David Hollingsworth is a full-time dad, technology executive, speaker and part-time athlete, constantly trying to challenge himself to grow and improve. He is a spinal injury survivor, having recovered from a severe accident in 2004. He had to learn to stand and walk all over again. Since then, David has moved from a wheelchair to walking, running, cycling and swimming. He ran a half-marathon, completed a triathlon and one of the toughest bike rides in the country. David also writes and speaks about overcoming obstacles and getting past fear to the fun on the other side.
This week, I attended the 2018 Toastmasters International annual convention in Chicago. Despite being a Toastmaster for five years, it was my first time going to the convention….and my first time competing in the International Speech Contest at the Semi-Final level. It was quite an experience, meeting Toastmasters from all over the globe – some were…
Fifteen years ago, September 11, 2001. I was working around the corner from the White House, sitting in a facilities meeting, talking about disaster recovery. Someone stuck their head in the door and said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Having flown in and out of Laguardia many times, I figured that someone…
Another orbit around the sun….and 2015 is history. It’s been quite a year, with a lot of highs, a few lows, and a number of changes that I haven’t quite figured out yet. I’m grateful for the friends and family that continue to remind me that there is far more good in the world than…
Have you ever finished a major project or completed a goal that should give a feel of accomplishment, only to feel a let-down? Has all that drive that you put into the goal now dissipated, and you find yourself adrift, waiting for the next inspiration? I know the feeling. I’ve frequently found myself in ‘post-goal’ syndrome,…
This past weekend, I ran in the DC Ragnar Relay. What is a Ragnar Relay? It’s a 200-mile relay with up to 12 runners on a team. Each runner completes a leg from 3-8 miles of varying difficulty….and the run continues through the night for about 36 hours of non-stop craziness. Weather? Doesn’t matter. Fatigue? Get…
One of my favorite movies to watch (and re-watch) is Star Trek: First Contact. The 1996 movie has all the best parts of Star Trek, with an engaging story, a seemingly unbeatable enemy, and some scenes that stick with me, nearly 20 years later. My favorite scene is where Picard (Patrick Stewart) is confronted by…
Have you ever been so frustrated (or tired, or upset)….that you just wanted to quit? I know the feeling. I’ve been there lots of times….from jobs that seemed to be going nowhere, to relationships that didn’t seem to work anymore, to goals I’ve been pursuing……that didn’t seem to be worth pursuing as much. Some times,…
Have you ever tried to write something….and all you got…was nothing? I get that all the time…..and that’s one of the reasons my blog posts aren’t as frequent as I would like. I’ve sat at the computer for hours at times, hoping the right words would show up, and all I had to show for…
All my life, I’ve had a fear of heights. When I was young, I found it difficult to get on rides at the county fair…and it was almost impossible to get me on a roller coaster. I’d find any excuse possible to avoid any situation where I’d have to look down from a great height…
Have you ever felt that you HAD to be right about something? When the local radio station reads their daily trivia question, do you rush to the phone to be the first caller with the right answer? When someone misquotes a famous saying, gets a fact or figure wrong or makes a mistake, do you…