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Goals 2019 Edition

25 Jan

ANNUAL GOALS POST!

My annual “goals post” is a favorite for many reasons. A benefit of this digital renaissance is that you can use blogs and social media to find out what matters to people. What motivates them? What do they want? This annual post is my personal report card to myself; a meditation on my progress, achievements, goals and ambitions.

Tim Shane 2018 Headshot

Tim Shane 2018

I do appreciate you taking the time to read what I am sharing as being able to articulate the goal is both critical and crucial. More often than not I succeed at what I set out to do and learn some lessons from both the success as well as the failures. However part of this process is putting it out there so you can hold me accountable. I will spare you my goal setting systems that I have been evolving since childhood as they can be found in earlier entries of this blog.

First let us recap the post and accomplishments from last year (2018). I realized 2016 just blended into 2017 in the recap and 2017 was pretty epic. Now that I look back I seem to excel in the odd numbered years. When asked “How are you doing” even if I am at my best I reply with “getting better”. 2018 was good but seems like I was really setting myself up for success in 2019! In each area I will recap then put the 2019 goal.

HEALTH!

Tim Shane Spartan Ambassador 2018 Medals

Tim Shane Spartan 2018 Medals

This becomes exponentially challenging with each passing year and 2018 had some ups and downs. 2018 was the first year that I wondered about how much better I could be if I made health a priority earlier in my journey. On the upside I am most certainly starting the year more fit and flexible than the past decade and possibly ever. While it seems my energy and endurance where things I may have taken for granted in my younger years, I admit I have to work to keep them from declining in my current state of youth. I explored some diets which led to a healthier lifestyle overall and I certainly find myself free of dependencies on sugar, caffeine, gluten, salt and harmful artificial ingredients. I foolishly intended to retire from Spartan Racing and OCR at the top of my game in 2017. Turned out I was still able to do enough races to keep my Trifecta status and make improvements. It is part of my lifestyle now and I find myself wanting to get out and run, climb, jump, hike, crawl, swing, swim, fly, hang, carry or whatever it takes to overcome the obstacle and I don’t need a medal to do it.

Recovering in the Eisenhower Suite at Rough Creek Lodge 2018

Recovering in the Eisenhower Suite at Rough Creek Lodge 2018

Jo DeSena, the creator of Spartan Race was at Rough Creek Lodge sitting at the same table that I determined I would get much better at Spartan Race 7 years prior. I wanted to ask for a picture with him and compare it to my first race in 2011. (Perhaps I didn’t because I could not back down from however many burpees he would have me do for the picture and it was the eve prior to Race Day). If that opportunity every presents itself again I will not hesitate because I had not realized how far I had come until I went and looked back. Another observation is Spartan Race made health my top priority in these entries since my first race 7 years ago. It has been an amazing journey thus far. Riding horses has had a fantastic impact on my health as well. I rode an average of once a day of 2018 and that also helps keep the weight off and the strength and flexibility up. It helps when you start to gain weight that you are making the job harder on your team mate. It also keeps you going on those hard days when you know you have a partner that loves you and is looking forward to your workout together.

Tim Shane Jumping the Fire

Fire Jump of my Last Beast of 2018

On the other side as I crossed the finish line of my last race of 2018, the Spartan Beast, I could not make it the next few feet to the banana and water station. The next day I could not walk on my feet and seriously thought I would have to be in a wheelchair. That led me to the podiatrist where I learned I have a whole new set of challenges in my feet. I had to wear a boot for a few months and make some changes to my footwear. I thought I was doing so much better as I ended the year with all my toenails and in actually good shape. It was certainly humbling end of 2018.

2019 Health Goals are to maintain my college body weight (under 200 lbs) with increased strength and flexibility and ideal BMI. Remain in optimal shape for my fiance, my horse as most certainly myself. I will keep by Spartan Trifecta Tribe Status and explore the new Trail series. I will continue the streak with annual physical to keep all my levels optimal. I will protect my rest, spirit, recovery and relaxation as part of my overall health.

CAREER GOALS

Tim Shane with Max Allen

Tim Shane with Executive Director Max Allen and some photo-bombers

What we do defines us. We may say, think, feel and want good intentions, but in the end it is what we do that impacts our reality. Here is the 2018 Recap. On the new mission to “Boldly Go” as an affiliate of the Dallas Lighthouse For the Blind, to continue the trend of growing and utilizing my skill set all came to fruition. The goal was to not only grow but return to the trend of doubling in size. This was achieved in revenue potential which is my job. However some things I used to feel in control of seemed to have been removed from my plate. (Keeping down expenses, optimizing resources, keep up retention, speedy innovation of new solutions).

Picture of Envision Mission on the Donor Wall

Envision Mission

The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind merged with a much larger organization named Envision.
On the upside Envision is a non-profit organization with a mission and resources that I have only previously dreamed. This organization has a positive and productive impact for the blind and visually impaired as well as the lives of so many people every day. Fortunately all my experience being able to navigate and embrace change gave me opportunities to shine, landing new clients, some of which setting new records for the largest contracts in history of Bold. This sets the stage for growth despite the chaos going on in the world in 2019. On the downside mergers and acquisitions can bring a great deal of change, stress and fear. As a result many of the core team that were vital to the thriving culture of the early days of Bold are no longer officially part of the team, (although I will always consider them a part of mine). These changes also further inspired my creative and philanthropic roots with Shane-Arts bringing everything together.

The Haunting of Whiskey Ranch

The Haunting of Whiskey Ranch

In recent years I have separated the “Creative” innovations from the revenue generating “Development” in my goals. Much of my success can be attributed to my ability to optimize both. We got the “band back together” and returned to Lake Ray Hubbard as well as launched a new venue (TX Whiskey Ranch) in October with some of our original core members and some excellent new talent. In 2019 I plan to bring them back into alignment.

Tim Shane Loves Whiskey

Tim Shane as Sam Diamond at the Haunting of Whiskey Ranch

2019 Career Goals are to seek and secure new revenue generating and mission driven philanthropic opportunities resulting in a minimum of double digit growth (10% or more) for my clients and campaigns and to balance the creative innovations with the developing success.

Horsing Around… more seriously though

Tim Shane and Artful Design at the USDF Regional Championships

Tim Shane and Artful Design at the USDF Regional Championships

2018 was the best year so far, as it was our first full year as a horse and rider team. We progressed all the way to regional championships and have been happy with our two champion and numerous blue ribbons and scores from recognized shows. For the Dallas Dressage Club we took our top 4 scores and averaged them together and it came out in the 70’s. Perhaps my most proud achievement of 2018 was officially making “Artful Design” mine, or me hers depending on your view. The bond and connection we share is amazing and continually rewarding in so many ways.

The infamous Show Horse Artful Design aka Capri and transfer of ownership from Nikki Littrell to Tim Shane

Success in 2018

2018 was very good to introduce me to the world of “horse show business” making new friends and connections as well as reconnecting with old ones. Germany did not happen and I am scratching that goal for the foreseeable future.

Horses Jumping into 2019
2019 Horse Goals

Excel through the next level and beyond collecting more top ribbons than my debut year. I also plan to explore Freestyle and Eventing as that is what initially attracted me to Dressage. It is my assessment that this is quite an audacious goal as I am at the most competitive level in the region so the odds are against us. It is also important to declare as a goal that I not allow my competitive nature to dominate the winning connection I have with my horse.

PERSONAL and RELATIONSHIP GOALS

2018 had some personal and relationship twists and turns as well.  With my knowledge of digital marketing I will keep some personal, spiritual and relationship goals off line, but they do exist (Having boundaries was a goal I achieved a few years back).  Before the digital world I would still only focus on and grow the positive, and in the digital world so many people only put their best on the internet.  That does not mean there is not loss and struggle.  It seems I am coming of an age where we are losing some crucial people in our lives.  Just within Shane-Arts we lost both Rhiannon McMillen and Ginger Mensik way before their time.  My “family” is growing far more than so many of you have come to know and love over the years.  Some of those goals are not to be “measured” the way I approach my other endeavors, but they are still a priority.

Thank you so much for reading and looking forward to a very good report as we enter the “Roar’n Twenties”!

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2016! I AM IN YOU!

9 Jan

What a difference a year makes!  I’ve been looking forward to this post for quite some time as 2015 proved to be both the most challenging and the most rewarding.  I do my best to live every day and every moment exceeding my personal best. This post is more about benchmarks and milestones than hoping to keep cliche promises to myself.  Moreover I put this out there online with the intention to share, inspire and connect as we all continue our human adventure.  Looking forward to meeting the challenges of leveling up in 2016!

2016SpartanULTRA BEAST’n TRIPLE TRIFECTA DELTA   
#SpartanRace

While proud of my 2014 Spartan Trifecta I am even more proud of my lifestyle change exceeding the Triple Trifecta in 2015 including destination racing and confidence in knowing I will achieve my 2016 goals. The Hawaii Trifecta experience was such an awakening! I look forward to expanding my Spartan Travels in 2016 and going for the ULTRA Beast and the Spartan Triple Trifecta Delta!  (https://youtu.be/9yEf_HG9520)!

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LOVE and LOSS

2015 claimed many of my companions and dealing with death and loss forced me to deal with aspects of myself I viewed as weakness but were needed as strengths (sensitivity, humility, humbleness, feelings).  I lost my father, thankfully not my mother that survived the Tornado, both my cats and too many friends and loved ones.  Life is too short to have many walls, but it is good to have boundaries.  I have a feeling 2016 will provide many opportunities where I will have to know the difference.
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Continuing to BOLDLY GO

If I may be so “Bold” ever since I learned the word “mission” I knew mine was to “boldly go where no one has gone before”.  Once again I underestimated my professional goals.  In a lesson on goal setting I made what I thought was a stretch goal for myself.  (A V-12 Aston Martin DB9).  Just when I thought I was living the dream with my TR6 I thought I would show how setting a goal, developing a plan and following through can lead to success, but it turned out to happen even faster than I optimistically projected.  My goal was to build my dream team and while I am aligned with some incredible talent and a crew that would make any Captain of the Starship Enterprise proud, but there is still a great deal of room for improvement and new roles to fill.  There are also many new projects which will be launched under the Shane-Arts or Bold banners.  
BoldTimBoldAston
In 2016 I plan to surround myself with the right people to keep me exceeding my personal best in addition to me helping them exceed theirs. May all the roles be cast, the dream team assembled but in 2016 I hope to always keep a chair open for that new rising star.   

(www.shane-arts.com  and   www.boldstaffing.com)

Keep On Saving The Day!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPZW8_ID-l4)

The lifestyle change of eating better and being better to the environment has continued to the point where I had almost no trash and while I was proud putting out four times the recycling to a single bag of trash, by eating clean, healthy and sustainable the even the recycling declined taking reducing my footprint to a new level.  This also brought about a healthy diet and reignited my passion for cooking.  Many seem to think healthy clean eating is boring and taste bad but I actually found the opposite to be true.  There have been many times in 2015 that people that justify certain toxins for themselves have been impressed with my healthy alternatives, even though I do my best to focus on the flavor and experience rather than the healthy substitutions.  I do not believe I am missing a thing but I am able to keep optimizing my performance while still enjoying all the goods.  In 2016 I plan to do more sharing of delicious food and drink through healthy (or healthier alternatives).    

As always, there are a few other experience, knowledge and financial goals I do not wish to put out there on the internet, but they are out there in the universe and I look forward to celebrating their success in 2017.

 

The Gates of the Undiscovered Country

4 Jun

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Today I walked my long-time companion to the gates of the undiscovered country and learned more about life in his final moments than a living soul might.  My companion saw me through multiple transformations and been by my side through my highest highs and right there at my lowest lows.  I realized that we lived together longer than I lived with my parents growing up.  He was with me through romances, marriage, adventures, careers as well as depression, heartbreaks, divorce, rejection and near death experiences.Spotmissed10930900_10153055008563250_2947396728175501239_n

…And I him during multiple times when he dodged death with grace and style.  We recollected every one of them and I swear I could not count 9 but we must have missed a few.  He was more than human, more than a friend.  He was my familiar.  He was a cat.

Stripegentlement

How am I so emotional over a cat?  Well in my expe   rience people can make things complicated.  That is not to say it was unconditional love, as he was very clear there were conditions.  Incredibly protective, sensitive and strong he could also be terrible at times.  I fondly remember our fights and our pissing contests (literally and figuratively).  He made me bleed and was never shy about sharing his opinion of my actions or my friends ever since he was a kitten.  I never thought I would miss those little turds in my shoe when I return home from being away longer than he found acceptable.  I don’t miss the piss.

Spotasgentlement

As we approached the gates, the love and light that surrounded us by all the lives he touched filled the room and that’s when I noticed he was sending me his last light and suddenly everything made sense.  Every struggle, every line of literature and every moment was crystal clear as he passed.

Although it was just the two of us the broken parts of my soul stung with the healing support of the hundreds of people wishing their best and sending their love.  About the same time he came into my life, I was introduced to a philosopher who quickly became one of my spiritual leaders, Thich Nhat Hanh.  There was a message dedicated to us and it was the closest thing I can put into words to what I experienced and I hope if the day ever comes when I go, someone reads this in my memory.

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“This body is not me; I am not caught in this body, I am life without boundaries, I have never been born and I have never died. Over there the wide ocean and the sky with many galaxies All manifests from the basis of consciousness. Since beginningless time I have always been free. Birth and death are only a door through which we go in and out. Birth and death are only a game of hide-and-seek. So smile to me and take my hand and wave good-bye. Tomorrow we shall meet again or even before. We shall always be meeting again at the true source, Always meeting again on the myriad paths of life.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh