PUSH

Athletes aren’t complacent people.  We don’t put our feet up. We don’t sit still.  Whatever the game is, we like to win.  And once we win, we get a new game.  We push ourselves.  It doesn’t matter how much we achieve.  If you’re a climber there’s always another mountain.

The members of Krank Systems Jersey City are now in their fifth week of the program (whoot, whoot).  It was painful for some of them, but they pushed through.  It was gut wrenching for others but they found their strength.  It was a battle (mind vs. body) but they all found focus.   They are all in the relentless climb to the top and in March, we will take it to the next level.

They take pictures of mountain climbers at the top of a mountain.  They’re smiling, ecstatic, triumphant.  They don’t take pictures along the way because who wants to remember the rest of it.  We push ourselves because we have to, not because we like it.  The relentless climb, the pain and anguish of taking it to the next level.  Nobody takes pictures of that. Nobody wants to remember. We just want to remember the view from the top.  The breathtaking moment at the edge of the world. That’s what keeps us climbing. And it’s worth the pain. That’s the crazy part. It’s worth anything.

Rob

rob@kranksystems.com

SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE

In life we want to be happy.   We try to be happy.   We try so hard that our happiness becomes a force directly applied to the surface of ourselves exploding with resentment. 

I read a story about a woman who wrote about her mother and how she tried to make everyone happy because she thought it would make her happy.  She gave selflessly to her family and friends.  The daughter remembered one time when they were having dinner and there was one piece of chicken left.  Without hesitation her mother gave it to her. The daughter said, “I knew she wanted it, but genuinely wanted me to have it more.  That was always something that astounded me - that very authentic selflessness.”

Reading on I begin to realize this was a consistent theme of recollection throughout the daughter’s childhood; not only with those that live within the house hold but also with those that didn’t.  In the end, it wasn't good for the mother.  She was unhappy.  She is still unhappy.

As children we dream about the perfect career, best friends as neighbors, wedding veils, and white picket fences.  As adults something happens; reality gets in the way of our ability to dream or act the happy part. 

Our health can fail. Friends can disappoint. Your spouse can cheat.  The list goes on and on. It is in these moments you want to get real, drop the act and be your true unhappy self because it is so often the little things - like resentments - that finally divide people.

Life keeps us on our toes. It crafts a challenge for us everyday especially with friends and family however, there has to be a balance. Although we must keep our peace, we must also speak our peace.  Like a pressure valve we all need an outlet.  A slow leak that keeps us stable because at the end of the day…something’s gotta give!

Rob

rob@kranksystems.com

Twitter: kranksystemsjc

THERE IS NO “I” IN TEAM

In theory, we are all a part of some team.  Family.  Friends.  Colleagues.  A group of people linked in a common purpose.   Teams normally have members with complementary skills that generate synergy through a coordinated effort.  Allowing each member to maximize his or her strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses.

What happens when our priorities outweigh those of our teammates?

There is no doubt that we are all individuals; a person of moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook.  Our individuality promotes the exercise of one's goals and desires, independence and self-reliance.  It opposes most external interferences upon one's own interests, whether by society, family or any other group or institution.  

Sometimes as a member of our team we begin to act independent.  No longer synergistic, no longer coordinated, no longer compromising or cooperative.  We lose our balance and walk unsteady.  We bicker.  We fight.  We lose self control and sense of respect.  We stop communicating and inevitably become the ball-hog.  Taking every opportunity to grab the ball and run.  Immobilizing the team and causing chaos in the game plan.

Recently, a friend of mine has fallen victim to a ball-hogger; a teammate with unbalanced priorities, selfish in nature, uncooperative attitude, uncompromising demeanor, untamed temper, ungrateful spirit and disrespectful to the other teammates.  Although my friend has tried to keep her peace, she’s almost at the point of believing the ball-hogger will never come around.

Staying together or moving on?

However independent, self sufficient, and priority driven we are, when we are part of a team; individuality and independence take a seat, so that we can play with coordination and compromise.  

No matter what game we are playing, we can’t do it alone.  We have the option to stay with our team or move on; but eventually, we have to get off of the bench and pick a side! 

Rob
email: rob@kranksystems.com
twitter: kranksystemsjc

WHO’S THE MASTER?

“The self is not ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”

Are you in control of your future by the decisions you are making?  Are they strategic and calculated?

The choices we make today will have a direct impact on where we are and who we strive to be in the future.  Remember the college application process…URGH!  Not only were your parents on your back telling you how important it is to choose the right school; you too were hard on yourself (I know you hate admitting it…but you were).  You knew that choosing the right school would be vital for setting the foundation needed to “succeed”, especially in competitive corporate America. 

And guess what?  It didn’t stop there…

You stressed about choosing the right major, getting into the best classes, and let’s not forget stalking that professor that you, without a doubt, had to have.  Shall I even mention the internship arena?  LOL, it was like a blood bath.

Back then, we were so focused and driven to master the decision making process because we refused to accept anything less than the best outcome.

What happened? 

Today, we are inundated with decision making on a continuum.  Every second of every day we are making choices:   where to live, what to eat, who to friend, what to wear, how to treat others, how to treat ourselves, where to work, what to drive…  We are mentally exhausted and no longer feel empowered by the decision making process.  We have also failed to pay attention to the outcome; if any.

Basically, we’ve based our decisions on getting it out of the way and moving on… (How lazy of us)

Moving forward, let’s decide to start making calculated decisions so that the outcome impacts our life in a meaningful way.  We will be conscience of the decision making process and continue on our prosperous path to a future with outcomes that we controlled; ultimately, becoming the master’s of our own life.

Seriously, try it for a week.  I think you will be surprised to see how this little detail can make a big impact on your life.  Let me know if it worked for you…hit me up.

Rob

rob@kranksystems.com

Twitter: kranksystemsjc

GROUP ACTION

Never doubt a group of strong minded, focused individuals who set out to make a difference together.

This week I have crossed many challenges while trying to get the Krank Systems Jersey City temporary location ready for the start of boot camps on January 31^st.  Although I was able to stay on schedule most of the week, Mother Nature had different plans.  On Wednesday, we were hit with a snow storm which dropped anywhere from 19 – 32 inches across the tri-state area(mind you there’s another one coming on Tuesday..urgh!).  This not only set me back on my timeline but it also held up my deliveries and put constraints on time needed to manage other aspects of the business.

Although I felt frustrated and was being pulled in all different directions, at the end of the day the bottom line was getting it done.  I sought out to resolve every problem that arouse but in some instances wasted more time thinking on how to resolve the problem rather than seeking help or someone’s expertise for a solution.  As the saying goes, “two head’s are better than one”. With that said, I started to recruit my team…I went to Home Depot, Lowe’s, Pier One Imports, as well as many other sources to seek out answers.  In the end, my team (although they didn’t know they were part of a team) helped get my tasks completed a lot faster, using less money, wasting little time, and implementing the best solution.

We as human beings are not perfect therefore, we as human beings do not always have the solution to every problem.  And, even if we did, maybe it’s not the best solution.  For those of you who have been looking for a solution to your problems, try gathering your own team of resources to brain storm the best solution.

We are strong as individuals but when we find ourselves collaborating to achieve similar goals we become an unstoppable force.  Monday will be the first Krank Systems boot camp in Jersey City (whoot, whoot)…I am sure my new recruits will use each other as a supportive motivational resource to pull through the class…it’s going to be a tough one ;) ;).

Rob

rob@kranksytems.com

twitter: krankstemsjc

Vision

If you don’t know where you are going for you might not ever get there!

Do you have a vision of what you want out of life?  Do you have a plan on how to get there?

I’ve acted on impulse for the past few years; seizing every opportunity that came my way in order to fill a temporary void or just to make sure I could get by.  I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of surviving everyday life.  I conformed to appease the needs of others than those of my own; compromised to help others in accomplishing their goals without complaint; worked like a dog to make what you might consider an income; and fell short on keeping up with the growth of my own existence.

It wasn’t until recently that I remembered my dreams and aspirations.  It was anger and frustration that catalyzed my memory.  Everything came rushing back to me – my dreams as a child, my aspirations from high-school, my goal setting in college, and setting stepping stones in the early years of my career.

I remained focused, everything was calculated and I was TOGETHER!

Present day:  Based on this spark of memory and life…

I have vowed that this year I will get myself back in the game.  I will remain focused on my vision.  I will not have anyone questioning me nor dissecting my actions or intent. I will be a person of my own true character and get back what I believe was lost and gain much more in the process.  Lastly, I refuse to compromise on anything that is not in the best interest of my goals at hand.  By year’s end, I am certain to see progress in a positive direction of my VISION coming to light.

If you allow the frivolous things of life and people to hold you back - they will!

The vision of who you are and what you can become has a tremendous impact on your life.  You have to let your imagination build you up in order to help you accomplish your dreams. 

You have to keep your dreams and goals in front of you if you want to see them come to pass!

Please let me know what you think…Am I the only one that lost sight? Or, have you at some point lost your vision got it back?  I would like to know and so that we can learn from each other in the process.

Rob

rob@kranksystems.com
twitter: kranksystemsjc

LET GO

“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.”


How many times do we find ourselves nit picking over things that don’t really matter?  Increasing our blood pressure, lashing out at those who have nothing to do with our minuscule problem, creating drama where it is not needed and driving ourselves head on into a battle….with our selves ---how foolish!

We all have challenging days at work, long days at school, and stress in our personal lives.  No one needs the extra anxiety to go with what’s already on our plates. 

I find this behavior in the gym all the time.  I’ve experienced individuals going to the gym; training hard, giving 100%, trying to stay focused….then after working so hard… leave the gym and start tearing their selves down. 

How?

By nit picking! 

They didn’t get to this, didn’t get to that, couldn’t perform on the same level as the others in the boot camp, body isn’t changing fast enough, legs are still skinny, etc… 

By doing this, these individuals are unknowingly discouraging themselves from doing it again…

I mean seriously…does a grave digger stop in the midst of digging a grave to complain that his shovel is dirty?  Can you imagine?  He would drive himself crazy trying to dig a grave and at the same time keep that shovel clean.

Know that everyone (even the best athletes) have good and bad days.  I know this is hard to remember especially when we are so competitive, however redirect your thinking to a mindset that you did your best, you feel great, and tomorrow is another day.

Things that help us be the person we most want to be are the things worth fighting for and those that don’t have much impact or detract from our best self -- need to be let go.

When faced with small things that don’t matter today; will you hold to a battle that cannot be won or let go?

Rob
rob@kranksystems.com