Ottawa here I come....

I leave for the nation's capital tomorrow.  The photo of Ottawa above is by Tennerka - she has an amazing number of beautiful shots on Flickr.  Check them out HERE.

I will be delivering a "Motivational Speech" at the Injured Soldiers Network brunch on Saturday and then we will have a Q & A / running clinic in the afternoon.

Sunday we will be toeing the line for the ARMY Run 5km Road Race.  I think I will stick with the least experienced soldiers - the ones that may need help to get to the finish line.  

I have been thinking a lot about what to talk to these guys about.  In preparing I have asked some people around me to tell me what they remember about my recovery and my progress.  It is interesting to get the perspective of others.  If you've never asked people what they think of you, or what they thought of you years ago - you should.  It is interesting and it reminded me that things have not always been as smooth as I remember them.  I guess I have an internal editor that erases a lot of the difficulties and leaves only successes.  

My mission:  

To energize, inspire and motivate these soldiers to set goals and leave them with some tools to accomplish their own personal and professional missions.

My Rough Plan:  

Use Stories (mine and others) - Tell them about the times I failed, and the times I succeeded - the differences and what I learnt.  

Power of Attitude - Excitement about life and the courage and drive to accept and look forward to the challenges life can present and to overcome them.  A challenge is the seed of an accomplishment.

Share Knowledge - I lost my leg in 1995.  The lessons of 13 years have been hard won at times.  I look forward to helping these soldiers "drive around a few potholes" that I had to hit to learn.

The preparation for this weekend has been a very rewarding process....  It has been very useful to analyze the things that have worked for me in life and to recognize the things that didn't.  I may convert a lot of it to writing for this blog over the coming months.    

Wish me luck!

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