Lucky 13

Lucky 13

By Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS

            There is something unique and special about the number 13. No doubt it gets attention – good and bad. Some great athletes wore the number 13 for all or part of their careers: Dan Marino, one of the great NFL QBs; Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Nash from the NBA; Dave Concepcion, Ozzie Guillen, and Alex Rodriguez from MLB; and Kristine Lilly, a member of the US Women’s Soccer team who wore the number 13 for 24 years. You may not know that it’s often referred to as Lucky #13, but I bet they do.

So here we are at the beginning of a new year. 2013. You get to pick which it will be for you: Unlucky 13 or Lucky 13… I know which is right for me because in my heart I know that 2013 is going to be BIG, BIG, BIG. My friend, I am all about Lucky 13!

About a week ago, I shared an article on my “103 Ways to Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet.” And what I have done here is plucked out 13 of the items at the top of my list. Here are my top 13 for 2013 (in no particular order):

1. Define your game-changing move in 2013. Then get it done (#3 on the list of 103). I have been working away on several game-changing moves for a while now.  And I am pleased to announce that I am about 6 weeks away the announcing the first of about 4 legitimate game-changers for this year. Stay tuned.

2. Define a theme for your year and LIVE IT everyday (#100). My theme this year is “KABOOM.”  Yes, I’m going to try and “blow some things up this year” (in a good way), and create more massive, positive, explosive, ACTION and MO-mentum. KABOOM resonates with me.

3. Do more of what you love to do and what makes your soul sing (#97). This one is real personal: 1)date nights with my wife, Melanie, 2) writing, 3)  getting up to the mountains, 4) snow skiing

4. What can you remove from your schedule or stop doing that is currently robbing you of your time and energy (#95)? Watching ESPN Sports Center two or three times in a row in the evenings or on the weekends. “Yoo-hoo…Todd. The highlights haven’t changed!”

5. Plan as if you will live forever but live as if you will die tomorrow (#27). This one is just good sound advice. I love planning and strategizing. But this is also a reminder to enjoy spontaneity, have fun, and truly live each day to the fullest.

6. Write love-letters like you used to (#31). Man, I used to do this all the time for Melanie. I need to start doing this again. How did three kids and a business ever get in the way?

7. When you travel, send letters to your kids on hotel stationary (#36). Yes, I need to do this. It’s always fun to receive mail. It’s even better when it’s a “special” handwritten note from your father. With over 30 gigs on the docket for 2013, I’m looking at some serious opportunities.

8. Be willing to fail. It’s the price of greatness (#44). With an action-packed year, strong initiatives, and much success planned for 2013, I realize that failure is always a possibility also. But that’s OK.

9. Listen to books on tape and podcasts (#47). It seems like I’m listening to a lot more books on tapes these days. And I like it. But I also love to have a book in my hand so I can turn pages, mark it up with notes, underline, and make dog-ears. To have them both is the best of all.

10. Get a massage one time per week. Or one time per month (#19). There is no doubt I’m a better human being after a great massage. The chance to completely shutdown and relax with bodywork does my mind and my body so much good. Just like you, I need to get it in the schedule in advance and not let anything replace that sacred time.

11. Plan one spontaneous outing on a weekend for your spouse (#91). BAM! Man, one great getaway weekend and you start thinking about trying to fit in one a month! Nothing is more important than remembering what it’s like to be a couple.

12. Pick an exercise monitoring tool to start using it for yourself and your clients (#89). I use a HR monitor now. And I love it. What’s next? Hmmm…

13. 525,600 minutes in 2013. What are you going to do with them? Make sure you make the most of each of them (#101). Amen, amen. I love this one. It reminds us that every day counts. Every hour counts. Every minute counts. So make the most of every one of them. I WILL!

So there it is… my Lucky 13 for a Lucky 2013. I wanted to share these with you as encouragement for you to scour the list yourself and come up with your “Lucky 13.” And if you’re anything like me, you will have some fun figuring out which ones top your list for the year. Keep dreaming and keep doing, my friend. Good things are coming!

KABOOM!

Todd