Work. Play. Sleep.
That's pretty much how I break my day down when it comes to managing my time. Sound boring and simplistic? Maybe. But considering that I love what I do for work and share the same love affair for triathlon, I'd say it's not a bad way to live. No scratch that, I am one lucky son of a gun! I was reminded of this when I celebrated my 5-year anniversary working in the magazine publishing biz last week. Coincidentally, I'm also on my 5th year of competing in triathlons and the path I've taken through work and play has brought me to amazing places, both physically and mentally.
I've always believed that art and sport share many similarities, at least from my experience, and I've even written a little bit about that here. Over the years, I've applied lessons I learned from triathlon to my professional career (and vice versa) which no doubt is responsible for my growth...
Throwing up a hail mary pass, or two. In my first attempt to get into the creative department of my company, I did so by applying for the staff photographer position with no experience, barely enough photos to put together a portfolio, and with just the basic camera equipment. Of course I didn't get the job, but what I did get was the attention of the entire creative department, including the creative director who would eventually hire me as an Art Director and take me under his wings. What may have started as a failed attempt at pursuing a job has led to a fulfilling career as a creative professional. Classic case of "where one door closes, another one opens."
Setting my sights on toeing the Kona Ironman World Championships is hands down one of the greatest hail mary passes I have ever thrown. While that pass still remains airborne, things like ascending to the summit of the Haleakala Crater on my bike, completing the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, and attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon have resulted because of it. I have no doubt that many more accomplishments like these will likely happen until the day that pass touches down.
Embracing negative space and using restraint. When I first started building display ads for our magazines, I went to town filling every space on that ad with every trick in the book. Color gradients, textured patterns, drop shadows, inner/outer glows, and on top of that, using 5 different fonts. It was a hot mess I tell ya! As I grew into my role and developed a better sense of balance, I began to embrace negative/white space and allow the content, or message to speak to its audience without all the fluffy distractions. In short, I've gained the confidence to practice restraint in my design to keep things simple and effective.
The same can be said for my newfound approach to training and racing. In this case, negative space translates to active recovery days that make my key workouts possible. When I first started in this sport, my workout calendar looked very much like the crowded ads I used to design, with every nook and cranny filled in with what some people refer to as "junk miles", just for the sake of filling up space. But no more! These days, I'm working harder and more importantly, smarter than ever, freeing up a lot of time for negative space and other important things in life. As far as restraint goes, I've gotten better at pacing myself and choosing my battles. There's only so many matchsticks in a matchbook, remember?
Setting myself up for success. If there's one thing that's responsible for my growth and successes over these last few years, it would have to be my network of support. I am very fortunate to have great mentors that have taken me under their wings, both professionally and personally. Far beyond required copy for an ad, or a prescribed pace for a workout, I have purposely surrounded myself with these people on a daily basis to motivate, inspire, and guide me to fulfill my dreams.
As for other contributing factors to my success, I'd even go as far as choosing where I live and work as a huge part of it. The neighborhood that I live in has literally become my playground for swimming, biking, and running. Its close proximity to the beach, pool, rolling hills, track, bike routes, and paved paths gives me countless of options without having to get into my car and drive. And with work being less than a 10-minute bus ride away, it gives me the flexibility to get in a workout before or after work. Having this kind of access and convenience has eliminated virtually any excuses for failure. Simple as that.
Anyway, sorry for the long entry. Just thought I'd take a pause for the cause. Quick update, believe it or not, I am halfway through marathon training after 8 weeks and I am completely stoked over the progress I've made through the first half of this program. Race #4 of the marathon readiness series happens this Sunday with the P.F. Chang 30k and I'm confident that I'll be able to chalk up another PR. I'll check back in with a race report next week.
That's pretty much how I break my day down when it comes to managing my time. Sound boring and simplistic? Maybe. But considering that I love what I do for work and share the same love affair for triathlon, I'd say it's not a bad way to live. No scratch that, I am one lucky son of a gun! I was reminded of this when I celebrated my 5-year anniversary working in the magazine publishing biz last week. Coincidentally, I'm also on my 5th year of competing in triathlons and the path I've taken through work and play has brought me to amazing places, both physically and mentally.
I've always believed that art and sport share many similarities, at least from my experience, and I've even written a little bit about that here. Over the years, I've applied lessons I learned from triathlon to my professional career (and vice versa) which no doubt is responsible for my growth...
Throwing up a hail mary pass, or two. In my first attempt to get into the creative department of my company, I did so by applying for the staff photographer position with no experience, barely enough photos to put together a portfolio, and with just the basic camera equipment. Of course I didn't get the job, but what I did get was the attention of the entire creative department, including the creative director who would eventually hire me as an Art Director and take me under his wings. What may have started as a failed attempt at pursuing a job has led to a fulfilling career as a creative professional. Classic case of "where one door closes, another one opens."
Setting my sights on toeing the Kona Ironman World Championships is hands down one of the greatest hail mary passes I have ever thrown. While that pass still remains airborne, things like ascending to the summit of the Haleakala Crater on my bike, completing the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, and attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon have resulted because of it. I have no doubt that many more accomplishments like these will likely happen until the day that pass touches down.
Embracing negative space and using restraint. When I first started building display ads for our magazines, I went to town filling every space on that ad with every trick in the book. Color gradients, textured patterns, drop shadows, inner/outer glows, and on top of that, using 5 different fonts. It was a hot mess I tell ya! As I grew into my role and developed a better sense of balance, I began to embrace negative/white space and allow the content, or message to speak to its audience without all the fluffy distractions. In short, I've gained the confidence to practice restraint in my design to keep things simple and effective.
The same can be said for my newfound approach to training and racing. In this case, negative space translates to active recovery days that make my key workouts possible. When I first started in this sport, my workout calendar looked very much like the crowded ads I used to design, with every nook and cranny filled in with what some people refer to as "junk miles", just for the sake of filling up space. But no more! These days, I'm working harder and more importantly, smarter than ever, freeing up a lot of time for negative space and other important things in life. As far as restraint goes, I've gotten better at pacing myself and choosing my battles. There's only so many matchsticks in a matchbook, remember?
Setting myself up for success. If there's one thing that's responsible for my growth and successes over these last few years, it would have to be my network of support. I am very fortunate to have great mentors that have taken me under their wings, both professionally and personally. Far beyond required copy for an ad, or a prescribed pace for a workout, I have purposely surrounded myself with these people on a daily basis to motivate, inspire, and guide me to fulfill my dreams.
As for other contributing factors to my success, I'd even go as far as choosing where I live and work as a huge part of it. The neighborhood that I live in has literally become my playground for swimming, biking, and running. Its close proximity to the beach, pool, rolling hills, track, bike routes, and paved paths gives me countless of options without having to get into my car and drive. And with work being less than a 10-minute bus ride away, it gives me the flexibility to get in a workout before or after work. Having this kind of access and convenience has eliminated virtually any excuses for failure. Simple as that.
Anyway, sorry for the long entry. Just thought I'd take a pause for the cause. Quick update, believe it or not, I am halfway through marathon training after 8 weeks and I am completely stoked over the progress I've made through the first half of this program. Race #4 of the marathon readiness series happens this Sunday with the P.F. Chang 30k and I'm confident that I'll be able to chalk up another PR. I'll check back in with a race report next week.
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