Time is precious, don't waste it.

Many friends and contacts often comment that I am the busiest person they know. They wonder how over the years I have found time to manage a challenging sales and marketing career, works side projects, raise two fantastic children with my amazing wonderful wife and make time for personal endeavors aside from entrepreneurial and work related tasks.

I wanted to blog for a moment about time management and taking time for yourself. You can't make time, you must take time for yourself.

I have met thousands of professionals across a wide spectrum of professions over my fifteen year career. Many of them are type "A" personalities who as business managers and leaders must focus much of their time on day-to-day responsibilities at the office. But yet many of them find personal time to delve into the space within to grow as professionals and people regularly.

Although time in the office serves to progress projects, focus team and drive revenues it does little to enhance life and experience aside from work. The truly exceptional professionals I have engaged who most impress me have found time for themselves as well as their families and career. It's a challenge yes, but the rewards far exceed the challenges in my mind.

So what, you may ask, am I referring to...? Life, worldy endeavors, well rounded experience, challenges above and beyond those that impact your pay check and career. I'd like to highlight a few executives I have encountered who may focus away from the office on running marathons, road racing or mastering Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or other physical endeavors. These select individuals take personal development to physical and mental levels few experience.

Did you know that .001% Americans completed a marathon in 2007? (http://www.marathonguide.com/features/Articles/2007RecapOverview.cfm), of just over 222,000,000 adults as of 2007 one one thousand of one percent have even completed a 26.2 mile race. No wonder most of us lose our breadth running to get the phone when it rings. ;-) But one of the most impressive CIO's I have ever met takes time out annually to challenge himself for a personal best in Marathon.

The number of participants in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments if we estimate 100 tournaments held nationwide per year with 500 participants (50,000 total) each we get .0001% of 296,410,000 American's as of our 2005 census. Or just one ten thousand of our population competes annually in this style of competition.

It's no wonder so few earn so much in America. The greatest leaders I have met in business, those who have obtained the highest office and manage the greatest number of subbordinates usually focus some time weekly on endeavors aside from their career. They spend time at the gym, doing Yoga, teaching or learning martial arts, competing or creating.

So what does that teach us of leadership and great leaders? I would suggest it tells us many leaders endeavor to first master themselves, to challenge self before challenging others. They strive to be the best person they can be to help others do likewise.

I recently had a conversation with a networking contact who shared a story regarding his CEO of a Southern California based tech firm. This leader routinely joined his employees in physical endeavor. Annually he joins a team of three others in a Muddy Buddy run. In which teams of five (5) individuals set out together to conquer just over three miles of extremely hilly terrain and multiple obstacles including the dreaded mud bog to beat out hundreds of teams for the podium. Fun yes, but a physical and mental challenge just the same. The team in question is now ranked fifth overall and has their sites on top honors this year.

I also enjoy thinking on one of my contacts who prides himself on the number of days he spends on the ocean sport fishing in coastal waters, not contracts signed or deals completed. His most precious numbers relate to the largest catch, days out of the office and tournament victories. And yet he is a much needed asset to his company and one of their most talented business managers.

Personally I focus on submission grappling and mastery of martial arts to occupy my time away from family and the office. Some may say that personal hobbies take too much time away from important family duties, it's personal time that could be better spent. But I would argue there is no more important time spent than the time we spend perfecting ourselves. I call my training, therapy. It's gives me focus and allows me to fully relax through exhausting my body weith new physical challenges weekly. Isn't this truly our life, our time our experience? And don't our endeavors make us stronger, wiser, healthier, more focused individuals for our companies, families and friends?

I would encourage anyone who happens upon this diatribe to discover yourself within so that you might share more without. Take up a new art form, learn a new talent, challenge yourself to excel in a new capacity.

Some of the most talented folks I have run across compete in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu not to be world champion. Personally, at 39 the hopes of me beating 70 or so younger competitors to take tops honors at Mundial would seem an impossible goal, but yet I have competed twice in the World Championships with the simpe goal of improving each time I step on to the floor of competition more prepared than my last year.

Take up a challenge, set a goal. I lost 50 lbs when I took up BJJ just over two years ago. I've placed over six times in competition and placed first recently at a well known tournament just this year.

Go for it! Spend your time wisely and wreap rich reward from discovering more about yourself than the fact you can type 90 words per minute with two fingers. ;-)

Here's to you and your greatest challenge, perfecting self!!!

Best Regards,

Kenneth "socialFIEND" Knapp