First, catch up on part 1… I have never been one to wear jewelry. That may not be surprising as I am a guy. The first real piece of jewelry that I began to wear consistently was my wedding ring. However, because I never wore a ring before, I wanted to find a wedding band that was…
Author: Chris Carlson
Swim, Bike, Run, Lift, Read, Think, DO! #fridayrally
Race Week
This Saturday is my first race of the season. I’m pumped! The race is only a sprint distance event, but it is my first race in a while so it will be a good warm-up for the rest of the summer. The race is the Island Lake Triathlon. The distances are 750-meter swim, 12-mile bike ride,…
Setbacks In Education
If you remember from my earlier article Quest for Knowledge I shared the story line of my efforts to become as knowledgeable as possible in my industry. To do that I am enrolled in a program that will culminate with an opportunity to earn my CFP designation. That article was published right before I attempted my…
Fitness and Business
Luke and I recently had the opportunity to attend an industry event in Chicago. We decided to take the Amtrak train into the city. Without having to worry about driving and paying attention to the road we could study, talk, strategize, and sight see. One of the things we talked about was how we were…
Learning on Borrowed Time
Education is such an important factor of long-term personal and financial growth. The more education a person has, the more likely they will have social and economic opportunities available to them. Their life will generally be improved all around. I break down education into two distinct branches. Formal and informal. Formal is where we all start….
Just Tri
I have been racing triathlons for the last 2 years. I gave no thought to the sport before I entered my first race. My dad was given 2 entries from his friend that would have gone unused, so we jumped in. I admit that I have never considered myself a distance athlete. Running mile after…
I Eat Frogs
There are universalities we experience as humans. No matter where we live on this planet humans are humans with similar thoughts, ideas, emotions, plans, dreams, goals, and many other experiences we all share. Because we all share these experiences I believe that when I am experiencing a difficulty other people have experienced that as well. There…
Be Intentional
Everyone knows the idiom “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” It has been used for decades by anyone looking to dish out advice. Of all the sayings this one rings as true as any. “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” We like to think that what we know matters,…
Focus Up
The first week in January Luke and I started a pretty intense and involved prospecting campaign. We created compelling, targeted marketing materials and started knocking on doors of local businesses with 401k plans. We went out every week without fail. After the marketing was created our process was pretty straight forward. We would look up…
The Friday Rally 