Spence Smith

Back in September I was talking to my friend, Dan Perkins about the events of this past summer and he said something that really struck a chord with me.

Dan is a great triathlete and he has three nails on his wall. The first nail holds finisher medals for Ironman races, the second nail holds Half Ironman races and the third nail holds Olympic Distance, Sprints and any other race he has a medal for.

He says, when I put the medal on the nail… it’s done. That race is over and all the preparation that went into it.

It’s done.

It also signals a time to move onto what’s next and to start new.

This had a big impact on me when he told me this.

It’s like a race. All the training and preparation is the time when you work up to the big race day. The race day ends up being a celebration of the training and time put into the event. By the time you get to the race, you have raced trained the miles over and over again already. Now it’s time to enjoy that race day and go for it.

The reality of training is very much like life. There are training days where nothing goes wrong. No injuries, no mechanical issues and no wrecks. Then there are days where you might experience pulled muscles, cracked bicycle frames, bad shoes, bad nutrition… you get the picture…

I look back on my life, my past and I realize how important my past is and how it plays into today and feeling the past 5 months coming to the close of a long transition.

I’m really thankful for every part of my past. Every part. Some parts have been really tough and difficult. But I’m thankful for them and the people involved because of what I learned about my experiences. I’ve learned that there are times to celebrate and times to grieve loss. But all of these times I’ve learned something new about the responsibility of who I am and how I am changing to be comfortable in my own skin.

I don’t ever think people are so set they can’t continue to grow. I think this comes down to a choice we have to make – A choice to continue to walk through life well… and to keep growing in the process.

So… This week marks for me the end of a long transition that felt more like training for a big race.

The past five months is now on the nail and it’s time to start the next chapter.

Question: When you come to the end of a chapter of your life, how do you walk into the next chapter?

In yesterday’s post I said this phrase… If I can do it, You can do it.

But I got to thinking… I didn’t know I could do it… until I saw someone else do it.

I don’t want you to think of all the things I do in my life that I just go out there and do them without a little inspiration or direction… or a swift kick in the pants from a friend.
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I’m changing the focus of my blog a little bit. I say a little bit because this is the direction some of my posts seem to go…. That is… Influencing People To Go Beyond Themselves.

You see… over the past several months, when it comes to my blog, I have felt a little disjointed. When it comes down to it… I really enjoy encouraging others to do something they have either never done before or to get them to look at life in a different way that allows them to be stretched… and grow… and get a bit out of their comfort zone and just do something different in their life… you know. Live a little!
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Standing at 14,115 feet, Pikes Peak is a wonder to look at. It’s one Colorado’s 54 fourteeners.

One of my favorite parts of living in Colorado Springs is watching the weather change daily over this beautiful mountain.

It can change in minutes or it can sit with the same look all day long.

But there’s one thing for sure… no two sunsets are the same over this peak and when weather is involved, it’s the best show of nature and light that I’ve ever seen.

Yesterday, I was outside right as the sun was making its way down. There were breaks in the clouds over the peak that let the sunshine through like the opening seen of a national geographic documentary.
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Over the past few weeks I’ve been transitioning over to life in Colorado Springs, CO from life in Franklin, TN. Literally, I did it in two trips. Two 20-hour drives broken up by visits with family along the way.

Even though is been hectic and busy, it’s been fairly smooth. It’s given me a chance to process life, change, plans for living in a new city and creating a new community of friends all while maintaining relationships with my friends in Nashville and Franklin as well as those in other parts of the country.

And most importantly, it’s giving me great opportunity to process a new life with my future wife and her two amazing kids.

I guess it’s given me a new perspective on being diligent with the time I choose to spend with people.

In that diligence, I find myself back in Nashville this week for meetings and maximizing the opportunity to see friends. Some I didn’t get to say bye to and some I just need time with.

Here’s what I’m learning this week.

Friends are important. I know you know that… But I mean, True friends that will go that extra mile with you.

Friends who will dig deep into life.

Those kinds of friends right now are blowing my mind in their love and friendship.

You see, some people have several friends who can go deep with them and some only have one… and when it really counts, sometimes all you need is one.

One really good friend.

So as I transition my life in many ways over this next year, I’m leaning on my friends to be just that… Friends.

And in those friends, I’m challenging myself to see where I can give back to them.

Why?

Because I love my friends.

Are you giving back to your friends when they have given into you?

I’m not really sure how to write this post.

It’s taken me three days to get to this version…

I wrote a version that was very detailed and emotional, but honestly… it was a little too much for me. So I’m just going to throw it out there and go into greater detail about some future plans in other posts.

Here it goes…

I’m moving to Colorado by June 1. It’s coming up pretty soon. For those of you who read my blog, follow me on twitter and are my friends on facebook, this will not be much of a change for you and our online interaction.

For those of you who live in Nashville and Franklin… this is a big change. In fact, I’m still rolling out the news to some friends but those I live in community with on a daily basis know this has been coming.

This has been the hardest decision I’ve had to make in a very long time and it all comes down to one word… Leaving.

Leaving Franklin… my friends… my community… my way of life… 15 years… it is nothing short of a big deal.

However, I’m moving for the best decision I’ve made in a long time…

I’m getting married to an amazing woman.

My fiancée lives in Colorado Springs with her two wonderful kids. So in order to take advantage of the kids summer break, transitioning to a new city, getting married and the simple fact that we want to live in the same town… I’m packing up the dreams God planted… (Sorry, couldn’t even resist that last line.)

I’m going to miss my Franklin campus the most and the triathlon community that swims, rides and runs all over Nashville. I’m going to miss my little cottage of a place on Main Street and walking down the street to eat and hang out with friends. I will miss my Nashville coworkers, who are some of my dearest friends, but I get to work with them daily and travel the world with them, so that’s good.

I’m really going to miss running Tuesdays, Thursday and Sunday’s with Randy and the great conversations we have. I’m going to miss Tuesday Night Mexican dinners and I’m really going to miss the Tuesday morning mentoring group. I will miss all of this more than you can imagine… I cherish every moment I can.

As for my job with Compassion International… it isn’t changing.

I’m still Artist Relations guy and have committed to be back in Nashville once month for meetings.

Our Compassion Artist Relations team in Nashville is very strong and growing in presence. Thankfully, I work for a boss (and an organization) who believes in our team’s ability to get the job done no matter where we live. I love that I work on a team that is strong, flexible and can be mobile at the drop of a hat.

I work with the best.

Moving to Colorado Springs is also going to give me the chance to dive into some other areas of focus Compassion is working on. Some projects which are very close to my heart and passion for influencing others to help children and their families who are living in poverty in the developing world.

So… There it is. If I could throw out a request it would be this… Please keep us in your prayers. Transition, planning a wedding, meeting new friends, blending a family, travel and work. It might make us a little crazy, but a little extra prayers wouldn’t hurt.

As is the fashion here on this blog, I generally ask a question…

What was the biggest transition you have been through?

Yesterday was my birthday.

I turned 41.

I’m not much for big gatherings around my birthday.

Last year we had a great party for my 40^th which was a blast, but most of my birthdays have been spent on the road with very little fanfare. Especially from me.

I’m not sure why that is, but it’s part of my nature.

I did a few things for myself though. Last week I made sure I got time with some very special people in my life over dinner and drinks. Hung out with a couple of friends just to get a little more time with them… and I rode 41 miles on my bike Saturday. I mean… why not right? It was one of the best rides I ever had. Just me, the road, my legs and the determination to enjoy every mile bringing in the air and hearing the natural sounds around me. Sunday… A long run with Randy Elrod and a drink on main street followed by dinner with another close friend.

However… Yesterday between Twitter and Facebook, I had over 500 Happy Birthday wishes from mostly people I know and a few I don’t know well.

I just kept hitting the refresh button and watched them stream in all day long.

I have to say… It made my day like I never thought it would. I saw people pop up I want to re-connect with but mostly… I just felt loved.

So… for you my friends I want to say thank you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my day online. It meant to world to me.

I got to end my day with the three most special people in my life (Krissy, Alex and Priya) and it just felt complete.

In the midst of Bin Laden’s death being the news of the day, my day was awesome.

Something I learned about saying a quick Happy Birthday on Facebook or Twitter…

It made me feel so great that I want to make sure I take time out of the day to say it to those I know are having a birthday. This is one of those things in life that is truly “the little things that go a long way”.

Why is that? Because I generally suck in this area of taking time to remember birthday’s and send a note… a text, a facebook message, or a tweet. It only takes a second… and its completely worth it.

So thank you. You made my day and taught me a valuable lesson.

Time to go live 41. It’s going to be a great year.

What is that little thing people have done for you that have made your day?

I woke up today. Opened up the blinds to let the sunshine into my little cottage of a house, turned on the highlights of the royal wedding and thought about the weekend ahead.

I’m excited! This is a great weekend to be in the Franklin / Nashville area.

The Country Music Marathon is tomorrow and the Franklin Main Street Festival starts tomorrow as well.

The weather is going to be great and the time with friends even better.

I’ve written Why Saturday Is My Favorite Day Of The Week and I’m pretty sure that tomorrow is going to be over the top.

I’m looking forward to cheering on my friends Daniel White, Brian Seay and Jennifer Nutt as they run tomorrow. Anytime I see my friends run in an event like this I can’t help but to be completely excited and moved.

So… here are two suggestions for you if you are in the area.

• Go cheer on runners tomorrow. Make your way to finish line and yell like crazy as runners cross the finish line. You never know the feeling these runners have as they cross the finish line. It’s an amazing moment and hearing people cheer you on is emotional. I love it.
• Make your way down to Franklin Saturday or Sunday and enjoy our little main street festival. It’s the heart of who Franklin, TN is. It’s part of what makes this great little community magical.

So… here’s to Friday and looking to the weekend! It’s going to be a great time. Make sure you take advantage of every moment…

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a calf injury that came up while I was running. Since then it’s been difficult to get back to that place of healing so that I can go run the way I want too… or simply put… I’ve grown impatient with my progress and am trying to force healing by not taking the time I need to rest. Frustrating… even for someone who has dealt with pain quite a bit. I’ve tried my usually tricks and it comes back to that key factor I always submit to in the end… Rest.

So I’m letting the injury rest this week so the pain will heal… and by letting it rest I mean no running. In the meantime, I will get on my bike and work the other muscles around the injury to build them up and support said hurt.

One of the many advantages to being a triathlete is the three sports (swimming, biking, running) support the body well when it comes to injuries. You can take a break from one sport to heal unwanted pain while still continuing to train in a way that promotes healing around the injury.

It often reminds me that when my heart is hurt, I need to take whatever steps to rest and give it a break in order to heal.

Do you know what I mean?

For me, if I’ve been hurt by someone or am in a tough situation that has been hurtful, I eventually need a break from the situation. I need to be able to tell myself You’ve dealt with this the best way you know how, time to give it a rest. Walk away from it… or them… for a while and allow yourself time to heal.

Any time I’ve done this, I can eventually come back to the situation or the person in a much better place. I tend to come back stronger and my heart is in a healthier place to deal with the situation or the person who hurt me so that the real healing can happen.

While I’m resting I usually take steps to build up other parts of my heart to help support the hurt side of my heart. I seek out friends or situations that help bring me safety, confidence or help me grow in other ways so that my soul, my mind… and my body are all ready to better support that side of my life I’m giving the rest too.

As I decided to take a rest from running this week, I kept coming back to this parallel between healing the body and healing the heart…

Knowing it’s ok to rest our hearts when there is hurt… Knowing it’s ok to rest our legs from running when there is hurt… But it’s up to us to take that step and decide when and how to rest.

Rest… it does the body.. and the heart… good.

Thoughts?

In JR High and High School I had a tutor. I never felt like I didn’t understand what I was learning in school, I just didn’t apply myself like I should which sometimes resulted in lower grades. As it turns out, my tutors where a pivotal influence in my life.

Here’s why.

In JR High I went to the Sylvan Learning Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which is still going strong today. My main tutor there was a man named Robert Lowrey. We called him Bob. He was an excellent tutor. He was able to break things down for me in a way I could understand them better.

But do you know what I remember most about Bob?

The time he spent asking me about my life. What I was interested in and what was going on at school. If he sensed I was frustrated, he would figure out why and talk it through with me. Over time I trusted Bob, so if I walked in and need to talk to someone, I could talk to Bob.

Bob helped me gain confidence. He helped me in school, but I walked out of each session knowing I had a friend who listened and gave me advice. He was someone who cared and someone who was willing to push me in a way that made sense to my teenage mind.

Looking back… I know he was mentoring me and giving me little pieces of life I needed in order to go the next step into my teenage years.

In high school, I had another tutor. Her name was Ms. McCray. She was the bomb as well. I learned what I needed to learn and I did better in school. But can you guess what I remember most about her?

All the time she spent getting to know me and asking me questions about my life as a teen. What I was into and how I felt about things going on around me. She dug into my life.

When I went on to being a freshmen in college, she called me and asked if I would help her. She was directing the high school play and needed a band leader. I said yes I will do anything you need me to do. The play was Fame and it was a blast playing live in a setting like that. One of the dancers in the play went on to dance for Janet Jackson and was the red Power Ranger in the movie and TV series. Cool huh? She had amazing influence in our Fort Smith, Arkansas lives.

So what did I gain from her? More confidence. I felt validated. I felt like I could do more, go a little further in and go after my dreams.

So… Thanks mom and dad for making sure I had people in my life that would give me a little better teaching and a whole lot of mentoring. I know you were just trying to keep my grades up, but I guess you never counted on the end results that were more valuable than the grades. It’s probably one of the many great gifts you have ever given me. Confidence… Understanding… and the ability to dream.

How about you? Any pivotal moments in your life growing up? Was there anyone who played a role like that? A teacher? A coach? A tutor?

**Side Note.. What I experienced as a kid with tutors is the main reason I love how Compassion International works with kids. The tutors become these life changing mentors. I see it every time I visit them… and every time I think about Bob and Ms. McCray – Every time for the past 10 years of taking trips overseas.

You never know the impact you are going to have on a kid’s life.

Don’t forget it.

I’m a fairly patriotic guy. I love my country and everything that makes it unique. I love our heartland and all the things that make America a melting pot of a wide variety of cultures. I’m thankful this country was founded on principles of freedom. I love the word liberty and I love the colors red, white and blue.

But there’s nothing I love more than our flag and what it stands for…

Michael W. Smith plays a song in his show called There She Stands. It’s a song about the American flag. The short version of why this song was written is this.

Six weeks after 9/11. Michael was sitting in the Oval Office having a conversation with Former President George W. Bush. (Michael’s relationship to the Bush family starts with his longtime relationship with Bush 41. President George H.W. Bush)

As Michael tells it, he and the President, George W. Bush, were talking about the events of 9/11. As the President talked he looked up at Michael and said “W… You should write a song about the flag.” So… six months later, Michael wrote There She Stands. Why is this important?

Every night, Michael plays this song with the video (you can watch it below). Without fail, half way through the song, the audience stands in honor and respect followed by a roaring applause at the end of the song. I get goose bumps every time I see it happen.

This past week, I witnessed this all happen again only this time, as I was standing at the back of the auditorium, I watched people stand… One by one… Those that stood first were all over 60 and they stood proud. Some even stood with their hand over their heart. As I watched this all unfold I cried… and any time I cry in a situation like this it’s over how much I truly love America and the freedom we have to be who we are.

Consequently, I cry during the Star Spangled Banner as well. It just freaking moves me.

So I ask you… What does the flag mean to you? I asked last week what the heartland of America means to you… but now I want to know what does the flag mean to you? If you’re not from America, what does your flag mean to you?

P.S. here’s the video…