Last year taught me that timing is everything and that there are no coincidences in life. In timely fashion, the lesson really sank in towards the end of the year – December to be exact. What turned out to be an OK year, suddenly ended in the most wonderful way by welcoming a brand new agency of record client. To an agency, there's no higher high than getting a brand new chance to work with a client in every aspect of their marketing strategy – from planning to execution. Interestingly enough, we had presented our capabilities to this client a year and a half prior to 2006 and another agency had won their business. The timing just wasn't right.

Earlier in 2006, I had the opportunity to ride three days of RAGBRAI. Everyone who knows me well, knows that Lance Armstrong is my ultimate hero. So, when I heard Lance would be riding RAGBRAI, I was out en force in hopes of catching a glimpse or having the opportunity to meet him.

During the ride, as I ascended a particularly tricky hill, a small pack of riders passed me to the left. By the time I looked, I could only see that they were wearing LIVESTRONG jerseys. "That's cool," I thought to myself. Governor Vilsack had proclaimed the day "LIVESTRONG day" in honor of Lance and his cause and I thought the jerseys were the riders' way of honoring Lance. I smiled and kept pedalling.

I then approached a young rider and we started to chat. "Were you riding with Lance," he asked. "I wish," I replied. "I just couldn't keep up – he has to be going around 25 mph," he added. "Yeah right," I said, "you and Lance are tight…sure, sure." The young man looked me square in the eye and said "you see that pack in the distance, he's in the middle of the pack. I'm not kidding."

I didn't even thank him. I just took off. My mind connected the LIVESTRONG jerseys that had passed me on the hill and I accelerated and accelerated. I hit 23 mph and kept myself there for three miles. I could see the pack in the hazy, hot distance and then I just couldn't keep it up anymore. The pack slipped away. The timing wasn't right.

Alas, last Tuesday my dream of meeting Lance became true. My involvement with The Greater Des Moines Partnership paid off in spades. I was alerted prior to the public announcement that Mr. Armstrong would be the keynote speaker at the Partnership's annual meeting. I was able to secure golden circle seating and a ticket to the welcoming reception itself to meet Mr. Armstrong. I even had enough time to choose what I was going to wear and what I would say. And the timing was perfect.

I handed Mr. Armstrong my card and put our firm's services (in kind, of course) at the disposal of his cause. The next day, I received an e-mail from Doug Ullman, president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The possibility exists that we may help the foundation in its efforts to grow the LIVESTRONG army and to make the fight against cancer a national priority.

Timing is everything and there are no coincidences. That's what 2006 taught me. What did it teach you?

Oh yeah, I'll be out en force again for this year's RAGBRAI. I still want my chance to ride with Lance.