I recently joined Toastmasters with one of my co-workers. So far I have really enjoyed learning from the members of the group. I have only done two speeches and I still get ridiculously nervous, but with time it will get better.

My second speech was on the topic of running and received really positive feedback from the members. I'm posting it below so maybe it helps someone else get into a good running/exercising routine.

"I’m sure everyone could use something that reduced stress, aided in relaxation, contained physical benefits and was relatively inexpensive. Sound impossible? Well it’s not. Walking, jogging or running contain all of these elements. In the past few years, my running has come a long way. I have gone from walking/running a 5k (3 miles) to running a half marathon (13 miles) to planning for my first marathon (26 miles) in the Spring. As with most physical activities, this wouldn’t have been possible without the right things to keep me injury-free as well as motivated. My goal of this speech is to give you three “tools” that are relatively inexpensive that can help you stay motivated to start or keep running, walking or jogging. They are shoes, location, music.

In this world of constant and instant information, it can sometimes be hard to put all of the information into a meaningful and searchable format. Evernote can do just that.

I use Evernote to keep both professional and personal information organized in appropriately titled "notebooks". The notes in these notebooks are accessible from my desktop, the web and my smartphone. Tags on the notes aid in searching, but Evernote can also search the text in each note.

The information in the notes can come from websites, photographs, scanned documents and text documents. Once I've uploaded them to my Evernote account, I can organize them easily.

Some of the ways I use Evernote is to store research documents, gift lists, recipes, and any information that I want mobile access to.

I have only started to touch on the uses of Evernote. The possibilities are endless. For more information, check out their website or blog .

On an episode of The Colbert Report this summer, Stephen Colbert interviewed author Wes Moore. Mr. Moore was talking about his recently published book The Other Wes Moore. In this book, he explores the lives of two young men with the same name who grew up in the same impoverished neighborhoods of Baltimore. One grew up to become a Rhodes Scholar; the other will spend the rest of his life in jail.

Both were told that they would grow up to be trouble and unsuccessful. One had a mother who tried to help her son defy expectations but eventually resigned to this fact. The other mother sacrificed everything to ensure her son could succeed, even going as far as sending him to military boarding school.

The stories told about these two men made me think about how the expectations placed on us by society, our peers, our families, ourselves can be both detrimental and helpful at the same time. These expectations and the choices we make, while they may seem insignificant, can drastically change our lives. It highlights importance to remain faithful to our dreams and surround ourselves by those who are supportive.

Up until now the majority of my running races have been 8k and 10k races with 5k races sprinkled in between. These distances required minimal training, just consistent running. In October I will be running the Capitol 10 Miler followed by my first half marathon in November. These races will be my first of this length and will require dedicated training to work up to those distances at sustainable paces.

In the past the thrill of running for me was primarily completing a race and finishing with a better time than last year. I also enjoyed exploring my neighborhood and surrounding areas. With the start of my training plan, I found myself thinking of my runs as something I had to get over with to make it to the races. I found myself constantly checking my pace and my time to see how much longer was left. At the time I didn't realize how self defeating and demotivating this really was. I was beginning to lose the enjoyment I found in running while training for these races

While reading Christine Louise Hohlbaum's book The Power of Slow , I was reminded how important it is to enjoy the moment. I needed to re-acquaint myself with enjoying every exact moment during my runs - the breeze on my face, the sensation of my feet pounding out a rhythm on the pavement, the layers of instruments in my music, my breath bring oxygen and energy to my body. Now that I have found the moment in my runs, the miles are beginning to fly by and running is now enjoyable again.

With the hustle and bustle of every day life and the sometimes depressing news stories, it's easy to find yourself in a funk.

I recently stumbled upon the blog, Tiny Buddha, which offers daily posts that provide inspiration and "simple wisdom" in this complex world. I try to read it every morning to start my day off on a positive note and to keep me grounded with a fresh perspective on life.

Today's post started with the quote:

"Happiness does not come from having much, but from being attached to little."

-Cheng Yen

Today is World MS Day.

For some of us, MS is the disease that President Bartlett had on the TV show The West Wing. For others of us, it is a mysterious disease that we’re not sure what the initials stand for and we doubt it’ll ever effect us.

I will admit that I was one of those people. I knew vaguely of MS from The West Wing, but I figured that was as close as I would ever get to the disease. Was I ever wrong.

Almost a year ago, one of my aunts was admitted to the hospital. After running numerous tests that included scans to detect brain cancer, the doctors finally determined that she had MS – Multiple Sclerosis.

According to the website worldmsday.org, MS is a disease that affects over 2 million people worldwide. It is a chronic neurological disease in which the myelin – or protective covering on the nerves – is damaged. Symptoms can include blurred vision, weak limbs, pain, bladder disturbance, unsteadiness and fatigue. The disease can either be progress or follow a pattern of relapse and remission.

There is limited knowledge on what causes the disease and how to treat it. But through awareness of the disease, answers can be found. There are several therapies that have proven successful in slowing the attack of the disease.

For more information on World MS Day, visit their website at www.worldmsday.org.

For more information on MS and resources for the Central Virginia region, visit the Central Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society.

Is the company with the most employees or the greatest variety of products always the most successful company?

Not necessarily according to Seth Godin, author of Linchpin and several other books. In a recent blog post , he discusses the importance of understanding the right carrying capacity of your organization particularly when it comes to employees.

“Ideas, markets, niches and causes have a natural scale. If you get it right, you can thrive for a long time. Overdo it and you stress the inputs….Your industry might have room for six or seven well-paid consultants, but when you try to scale up to 30 or 40 people on your team, you discover that it stresses the market's ability to pay.”

For some businesses that find themselves struggling, this may mean reducing staffing or products sold instead of expanding to try to recoup losses.

I think this idea can also be translated to fit on a personal level. Instead of expanding interests, activities, jobs, etc, it may be valuable to focus on those activities that provide the most benefit. Defining benefit would, of course, become very important. But by focusing on those few things, you could receive a greater reward for your efforts.

In today’s new economy, there is a third team of worker in addition to management and labor. Seth Godin describes this team in his book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? According to Godin, a linchpin is “the essential building locks of great organization.” A linchpin thinks and acts differently to turn to their work into art. Becoming a linchpin is a choice that anyone can make.

The biggest hurdle to becoming a linchpin is overcoming the resistance from the lizard brain. What exactly is the lizard brain? It is the amygdala – the part of your brain responsible for basic survival needs. It is stimulated when ever you feel threatened – even if you’re not consciously aware of a threat.

Personally I have experienced my lizard brain trying to sabotage presenting a new idea at work or expressing my creativity in a new or different way. I know that in order to realize my full potential, I must quiet my lizard brain.

Godin offers several suggestions and techniques to quiet the lizard brain:

• Embrace productivity sites such as Lifehacker.com and implement their tools
• Learn from failure and change tactics and approaches as necessary to realize success
• Seek uncomfortable situations in order to become engaged
• Acknowledge that bad ideas are part of the process to finding good ideas
• You are a genius – the resistance and the lizard brain are trying to convince you otherwise

Acknowledging the lizard brain calls its “bluff.” By overcoming worries, fears and anxiety of the unknown exaggerated by my lizard brain, I know that I will be able to open my mind to the possibilities and focus on my art to becoming a linchpin.

The rest of Godin’s book explains the changing workplace dynamics, how make the choice to become a linchpin, the value of gifts and art, and key aspects and traits of being a linchpin. I highly recommend this book if you feel lost in your current job situation or feel you have more to offer but aren’t quite sure how to start.

Click here for more information about Seth Godin's book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

With all of the air brushed perfect (yet unattainable) model and celebrity photos in the media, it is no wonder that poor self image, poor self esteem and eating disorders are prevalent among teens and young adults. Recently I stumbled upon the website Operation Beautiful with the mission to end negative self talk and “transform the way you see yourself one post-it note at a time.”

Operation Beautiful’s founder “began Operation Beautiful by leaving positive messages on the mirrors of public restrooms” in order to make people smile and hopefully make a difference in someone’s life.

Stories and photos submitted by readers are posted each day. I recommend checking it out for a little daily dose of positive messages.

I have been a fan of Greek and Mediteranean food for awhile now. I look forward to both the Lebanese and Greek Food Festivals. While studying abroad in France, my lunch staple was falafel or gyros due to the fact that they were inexpensive, filling and delicious.

When Boulevardizen.com announced the opening of Basili’s Greek Restaurant , I knew I would have to check it out.

I decided to order the chicken gyro again as well as baklava – a Greek pastry made with phyllo dough, nuts and honey.While my food was being prepared, I talked with the cook and the owner. Both were very friendly and knowledgeable about Greek food and the Carytown area.

My sandwich exceeded all of my expectations – it was flavorful and satisfying. The generous serving of baklava was a sweet tasty treat that I was able to enjoy over the course of several days.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend that you check out Basili’s Greek Restaurant at 3107 W. Cary Street in the old Carytown Seafood store.