Just when you thought you knew the PR business, along comes social media to complicate things.

“Oh, but there are millennials who know all about that,” says one of my 50-something PR colleagues. “We do the strategy and messaging. They do the blogging.”

Wrong.

Our little agency of 10 professionals is full of talented people. We have writers, special events specialists, lobbyists, brilliant researchers, excellent organizers and marvelous media relations people. Most of us can write a news release, draft a position paper, script a speech or craft a letter to the editor. But blog? Tweet? Whoaaa.  At the moment maybe two of us can do it.

Guess what? By next week we’ll all know how. Why? Because it is the way the world is now learning, communicating, sounding off.

When our business chose a new brand about a year ago, we decided on Vox (Latin for Voice). Since then, one staffer and a succession of interns have literally put us on the digital map. But getting the rest of us digital dinosaurs to generate content that is relevant, timely, engaging and BRIEF has exposed a bottleneck. The one staffer who responsible for “posting” our blogs says it takes him about two hours per blog to do it. Editing, adding an appropriate visual, getting sign-off by the CEO, etc. are time consuming. So, with much important client service work to do, we are only managing to post the occasional blog. Decision: All of us will learn how to do it.

So, if you are reading this, it is evidence that a PR pro who started his career using an IBM Selectric can indeed blog. Please send your “atta boys” to Dan at Vox. BTW, sorry this is so long. Surely my next lesson will be on “How to keep it to 150 words or less.”

I recently attended a social media marketing conference hosted by Fred Pryor Seminars and CareerTrack.

The conference offered a wealth of information about Web trends and how marketers can apply lessons learned from 2011 to our evolving communication platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Staying ahead of the curve is part of my job, so I was most interested in learning about the up and coming social media trends. Some takeaways from the conference include the following predictions about where social media will take us moving forward:

Mobile content

Communication platforms are being designed for those on the go. We’ll see:

• More news, email, social media and other content formatted for smartphones, and tablets.
• More interactive stories, including more photos, videos and links
• More short stories and content –  imagine a lengthy Tweet and an Instagram photo.

Universal log in/post

With so many social media channels out there, we can expect to see a login format that allows us to sign in to all of our accounts using one username and password combo, which could be a double-edged sword.

On the good side, such an option would:

• Be more efficient
• Save us a lot of time and frustration and prevent us from losing track of our lengthy list of passwords

But critics warn that:

• Such a tool could pose more risks than benefits
• If hackers can access your Twitter account, they could also access all of your other accounts.

Web history editing

Wouldn’t it be nice to erase that unflattering photo of you and your college buddies at Señor Frog’s in Cancún? Well, you may be in luck. Soon, we should be able to:

• Selectively edit our social footprint.
• Access more tools that let us clean up Web history and other incriminating data.

For the last couple years, we’ve heard that transparency is the ethical path to follow online. Now we’re hearing a different school of thought that advocates for keeping the power of permanency and discretion in the hands of the users.

To learn more about up and coming social media tools, we suggest reading JD Rucker and Brian Solis’ blogs. To find a social media conference near you, visit the Fred Pryor Seminars and CareerTrack website.

Campaign announcements this fall are making life difficult for campaign strategists in Oregon. The chances are slim that 2012 election results will continue the 30-30 split in the House, and at this point, it seems the Republicans and Democrats have an equal chance to claim the majority. In the Senate, Democrats will try to cling to a one-seat advantage.

All things equal, Democrats in the House have a tough road to hoe. Several prominent members have chosen not to seek re-election for their House seats in districts where the Republican registration numbers are creeping ever higher.

But things are not equal: The 2011 legislature drew new district lines, so 2012 legislative candidates will be elected by a reconfigured voter base. Preliminary studies of the new districts show Republicans in urban areas at a disadvantage; some of their districts even have a Democratic registration edge.

Districts to watch:

House District 9 (South-Central Oregon Coast): Currently held by House Co-Speaker Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay. Last month, Sen. Joanne Verger, a Democrat from the same area (Senate District 5), announced she would retire from the legislature. Roblan announced he would campaign to succeed her in the Senate. Republican-Democrat voter registration numbers are close in both the House and Senate seats. If both parties field solid candidates for the open House seat, the election could be close enough to trigger a ballot re-count. In 2010, Roblan won re-election by only 200 votes. Democrats have recruited Caddy McKeown, a moderate with lots of ties in the Coos Bay community.

Senate District 5 (Central Oregon Coast): Verger’s retirement announcement was a partial blow to Senate Republicans, who often relied on Verger to break ranks and vote against her party on issues. This will be a tough seat to defend for Democrats. Roblan’s name recognition will make his campaign easier, but he’ll face a strong challenge from the Republicans.

House District 10 (Central Oregon Coast): This is another coastal district held by a Democrat – Jean Cowan, who will not seek re-election. Voter registration in this district favors Democrats, but just barely. This election will be determined by the strength of candidates fielded by both parties.

House District 29 (Hillsboro): In 2010, Republican Katie Brewer beat Democrat Katie Riley by 1,026 votes, a 7 percent margin. Redistricting has infused many new voters into this growing district, and many of those new voters are registered Democrats. Brewer will seek re-election, but Riley and Democrat political operative Ben Unger have both declared their intent to challenge her. The Democrat primary itself will be a fun race to watch, and either candidate could give Brewer a run for her money.

House District 37 (West Linn): Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, beat Democrat Will Rasmussen for the open seat in 2010 by 500 votes, or 1 percent. In 2012, Parrish will be the incumbent, but rumors are that Rasmussen is considering another run. This could be another close race.

House District 40 (Suburban Clackamas County): Rep. Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone, former House Speaker and caucus leader, is running for Clackamas County Commissioner in 2012. His open seat favors Democrats with the new district lines, but a strong Republican could win it. Former state Rep. Brent Barton, a Democrat, recently moved into a condo in downtown Oregon City and declared his intention to run for the seat.

House District 49 (Troutdale): In 2010, registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 4,500, but Republican Matt Wand still beat Democrat incumbent Nick Kahl by a thousand votes. In 2012, Wand faces re-election with similar voter registration numbers. If Democrats recruit a likable candidate, Wand’s chances of winning will be slimmer than they were in 2010.

House District 51 (Clackamas): Redistricting put more Democratic voters into this district, making life difficult for one-term incumbent Rep. Patrick Sheehan, R-Clackamas. If Democrats field a prominent candidate, this race could be an easy win for the party.

The 1st Congressional District Shuffle

Assuming the polls are right and State Sen. Suzanne Bonamici, D-NW Portland, is elected to Congress to replace David Wu, her seat will be vacant by February. Timing is everything here: The appointment process takes about 30 days, so Senate Democrats could be missing the final vote in their one-seat majority for the February session.

Bonamici won the special primary on November 8. She could choose to resign her Senate seat in order to ensure a replacement by Feb. 1, but she risks having no elected seat if she loses the Congressional race. If she does resign, and one of the House Representatives from her district — Reps. Mitch Greenlick or Chris Harker — is appointed to replace her, then House Democrats must scramble to find a replacement before Feb. 1 to maintain the split control of the House.

About the Author

Elizabeth Remley is director of public affairs at Vox Public Relations Public Affairs. You can learn more about her by visiting the Vox website at www.voxprpa.com.

At 7 a.m. one Thursday a couple of months back, I found myself sitting, bleary eyed in a computer lab at the University of Oregon business school. I was participating in a focus group, which is not something I normally do that early in the morning, but it turned out to be a surprisingly cool experience.

Our only instructions were to spend some time on a website called Vizme.com. The purpose of the focus group was to help the developers craft the message for this new technology.

I had been introduced to Vizme a couple of weeks previously when two of the company founders came to meet with us and tell us more about the concept and the technology. I diligently did my homework before they arrived; so that I could sound informed and ask relevant questions.

That’s when the problem started.

The problem was understanding what the heck Vizme is, what it could do for me and what it could do for everyone else. The website seemed busy at first and I wasn’t sure how to start or where to focus my attention.

This reminded me of something one of my professors in business school used to “put us through”. Whenever our class went out into the world to meet with industry executives, he would make each of us stand up and ask us, “Who are you, and why should I care?”

It was an annoying question to be asked, even when we knew it was coming, and we were each equally mortified when he demanded it of us. But by the time we got to our second year of business school, each one of us was able to confidently stand up in front of David Stern, the then commissioner of the NBA, and offer a 20-30 second snippet that piqued his interest, maybe made him laugh, and ensured he remembered us. We had, what we called, our “elevator pitch” down.

“What’s an elevator pitch?” you ask. An elevator pitch:

• Answers the question, “Why should I care?”

• Is short and simple – Despite this fact, it can be difficult for some companies to grasp, especially when product creators become so caught up in how neat their technology is and how shiny their products are and forget to think about why people use it.

• Captures people’s attention – In this time of information clutter and short attention spans, you need to be able to grab people, or they will move on to the next thing.

• Focuses on the need that you are addressing – Sometimes it helps to spell out what you are providing for your clients or customers.

To give you a better sense of how an elevator pitch is different from other ways of pitching a product, here are two ways of describing Vizme, the product I tested out:

Here is how a programmer might describe the product:

Vizme is an online aggregation tool that allows users to bundle disparate information in a variety of mediums and share that information across multiple independent platforms.

Here is my attempt at an elevator pitch for Vizme.

A Vizme token is like a mini-website that allows you to grab people’s attention and tell them a story online quickly, easily and memorably. You can combine pictures, videos, Web links and text all in one place. And you can do it without any technical training. What’s also really cool about it is that you and your friends, fans and customers can share your Vizme token anywhere online – Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, email, your own company’s website. Anywhere!

As you can see, the main point lacking from the first pitch is an answer to the question, “What’s in it for the customer?” If you can answer this question, you can answer the question my professor used to ask, “Why should I care?” And once you can do that, you’re well on your way.

Of course, the other question that needs to be answered is “What’s in it for an investor?” or “How will Vizme make money?” but that’s a question for a different day.

As Vizme’s creators continue to develop their website and product offerings, they will be better able to explain what it is their product does for the user. And if the developers keep their focus on why people should be interested in their product, they are destined for greatness. As I learned in my focus group, Vizme is definitely cool, but sometimes that’s not enough. In our busy and distracted lives, we need a good reason to take notice of one cool thing over another.

Got a great elevator pitch? Share it with us here!

Sadie Dressekie is a vice president at Vox Public Relations Public Affairs. You can learn more about her by visiting the Vox website at www.voxprpa.com.

Recently, Dress for Success Oregon hosted its annual “Celebrate Success” fundraiser. The Oregon chapter is part of a larger organization composed of 105 international affiliates. Together, these organizations work toward the common goal of helping underserved women learn the skills necessary to enter the workforce and, ultimately, lead a successful career.

When I set out for the evening with my fellow Vox comrade Adrienne Webb, I had no idea the evening would end on such a truly high and inspired note. The convention center was packed with supporters – men and women alike, who came prepared and willing to dip into their savings to improve the lives of women in the local community. Even at a time when money is tight for many of us, Dress for Success raised a record $235,000 that night. And with approximately 700 guests in attendance, the annual event was completely sold out for the first time.

The night was filled with socializing, networking, a silent auction, a beauty bar by Bobbi Brown, and music by Portland DJ Proper Respect. My favorite element was the fashion show, which featured some unconventional fashion models. Four Dress for Success clients – each of them someone who has overcome poverty and other hardships – took to the catwalk with community figures to showcase a collection of local designers dedicated to the cause. Designers included:

• Michelle Decourcy
• Ellington Leather
• Columbia Sportswear
• Core Men’s Shop
• Eileen Fisher
• Joy’s Uptown
• Moule
• Silkwood

Community involvement was a key component to this event’s success and so many people donated their time and services to make the evening a success that it would be impossible to list them all. From the photographers who captured the night’s events – LeeAnn Gauthier, I.C.E. Digital Studio and Jon Rhodes – to the stylists who made the models look their best – Event Cosmetics, Fada Salon and many others – Dress for Success definitely captured Portland’s attention.

Also worth mentioning are the community figures and the members of the Lake Oswego Fire Department who escorted the models down the runway. They include:

• Michelle DeCourcy, Fashion Designer
• Sarah Mensah, Chief Operating Officer, Portland Trail Blazers
• Tracy Murphy, Director Merrill Lynch
• DJ Wilson, President and General Manager, KGW Media Group

The event alone is worthy of praise, but what the organization accomplished in 2010 is truly remarkable. Dress for Success saw its 12,000th client in 2010 and provided multiple levels of support to nearly 2,300 local women. Because of these accomplishments, Dress for Success’ Professional Women’s Groups Program plans to expand its services by offering four sessions a month and opening a new location in Vancouver, Wash.

The fundraiser we attended supports women who depend on Dress for Success’ services now and in the coming years. But even if someone isn’t in a position to contribute financially, the volunteer-driven organization offers plenty of opportunities for interested people to lend a hand. Volunteers do everything from serving as personal shoppers to working as career center specialists to providing professional mentoring.

I would like to give a friendly shout out to Oregon Dress for Success Executive Director Barb Attridge, who is not only a tremendous asset to the organization and its clients, but a wonderful person who does a great deal to improve our community. Thanks for making our participation with your organization such a memorable experience, Barb!

If you’re interested in learning more about Dress for Success, you can visit their website at www.dressforsuccess.org.

About the Author

Learn more about Vanessa Ward, public relations associate at Vox Public Relations Public Affairs, by visiting the Vox website at www.voxprpa.com.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) isn’t something you should be intimidated by and about how SEO tactics are actually pretty similar to business development tips. At the end of that blog, I promised more tips. So, here they are. And just to prove my point, I reversed the order this time around: business development to SEO.

Choose Your Words Wisely: Saying the right things at the right times says a lot about you. But, so does talking too much.

SEO translation: Place your keywords in the right spots on your webpage. Put the more important ones in your title and in your H1 headers. And, make sure you’re not overstuffing your content with keywords.

Make Good Friends: Having strong relationships with people who share your interests is a great asset.

SEO translation: Getting quality links from websites that have a similar focus will help your website rank higher in search results.

Get to Know Influential People: Having good relationships with influential people makes you more influential by default.

SEO translation: The most important backlinks you can get will come from sites that are authoritative. You can get an idea how influential a site is by checking its Google PageRank. Do you know what your website’s PageRank is? Check it here.

Don’t Cheat: There are ways to develop business and initially build your reputation by using dishonest, or at least questionable, tactics. If at all successful, these tactics generally only produce in the short term, and then they come back to bite you.

SEO translation: There’s a lot of ways people try to fool search engines. They’ll “rent” backlinks, and they’ll stuff their page with invisible keywords by making the text the same color as the background. Or, they’ll use other “Black Hat SEO” tricks. Just remember, cheating generally gets you punished.

Advertise: Sometimes you need a little help getting your name out there, and that’s okay.

SEO translation: Using pay-per-click advertising and Facebook ads are one of many ways you can use advertising to drive traffic to your website and cultivate back links.

My conclusions: Personal Branding and Business Development are all about communication and relationships. And really, SEO is not much different. Just like the most successful business professionals, Google recognizes the importance of building strong relationships and clearly communicating what your business offers. What do you think? Am I off base? Do you notice any similarities (or even differences) that I’ve failed to note?  Leave a comment below, and let’s start a conversation.

About the Author

Rob Holderness is a public relations associate at Vox Public Relations Public Affairs. You can learn more about him by visiting the Vox website at www.voxprpa.com.

For more than a year, I’ve worked at Vox Public Relations Public Affairs/The Ulum Group. In that time, I’ve learned a thing or two about the public relations industry – many of those lessons aren’t ones I found in my books while studying public relations as an undergraduate.

When I graduated, I was fortunate enough to have a public relations job lined up. What was unfortunate was what I learned right off the bat: The cookie-cutter lessons clearly outlined in my curriculum – the lectures that taught me what public relations was, how it worked and what happens when it doesn’t work – were a bit off. Surprise! The world beyond the confines of a classroom is a little more imprecise and unpredictable than I anticipated.

Since becoming a public relations professional, I’ve developed a few key lessons of my own that I definitely didn’t learn while hitting the books. Public relations newbies, interns and students take note – this might save you some sweat, tears and sleepless nights:

Pitching:

• Be Prepared — A skill that continues to develop throughout your career is pitching – not necessarily because you become more articulate or strategic in how to package your message, but because you learn how to be prepared to pitch.
• Spit it Out — I learned very early on that reporters are always on a deadline. After being on the receiving end of more than a few abrasive phone calls, I learned to make what I have to say quick, concise and informative.
• Know your stuff — Be prepared to answer questions about whatever it is that you’re pitching, and be prepared to provide interview, photo and video opportunities.
• Internalize it — Most of all, believe what you’re pitching. If you don’t believe your pitch is worth listening to, what makes you think the reporter will?

Navigating Road Blocks:

• Patience is a virtue — Much of what public relations practitioners do – writing, scheduling, organizing and planning – requires relying on others for information. However, what we don’t do is predict when others can and chose to get us that information. Sometimes, the best we can do is remain patient and politely remind the client what we need to do our job.
• Go with what you’ve got — Scheduling interviews requires you to have your client’s availability, and confirming a catering menu requires you to have a fixed headcount. Without information, you have to play the waiting game and that can be a tad frustrating. At times, you just can’t wait any longer and have to learn how to work around missing information.
• Fill in the blanks later — If you’re putting together a media kit and need several key components, such as the CEO’s bio and a list of the company’s specialties, work backwards by determining the information you do know. Put together the fact sheet and leave blanks for whatever is missing. The client will be more responsive to filling in the blanks using track changes than having to answer a series of questions in the body of an email.

The customer is always right. Right?:

• Business matters — One of the most crucial lessons I’ve learned since being out of school is that public relations is just as much about business as it is about communication.
• Honesty has its place — A client may ask you to draft and distribute a news release about something that a reporter wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. As hard as you try, you can’t find a unique angle, and the subject matter is far from timely. What do you do? Sometimes it’s appropriate to advise the client to consider holding off with media relations until a more relevant story comes along.
• When honesty won’t work — There are those times when it’s clear a client doesn’t want to hear all the reasons something they’ve requested won’t work. In these instances, it’s better to go to bat for your client. Draft the release, send it, follow up with media and report back to the client with results.
• Balancing needs — Public relations practitioners often walk a fine line between satisfying their clients (business) and advocating for what’s technically right or true (communication). Using your best judgment is key to knowing when to be business savvy and when to think like a journalist.

As I’ve learned, the real world of public relations is a very different one than the classroom setting where I started my training. I’m curious to hear what other young public relations professionals out there have learned since starting their jobs? Any good lessons to share with the rest of us?

What’s your definition of news? What information do you want to know in a timely manner? I suspect many of you would define news as important events that are happening in your community and around the world – things as parochial as when your city plans to resurface its roadways or global concerns such as solving problems in the Middle East. But those topics just barely skim the surface of what we want to know.

The latest scores from your favorite sports team, who’s entering rehab in Hollywood and – judging from the number of Facebook users and Twitter followers – what our neighbors are planning to eat for dinner, all get equal billing under our daily news umbrellas. Many of us have complained about traditional news channels giving time and space to “non-news” events – cable news stations’ ubiquitous news “crawls” at the bottom of the TV screen come to mind – where you can hear and see images about the crisis in Japan while simultaneously reading about Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen’s latest exploits. But aren’t we really arguing over the definition of news?

There’s no question the definition of news is changing as fast as the ways we receive it. The definition has become highly individualized. We no longer merely flip on the television at the end of the day or stretch our arms out around an inky newspaper to see and read the same thing – thank goodness! News reaches us instantly. It surrounds us. We filter it and grab a hold of what matters most.

Here’s what I want my news to accomplish:

• I want to learn something. News should introduce me to new ideas, make me hungry to learn more, challenge what I think I know.
• Give me the facts and get them right. Who has time to read the corrections section of the newspaper?
• It should report both the good and the bad. I don’t want to only learn about the traffic accident on the freeway, but also about the Samaritan who took the time to save a puppy from the wreckage.
• Entertain me, but don’t gross me out. I enjoy ogling beautiful stars and their even more beautiful clothing, but I don’t want to know too much about their personal lives – including what they’re addicted to or whom they’re sleeping with.
• And, okay, I’ll admit it. I want to know what my neighbor is eating for dinner. I also want to see my sister’s new haircut and the latest pictures of my friend’s baby. I’m nosy like that. (Thank you, Facebook and Twitter.)

Enough about me. What’s your definition of news?

Do arcane conversations about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) make you want to scream? It’s a confusing subject, for sure, but SEO doesn’t have to leave you feeling perplexed. In the course of doing some research on the subject, I began to notice a lot of similarities between SEO tactics and personal branding and business development strategies. This correlation is not so surprising. The end goal of both aims is to enhance your business’ reputation and connect you with the people who can benefit from your services.

Check out the following SEO tips, each of which I’ve translated into business development tips that will probably look familiar to many of you:

1. Get Back Links: Get back links from a lot of sites and keep those back links. Back links, for those of you who don’t know, are links from other sites to your website. More back links generally equate to higher search engine placement. But, back links that are there one day and gone the next can hurt you.

Translation: Network, network, network. Meet a lot of people. Establish good relationships.

Conclusion: Whether you’re talking about establishing links or establishing relationships, those bonds you make have got to be tended to.

2. Share Content: Share your knowledge on your website (for free) and give it to other websites (for free). You’re bound to get more visitors … and back links.

Translation: Be helpful. Helping other people normally gets you something in return, even if it’s just respect.

Conclusion: Whether it’s giving away free digital content or going out of your way to offer support to a fellow businessman or businesswoman, generosity is often rewarded.

3. Create Likeable Content: The more popular and engaging your online content is, the more likely people will be to visit your site or link to it.

Translation: Be popular. Even if you don’t have natural charisma and charm, you can be likeable, which will only help enhance your own personal brand and aid you in developing your business.

Conclusion: Whether you’re looking at “time on site” or other website metrics or who’s the most sought after executive at cocktail parties, those who are able to attract interest with their likeability are more likely to succeed.

4. Make your website aesthetically pleasing: Your website could have great information, but if the website looks old and outdated and is hard to navigate, people will move on.

Translation: Pay attention to appearance. Studies have shown that good-looking people are generally more successful than their less-attractive counterparts. To a point, you have to live with what you’ve been given, but on the other hand maintaining your appearance should not be neglected.

Conclusion: Whether it’s your website or your wardrobe that’s ugly, chances are good that a makeover will lead you and your clients to feel better.

5. Update your website regularly: The word on the street is that Google ranks websites higher if they can provide new content more often.

Translation: Change is good. You don’t want to be that person who hasn’t evolved a bit at his or her 20-year high school reunion.

Conclusion: Whether you’re talking about a stale website that looks like it was created in 2003 or a company that continues to carry on with the wretched excesses of the past, being up-to-date is important, especially when you’re planning for the future.

As you can see, SEO really isn’t all that different from many of the other initiatives you may already be pursuing to make your business better. Maybe we should just start calling all of these initiatives “business optimization?” At any rate, look for my next installment of this post, where I’ll have even more SEO/business development tips. And please let us know if you can think of other instances where digital best practices overlap with those of the real world.

About the Author

Learn more about Rob Holderness, public relations associate at Vox Public Relations Public Affairs, by visiting the Vox website at www.voxprpa.com.

Have you ever found yourself applying lessons from a hobby or pastime to your job? For me, ultrarunning – running distances beyond 26.2-miles – is an activity that has taught me a lot about myself and made me a better professional.

For one, I’m tougher and more willing to take the long-term perspective than I used to be. If a project I’m working on is especially challenging, the ultrarunner in me knows to remain calm and stick it out – it will get better … eventually – but only if I keep pushing forward and see the project through to completion.

Conversely, if a project I’m working on is easy, I know not to get too complacent. Confidence is good, but overconfidence can lead to errors, and, once mistakes start happening, I find they have a way of multiplying. Whether running for hours on end or designing a brochure for a client who happens to be a perfectionist, focusing on the task at hand and keeping a level head are key to achieving success.

Here are some other lessons I’ve learned from running:

1. Don’t quit – This kind of goes without saying. Although you can drop out of a race, in most cases you’ll lose your job if you don’t do something you’ve been assigned to do. But even if “quitting” means cutting a corner or phoning in a half-finished job, don’t do it. It’s not worth it. No matter how hard the task, the sense of completion when it’s done is the payoff. So finish it!

2. No whining – The only thing worse than doing something hard is dwelling on how hard it is. I’ve found that if I start complaining during a difficult running event or training run, it always makes it worse. Not just that, but all the time and energy I’ve spent filling my head with negative thoughts could have been put to better use completing the task.

3. Respect your limits – Running long distances has shown me that I can go a lot farther, literally and figuratively, than I ever imagined, but it’s also revealed to me that I have my limits. There are times when it’s better to slow down and pace yourself rather than to blast forward and risk exhaustion. Sometimes being smarter is better than being faster.

4. Solve problems along the way – When running long distances – or working with multiple clients with all types of varying needs – problems are bound to arise. Rather than ignoring them and hoping they’ll go away, I prefer to deal with small issues before they become big ones.

During my last ultramarathon, I faced some challenges – my stomach was upset, I was just about caught by the runner behind me and I spent a week feeling like I had mononucleosis afterward – but in the end I finished and, looking back, it’s all those challenges that made the experience so rewarding.

Have you gained some insight from a hobby or pastime in your life? If so, we’d love to hear about it.