Andrew Simmons
Mile 11.1 | Calm before the storm

What goes through your head moments before the start? What do you think about? How does imagery and focus help you perform? How can you better harness your feelings and emotions to succeed? I dive into my personal tools leading into my most recent race - fresh off injury at the Rattler 25k.

Mile 11.1 | Calm before the storm
Andrew Simmons
Mile 9 | Coaching Optimism

Optimism leans on the premise of ‘why couldn’t it go right?’and not ‘why would it ever go right?’ Optimism at its center is the belief that we can foster hopefulness; it is the ability to believe that life can be good and satisfying.

Optimism is not avoidance and optimism requires us to own all of our shortcomings, and understand that if we repeat the same mistakes we will get the same results. Try, fail, change, repeat.

Mile 9 | Coaching Optimism
Andrew Simmons
Milestones | Operating Systems

Every person has an operating system it was developed by our parents, our coaches, and our teachers. We developed it in school, on the playing field, and in meeting rooms. What we aren’t given is a notification or a reminder to ‘update software’. There is nothing designed to flag us when we need to dive into personal development. I share some thoughts after diving into the idea that the operating systems that got us where are, won’t get us where we want to be.

Milestones | Operating Systems
Andrew Simmons
Milestones | Fumbling into endurance sports

At 13, I was unaware of much else other than friends, wrestling, and video games. It was 18 months before the life changing events I discussed in the last blog, that I had my first experience with running. My dad and I would go out for runs that felt like hours. He saw it as a way to connect. The runs were 30 minutes at an absolute max pace and I remember feeling like I wanted to be done as soon as I started.

Milestones | Fumbling into endurance sports
Andrew Simmons
Mile 8 | Running is a skill

Like a potter on the wheel, every athletes starts as a piece of clay, how you choose to mold and manipulate yourself is how you define the end product. Some of us are happy as dog bowls, some of us want to be a beautiful vase. Both have value, both possess skill to make - the biggest factor is time. The vase took thousands of hours and practice to make, the dog bowl is a challenge for a beginner. The success isn’t in making the most beautiful object, the success is put the clay on the wheel. Everything after is art.

Mile 8 | Running is a skill

Mile 6 | Raise the bar

Mile 6 | Raise the bar

Flexing the muscle between your ears and working on yourself is no different than lifting weights. So many similarities exist between these two worlds; we often find more than we bargained for when we really dive in to find the source of an injury or a frustration in our lives.

When we set our bar and allow ourselves to only commit or succeed to a certain level, we stop growing. You stop lifting the weight or doing the movement you lose your ability to perform at the highest level. I encourage you all to dig in, raise your own bar and refine what it is that you’re good at, what problem do you solve?

Mile 5 | Drilling down to my core

Mile 5 | Drilling down to my core

Empowerment, Respect, Ownership, Honor, Application, and Community

These 6 things are what matter to me most and are what I value most about the people in my circles around me. I am not myself when I can’t lead or live to these values. Only after working through this exercise did I identify how deeply I connected with these words and these values. I love being empowered and empowering others to achieve beyond what they thought possible. I love earning respect and being recognized for what I bring to the table. It was when I looked back and found where I had my biggest moments of success, I could boil these moments down into each of these values and this is where I am built, renewed, and recognized. What more could you want?

Milestones | 3 in 8

Milestones | 3 in 8

By August 2011, I would cross the finish line of Ironman Louisville in a memorable 11:23 - (I was born November, 23rd) on a very hot and very sticky day. Leaving my passion, love, and desire to continue triathlon somewhere on the bike at about mile 90. The marathon at the end would go down to be my slowest road marathon I would ever run - somewhere near the 4.5 hour mark. 50% slower I would run a month later in the Chicago marathon breaking 3 hours for my second time in 2:57.

Mile 4 | Going on Instinct

Mile 4 | Going on Instinct

I always thought I had to be tough on the exterior and letting people in was the last thing I would do. The idea of vulnerability put far more fear in my veins than any race, wrestling match, or speaking event. To share my feelings would make me so vulnerable people would see right through me, would see that I’m well - human. This class has given me an opportunity to be vulnerable, no one has yet come up to me and said that I’m fake or inhuman, incapable. They’ve come around and shared stories of heartbreak, loss, and growth. Turns out we’re all not as broken as we thought.

Mile 3 | Know yourself

Mile 3 | Know yourself

Know yourself -

I started this blog with the intention to share, grow, and put myself out into this world in a more vulnerable and reachable way. To share, not only my journey to finding out who I am, but working through the times in my life that formed me. I’ve shared about my weight loss, my mother's stroke, and I’m now going to share my step towards personal and business growth and goals. 

Mile 2 | Unstuck

Mile 2 | Unstuck

It’s on you to make the jump. If you feel stuck, you can’t wait for someone to shake you loose. That person you’ve always wanted to be is the person on the other side of fear, discomfort, and doubt. It won’t feel good everyday but when you look back you’ll be happy with the fact that you put yourself out there; so few will.

I was stuck in a mindset and pattern of seeking comfort, the only way I could move forward was to seek discomfort. This meant having tough conversations, taking criticism, and using these as opportunities to grow instead of shrink. Personal growth is a team sport if you’re doing it right - seek out people who push you to be your best - not the ones who allow your comfort.

Milestones | Taking Ownership

Milestones | Taking Ownership

Gaining weight crept up on me, it was a mixture of poor eating habits, a lack of self worth, a pinch of teenage transition to college, and a lack of exercise. What I realized was that I had grown complacent in many areas of my life and I often would just state that I was ‘too busy’ with school to fit in a workout and I simply didn’t care enough about how my actions effected others.

Mile 1 | Upgrade

Mile 1 | Upgrade

Upgrade your life. I love to look back and reflect on past success but I have found that in the last 6 months my gaze on the past has held me back. It’s been hard to define my path forward with our business, with my personal goals, and how I can upgrade my life towards my ideal lifestyle.

Did you sit down at the end of the year and congratulate yourself for what you accomplished? Did you take time to reflect on where you can improve? It’s not too late to start setting your intentions for what’s ahead. Here’s an even bigger secret - It’s never too late!

Milestones | An abrupt shift

Milestones | An abrupt shift

October 1st, 2001 is a day that I will never forget. It was hard enough that I was in 8th Grade and had to go through the rigors of wrestling practice after school, that my body was changing, and that I was about to enter high school. It was a cool fall evening and instead of hitting practice after school I got a note to take the bus home. I hadn’t taken the bus home in 6 weeks, I knew something was wrong…

The Start Line | Picking it back up

The Start Line | Picking it back up

Coming back to something you’ve walked away from carries a welcomed level of comfort and discomfort as you start back not hat path . I know that by starting this blog, I’ll become a better writer, share my world with others, and hopefully share my story. I know that in picking up something I left behind, others will be encouraged to pick up something they left behind. Admittedly, a part of me feels like a fraud writing this blog.

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