Dear PB Readers,

Last week I was at the ITU World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii. Nearly 2500 athletes from 70 countries made their way to Waikiki Beach for the annual World Triathlon Championship event. Most weekends I am working on an international television show focusing on the best elite men and women in the world. Last weekend our ITU television production crew created a one hour show focused on the age group athletes who symbolize hard work, balance, family AND training for age group excellence. The youngest athletes at the World Championships were in their teens while the oldest athlete was over the age of 85 years of age.

Each athlete’s journey is unique and filled with many challenges they must overcome on a daily basis. One of the age group athlete’s I focused on was 42 year old Paula Craig from England. Paula has been a police officer for nearly two decades. A vibrant woman, Paula loved to run and successfully crossed the finishing line of the 26.2 mile London Marathon many times. Outside of her love of being a police officer, Paula loved to push her body in endurance sports. Her passion for running introduced her to triathlon and soon she was one of the England’s best age group triathletes. Early in the summer of 2001, Paula was out on one of her last training rides when an 80 year-old near-sighted man ran into her and dragged her under his car. Paula awoke in the hospital and immediately realized that she was paralyzed. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Paula CHOSE to focus her energy on getting up and out of her hospital bed. Within six weeks Paula was in the swimming pool, only now she was learning how to swim without the use of her lower body. Within ten months of her accident, Paula was back at work on London’s police-force and in less then eighteen months after her accident she won her first world triathlon championships in the AWAD Division (Athletes with a Disability).

“I don’t think about what I can’t do, I only think about pushing myself as hard as I can in my new wheelchair,” Paula told me during our interview. “I still have goals, only now my new goals now revolve around making my wheel chair go fast and learning new ways to negotiate my body in the ocean” said Paula. My television production crew followed Paula for the two days prior to the World Championships and we had a chance to see her positive attitude in action. Imagine flying from England to Hawaii as an able-bodied person trying to bring your bike and luggage. Now imagine trying to do that same trip while in a wheel chair, bringing your wheel-chair arm-crank bike, a racing wheel chair and all of your normal holiday luggage. “I just have to leave extra time for travel days and I am not afraid to ask strangers for help” said the always positive 41 year-old.

With the three-foot-waves tumbling toward the Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Paula and thirty-eight other AWAD athletes dove into the Pacific Ocean for the start of their own personal journeys at the World Triathlon Championships. Three hours after she dove into the ocean, Paula Craig reached the finishing line, winning her third World Triathlon Championship for Athletes with a Disability. “I focus on what I can do - not on what I can’t do” will be my fondest memory of my time with England’s fittest policewoman. Instead of being upset at the cards life has handed her, Paula has chosen to turn her perceived poor hand into her own ROYAL FLUSH! The more I see successful people, the more that I appreciate the importance of a positive attitude. Are your hurdles as large as Paula’s three foot waves and a paralyzed lower body? Ask yourself this week “what can you do with your personal resources and talents - not focus on what you can’t immediately do!”

Welcome to the new readers for our 262nd consecutive weekly newsletter. Each week I attempt to learn from successful people and situations. How do people turn lemons into lemonade? What are the strategies used by successful people and how can average people like us incorporate them into our daily lives. I continue to welcome your weekly email contributions and I encourage you to add your family and friends to our free weekly offering. Check out our PB website at www.personalbest.ca and send your contributions to barrie@personalbest.ca. Have a great week.

OCT 17th PB HIGHLIGHTS

* CLAIRE BOOTH LUCE’S QUOTE ON MAKING THE BEST OF A SITUATION:
* STRANGERS REACHING OUT TO HELP OTHERS: P.B. LIBERATION DAY OCT 15TH
* SO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A POWERFUL MIND - TAKE THIS TEST I BET YOU FAIL!
* BARRIE’S TOP 10 POSITIVE RULES TO LIVE BY
* JOIN BARRIE & CARON THIS WEEK FOR OUR INDOOR -WINTER RUN/WALK PROGRAM
* JOIN C3 COACHES AND CARON SHEPLEY AT A 2006 IRONMAN RACE

CLAIRE BOOTHE LUCE’S QUOTE ON MAKING THE BEST OF A SITUATION

“There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.”

PB LIBERATION DAY OCT 15TH

My business partner Sheldon Persad calls Oct 15th Personal Best Liberation Day. Sheldon and I were employees of a large - uncreative Wellness Company fourteen years ago. When the company started to run into financial problems, their uncreative strategy was to fire our entire division, regardless of the value we brought to the company.

I sat with Sheldon immediately after our terminations and we discussed the kind of company we wanted to start together. Our vision was simple: We wanted to create a company that made a meaningful difference in the wellness of our clients AND we wanted to pay career salaries to our employees so they could make careers in your industry. Our first few months were challenging. Regardless of how great our business plan was, with little assets to give to the bank none of the major banks would lend us any money. After six weeks, Sheldon and I used up all our personal capital and we were just days away from being shut down.

I am an eternal optimist, and just as it looked like Personal Best was going to be shut down, one of my client’s asked me to meet him after one of our running workouts. Just months before Gord’s big Ironman competition, I was sure that he wanted to fire me as his coach (knowing that he needed someone more stable over the last 2 months before his big race). To my surprise, this amazing man had a check for $15,000.00 made out to Personal Best, which he wanted me to use toward stabilizing our company. “But I don’t have any assets and none of the banks will back our company” I told Gord. Even though he really didn’t know me that well, Gord said “I believe in you and Sheldon and I know you guys will pay me back as soon as you are able”. Sheldon, my wife and I were in shock at our good luck but were still concerned that as positive as we felt about our new business venture, things could fail and we could lose Gord’s entire loan.

After a day of reflecting, I realized sometimes in life you have to have the courage to take a risk. Gord had taken a risk on Sheldon and I and now I needed to have the courage to “go for it” and make Personal Best a reality. With our new capital, Sheldon and I were able to rent an office, get testing equipment and start full time focus on improving our client’s wellness. Fourteen year’s later we now have twenty of the best employees in the world and recognition that we have allowed them to make careers in the wellness industry.

For the first five years of our start-up, Sheldon and I were the lowest paid employees in our company. In order to properly pay our staff and repay Gord his loan Sheldon and I were prepared to be the lowest paid / hardest working employees in Personal Best. This past weekend I stood near the finishing line of the Hawaii Ironman waiting for my 70 year old friend Gord to cross the line. It was the least I could do for a man whose kind gesture has allowed Sheldon and I the opportunity to help many of our client’s achieve their personal dreams. There in the dark, his tired body shuffling through his last kilometers of his long journey, a man who barely knew me fourteen years ago had made as significant a contribution to my life as most of my personal family.

Now each year I make a personal commitment to seek out and help at least two or three people who need their own personal “hand-up”. Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to Sheldon and I and it is the reason that we celebrate Oct 15th each year! Remember that anything is possible if you want it badly enough (AND ARE PREPARED TO BE THE LOWEST PAID STAFF!).

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?

Your brain works in interesting ways. This works 99.9% of the time and I believe it will happen for you as well.

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make continuous clockwise circles.

2. Now, while your right foot is making clock-wise circles, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.

Chances are your right foot will change direction!! This happens 99.9% of the time regardless of how hard you try to prevent it. If we have any neuro-researchers out there who know why this happens please email me the scientific reason why.

BARRIE’S TEN POSITIVE RULES TO LIVE BY

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. If you marry, marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
3. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
4. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
5. Don't judge people by their relatives.
6. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
7. When you lose, don't lose the lesson
8. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
9. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
10. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

JOIN BARRIE / CARON AND THE C3 COACHES THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AT YORK UNIVERSITY

Every Tuesday evening from Oct 18th until the end of April, Barrie & Caron Shepley and the C3 coaches coach a fun run or power-walk workout followed by a 45 minute core-strength and conditioning class. Perfect for those looking to lose weight, improve their 10km running times or simply looking for a group to get into shape with.

York University’s indoor 200m track is the site of the weekly workouts. You have two options. Run 5-6pm with Barrie and core-dryland 6-7pm with Caron or do the later run 6-7pm with Barrie and Caron’s second dryland session from 7-8pm. Our workouts accommodate novices through elite runners. Each week’s workouts are modified to accommodate your current run/power-walk fitness and core strength. You can pay as you go, or get a winter package with C3. Hope to see you Tuesday. Details at www.c3online.ca.

JOIN C3 COACHES AND CARON SHEPLEY AT A 2006 IRONMAN RACE

With all of Barrie’s traveling over the past six weeks he may have not emailed you back regarding the 2006 Ironman Nice (June 25th, 2006) or Ironman Germany Trips (July 23rd, 2006). If you are interested in either of these trips or you are registered for a 2006 1/2 Ironman or Ironman Race and would like support from Personal Best please email Barrie immediately at barrie@personalbest.ca. Barrie will be home all week and promises to get back to you by the end of the week.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON.