This week I was in Scottsdale, Arizona at the Cradlepoint Partner Summit and worked all day every day on my day job as a product manager giving product presentations and getting great feedback from our amazing partners.
On the last night the day was over and I pulled out my moonlighting gig as a speaker promoting STEM education and a growth mindset. The partners in the room all have their struggles and challenges but if we work to solve a problem and believe we can, we can get better at anything we want.
I attempted to break a Guinness World Record to illustrate my point.
The attempt was for “Most Juggling Back Cross Catches in One Minute”. The previous record was 65 and under the new rules, every single throw had to start behind the back and be caught in front of the body.
I gave a short talk and then was about to start when I noticed the overhead spotlights were on and I had to stare straight up so I asked that they be turned down. The lights were turned down and I had the timers give me the go signal but didn’t realize until I had started that they turned down the wrong lights! I made it almost 40 seconds and 85 catches before I messed up. Normally this would be good enough to break a most in a minute record (it was more than 65) but this record stipulates the entire minute must be completed or the attempt is disqualified. I had the lights set correctly this time (with a slight juggling intermission to give them time) and tried again. And I dropped a ball. I tried again. And I dropped a ball again… and again. I felt pretty good other than some slight nerves but this is a tough record to set.
I place Guinness World Records into easy, medium, hard, and impossible categories. World’s fastest juggling is impossible. Longest lawnmower chin balance is medium. This one was hard. This is about as hard a record as I would ever want to attempt in front of a live audience, and even then it was biting off a bit much.
I took a break and grabbed the mic to observe that this felt a lot like business. We try and fail, try and fail. If we don’t give up, the failure isn’t permanent, it’s simply an opportunity to improve. The talk also helped to calm my nerves. I said I was going for it again and the audience roared in approval. This was great other than it gave me an adrenaline rush which makes juggling very hard. For juggling backcrosses, I only see the ball when it’s above my head and I can’t see it when I actually have to catch it. Nerves throw off my ability to accurately position my hand.
I gave the record attempt another try and promptly dropped a ball.
It felt like I had been up on stage for a half an hour and may have to cede the floor to give away the awards. I gave it another try. This time I was doing well. I made it to 30 seconds with no issue. From 40-50 seconds I started getting amped up and nervous and had a few bobbled catches but held it together. As soon as I made it to 50 seconds I got in the zone. I often get super nervous right before breaking a record but I knew I couldn’t let that happen this time. I got total focus, blocked out the noise, and kept on juggling through the timer calling “TIME!” And it was then time to celebrate. 128 continuous juggling backcrosses in 1 minute. I later reviewed the video an noticed from the time I first threw a ball to when I caught the 128th catch was only 7 minutes 20 seconds.
Guinness World Record #44 is in the books because I didn’t give up. I practiced hard to prepare and I executed. At Cradlepoint we’re practicing with our partners, sharing information, and making each other strong, and when we get back in front of our customers we’re going to execute as well.
Special thanks to Robert Huff, Beau Barker, Travis Culwell, Mike Hagman, Jake Smith, Tony Puopolo, Michelle Obrochta, Jessica Christie and the rest of the Cradlepoint Team
