Knowing that I was going to be out on this ride since late last year, it's amazing to be here. (NOTE: If you can, be sure to put something big on your calendar for anywhere from 4-8 months out. It was great to have the long "lead-time" as the event approached, and now that I'm here, it's simply fantastic.)

The pace today was a solid one; though from time to time we did slow down enough for me to catch my breath.

From the beginning of the day, we looked out and saw a beautiful sky, with a call for thunderstorms later in the day. All the more reason to kick it up a mile or two per hour, and get in before the rain had a chance to fall. (Within 1.5 miles of the hotel, after a stop for lunch, we did feel a drop or two. But, the "storm" passed without us really knowing...)

In to and through Baton Rouge, I was reminded of just how important college football is in this part of the country. The LSU stadium will hold (are you sitting down???) 95,000 people on game day. Seriously, that's a LOT of people! Riding through the LSU campus was awesome. I've been able to visit, since publishing the book earlier this year, quite a few college campuses. There's something electric about the energy and abundance of opportunity there. Oh, then while I was pedaling along the perimeter road I had a flashback to visiting Baton Rouge many years back while working for another company. I was there to present a two day seminar, and went running along the college grounds.

How can fig newtons, watermelon and chip's ahoy cookies taste SO good? When they are prepared for us at a SAG stop. Here's a picture of the guys I rode the entire day with (yes, they're the fast ones!). The guy on the left, Albert, is here from Holland; he loves to see America by Bicycle! They all know each other, so it was great that they "let me" tag along their pace line over miles and miles of open Louisiana roadway. Thanks!

I simply had to get a picture of this sign - the one off to the right. I travel to the big cities of the world, working in New York, London, Zurich, The Bahamas and more...never have I seen a sign where they offered "deer processin."

Check out this audiobook on iTunes:

Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More (Unabridged) Jason W. Womack Audiobooks Released: 2012

This guy is changing the way that youth workforce development is happening.

(download)

Click here to download:

IMG_1919.MOV (3.06 MB)

Thank you for coming to chat with us at Santa Barbara City College. Your story about "makin' it" is one I will remember for a long, long time.

INTRO to The Online Course: Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More This FREE webinar will take place:
Friday, April 6, 2012 9:35 AM - 10:05 AM PDT at: https://student.gototraining.com/r/7792425064912247808 After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the training.

The ever-present nature of the Smart Device is only clarifying the need to utilize the tools even more. It's not enough to simply have one of these tools, it is more important than ever that we maximize their usage and utility. I said it on air earlier this year, and people are still talking about it:
"Keep your BlackBerry out of bed."
What I meant by that is three fold:
1. Use the tool during the day, turn off the access for those 4 or 5 or 8 hours when you're going to relax, refresh, and reboot.
2. Get different technology for your nightstand. I still highly recommend you invest in MyZEO. It will give you information that may change (or save) your life.
3. Use that smart device (Blackberry, iPhone, Droid, iPad, etc) to its full capability. (I've made some videos, if you want ideas: http://www.youtube.com/jasonwomack ). Bottom line, identify ways you could be using that tool more effectively and experiment with those ideas.

The innovator's journey is one that begins when you hear something like this:

"Someone should do something about this..."

When there's that thought that things need to be different, or you're in a position to think critically, that's the time to engage...with everything you've got. By the way, thinking critically is not the same as criticizing. I define critical thinking as the ability to think THROUGH to the next now.

Think about something you wish were different. To begin with, think about something a bit smaller than "change the world," or "reform education," or some other BHAG - Big Hair Audacious Goal. When you get that thought in your mind, write it down. This is just how I do it...

I write it down, that thing that I wish were different, and then I pick a date. To think it through, I pick a date around 6-18 months in to the future. Next, write down what that thing would look like if it were, indeed, a bit different. What would it sound like? What would it feel like? The more detailed you can be, the better. Now, some of you might stop there. This is where it actually begins for me. Instead of just backing up from there, to identify some actions that might help you get moving in that direction. What I do, is move out in to the future...add another 6-18 months and THEN project out to what life would look like if what you achieved that goal.

If you get a chance, check out Josh's blog (it's easy enough to find him online, just type his name into your search engine of choice).

Being fit, moving my body, tracking progress over time...this are important factors in/to your Productivity Profile. What you do, what you always have near you, what you focus on all create the "how and why" of your own approach to time management. What's next for you to engage in? (Me? I'm at the airport, people watching as await my next flight. Good times!)