Are You Showing Up 'TO' Work?

Albert Einstein said that “setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means.”
Anyone who is a baseball fan knows that the number 8 is an infamous number not only for the Baltimore Orioles but for every little league across the country.

Every little boy over the last 20-years has wanted to wear the number 8 on their back because it belonged to one of our greatest baseball hero’s; Cal Ripkin, Jr.

While Cal was known for his awesome baseball catches at shortstop it wasn’t until he was asked to move to third base that people began to realize his true talent…and it wasn’t just on the baseball field.

His flexibility to do what his team needed caused some to say that he would never enjoy the same fame at third base as he had at shortstop. However nothing could have been further from the truth.

Cal is the picture of perfection; not that he is perfect by any means but that he never stopped learning and perfecting his craft until he was the ultimate best that he could be. It was his work ethic that caused many younger players the inability to keep up with him day in and day out on the field and in practice. It was this work ethic that allowed him to play 2,632 consecutive games surpassing Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 record games. Donned with the title the IRON MAN, he earned his name by showing up every day.

In the preface of his 2007 book; ‘Get in the Game,’ Ripkin tells about a conversation in the dugout during the 1998 All Star Game. A young Derek Jeter leaned in to ask Ripkin – “what’s the secret of playing everyday? How do you do it?”

Ripkin said…’you know Derek, I just…I just play.”

As unspectacular as the answer might seem, Ripkin says he’s grown to realize he has to amend that statement a little. “I didn’t just show up FOR work….I also showed up TO work.” The distinction Ripkin syas is that I didn’t just clock in; he made sure he was getting better at his craft every single day. “I think my numbers will back me up”, Ripkin says. “I worked at my game, worked on my weaknesses. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just on the field, but that I was a contributor every time I was out there.”

“I think it’s important, especially in this economy, to see that you can’t stay around if you’re not getting better.” Ripkin says. “No business or baseball team is going to keep people just because they show up. You have to constantly be looking for ways to improve your value to the organization. You have to develop strong fundamentals – no matter what you do. And you have to make yourself indispensable and that requires you to constantly be evaluating what you’re doing and what needs to be done.”

So let me ask you…

 Are you just showing up FOR work or are you showing up TO work?
 Are you constantly identifying your weaknesses and trying to improve and build upon them?
 And lastly, are you contributing to your team in order to build a quality organization?

Lessons from Sports: Showing Up to Work by Don Yaeger: Success Magazine April 2009

SKIRT! Interviews Elizabeth...

Elizabeth was interviewed by SKIRT! Magazine in September of 2008 and stopped back by to follow up on what she had accomplished since their last interview. Take a look!

Ribbons of Health

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month...everywhere you look you see ribbons of pink. In clothing, magnets on cars, magazines and even recyclable grocery bags. Breast Cancer is real and its devastation wreaks havoc in many women’s lives as well as their families.

A woman’s body is the core of our being. It is a vehicle for us to be many things. From a young woman, to a wife and then being blessed with children; the body of a woman has such important jobs. Our self-esteem normally revolves around how we feel about our bodies. Are we too fat, too skinny? Are we working out and eating healthy? Do the men in our lives think we are sexy or still sexy after 40?

I was impressed with Glamour Magazine; not only in their October issue but also in the new November issue. The article “Oh. wow. these bodies are beautiful” was breathtaking. Not only did they feature women with curves and imperfections but the beauty in the women set a preference of what the definition of gorgeous really means.

Women are not defined by the shapes of their hips or the curves of their breasts. We are defined by how we feel about our bodies; the way we present our body image. Having a healthy body does not mean you are super thin...what it does mean is that you  take care of yourself, eat healthy and try to put some exercise into your daily life. The results leave you physically stronger and loaded with much more energy. Creating a positive attitude and bringing that forward in your life each and every day helps you respect your body and all the great things it does for you.

So as we continue to support our sisters who fight breast cancer; fight for yourself too. Fight for your right to remain healthy and be proud of your body. Don’t let society dictate what a perfect body looks like...look in the mirror; it’s starring right at you.

What Have You Done?

What have you done in the past week to improve so that you are better this week than you were last week? That is a tough question for some to answer because many are happy with mediocre and don't push themselves on a daily basis to be better.


It's interesting to me when people tell me that I need to slow down. I think if I slowed down I would die. Living life to the fullest; working to improve myself; building and getting new and better results…that is just part of who I am. It is my DNA…I can’t take it away and I can’t change it. (Not that I want to.)

But if you were to really ask yourself what improvements you have made to yourself, your life, your family, friends, etc to help improve or make the situation or relationship better what would you say? Are you putting yourself out there into unfamiliar territory where it might not feel comfortable? Or as some would say…are you stepping outside the box?

Stepping out of the box or your comfort zone is how we grow. When we take risks to try something new we ultimately grow and learn from it; whether it turns out to be a mistake or not. Putting yourself out there is not always hard, there are easy steps that you can take that help you improve and grow. For instance, I read a new book every week. I have paperback books, hardback books, e-books and even my Amazon Kindle that is loaded with books. I have so many books waiting to be read…people just shake their head at me. But reading is important to me…I learn from reading and I grow by applying.

Continually keeping an eye on your goals and focusing on your outcomes helps you move forward. When you loose focus on what you really want you loose your sense of balance and life goes on auto pilot. Auto pilot is where mediocre comes into play…you are not involved in your own life…you are allowing life to drive you with other peoples dreams and ideas instead of your own.

So answering the question that I asked when we first started could include answers such as reading a new book, applying a new principle to your business or personal relationships, pumping up or changing around your work out routine. If you make it a point to record your accomplishments you will see huge differences as the weeks go by…and all those little steps you took each week will end the year with a new, more focused and better individual than before.