Hello Everyone,

Can you believe as of today there is less than 100 days left in 2008? Are you on the way to accomplishing what you set out to do? Do you like where you are currently sitting?

As for me, I happen to be sitting in a hostel in Vienna, Austria sipping on a Pittinger with my brother getting ready to travel to next quarter’s “life experience” pondering my success in Yahoo Fantasy Football this week — given New England’s dismal effort against Miami I should have lost (for my friends interested in fantasy football, I was using New England’s defense this round and just got wind of my week’s tally).

Lately a few of you have asked me how I have been able to architect a life that enables me to do what I do. So in the spirit of my miraculous fantasy football victory this week, I offer you the following two analogies:

  1. I don’t score too many touchdowns but I have mastered the art of first downs. I did not start at a top tier school, I did not knock high school out of the park, I don’t make a ton of money, etc. etc. I have also been known to fumble the ball, in fact I have done so in grand fashion rather recently, but I don’t give up and I try hard to reset the sticks. This approach — in my life at least — has proven to get me to the elusive “touchdowns” more than if I had been trying to throw Hail Marys the whole time hoping for the best.
  2. I have been blessed with the resources and happenstance to acquire a great team: a terrific wife, great friends, influential teachers and outstanding mentors — life becomes a lot easier when you have the humility and support to work around your own shortcomings.

With that said, let me introduce this quarter’s interviewees who both have been a big influence in my life. First, in honor of the Summer Olympics let me introduce Jeff Atkinson. Jeff is a world-class athlete who broke the fifteen-hundred meter record at Stanford University in 1985. Jeff represented the United States in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. He ran professionally for 10 years, earning spots on eight U.S. National Teams. Jeff currently trains athletes at all levels (myself included) in the Los Angeles area under the banner Olympian Fitness. My five questions with Jeff about running can be found here.

My business interview for the quarter is with Olav Sorenson. Olav is a prolific academic professor with an impressive resume. His current research agenda sits at the intersection of organizational ecology and social networks. He is an expert in business strategy and has guided me through several entrepreneurial problems. My five questions with Olav about business strategy can be found here.

I have two exciting life experiences to report this quarter. One was visiting the San Francisco de Asis Church in New Mexico, which many have claimed as a “must see” in the United States.

San Francisco de Asis Church | New Mexico | Michael Rucker
San Francisco de Asis Church | New Mexico | 2008

The other is attending my first Burning Man in Nevada, which I will boldly claim as a “must see”.

Burning Man | Black Rock City, NV | Michael Rucker
Burning Man | Black Rock City, NV | 2008

My primary donation for the quarter went to Graeme Staddon who undoubtedly will be featured one day as a wellness expert (as a part of this project). Graeme has thrust himself into the challenge of a lifetime by committing to cycle across the Pyrenees (in France) from Biarritz to Banyuls in just 8 days, climbing 2,000 meters each day.

As I finish my beer I send to you a virtual cheers — to a fruitful last 99 days of 2008!

Warm regards,
Michael

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