Why On Track? Part 2

Yesterday, I shared some of the ideas and events that led to writing my first book, On Track: Life Lessons from the Track & Field.

To continue the topic, I’m sharing the introduction to the book today.  I think it provides explains why I wrote On Track, and I think it will also explain why I think you should read it and share it with your friends.

Here goes:

I haven’t always been a runner.

In fact, there were many moments when I utterly despised running.

Somewhere between college and my early thirties, I discovered running, or maybe it discovered me. I began pounding a couple of miles at a time around my neighborhood after I came home from work one night and realized I was starting to develop a bulge around my midsection. My love for food and my slowing metabolism had to be counterbalanced, and running seemed like the natural cure.

Despite running cross country for a season in high school, along with a season of winter track, I was not a confident runner. Now in my thirties, I jogged around my neighborhood trying to go as fast as I could for as long as I could. I ended up running two or three miles, and I was done.

Then a good friend of mine invited me to join him in preparing for a half marathon. This was an utterly crazy idea in my opinion, but somehow he convinced me to join him on a nine-mile training run one Saturday morning. I had never run this far in my life. This nine-mile run flipped a switch in me. I suddenly wanted to run more. I was now looking forward to running the half marathon with my friend.

Writing has been a similar journey for me. I wasn’t a bad writer in high school. In fact, I somehow managed to survive four years of high school honors English. But my first love was always math and science. These two subjects pushed me into the world of engineering.

I wrote several papers in college as a requirement for classes, but writing was not something I considered fun. I graduated and entered the real world of construction and engineering, where I stayed away from long writing assignments unless absolutely necessary.

And then another good friend introduced me to the world of blogging. He helped me set up my first blog, and I was off and running (I mean writing).

Blogging, like running, became a refuge from the demands of work and raising a family. It became a place for me to reflect on life’s stretching moments and to stretch readers. As the years went along and the blog posts began to pile up, I began to receive encouragement and confirmation that my writing was connecting with readers.

My blogging took me down roads I never imagined. I’ve written about life from many different angles. Somewhere along the road my interest in running, my interest in writing, and my faith started to intersect.

This book is the product of this intersection.

This book isn’t just for the runner or athlete. I believe it provides practical life lessons we all can embrace.

If you’re stuck in a rut or need a little guidance in finding your way, I’m hoping this book will help you get On Track!

Let’s get started!

If you have read On Track, I hope you’ll leave a review on Amazon, and let me know what you think right here in the comments.  If you haven’t read the book yet, click the link below to purchase the book at Amazon, or pick up a digital copy for FREE by subscribing to the Stretched Newsletter.

Thanks!

Why On Track?

Since releasing my first book, On Track: Life Lessons from the Track & Field, almost two weeks ago, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to many people about the book.  People at my office have asked me about it.  People at my church ask me about the book.  And people from the other circles of my life have asked me about the book.

It’s fun to share, but it has also been an adjustment as I walk the line of promotion and humility.  I sometimes wonder if this is normal for first time authors.  I want people to know about the book.  I want them to read it.  And I want them to share it with their friends and family.  But I also don’t want to be arrogant, prideful, or cocky.

I have so much to learn about writing, and I truly believe the best is yet to come.

When I share about On Track, I feel compelled to share the story about why I wrote the book in the first place.  I thought it would be healthy for me to share the story here.

I’m an engineer.  Writing a book was not on my radar until the past few years.  I started blogging nearly seven years ago as a place to process life’s stretching experiences.  Early on, I realized my thoughts in the blog could also be a catalyst for helping other people to stretch.  The more I wrote, the more I realized I had something worth sharing.  Readers began to ask me when I was going to write a book.  I put these comments to the side doubting that a book could ever be in my future.  After all, I was an engineer and not a writer.  Somewhere in the past two years, I started to move thoughts of book writing to the forefront.

I started writing On Track a year ago when I wrote several posts about related to the track and field world.  Here are the posts:

• Track & Field:  4 Lessons from the Starting Blocks
• Track & Field: 4 Lessons from the Hurdles
• Track & Field:  6 Lessons from Long Distance Training
• Track & Field: 4 Lessons from the Relay Race
• Track & Field:  3 Lessons from the Long Jump

I don’t remember the specifics, but one of the Stretched readers (Steve Y) suggested I put together a book based on my observations of the track and field world.  This seemed like an interesting idea, but I didn’t do anything about it for a while.

As many of you know, I have a big heart and passion for short-term missions.  My experiences the past couple of summers propelled me to write a lot about missions on the blog.  As I considered writing a book, a book about short-term missions and developing a mission mindset seemed like the natural direction to follow.

I started brainstorming and creating an outline for this book about missions.  I prayed about it.  I talked about it with my wife and a few close friends.  And I decided to move forward.  I worked diligently on the outline for this book, and I sent it out to a few trusted friends and authors for their feedback.  As the feedback started coming in, I began to realize I was stepping into something pretty big.  I have big ideas for this book, but I didn’t have any experience whatsoever on how to proceed with the project.  Do I pursue a traditional publisher, or do I go down the self-publishing route.  How do I write a book proposal?  How do I handle the cover design?  How do I handle the editing and formatting?  How do I launch this kind of project?  The feedback for this book was terrific and encouraging, but I realized I needed to step back and try something a little smaller first.

And this is when I remembered the suggestion from Steve Y.  I looked back on my old posts, and I started scheming on how I could adjust and add to these posts to create something worth publishing.  In a sense, On Track became a “test” book project.  The book gave me the opportunity to see how self-publishing works.  It also gave me the opportunity to work with a graphic designer and editor.

Initially, I had thoughts of giving the book away for free in an effort to build my mailing list.  After all, this is what the experts on platform development tell you to do.  As I went deeper into the On Track project, it became more than a “test.”  On Track became something I believed had an important message – a message worth sharing.  And so, I decided to release it on Amazon in paperback and eBook for a small price.  (A digital copy of the book is available for FREE when you subscribe to the Stretched Newsletter.)

Since the release of On Track, I’ve been learning a lot about the challenges of “marketing/promoting” a book – especially when you are busy raising a family, working at a demanding job, and living a life that keeps you on the go.

I have so much more to learn, but I’m thankful for the journey so far.

Tomorrow, I’ll share the introduction to the book.  For those who haven’t read On Track yet, I think this will give you another look at why I wrote On Track.

If you have read On Track, I hope you’ll leave a comment on Amazon, and let me know what you think right here in the comments.  If you haven’t read the book yet, click the link below to purchase the book at Amazon, or pick up a digital copy for FREE by subscribing to the Stretched Newsletter.

Thanks!

Ice Breaker – R-Rated Movie

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

I saw this question earlier this week on a blog post by Brogdan Kipko, and I couldn’t resist.  This is a great ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question:  What is your favorite R-rated movie and why?

My Answer:  I don’t think I’ve seen all that many R-rated movies, but I’m sure I’ve seen a few.

One of my favorite movies of all time though is an R-rated movie.  My answer is Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.  The movie has some interesting twists and turns.  My favorite part about the movie is the hope that is represented throughout the movie – a hope for a better world (even inside the walls of a prison), hope for a future, and hope for freedom.

We all need hope, and Shawshank Redemption might give you a little different perspective on the word.  (By the way, I wouldn’t recommend this movie to kids.  It is R-rated for a reason.  There are some graphic and disturbing scenes including rape, suicide, and violence.)

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.  Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter.  Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

April 2014 – Top Posts and Commenters PLUS Book Giveaway

Donald Sterling, The NBA, The Clippers, and The Zipper

Have you been following the news in the NBA this week?

I’m not talking about the playoffs, wins, losses, or Lebron James.  This week, the news has been filled with reports and opinions about Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling.  I don’t know all the details, but Sterling apparently made some significant racial comments that were caught on tape and broadcast across the country.

His comments set off a firestorm of calls for him to be removed from the NBA.  His own players protested before their last game by taking off their Clippers shirts and wearing black wristbands and socks.  Sponsors have quickly been pulling away from the Clippers organization unwilling to be associated with a team owned by such a bigot.

Clearly, Sterling’s remarks were completely wrong, and the NBA has dealt swiftly by banning him from the NBA for life and fining him $2.5 million (which is the maximum fine permitted by the league constitutional bylaws).

Do you think Donald Sterling would like to take back his words?  Do you think he was really thinking when he spoke?

It’s easy to point the finger at public figures like Donald Sterling – after all, leaders are expected to be above reproach, and they should know better.  And they are easy targets.  Upon further thought, I know we’re all guilty of this kind of speaking without thinking.  Hopefully, we don’t say things with such hatred, but I’m sure we say things we regret.

I was reminded today of a time when I was in junior high, and I was at a dress rehearsal for a musical that I was in at our church. Believe it or not, I was selected to sing a solo (who would have thought).  As a result, I was equipped with a wireless microphone. During one of our breaks while I was in the men’s room, I said some things that I later regretted.  When I returned from the break, I discovered from one of the sound people that my initial words were shared loud and clear in the sanctuary thanks to the wonders of wireless technology.  Thankfully, they quickly muted my microphone.  But it didn’t stop the feeling of embarrassment and regret that swept over me when I found out.

In all the cases above (including mine), the regret came after being caught.  Did we ever stop to think that God can hear us even if no one else can?  Did we ever stop to examine our hearts?  I’m reminded of two passages that speak to this. First, in the first few verses of Psalm 139, we’re told that not only does God know our words, but He even knows our thoughts:

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.  Psalm 139:1-4

Secondly, in the first chapter of James, instructions our given that we should be slow to speak:

My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  James 1:19-21

Sounds easy?

I’m not so sure.

I know that my thoughts and words are not always what they should be. So where do I go from here? I think it starts with being more in tuned to God, becoming more aware of times we think and say things that aren’t appropriate, and seeking God to help make a change.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Have you tasted shoe leather recently?  How’s it taste?  What did you do to get that taste out of your mouth?

To Forgive, Or Not To Forgive – That Is The Question

We all face times in our lives when we have to make a choice:  Will we forgive, or will we not forgive?

My friend, Matt McWilliams, wrote a post about forgiveness over on his blog today, and he asked me to share it with The Stretched Community.

I’d held on to unforgiveness for too long. It was time to finally forgive my father.

Time to move past the hurt, the rejection, the anger. It was time.

It is impossible for joy and unforgiveness to coexist. (Tweet That) | Share this Graphic on Pinterest | Share on Facebook

I can’t tell you how many times I said that to myself. And it never happened.

Days wrestling with my feelings turned into weeks, which turned into months, and eventually years. Layers of failed attempts or flat out refusals to do so had hardened my heart. Would I ever be able to forgive him?

Or had those years actually softened my heart? Had they actually prepared me for that night recently when I would read about breaking generational chains and forgiving my dad?

As I stood brushing my teeth, getting ready for bed on the night before Easter, a voice said:

Write to him.

Write to him? Write what?

Read the rest of Matt’s powerful post on forgiveness here: Matt McWilliams on Forgiveness.

3 Essentials for Finding Meaning in the Mundane

Saturday night, I had the privilege of attending the Grove City College Touring Choir and Alumni Touring Choir Retirement Concert honoring professor and director, Dr. Douglas Browne.  Dr. Browne is retiring after teaching at the college for over 30 years.  The concert was truly amazing.  It gave me a small glimpse into the beautiful sounds of heaven.

At the end of the concert, Dr. Browne received a very long (and well-deserved) standing ovation.  I was moved by his deflection of personal praise as he commented that the praise belongs to God.

As we were standing in the lobby, a friend asked me about becoming a professor at Grove City College.  This would be quite an amazing job, but I’m not sure I have the credentials for such a position.  I responded how great it was to see someone being sent off into retirement with such fanfare.

After working at the same place for over eighteen years, I can say that I haven’t seen anyone sent off with such celebration with the exception of our previous branch manager who retired after working for the company for over forty years.  Maybe I’m a little jealous realizing that my send off from my current employer will most likely be met with a retirement watch, a pat on the back, and a simple thank you.

I want my years of service to mean more.  I want to know that I left a legacy.  I want to be remembered.

Is this response legitimate?  I think so.  But it made me think a lot more about finding meaning in the mundane.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like my job.  I like what I do most days.  I like the fact that I get to help people succeed every day.  And I like the fact that I get to come in and help people make decisions that honor the company and our customers.  But am I doing something that matters?

I think it’s important to have a perspective of humility when we think about leaving a legacy.  With this in mind, I kept coming back to these thoughts that are essential to finding meaning in the mundane.

3 Essentials for Finding Meaning in the Mundane

1. Don’t seek the praise of man.  This is tough.  I’m a people-pleaser.  I want people to say good things about Jon Stolpe.  This is misdirected desire.  Jesus warns against those who seek the praise of man:  “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.  But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.”  John 12:42-43
2. Seek to build a treasure that lasts.  We strive after success.  We strive after wealth.  We strive after material items.  We strive after fame.  These things don’t last.  They fade away.  We can’t take them with us when we leave this life.  We need to come at life from a different perspective.  What we do matters.  We can point others to Christ.  This matters far more than a fancy retirement watch.  Jesus reminds us of the importance of building up a treasure for heaven:  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“  Matthew 6:19-21
3. Do it all in the name of the Lord.  It doesn’t matter what you do.  You may be a garbage collector.  You may be an operations manager for a construction company.  You may be a teacher, a policeman, a cashier, a farmer, or a librarian.  You have a choice to make.  Who are you going to serve?  And how are you going to serve?  My challenge to you (and me) is this:  Serve God, and serve Him with everything you have.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:17

Are you struggling to find meaning in the mundane?  I challenge you to look at what you’re doing with these three things in mind.

How do you find meaning in what you are doing each day?

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.  Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter.  Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

Learning To Embrace Life’s Milestones

Life goes by pretty fast.

This was so obvious to me this weekend.

Leanne and I took the day off on Friday, and we took the kids out of school for the day, so we could pay a visit to Messiah College and Grove City College for Hannah’s first college visits.  This hardly seems possible.  It’s a little early as Hannah is finishing up her sophomore year in high school, but we had some connections at Grove City College, and the timing was right to begin this journey.

The weekend was spectacular.  Both of the visits went very well.  We felt welcomed at these beautiful campuses.

I remember visiting Grove City College with my Dad.  It was the summer, so there weren’t any students on campus.  I didn’t know very much about the school, but there was something that seemed to fit just right when I visited to the school. My Dad and I drove seven hours to and from the school which gave us opportunity to talk about the college and about the college decision.  I remember my interview in Crawford Hall.  And I remember a feeling of excitement and fear.  I’d imagine this is what Hannah was feeling this weekend.

I need to get my parents perspective on the whole college visiting, selection, and sending process.  I’m starting to understand that there was probably a mix of thoughts and feelings related to the whole thing.  On the one hand, there is such excitement.  Our daughter will be ready for this.  She is smart.  She is a hard worker.  She is well-rounded.  And she is becoming more and more independent.  On the other hand, there is a mix of feelings that include fear and sadness.  How could it be that we are looking at colleges already?  Why does it seems like life goes by so fast?  Once we send Hannah to college, I know that things will change forever.  Am I really ready for this change?

Life is full of milestones.  These milestones represent a life well-lived.  It’s not always easy approaching these milestones.  It can be scary, and it can be thrilling.  Yet, we must learn to embrace these milestones.  These are the things that STRETCH us.  These milestones cause us to grow, and they take us to new places in life.

I’m thankful we still have a couple of years before Hannah goes to college.  I want to make the most of the opportunities during these years.  I want to celebrate at her track meets.  I want to soak in the sound of her orchestra concerts.  I want to watch (and help) as she approaches some challenging decisions along the way.  And in just over two years, I want to rejoice as we send her off to college to learn and experience new things.

What milestone are you facing soon?  What thoughts or feelings are you experiencing about this milestone?

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.  Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter.  Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

Ice Breaker – Self Improvement

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question:  What is one thing about yourself you would like to improve in the next year?  What is one step you will take to meet this goal?

My Answer:  I would love to improve my public speaking skills.  I was just featured in my first podcast on the Quality Living Made Simple Podcast (Click here to list to the podcast).  For my first interview, I think I did okay in response to the questions from host Joshua Rivers.  When I listened to the interview for the first time last night, I realized that I need to do a much better job removing filler words like “um”, “ah”, “so”, and “you know.”  I expect I will have some other speaking opportunities and interview opportunities related to my job, my writing, and my other interests.  I want to be prepared to bring my best whenever I speak in public.

To this end, I recently joined a local chapter of Toastmasters International.  This is an organization designed to help members improve their public speaking and leadership skills.  I’m looking forward to seeing how this activity will help me improve in my public speaking.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.  Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter.  Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

On Track – From High School to the Track of Life

My high school running career was nothing to write home about.  Honestly, I hated running in high school.  I ran so I could hang out with my friends.  Before every race or meet, you could find me in the locker room bathroom dealing with the effects of a nervous stomach.  Practices were a painful experience as I tried to keep up with my faster teammates.

I have a few very distinct memories from my high school running career.

First, I will always remember the winter track meet at Widener University.  Widener’s indoor track was a tenth of a mile long.  I ran the two mile race which meant I ran twenty laps around the track.  It felt like I was running around the dining room table at my house as I looped around the track.  I don’t know how long it took me to run the race, but I will always remember double lapping one of the runners from another school.  I know it sounds kind of mean now, but there was something comforting about knowing I was the slowest person out there.

I will always remember the winter track double dual meet at Lawrenceville Prep School.  At our high school, you only needed to score in one race to earn your varsity letter.  This meant I had to finish in third place against either one of the other schools.  Again, my coaches scheduled me to run the two mile on this eighth of a mile banked track.  If I remember correctly, our coaches only scheduled two runners from our high school to run the race.  My best friend and much faster runner, Brian, had already run a race or two earlier in the day, so he was not scheduled to run the two mile.  For some reason, I pushed for Brian to run the two mile along with me.  Naturally, he finished ahead of me.  As the race approached the finish, I was pushed out of third place into fourth place.  Finishing fourth meant I missed out on my varsity letter.  I guess it wasn’t meant to be.  I had to settle for a varsity letter in band and in academics.  What can I say?

Finally, I will always remember coming down the home stretch of the Raider Invitational Cross-Country Meet.  This was one of my faster races, and I remember the feeling of floating as I hit my stride about a hundred yards from the finish line.  I don’t think I was one of the “prettiest” runners, but my coach caught a picture of me as I approached the finish line, and the picture makes me look like I knew what I was doing.

These stories didn’t make it into my book, but there are several other stories worth reading in the book.

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.  Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter.  Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

Share a story from your high school sports career in the comments.