can send me off to the pastures. But right now, I’m gonna stick around and sell this record — and I will be #1 on September 11.”

He goes on to make an analogy that reference his albums in comparison to that of an all-time great, Michael Jackson. This statement makes people think of 50-cent on part with an all-time great, further downplays Kanye’s level of artistry and drops a few stats that further illustrate his past success (12 million albums? I had no clue his album sold that much).

“Look at how you’re talking to me, like Kanye West is my equal right now,” 50 said, launching into a rather imprecise comparison. “That’s like me putting myself against Michael Jackson’s [album-release] date and then acting like, ‘Woah, it’s a battle between 50 Cent and Michael Jackson!’, when Thriller sold 30 million records and 50 Cent’s biggest album sold 12 [million], you feel what I’m saying?

He consistently demonstrates higher value throughout the interview in his words, subtle movements and voice-tone. He makes some blatant statements of confidence, but I find the more subtle expressions more interesting.

I think I have pretty high standards. Mark McGoldrick is off the charts….at least when it comes to money. Unfortunately, I am puzzled as to how someone who seems to have it all, can still not realize that wealth and happiness are not perfectly correlated.

Mark works in the world of high-finance, at one of the most prestigious firms in his field. He is by definition a trader, but unlike many traders who operate using sophisticated mathematical models, he focuses on buying severely distressed assets, and later selling them for substantial profit.

He is so good that Goldman Sachs paid him $70 Million in total compensation….for a single year. Yet, he feels robbed. So much so, that is leaving his current firm to start his own gig. The funny thing is, as outlandish as this salary might seem, top hedge fund or private equity financiers make this much or in many cases, much more.

What is truly odd, is that it appears <from the article at least, I do not know Mark or know anyone who does> as if he is a walking basket case. He is working 21 hours a day, worked through a hacking cough for 6 months due to bronchitis (no doubt brought on by stress and lack of sleep), gained weight and probably is suffering in many areas of his life outside of his bank account.

“Around the same time, Mr. McGoldrick got sick. Frequently on the phone or on an airplane, he developed severe bronchitis, with a hacking cough. He couldn’t get through a phone call without throat lozenges for 100 consecutive days, a person familiar with the matter says. He visited his doctor in London, who ordered him to change his grueling lifestyle.“

I admire Mark’s ability to achieve results and capitalize on opportunities; but would never ever want a life that was pushed this close to the edge. I  hope that his new gig gives him the freedom <and courage?> to adopt  new standards for working…that help him not only successfully ply his trades, but provide a platform for him to bring his health and work-life balance back into order….and keep it that way.

Here are some great posts that I’ve ran across recently.

• From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks: From the blog of Tim Ferriss. Provides some tips on how to gain massive amounts of strength and size in a very short amount of training time with high intensity/low frequency weight training. I am putting this technique to the test myself, and am happy with the results.
• Continuously Increase Productivity by Embracing the Optimization Mentality: By John Wesley. A discussion one of the behaviors that separates the successful, from the not so successful. That is, that the former are constantly improving themselves, whereas the latter remain complacent.
• All Writing Should Be Free: By Hugh at gapingvoid. Of course since I work at Microsoft, I have my issues with people who think all software should be free. Glad to see Hugh is on my side! Check out the blue monster while you are at it.
• Socialization 101:By ….well, I actually don’t know since he doesn’t post his name anywhere on the blog <weird> but does have a bio <without a name>….but at any rate he has some interesting observations about why we humans are acting the way we are.

During my recent trip throughout India, it struck me how stark the contrast is between the have’s and the have-not’s. The booming Indian middle class, buoyed and funded by technology ousourcing, are experiencing things that many in the United States (or those in any other developed economy) consider their god-given right to enjoy.

Modern shopping malls. New cars. Designer Jeans. Cell-phones. High-rise luxury condos.

The change is drastic. India is becoming materialistic. The poverty, however, is also rampant. Next to these new high-rises are sprawling stinking jam-packed slums. While India is quickly becoming the diabetic capital of the world (thanks to a westernized diet and sedentary work), many are struggling just to put food on the table.

All this talk of elections this year has me thinking about the next Presidential race, in 2008. There are lots of names floating around. Clinton, Obama, McCain. Thank goodness Cheney isn’t gonna be in contention. I wonder if Nader will make another go at it? In the coming months we should expect to leading candidates to emerge. It takes a lot of money to run for President, and they’ll need to start stumping now to build up the war chest.

If we can trust “The Governator” gallivanting around in his Hummer as fearless leader of the eighth largest economy on the planet, I think we can trust Tony.

I really hope we have an interesting election this time around. Interesting in a way that people are actually pushed to think about issues in creative ways. I would love to see someone that has the charisma, intellect and ambition to heal the sores our current administration has ripped open. I think Tony Robbins should run for President of the United States. While I admit that I am completely ignorant on most political matters, I completely serious about this.

Not that anyone doubted Lance Armstrong would finish, but the sub-three hour result is definitely commendable. He had a fairly tough time, cramping in the second half of the race. Having Alberto Salazar and Joan Boit Samuelson as pacer runners surely provided additional motivation. When asked if he would participate in the race next year, he responded the way anyone who just finished running 26.2 miles would:

“The answer to that right now is ‘no,’ but I reserve the right to change my mind.”

As for the little guessing game I was having with my friends; we were all too optimistic. Chuck gets the prize for being the farthest off. Hey Chuck, that’s what you get for trying to game the system! Paul came in with the winning bet. For his amazing prescience, he will get a very super-special prize, a book chosen at sorta-random from my bookcase.

• 3:36:23 Kitty
• 2:59:36 Lance Armstrong’s Actual Time
• 2:55.30 Paul M
• 2:49:55 Knepper
• 2:41:00 Matt B
• 2:40:00 Cam
• 2:39:59 Ravi
• 2:33:00 Ben H
• 2:27:34 John B
• 2:25:22 Roanne
• 2:23:41 Todd T
  
• 0:00:01 Chuck

I was perusing the latest list of Forbes Richest People this morning. I really feel sorry for the poor fellows at the bottom of the list. Can you imagine, working hard to build a fortune (or just inheriting a boatload), developing an ultra competitive spirit and growing your wealth over your entire life…only to rank as ONLY the 300th or 400th richest person in the country? Come on!

I really do feel sorry for them. I especially feel sorry for all the chumps out there with only a 9-figure fortune. They won’t even show up on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list . They might as well just give up; or at least buy Donald Trump’s “How to Get Rich.” Maybe they’ll find some tips to get them back on the path to success.

Then there are the 11 folks on the list age 40 and younger. I wonder how many times they had to deal with people telling them “you aren’t old enough to do that.”?

Richest Americans Age 40 and Under

Dean Karnazes is running 50 marathons in 50 days in all 50 states. He finishes #50 this Sunday, November 5th at the ING New York City Marathon (Lance Armstrong will be running as well!). His feat, the Endurance 50, is aimed at motivating others to keep up with a healthy lifestyle.

His blog has a full chronicle of each race with stats and photos. Check it out if you get some free time, or are just looking for some motivation to get out on your morning run.

“The mission of the event is to encourage, motivate and inspire people of all ages to become active, make physical wellness an essential and enjoyable priority in their lives and to promote healthy, active living across this great country”

-Dean Karnazes

Was reading some of my favorite blogs, including We Like It Raw, and noticed an article about the new Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker. This guy looks like the real deal. A couple of excerpts really got me:

It’s August of 1999. Booker is a fed-up, 30-year-old City Council member, thwarted at every attempt at reform by four-term mayor Sharpe James. Newark’s decay and despair, and the inability to do anything about it, stress out Booker so badly that he’s getting migraines and back spasms. After a particularly violent crime at a particularly drug-ravaged high-rise apartment complex, Booker decides it is time for drastic measures.

He buys a tent, pitches it next to the complex and goes on a hunger strike. For 10 days, he fasts and sleeps outdoors in one of the grimmest neighborhoods in one of the country’s grimmest cities. “It transformed my life,” Booker says, sitting in his office last week, where he was preparing his inauguration address.

Wow. If you thought that was some sort of fleeting charade, check out this description of his current standard of living. He lives amidst the poverty-stricken in a not-so-nice high rise buildng in a not-so-nice part of town. And he is the Mayor!

“I pay $600 a month, which seems like highway robbery at the moment,” says Booker, “because I haven’t had heat or hot water since November.”

Wait. The new mayor of Newark hasn’t had a hot shower since November?

“I boil water. First I used pots, but then a friend of mine came over one day and she said, ‘Have you ever heard of a camp shower?’ And now there’s this sack that hangs in my apartment” that provides hot water.

This guy clearly has a stellar emotional IQ, and it is also clear that he has the intellect and work ethic to back it up. Standford Undergrad, Yale Law, Rhodes Scholar. Class President…TWICE! This guy must be an robot!

“He was the kind of guy who slowed you down when you hung around him because he’d say ‘hi’ to everyone,” says Chris Magarro, his best friend, whom he met in fourth grade. “The kids, the teachers, the janitors. Everyone.”

He played football at Stanford, too, and heavily into his overachiever phase, he also worked at a suicide prevention hotline, won the student body president job and earned stellar grades. He recalls that the toughest question during his Rhodes scholarship interview was something along the lines of “Are you real?”

After Yale, he moved to Newark in the hopes, he says, of becoming a community activist in the tradition of Marian Wright Edelman. He claims that becoming a politician wasn’t on his agenda.

And after all this he ends up chasing and achieving a high level in a political career that “wasn’t on his agenda.” Wow, looks like I need to raise my own standards just a little bit :).

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Yoga & Meditation Retreat Experience
• Lose Weight by Sleeping More
• Held Hostage by Technology
• Chose Your Friends Wisely
• The Dangers of Multi-Tasking
• The Power of Affirmation