Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish, which trumps Did Not Start. ~ Anonymous

Is it possible to have too many opportunities? Recently some things have happened that place me at a fork in the proverbial road where both paths look like they lead to wonderland. What a contrast to five years prior when I was looking for my first full time coaching job, constricting my search to just the Northeast at the request of my wife and getting frequent rejection letters. One of the paths in the road is longer, a little more bumpy but familiar. The other path is a short cut but with many unknowns and the possibility to disappoint the passengers who’ve been riding with me the past couple years. Which road to take? I’m not sure but the decision will be based on the long term goals and prospects of my family and the business that I’ve been building the past 2 years.

The last 3 months has seen my business expand greatly. Astronomically. With no signs of slowed growth in sight. This isn’t just in client growth but also the quality of our service, the experience we provide, and the partnerships we are forming. For many other entrepreneurs, these things come with short term drawbacks usually referred to as growing pains. Not so with us. I’ve always expected the growth (sometimes without warrant) and anticipated the staffing, scheduling, logistics and equipment that would be necessary to continue to plough through. If you aren’t expecting the best to happen how can you possibly prepare for it when it does?

I’m on the road several times a month for coaching, speaking engagements and consulting. I’m a regular at most airports in the North and Southeast. Here’s some tips from my travels:
Try to enjoy yourself. Being on the road can be a bore if you focus on the hassles but isn’t so bad if you have the time to take advantage of new experiences.

Get yourself good travel gear. An iPad, travel dedicated chargers for phones, tablets and computers, a high end carry on bag, travel size everything, and airline security approved clothing can make things much more manageable.

Eat well. New cities provide an opportunity to eat new food. It’s the one thing I look forward to the most when on the road. Use Yelp to find great places.

Sleep well. Almost all of my travel is work related. And when I’m on the road I am working my arse off. Often as much as 16 hours of speaking and teaching to large audiences in just a day and a half. When I’m done I want to sleep comfortably. Take the time to find a nice hotel so you can sleep comfortably and come back and do your job the next day.

Up the convenience. Airline and rental car reward programs help. Bring your GPS so you never get lost. Select hotels that minimize driving. Check in online. Carry on everything.

Be productive. Although tempting to sleep on the plane, get some work done. Use the ‘forced separation’ and you’ll probably find flights can be extremely productive despite the cramped conditions. Oh yeah, get the wireless too.

Master the security line. I pack and dress to blast through the security line. Come up with a method that allows you to go through the line as fast as possible and you’ll miss less flights. I regularly arrive at airports 25 minutes before my flights and haven’t missed a flight for over 18 months.

Push the limits. Unless you’re a worry wart, check in online and arrive to the airport as late as you can. I don’t want to spend any more time in an airport than I have to and Yota 95% of the airports in the US you can safely arrive at the airport 30 minutes ahead of time and have no problem. If you travel a lot and have never missed a flight you’re spending too much of your life in an airport.

Related articles

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• The Best Business Friendly Airports in US (Infographic) (solsie.com)

The only life worth living is the one you are really passionate about. ~ Emma Pillsbury

Just finished watching the pilot episode of Glee with my 4 year old daughter and was struck by this awesomely awesome quote. 

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. ~ Henry David Thoreau

This Christmas I took a family vacation to Jamaica. Both sides of my family are from Jamaica and this is the third Christmas I’ve spent on the island. If you’ve never been, the island is just as beautiful as you’ve likely heard with its diverse flora and fauna, pristine beaches, and clear blue skies. I spent the week waking up when I wanted, away from email and phone calls, and no deadlines to speak of. It was an incredible contrast and getaway from my typical 80+ hour work week. The best Christmas I’ve ever had. So while I write this on my return flight, one might think that I’d be dreading going back to work at 6:30 am tomorrow…but I’m not. I love what I do. If you don’t love what you do enough to say something similar you might want to reconsider what you do. Life’s too short to not do what you love.

The only way to prove your the best is to show it not say it. In this day of fast media and internet sensationalism, ANYONE can say they’re the best. And they do. In my niche business market, we’ve had 3 of our local competitors copy or tag line almost verbatim since we introduced it. So there are now 4 businesses claiming to be the best. Unfortunately for them, the only way to prove that you’re the best is by the results you provide. Talk is only good if you can back it up.

Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still. ~ Chinese Proverb