New Years Resolutions...

From someone else (but still worth a read):

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/20-new-years-resolutions-for-20-somethings/

Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up

I am no televangelist and I don't want this blog to turn into anything nearing "preachy", but it is that time of year....

Anyway, not all of my readers are sports fans and many may have never seen this.  But, on so many levels, it really is that good. 



Thanks Matt D for reminding me!

Quote of the Day

"You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on."  ~ Tupac

What? So What? Now What?

We had a guest speaker in class the other day.. We have them all the time and let's be honest.. Usually they don't do much for my personal or professional growth.  It's great that they take the time to speak to us, but with no real goals for their talk it usually amounts to a 2 hour autobiography or a diatribe about their company.  But every once in a while I walk away a little better off. 

A few months ago I learned about P.I.E.  (Performance, Image, Exposure).  Though not ground breaking insight it was interesting to hear it put so succintly and powerfully.

Here are the three P.I.E. elements weighted by importance:

Performance = 10%
Image = 30%
Exposure = 60%

If you're interested in learning more I just Googled it and this was one of the first sites to pop-up.  http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/04/04/performance-image-exposure/

But, this post is not about that.  Honestly on its own that wasn't blog worthy.  Rather, this post is about "What?  So What?  Now What?"

If you Google this term you'll get all types of different studies, uses, etc.  But I want to run with it the way I heard (even if I didn't hear it as it was told, but as I wanted to) it..

Though obviously we were talking about business, I found this a really great concept in general.  Something that can be applied to everything (or almost everything)...

These 3 questions put together can really give perspective.

What? - What is the goal?  What is the want?  The need? 
So What? - What if you get the goal?  The want?  The need?  Does anything really change?  Was that what you were really searching for?  Was it just a step towards another what?
Now What? - You've got it.  Can you handle it?  Is it enough?  Does it do what it was intended to do?

In business terms I think it's fairly simple.  In life though, maybe not?

Let's look at buying a fancy new car (perhaps a Mustang!)..

What? - Buying a Mustang.
So What? - Does it make you happy?  Do the ladies love it like you thought they would? 
Now What? - Can you afford gas on your 19mpg car?  The car insurance?  The repairs?


I know this is simplistic, but this is only a blog and I know if I ramble too long you'll probably just get bored and go onto the next website on your list.  (Some of you probably already have! ha).  Think about it though.  If you've got questions or thoughts, you know how to reach me.  And Google is right there at your fingertips as well...

I Love Love

If you know me, don't read into this... I just wanted to get a post in and this quote has been in my queue for a while now.. I do think it is pretty much on point though!

"We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It's easy. The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grade. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven't even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like. These are the most important people in your life, and you'll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there's still one more tier to all this; there is always one person who you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it always happens eventually. This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of those lovable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable. The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they're often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else.“ --Chuck Klosterman, Killing Yourself to Live

Thanksgiving

I'm a day late, but let's be honest.. I had better things to do and you probably did too.

Still, I feel it appropriate to acknowledge Thanksgiving.  As is my style I'll do so by "borrowing" funny quotes from others..

"I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." - Jon Stewart

"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often." - Johnny Carson


Now, I also wanted to take a minute to acknowledge Black Friday, but a quick Google search came up with nada.  It did lead me to these Lewis Black quotes, however, which I consider a win.

"In my lifetime, we've gone from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. We've gone from John F. Kennedy to Al Gore. If this is evolution, I believe that in twelve years, we'll be voting for plants."

"It’s absolutely stupid that we live without an ozone layer. We have men, we’ve got rockets, we’ve got saran wrap – FIX IT!!!"

Hello

Wow.  It's been a long time, huh?  Bet most of you never thought you'd hear from me again.  Honestly, I had doubts myself.  I still do. And yet, here we are. 

What to talk about?  I recently moved to the South and that should provide some good foder for this blog.  I also started working towards my MBA (in Marketing if you couldn't guess) which I imagine will leave plenty of options to bitch.  Today, however I want to step back into this slowly. 

Funny, random, cynical quote time:

"If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started."

Women!

This put a grin on my face.. and seemed worth passing along.

“Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. Give her sperm, she will give you a baby. Give her a house, she will give you a home. Give her groceries, she will give you a meal. Give her a smile and she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what she is given.  So if you give her crap be ready to recieve a ton of Shit.”

At least we know some of that is true.

Thanks Parul D. for sharing.

Ashleigh Brilliant Quote

This made me laugh, and therefore I'm passing it along...


“When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.”- Ashleigh Brilliant


Thank you Jebin T. for sharing.

Mitch Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 29, 2005)

Today marks the five year anniversary of the passing of Mitch Hedberg.  I cannot declare Mitch the best comedian of all time (that would be insane), but until his passing he was undeniably right up there - at least with the 2am drunk/stoned/over-tired crowd.

Now, if you don't know who I'm talking about, get yourself to YouTube and check it out.  Below are a few of my favorite gems. (Note: Mitch's humor is in his delivery and relaxed/stoner facade.  Read the below as if the man is not telling a joke, but a real life story.)

"When you buy a box of Ritz crackers, on the back of the box, they have all these suggestions as to what to put on top of the Ritz. "Try it with turkey and cheese. Try it with peanut butter." But I like crackers man, that's why I bought it, 'cause I like crackers! I don't see a suggestion to put a Ritz on top of a Ritz. I didn't buy them because they're little edible plates! You've got no faith in the product itself."

"I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry, and that's extra scary to me. There's a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run, he's fuzzy, get out of here."

"This shirt is "dry-clean only"...which means it's dirty."

"One time, this guy handed me a picture of him, he said,"Here's a picture of me when I was younger." Every picture is of you when you were younger. "Here's a picture of me when I'm older." "You son-of-a-bitch! How'd you pull that off? Lemme see that camera... what's it look like? ""

"I think they could take Sesame seeds off the market and I wouldn't even care. I can't imagine five years from now saying, "Damn, remember Sesame seeds? What happened? All the buns are blank!" They're gonna have to change that McDonald's song: "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a... bun." How's a Sesame seed stick to a bun? That's fuckin' magical! There's got to be some Sesame seed glue out there! Either that, or they're adhesive on one side. "Take the Sesame seed out, remove the backing, place it on the bun. Now your bun will look spectacular." What does a Sesame seed grow into? I don't know; we never gave them a chance! What the fuck is a Sesame? It's a street! It's a way...to open shit!"

"I like to play blackjack. I'm not addicted to gambling. I'm addicted to sitting in a semi-circle."

Things Movies Have Taught Me

While I was typing up that last post on the greatest sports movies of all time I realized that a lot of these movies (and others) have taught me some valuable life lessons.  Below are some lessons I have learned through movies.  (Of course a lot of this learning was passed on from my parents or learned from my own experiences, but the movies helped hammer home the points..  Also, some of these are maybe less 'educational' and more 'inspirational', but I want this post to have some substance.)

A Bronx Tale 
Calogero 'C' Anello: Sonny and my father always said that when I get older I would understand. Well, I finally did. I learned something from these two men. I learned to give love and get love unconditionally. You just have to accept people for what they are, and I learned the greatest gift of all. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever.

Sonny: Alright, listen to me. You pull up right where she lives, right? Before you get outta the car, you lock both doors. Then, get outta the car, you walk over to her. You bring her over to the car. Dig out the key, put it in the lock and open the door for her. Then you let her get in. Then you close the door. Then you walk around the back of the car and look through the rear window. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in: dump her.
Calogero 'C' Anello: Just like that?
Sonny: Listen to me, kid. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in, that means she's a selfish broad and all you're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. You dump her and you dump her fast.

Sonny: You gotta do what your heart tells you to do. Let me tell you somethin' right now. You're only allowed three great women in your lifetime. They come along like the great fighters, every ten years. Rocky Marciano. Sugar Ray Robinson. Joe Louis. Sometimes you get 'em all at once.

Bull Durham
Crash Davis: Did you hit me with your right hand or did you hit me with your left? Huh? Did you hit me with your right hand or did you hit me with your LEFT?
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My left.
Crash Davis: Good! That's good; when you get in a fight with a drunk you don't hit him with your pitching hand. God, I can't keep giving you these free lessons so quit screwin' around and help me up.

Rocky
Rocky Balboa: You hang out with nice people, you get nice friends. You hang out with smart people, you get smart friends. You hang out with yo-yo people, you get yo-yo friends. It's simple mathematics.

Rudy
Fortune: You're 5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin', and you have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football players in the land for 2 years. And you're gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself. And after what you've gone through, if you haven't done that by now, it ain't gonna never happen. Now go on back.

Ferris Bueller
Ferris Bueller: Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Stand By Me
Gordie: Do you think I'm weird?
Chris: Definitely.
Gordie: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris: Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird.

PCU
Droz: What's this? You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don't be that guy.

Swingers
Art Imitates Life

Back to the Future
Goldie Wilson: [rushes up to George] Say! What do you let those boys push you around like that for?
George McFly: Well, they're bigger than me.
Goldie Wilson: Stand tall, boy. Have some respect for yourself. Don't you know if you let people walk over you now, they'll be walking over you for the rest of your life! Look at me. You think I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in this slop house?
Lou: Watch it, Goldie!
Goldie Wilson: No, sir! I'm gonna make something of myself. I'm going to Night School. And one day I'm gonna *be* somebody!
Marty McFly: That's right! He's gonna be mayor.
Goldie Wilson: Yeah, I'm gonna...
[smiles, one of his front teeth is gold]
Goldie Wilson: Mayor! Now *that's* a good idea! I can run for mayor.
Lou: A colored mayor, that'll be the day.
Goldie Wilson: You wait and see, Mr. Carruthers. I *will* be mayor! I'll be the most powerful man in Hill Valley. And I'm gonna clean up this town.
Lou: Good. You can start by sweeping the floor.
[hands Goldie a broom]
Goldie Wilson: [stands tall with a hand over his heart] Mayor Goldie Wilson. Like the sound of that.
[collects George's dishes]

 
These were the ones that were on the top of my head.  I'm sure more will come to me and they'll be a part 2 to this post.  In the mean time, please feel free to share with me.

Words I Love

As a 'writer' (yeah, I'm calling myself a writer, what about it?), I enjoy words. I don't mean it in the way a math geek dresses as a number for Halloween or the way an engineer has to take apart everything he owns just to put it back together. I'm not obsessive and I don't think about them when I lie in bed at night, but I like words.

While it's true tattoos and piercing are a form of expression there is nothing easier and sometimes harder than words to express oneself. 

Not to be cliche, but words can be more painful than piercings and more everlasting than tattoos. There may be nothing greater than having that person you love most in the world say "I love you" and there may be nothing more painful than having that same person tell you "it's over". 

Just to be clear, I fully believe that there are times when one is at a loss for words or there are just 'no words to describe...'  And I believe that words without context or emotion are meaningless..  But, that's not the point here.

What is the point you ask?  Well, basically I just needed a lead-in to this post..

Below are some words that I think are awesome (in no particular order).

• Purgatory - Any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation, or the like.  (A place I'll probably end up after my time on this earth is up..  There is something about this word that I like.  I have no idea why.)
• Schenectady - A city in 'upstate' New York. (It's just fun to say.) 
• Convoluted - Complicated; intricately involved: a convoluted way of describing a simple device.  (I feel like life is often all too convoluted and is enjoyed much more in its simplest form.)  
• Succinct - Expressed in few words; concise; terse.  (One word that says 'get to the point'.)
• Pride - A high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. (This word says more with less than any other that I know.)
• Awkward - Hard to deal with; difficult; requiring skill, tact, or the like: an awkward situation; an awkward customer. (Maybe my favorite word of all time.  It's aWkWard to say, and to spell.  It's a word that describe itself.)

* All definitions taken from dictionary.com

Bear Necessities

OK.  I promise this will be the last quote for a while.. But, I've been saving this one just for today.  In honor of the BCS Championship game between Alabama and Texas this evening.

"Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit." - Paul "Bear" Bryant (former coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team)

Making the New Year the Best Year

As promised some quotes to inspire a better year.

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” - Will Rogers

“Things may come to those who wait but only the things left by those who hustle.” - Abraham Lincoln

"If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation." - Don Miller

“I’m convinced wondering ‘what-if’ is the worst thing there is..
...So I just try,
Fail and try and try again,
Someday I swear I'm going to get it,
Because I'm convinced that giving in is the worst thing there is..." – straylight run

"It's ok to feel like shit.. because beautiful things grow out of shit.  Just look at roses." - Paraphrased from 'Joe's Apartment'
 
“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.” - Herodotus, 484 BC-430 BC

Set It Off

Don't worry.  I won't let this blog turn into some 'personal improvement' website.  But, as I've said, I like quotes, and recently I've come across some that seem really fitting as we all dive into this new year.

Below are some quotes about the past.  Tomorrow (or sometime soon) I'll post some quotes about the present and/or the future. 

“Regret is an odd emotion because it comes only upon reflection. Regret lacks immediacy, and so its power seldom influences events when it could do some good.” - William O'Rourke

“So I guess I'll cut my losses cuz I lost a lot
I guess I'll quit complaining and I'll starting walking it off
Because there is no point in living in a past with that unhappiness” – Straylight Run (Cut! Print It)

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter.” - Confucius
 
“We see things not as they are, but as we are. Our perception is shaped by our previous experiences.” - Dennis Kimbro
 
“...the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.” - The Lion King
 
“The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.” - Voltaire



- Do any of you have quotes/thoughts that you'd like to share?

The Crimson Pride

Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant (most notably of the University of Alabama) was one of the greatest coaches in college football history and in all of sports, for that matter. His motivational speeches have become the stuff of legend.

When I was in Huntsville, Alabama a few years ago on a business trip I had some free time before my meeting and ended up wandering a local mall. During my stroll I came across a banner, which has been prominently displayed above my bed ever since. The simple crimson banner held a quote:

“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride… and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.”

This seemed an appropriate time to pass this one along, as Alabama prepares to play the University of Florida in the crucial SEC Championship game this weekend.

Bobby Bowden Gets Seminole Chopped

Well, it’s official. Bobby Bowden, age 80, has ‘retired’ from coaching at Florida State University. I put retired in quotes because clearly he had no real choice. From the mid-80’s to 2000 FSU was at the top of the football heap and it was in no small part due to Bobby Bowden. To those who follow professional sports and understand the beast that is wins + money versus loyalty (see Notre Dame over the last decade for further proof) this forced retirement comes as no surprise. It is still sad none-the-less.

“He died right after he retired, and seeing that made me feel more conscious of a man needing a motive to live. If I ever got out of coaching, I would have to get a job somewhere, or I'm afraid I'd wilt on the vine, too.” – Bobby Bowden on the passing of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant (most notably of the University of Alabama) in early 1983.

Hopefully this isn’t a self-fulfilling prophecy.


Some other notable quotes from Bobby Bowden over the years:

“After you retire, there’s only one big event left… And I ain’t ready for that.”
“Don’t go to the grave with life unused.”
“If somebody mistreats you, treat ‘em good. That kills ‘em.”
“The winning doesn’t feel as good as the losing does bad.”
“Son, you’ve got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering wheel.”

The Closest I'll Get To Being A Boyscout...

This might have been the most important thing I learned in a college class.  It was definitely the most memorable.

"Take care of the 'what ifs' now, so there are no 'oh shits' later."

Thank You

With Veteran's Day right around the corner this seemed fitting.

"It is the soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

The Greatest Thing Since...

We’ve all heard the expression “… is the greatest things since sliced bread”. Sure, pre-sliced bread is convenient, but really, this expression is ridiculous. I've therefore taken it upon myself to do a little research and see if we can’t come up with something better.

The Rubber Band – Uses include: keeping papers together, making sure your deck always has 52 cards, accessorizing the wrist, and flinging at friends and/or teachers. There is no doubt the rubber band is one of the most versatile and useful tools created. It was patented in March of 1845.

The Hoodie – There are few things better than putting on a hoodie on a brisk morning. Though its popularity soared in the 1970’s, the hoodies’ roots can be traced back to the cloaks of early Monks. (Please don’t let me catch you with a sweatshirt sans hood.)

The Thong – God bless Rudi Gernreich who invented the thong in 1974.

At this point I could mention computers or DVD players or other trivial nonsense, but eight out of ten men agree that since 1974 there truly is no greater invention. So there you have it; sliced bread is out, and the thong is in.

(All dates and seemingly intelligent information is courtesy of Wikipedia.)