Dear PB Readers,

I believe there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who defensively wait for the world to come to them AND those who go out and create/make/impact their own destiny. When I am in an organization that is having trouble, I almost always try to see the writing on the wall before it's too late. What can I (and others do) to help improve the situation. Even if my only goal is to selfishly be in a better situation myself, at least I am trying to solve the problem before it's too late. Far too often I see people who simply glide along on the ship even though they know it's headed over the falls. A relationship that still has time to be salvaged is simply ridden out until there is nothing left but anger and distain. A meaningful non-profit organization that has great value to the community is driven into the ground because no one is prepared to help take responsibility for its improvements. One of my favorite past-times is to sit in busy restaurants, airports and other public places and listen to complete strangers discuss their lives and jobs. I don't think people fully realize the power of their vocabulary. "I can't." "It's impossible." "Wouldn't it be nice?", are all terms that I hear on a regular basis.

Why couldn't you go back university and do a PhD at 55 years of age? Leith Drury did. Why couldn't little Caledon, Ontario go out and bid for a major international triathlon (we did this past year). Why can't a 75 year old Catholic nun complete Ironman Canada? Ask Sister Madonna as she has now finished a dozen Ironman races and last month became the first woman over 75 to complete an Ironman. Twenty-five years ago, Terry Fox never said "I can't run across Canada with one leg". Instead of sitting back and complaining about the cancer that had taken away his successful basketball career and leg, Fox chose to positively impact society and headed to Newfoundland to start his cross country run for cancer research. We are quickly approaching $400 million dollars raised and dozens of doctors and research scientists have been able to dedicate their lives to reducing cancer suffering due to Terry's courage to not sit on the sidelines. Everyone I talk to who knew Terry personally says the same thing. "He was just an average guy who chose to do something special". People always think that Terry Fox, Rick Hansen, Wayne Gretzky and Silken Lauman have some unique DNA. It's not their biology that is different it is the way THEY THINK that is different. This past weekend my good friend Barb Karasiuk and 20 of her best friends participated in the CIBC Two Day Cancer Walk in Toronto. Barb is about as average as they come. Born in rural Saskatchewan, she is the mother of two grown boys, and a former successful real estate agent. With nothing extraordinary other then her attitude, Barb's WALKING LADIES have now raised nearly $250 000 in three years for Breast Cancer Research. Which group of people do you want to belong to; the group that complains that "life is giving them the short end of the stick" or the group of people who take the short stick and make something valuable out of it?

Welcome to our new readers in our 257th consecutive weekly newsletter. While the national newspapers, radio and television channels have been filled with negative images of Hurricane Katrina, I have purposely not talked about the disaster. My daily mantra is you get more of what you think about. If our minds are endlessly bombarded with the terrible pictures of Hurricane Katrina, you start to believe that rape, death and pain are the only realities coming out of New Orleans. The reality is there are countless thousands of complete strangers who have been un-sung heroes. People who have driven strangers away from the disaster and who have risked their own health and personal finances to go to New Orleans. Austrian born Canadian Frank Stronach and Denis Mills have been trying to organize Stronach's new horse operation in Florida to act as a short-term home for 400-500 people to stay until they can get back on their feet. Cynics would say that Stronach is already rich and his donations don't really impact his life. While this is true, it also would be easy for Frank to simply worry about his next board meeting or horse race and allow the suffering in New Orleans to go on without getting involved. Frank Stronach and many tens of thousands of people each day choose to be in the second group of people (those who actively shape their own destiny and that of the world around them). Make this the fall that you choose to shape your own destiny by making "active-decisions" not letting life just happen to you! Our goal at Personal Best is to help you see why some ordinary people are able to do extraordinary things. Please keep signing up your friends and family to our newsletter and providing us with your new contributions, stories and ideas. Send all contributions to barrie@personalbest.ca and check our site at www.personalbest.ca. Have a great week!

SEPT 12th PB HIGHLIGHTS

* JACK WELCH QUOTE ON CONTROLLING YOUR LIFE
* THE LIFE WE CHOOSE BY PETER MCWILLIAMS
* PB EMAIL OF THE WEEK
* VANCOUVER AWARDED THE 2008 WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS
* WHITFIELD & MCGLONE TOP CANADIANS AT WORLD TRI CHAMPS
* STILL TIME TO BE A PART OF BARRIE'S 2006 IRONMAN EXPERIENCE
* THE POWER OF COMMON GOALS
* LOOKING FOR A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER FOR YOUR 2005 OR 2006 FUNCTION?

JACK WELCH QUOTE ON CONTROLLING YOUR LIFE

"Control your destiny or somebody else will."

THE LIFE WE CHOOSE BY PETER MCWILLIAMS

Here's the premise: We are all, right now, living the life we choose. This choice, of course, is not a single, monumental choice. No one decides, for example, "I'm going to move to L.A., and in five years I will be a waiter in a so-so restaurant, planning to get my 8-by-10's done real soon so that I can find an agent and become a star," or "I'm going to marry a dreadful person and we'll live together in a loveless marriage, staying together only for the kids, who I don't much like, either." No. The choices I'm talking about here are made daily, hourly, moment-by-moment. Do we try something new, or stick to the tried-and-true? Do we take a risk, or eat what's already on our dish? Do we ponder a thrilling adventure, or contemplate what's on TV? Do we walk over and meet that interesting stranger, or do we play it safe? Do we indulge our heart, or cater to our fear? The bottom-line question: Do we pursue what we want, or do we do what's comfortable? For the most part, most people most often choose comfort - the familiar, the time-honored, the well-worn but well-known. After a lifetime of choosing between comfort and risk, we are left with the life we currently have. And it was all of our own choosing.

PB EMAIL OF THE WEEK

Barrie I've been reading your updates over the summer and they are inspiring. It certainly helped me to understand that you have to put as much, if not more, effort into mental preparation as you do the physical aspect. I have attended your long simulation days in the summer and you commented that my coughing after the day was due to the length of my workout(s). Can you please expand on that comment? I began to cough again after the 1/2 IM race and thought about your comment. C.

Dear C. My belief is that your breathing muscles are like any other muscle in your body. They run off of muscle glycogen (sugar) and when that glycogen level becomes depleted (after hours of continuous exercise) they become fatigued. Breathe easily and you are okay, but take a deep breath and you begin coughing. Many of my marathoners, distance mountain bikers and long-distance triathletes have this problem. Within 12-24 hours of re-hydration and good nutrition they are almost always back to normal without any long-term damage or issues.

VANCOUVER AWARDED THE 2008 WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS

This past weekend the International Triathlon Union awarded the Vancouver the World Triathlon Championships in 2008. The event is expected to attract nearly 5000 athletes and 20 000 tourists to the World Championships. Coming months ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the event will be the last qualifying event before the September Beijing Olympics.

OLYMPIAN WHITFIELD FINISHES 6TH AT THE JAPAN WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS

The popular 30 year old Whitfield raced under incredibly hot, humid conditions at Gamagori World Triathlon Championships. Whitfield was in a battle with the "who's who" of the triathlon world. Peter Robertson stunned the triathlon world by winning his third World Title. After an early season of injury and crashes, Robertson was not selected for the Australia World Championship team for Gamagori. But after injuries to a few of Robertson's team-mates, the Australia Triathlon Association invited Robertson with days to go before the event. Robertson took full advantage of his new "second" chance and put in the day's fastest run and claimed his third world championship. Robertson spent part of his summer living in Caledon and training with the C3 Canadian Cross Training Club. Canada's Samatha McGlone showed her gritty perseverance with a gutsy 9th place finish. Twenty-four year old Emma Snowsill won her second World Championship running away from team-mates Annabel Luxford and American Laura Bennett. All athletes will be traveling to Beijing this week for the next race in the World Cup Circuit.

JOIN C3 COACHES & CARON SHEPLEY AT 2006 IRONMAN NICE

We have secured spots for the June 25th, 2006 Ironman Nice and July 23rd 2006 Ironman Germany Races. Packages were emailed last week and if you did not get one (and are interested) please email Barrie directly at Barrie@personalbest.ca for more details.

THE POWER OF COMMON GOALS

My wife and I are now approaching our 20th couple who have met through our training camps and club workouts and have gone onto marriage (with every one of them still currently married). I would say in virtually every case these individuals joined the club or came to the camp for the purpose of training and improving their fitness. The interesting by-product was they met another person who had similar life goals and interests. This coming weekend Jeremy Eves and Claire Meech will tie the knot. Both former athletes worked at my summer camp in Bolton and while they were busy training themselves, they realized the person they had been searching for all there lives was right in the next swim lane. While you don't have to share 100% of the same life passions with your mate, having some things you collectively enjoy make life much easier and more enjoyable. A few of the past tri-couples include Kirstie Otto and Duffy Kniaziew, Natasha & Joel Filliol and Robin and Loretta McGilp. Interestingly there is now a company in Toronto that pairs up athletic singles who are looking for a compatible mate. Personal Best was successful at this business long before it ever became a new business sector!

LOOKING FOR A FALL/WINTER SPEAKER OR AWARDS COMMENTATOR

Each year I have a chance to do several dozen conferences, awards suppers and motivational speeches to groups. If your organization is planning a 2005-06 function and are interested in Barrie please contact him directly at barrie@personalbest.ca

HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON'S LIFE THIS WEEK. DON'T FORGET ABOUT TERRY FOX SUNDAY NEXT WEEKEND!