We purchased a Peloton just a few weeks before we all went into quarantine last March. I must admit I was skeptical. I walk and shoot hoops when I can, but I have never regularly used any sort of exercise machine. The technology is what first piqued my interest in a Peloton. The more I read about the features and the way it worked, the more it appealed to me. I also knew that my Peloton couldn’t be in the garage or somewhere out of sight, it needed to be inside the house where I would pass by it several times a day. It took a little work to persuade my wife that it belonged in the music room, but I eventually prevailed. Our Peloton was delivered during the first week of the pandemic. The delivery people assembled it in our driveway and we had to bring it into the house ourselves. I looked at the Peloton app today, and saw that I have completed 141 workouts in a span of less than 10 months. That’s roughly a workout every other day. After being out of commission for about a month with COVID, I am back in my routine, and completed 5 workouts this week. They were short workouts, only 20 minutes each, but I will need a few weeks to build back up to where I was in early December doing 60-minute workouts. The high-intensity workouts are what I need the most. I recently read that people my age who do at least 3 high-intensity workouts per week have a much lower predisposition for serious illness like a stroke and cardiovascular problems. I think about those things more these days, as I should. Pelotons aren’t cheap, which is why I told Kathy if we get one it has to be in the house because that is the only way I can be certain I will use it. It has definitely been one of the things helping us get through the pandemic. Now I need to cut back on the wine.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
Selling during a downturn required a more strategic approach, but the opportunities for growth and expansion are available to the savviest of companies. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve read about.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve written about this in other iterations. I’ve talked about finding your rhythm, and the importance of letting things come to you, not forcing things, and then riding the momentum when you have the wind at your back. The point of it all is that success is not linear. Progress doesn’t follow a straight line. For most people, the journey is long and winding. It looks more like a stairway or a hockey stick.