What's on YOUR plate? (part 1 of 2)

When I decided to get back to competition, I called a few people I really trusted and who understood what was ahead --the people I considered experienced experts.  Ok, and also the people that I knew would pick up the phone and have this conversation with me.  I also called these two coaches because they knew ME.  I talked to Kevin Jermyn at Duke and Bob Braman at FSU.  In previous blog postings, you may recall I've mentioned both for something else they've helped me with along the way. 

I sat in my apartment in Orlando.  I was at the dining room table, probably taking notes.  I've always liked putting pen to paper.  One thing Kevin said to me really stood out.  He said, "you can have three things on your plate."  He wasn't talking about peas and carrots and chicken or salad and rice and beans.  He was telling me that I needed to focus in on my goals and not have too many things going on at once.  I knew Kevin was right.  I had heard him say this before to athletes at Duke when we coached there together.  I heeded his wisdom and moved to Indianapolis.  I lived there for about a week at which point I realized I had moved to Indiana.  Indiana?  I'm a Florida girl!  At that time I knew I had made a good move.  Over the next few years I was reminded of this good move every time I passed the corn fields.  I was in a place where I'd start fresh and get to really set the stage for concentrated training.  I moved into a situation and created the atmosphere I needed for success.  The three items on my plate were training and competing, a part-time clock-in and clock-out job, and a group of training partners that were like-minded.  I didn't try to make a lot of money with a full-time job, multiple jobs, or side jobs.  That wasn't my goal for this time period.  I didn't try to advance my career by joining local leadership programs, doing networking lunches, or by getting another master's degree.  That wasn't my goal.  I didn't proactively try to meet people that were submersed in the arts, triathlon, managing gyms, or teaching.  That wasn't my goal.  My goal was to fully prepare for each and every practice so I would be prepared to compete each and every time. 

Bob told me the same thing.  He encouraged the part-time job.  Afterall, you can't sit in your room and stare at a wall all day when you have an easy day.  Staring at the wall is also the last thing you want to do when you have a bad day. 
Guess what?  For the four years I lived this way, I PRd each year in each event. 
Who would you call?  How many items do you have on YOUR plate?