I'm BAAAACK !

Wow, has it been a full year since I last posted to this blog?  Hard to believe.

Let me get you caught up on what has gone down in the past year....

- I started WheelDoggy.com, "the leading marketplace for local services"TM.  Right now we are serving just CT as the marketing and other startup issues are worked out but we should be rolling out to other parts of the USA in the coming months.  If you have not yet signed up, now is the time !  (And there is a free trial so it won't cost you anything.)

- From Jul 2010 to Jun2011, I was the District 53 Governor for Toastmasters.  This covered all Toastmasters clubs in CT, Western MA and Eastern NY state (north of Westchester County) and it was an incredible experience.  I had two super Lt.Governors, Richard Peck and Jeff Sobel, and I would not have been able to do it without them.  In July 2011 I turned the district over to Richard Peck and his team ... and from what I can see they are doing well !

- In January 2011, I entered the "Goofy Challenge" as part of the DisneyWorld Marathon weekend.  The Goofy Challenge is completing the Disney Half Marathon on Saturday and then the FULL Marathon on Sunday.  How did I do?  Well, it is kind of a long story, but I finished the Half Marathon within the required time and started the FULL marathon (not really expecting to be able to finish it).  I took it slow (mostly walking) and was comfortably in front of the "cutoff pacer" for most of the race.  Right before mile 18, at the water stop (where I would usually rest and drink some water) I began to see a huge crowd of people SPRINTING past me.  The cutoff pacer went by, but I wasn't too concerned since I could not see the mile 18 marker from where I was and figured they would not spring forever so I would be able to catch up quickly.  Unfortunately, I turned the corner to see the mile 18 marker and two police cars blocking the road.  A third state police cruiser pulled in front of me just as I was about to cross the 18 mile mark while another officer said "Your race is done.  Get on the bus.  It will take you to the finish line.".... of course it did not end there (but I will save the rest for another post ... stay tuned to hear about the "Cop who blocked out the sun" and "Dave's run for freedom" !

- Finally, I lost some weight.  Over 50 lbs. to be more exact.  It was done through a series of small changes and, surprisingly, not as much running as you would imagine (especially given my story about the Goofy Challenge).  I am writing a book about what I've learned and it should be available soon.  (Another reason to stay tuned to this blog!)

- Started doing more public speaking.  Since I am no longer the District 53 Governor, I wanted to expand my speaking skills so I have begun developing some paid speaking business around "How Your Mind Works".  In the past years, I have studied NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnosis and many of the leading Performance Psychologists and have developed an expertise in this area.  My first (demo) video will be a speech about using your mind to lose weight (related to the book I'm writing too).  Right now I am "fine-tuning it" and plan to have a video up in the next month or so.  I am also augmenting the weight loss speech with information on conditioning your mind for success to create a full day workshop (tentatively titled "The Mindset Advantage Program (MAP)".

If you would like to hire me to speak, just send me an email at theshot92 at gmail dot com and I can give you more information.

It has been a busy year ... and there is more to come !

Leave your questions and ideas in the comment section below !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler