What Makes You Tick

I am fan. Really, we are all fans. There are many things that bring us joy in life, many many things. Sometimes these joyous things aren't appreciated nor recognized. Each and every day we all need to take the time to stop and smell the roses. White are my favorite. White roses bring me joy. I am a fan of white roses, then I am a fan of flowers and to this I am a fan of growth, the earth, gardening, florists, those who give flowers....get the point. So when is the last time you stopped to remember just why you were a fan to these tangible and intangible bundles of joy.

I like steps, stages, progression, goal-setting. So lets begin with a simple process we can remind ourselves everyday to accomplish.

Step 1: Make a list of the first things that come to mind that make you smile. Choose a category or topic to analyze. Everyday is a new day and with every new day comes a heightened level of happiness in regards to a few lucky joys.

Step 2: Remember to be happy. After-all happiness is a state of mind. You choose.

Step 3: There is a reason why you are a fan of these happy thoughts. What are the reasons?

Easy 3-Step process to examine where your fandom comes from. Why do we care? Well, it's another mind game we pay with ourselves. We choose what brings us joy and you may not want to know why, but I do. I do, so that when I'm having a bad moment- we all have these experiences- I can easily choose to be happy again by remembering what certain things bring me joy and make me happy.

So today, I love football. Everyday I love football, but today I am reminding myself why I love the game. I like the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions. True I am from Detroit, but I have no association with the Jets other than I love NYC and I've witnessed QB Mark Sanchez prove he's more than just a football player. Football brings me joy because I grew up going to Michigan games with my dad. I've always wanted to please my dad. Thank you dad for giving me the joy I experience from watching, playing, writing, talking and learning with football.

So why are you a fan? Why did I choose the Jets, the Lions and Michigan football? If nothing else you will establish a relationship with happy thoughts.

Kicking Off the 2010 Season

Today was a day of tribute, honor and recognition. Today, more than any other day, I feel honored to say as Mr. Dick LeBeau did,

"I am proud to be from Detroit."

Today was the 2010 NFL Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton, Ohio. In the crowd stood fans, Hall of Fame legends, coaches, future inductees, family, friends and incredible athletes. In the crowd thousands rose to pay tribute to the game of football. Seven of the greatest the game has ever seen were enshrined today, each with words provoking tears, smiles, applause and undying gratitude for their dedication.


As the oldest defensive coordinator in the NFL, 73 year-old LeBeau proved what living life to the fullest everyday can lead to, two Super Bowl championships after the so-called retirement age! His Steelers broke from training camp to honor their coach at Fawcett Stadium and forced this Detroiter to a new found respect for the organization. After-all we may all have our favorite teams, our favorite players, our Super Bowl picks and MVP's, but on this day, we all had one thing in common- the love for the game. Presented to the Hall-of-Fame by his brother, Mr. Bob LeBeau, he said it best, "We're football people."

The Class of 2010

Russ Grimm | Rickey Jackson | Dick LeBeau | Floyd Little | John Randle
| Jerry Rice | Emmitt Smith

"Life is for living folks. Don't let a number be anything other than what it is, a number."

-Dick LeBeau

The World is Bigger Than You Think

These days there are numerous topics that seem to fire me up. Maybe it is the recent end to my educational pursuit (for the moment) or the lack of an immediate full time job to fall into, but my head continues to spin from all the information it is fed daily.

Today, the source of my twitch- obesity. Let me state for the court, this is not the first time I've tried to calm the nerve. In the past few days I've had the pleasure to meet a group of people so passionate, so enthusiastic, so energetic, my eyes widen, ears perked and mind went into overdrive. We the people. We the people really do have the power to change. There are people out there who truly will not stand for the brainwashing from multiple industries to continue to expand our waistlines and rest our beating hearts.

Fun fact: 25-30% of the population in 50 states has been declared obese.

So what are we going to do about it? It starts here, with you and I. It starts with you taking charge of your life, your future, and those who you care about. This is the moment when you say, "Well aren't we all living longer? Haven't we made numerous medical advances in the last few decades?" I am not here to dispute this fact. I am simply here to say, educate yourself. Not by goggleing "eating healthy"; you're bound to be faced with an overload of contradictory sales pitches fighting for your dollar and promising you loose twenty pounds in three days if you just eat their oh so tasteful frozen, packaged, processed, over-priced, nutritionless, sodium washed product. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT try this alone. I want to make it clear, I am just like you. I am not a doctor, a nutritionist or health care professional. But, I do want my grandmother to hold her grandchildren and my father to walk me down the isle.

We've all heard it, "you are what you eat". And let me tell you, we're all chemically charged. Next time you're grocery shopping or reaching in your fridge for a healthy on-the-go snack take a look at the nutrition facts. Do you know what you're putting into the only body you have. The body that we all are in some way shape or form longing to "fix".

Step One: Make a list of all the ways you wish you felt. Jot down all the things that prevent you from feeling on top of the world. I'm talking about headaches, joint pain, acid reflux, bloating, fatigue, poor vision, irregular bowl movements. All of the ways we've become accustomed to are not normal. You shouldn't get sick, feel tired daily or crave certain foods. These are the symptoms of a certain lifestyle we've all fallen into, a proven unhealthy one. Ok, so you're thin. I find it hard to believe you feel like your on cloud nine everyday or there is not a thing you wish you could change about your inner and outer being. Take the time for you. Take the time to invest in your future. Start today, with this list. At the very least it will open your eyes to your reality.


Step Two: Talk to people. You'd be surprised who else is use to feeling less than sublime and how many support systems there are out there. Busy you say, take the drama out of it. Be healthy each and every day by finding that balance of support and guidance. I firmly believe so many of us just do not know what is truth anymore. Real people, real stories, real results. These are the ones you gravitate towards. Reach out. The few who are feeling on top of the world wish that upon others. Healthy people make happy people and happy people make for a peaceful world.


Step Three: If no one comes to mind. I support you. I am happy to be there for any guidance you may need to aid in your quest to live a long, good and healthy life.

Here is a great start on the first step towards a lifetime of feeling on top of the world!

Healthy Eating: Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It

Why wait? We've only got one life to live.


This post is dedicated to a former California State University-Long Beach Sport Management graduate student who has been taken from this world too soon. Although I did not know this husband, son and friend personally, he will be missed and loved eternally.

What Color Do You Bleed?

Green. Well at least for the NFL season. My veins change to suit the game for the day. What better time of year then the present? This is the last Sunday without football! Not that I'm complaining really because once Lebron declared his final destination, the world embraced all the rest of the sports industry! No offense to you MLB lovers, but this girl loves her some football, basketball and hockey! And I can't wait til November.....No distractions for my ESPN family. Nonstop coverage of my vices, thank god for twitter!!

So Green, I say. The Hard Knocks, the East Coast Californication, the 2011 Super Bowl Champions.....the New York Jets. And, please quote me on this! Who knows, maybe it's because I wished so badly to find that person, that counselor, that mentor to walk with me down my master's path, I believe passionately in the power of wisdom. Sanchez lead his boys to an AFC Championship last season as a rookie, an independent, 3000 miles away from his support system. The possibilities for this year are endless! Rex acted as a coach shall by bringing Brunell to guide Sanchez and his 52 man entourage to victory. *insert song here* I mean where did the Aints come from.....seriously!

Together Mark-E-Mark are going to take the league by storm! Did I mention they have a little help from their friends.

OFFENSE
Mix in a little Hall of Fame potential, top draft picks, MVP's Pro Bowlers, league bests and a beast moving chains. Tomorrows camp debut should be intense.

DEFENSE
Heavyweight middleman, the return of Island Revis and a Cromathlete tossed with 5'8 love, CP and a "Madbacker" are likely to give the opposing offense a twitch or two.

What the Jets have is support. In the locker room, on the baseline and the field. In Cortland when it rains, it pours. When you're not puddle jumping you're covered in White. The Jets, the hand shaking the snow globe. If you look closely, you may just see a sack dance goin on inside.

See you on the fence.

Women and Football

Annoyed. That pretty much sums up my mood. I've just watched some "interviews", youtube videos and read some blogs on fantasy football. First, why are they all labeled, "girls guide to fantasy football"?

I am woman, hear me roar!~

Besides the feeling as if, as a girl, I am incapable of understanding the game, I am disgusted with the google search leading me to boobs and football instead of actual football news. Am I the only one who sat on her living room floor as a kid, screaming at the t.v. because all of a sudden the defense forgot which side had the ball! Come on', we've all seen Remember the Titans, girls like that REALLY do exist. And, NEWS FLASH, they grow into intelligent, successful women who still are in love with the game, not just the players. Sorry guys, you're talented and that's why you get paid the big bucks, not because you look good in tights.

As of now, I will be acting as a male when preparing for my 2010 team. If I don't I will be spoken to like a four year-old, flashed on more than one occasion and left feeling like an afterthought.

I am ready for some football, ready for some knowledgeable women to assist in the fantasy process and perhaps come across as an intelligent, reliable source.

I have to take a minute to acknowledge the 6, at least it took more than one hand to count them, female anchors currently on the every popular Sports Center. Although 3 of the 6 are married or spawns of high profile male sports professionals, at least they are representing the possibility of achieving this goal as a female in love with the industry, what it has potential to stand for and the greatness the entity can bring to this country in such economic despair.

Hey maybe, Sports Center could hire a female to engage the female fan in the act of fantasy league development. Just a thought, but this could lead to some kind of, ya know increase in female consumer actions.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bmZzjyO3iQ&feature=related

Ladies how does this make YOU feel.....

It's Time To Shine....with a little help from my friends!

When I first landed in Los Angeles, I was ecstatic with the opportunist climate. What better a place to pursue a career and a masters degree than a place completely overpopulated; copious with agencies, athletes, businesspersons and oozing possibilities. As I settled, the smog lingered. The more and more I engulfed myself into the professional and social sector I had the sudden notion that everything was not as it seemed. Everyone was putting on one big show. As if a film crew was following them around shooting their fifteen minutes of fame. Possibly a characteristic of Hollywood, duh, but I was not here to land an agent or spend hours sitting in a waiting room to show the talent reps what I've got, talent baby. Still I believe Los Angeles has potential for any career. Now at the end of my academic road, I am an advocate for the aura surrounding the entertainer. They can teach us all a thing or two about the form of networking. In this economy, perhaps the most powerful asset us career seekers have is the power of the relationship. This is an art. One I do not label myself as an expert, but an understudy.

Job seeking is like dating, we wouldn't waste our time with anyone who didn't make a good first impression. With this in mind, I suggest a few simple guidelines.

1. Find your red flag and wave it. Everyone has at least one good quality. If you're having a hard time pin-pointing yours, ask a friend, a colleague or a family member. You need to have confidence to ask out that hottie, and you need to have confidence in your ability.
2. Be approachable. No one is ever going to ask you to dance if your planted in the corner. Get out there. Mix, mingle, socialize. Be the one person in the room everyone wants to talk to.
3. Make eye-contact and smile. DUH!
4. Have a conversation. Let them talk. Let them tell their story, DO NOT just tell them who you are, where you've been, where you're going and how they can help. No one likes a self-loving, entitled, one-sided conversation. You'll loose them after the first five minutes of "look at me, look at me" ramblings.
5. Form a relationship. You wouldn't go up to your next potential date and ask them to marry you before even introducing yourself. Well, ok there are those overzealous individuals, but this practice is highly unsuccessful. The divorce rate is over 50%.
6. Remain optimistic. So the last person you talked to just was not feeling it. There are plenty of fish in the see. No matter what city your in.
7. Follow-up. So you have this rule not to call until at least 3 days after the first time you meet. Well, they gave you their contact information for a reason. Use it.
8. Be consistent. So they can't get you a job tomorrow. Maybe someone who knows someone who knows someone can in 6 months. They won't remember you if you don't keep in touch. All successful relationships are communicative.
9. Research the next potential informant. Where do the popular kids hang out. Go there. Know who might be there and google them. At the very least you'll learn something, but will also have an opening line. Creativity is key. We've all heard the, "Are your legs tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day."!!
10. Finally......Be all you can be. At this point you should be well into the relationship, have found your mentor and formed a lasting impression. Don't mess it up. A simple thank you goes a long way.

We are all putting on one big show.

The performance, a never-ending interview. The chance to meet our next employer, a friend of our next employer, or better yet a cousin's wife of our next employers ex-golf partner back in their hometown. You never know who you are going to meet. So go forth, stand out in the crowd, be the itch that won't go away. Good luck, hell we all need it!

Oh I am still here....

How you doin'

Haven't forgotten about my commitment, loving the challenge! Still running...off to do some sprints. Toes will probably bleed again. Hey, NO PAIN NO GAIN! A little blood never hurt anyone.

Be back soon......remember to SWEAT today (: