by

Stop Thinking and Start Creating….

That’s what Matt Cheuvront, CEO of Proof Branding, said in a recent blog post. If you aren’t following his blog, I suggest you start now. This post is a result of me finally not giving a damn. For the last two months, I just haven’t pulled the trigger on a blog post. I have 6 drafts in the works, but haven’t had the guts to hit the publish button on any of them. So, enough is enough. I need to stop the bleeding; I need to stop the struggle. For all you golfers, I relate my struggles to making 4 bogeys in a row. At some point, you just have to focus on the simple things: hit the fairway and hit the center of the green.

Often times, we get too focused on trying to make a birdie or trying to hit that awesome shot so we can erase that bogey. Well, it doesn’t work like that. When we over analyze the situation, our mind goes in circles. We become unsure and that is a recipe for disaster on the golf course. The key is just getting back on track with a simple course plan or in this case — writing simple blog post. This might not be my best post, but at least I committed to it.

So, here has what been going on in my life as of late.

  • I had the privilege of being an usher in my buddy, Riley’s wedding. So happy for the big guy. Check out us boys at the rehearsal dinner.

The Boys

  • I can’t stop listening to this great new track by 30 Seconds To Mars. So uplifting – feels like something from the 80′s. Love that.

  • And today, I start a new job today at this great company called enova. So pumped to be a part of their team.

Here is to the best friends, the most uplifting songs, and new professional beginnings. Feels good to be back.

Oh, and to writing another post at the end of the week! Remember, stop thinking and start creating…

by

The Twitter Pinch

You know, sometimes, the Twitter world just gets to me. In a good way. Actually, in a phenomenal way. About two weeks ago, I found myself tweeting with Bernadette Jiwa. Bernadette is a lovely woman and a killer brand strategist. Cool story, right? Well, the cool part of the story is she lives in Perth, Australia. Remember, I live in Chicago. You are probably thinking that this isn’t a big deal because the internet lets us do stuff like this every day. And that’s acceptable.

BUT, I think sometimes we should just step back and think about the opportunities technology gives us. I was chatting… in real-time… on Twitter… with someone who lives on the other side of the world! Email has allowed us to do this type of thing for many years now, but Twitter has made it more real. More personal. According to Google Maps, Chicago isn’t that close to Perth. Please see the specifics below:

Screen shot 2013-03-25 at 8.51.54 AM

15,507 miles… ha-ha! Anyways, I had tweeted a blog post, Bernadette, wrote and she tweeted back with a thanks — and we kept going from there. But wait, it gets better..

Bernadette then reconnected me with Dave Ursillo, who is in Hawaii! As it turns out, Dave and I have a phone chat for later this week. This stuff is just doesn’t get old, folks. Simple but powerful. Mutual interests, connections, and Twitter brought us three together. From Chicago to Perth and back over to Hawaii. Pinch.

Cheers, guys!

by

Less I and more We

c'mon man

Facebook and Twitter have really become the main avenues for personal expression. One status update or tweet can have serious influence. Feelings, thoughts, and ideas fester these two platforms. And for all the interesting, informative, and inspiring posts from people — there are certain types of tweets and posts that make my head spin. This won’t take long.

With the inspiration age of bloggers at its peak — we see more and more posts about positivity, giving it your all, and making sacrifices. And it’s all good…to an extent.

What irks me is when people brag about themselves and thinking they are inspiring their following. What do I mean? This will be short and sweet.

Posts like this:

  • “I was in the gym at 5am this morning getting ahead. What were you doing?” 
  • “Feels great to have wrapped up my third client this week!”

Cringe.

Every time I see these posts, I think of the ESPN saying, “C’mon Man.” If you haven’t seen it on ESPN, you gotta click the above link. It’s gold.

Anyways, those above tweets really bother me because of the agenda. This constant thirst for self-gratification through social media is unhealthy. Quit looking for a congratulations! We get it — you like to work out early. You run a successful business. Sweet. You don’t have to boast about it to make yourself feel better and potentially make others feel worse. Ya know? Some bloggers know how to inspire and others just know how to brag.

So, lets wrap this up.

Less “I” and more “we” would suffice for these tweets. I think if people quit using themselves as examples of hard work or success, I’ll probably never write a post like this again. How about showcasing someone else as an example of hard work? Just focus on “we” instead of YOUR remarkable ability to eat healthy and work out every day. Then my blood pressure will go down.

What do you guys think about all this? Inspiring or annoying?

Happy Friday!

by

Mind over Body

running

This past Saturday morning, I took Sweetie (my dog) out for a quick walk around the block. Unfortunately, it was raining out so it was going to be a short walk for the pup. As I got halfway down the block, I noticed a runner in the street. It was the one and only, Ed, from the down the block. Ed has been a marathon runner his whole life and is in top shape for a 75-year-old. He is in the kind of physical shape that we all aspire to be in when we get to that age.

Growing up, I would always see him zipping down the block no matter how good or bad the weather was. And today, would be the exact same…right?

Well, not exactly. Ed looked like he was in serious pain. His stride wasn’t what I remembered. Ed was barely running and was holding his fleece over his head to keep dry from the rain. It was downright painful to watch. He was doing everything he could to sway his arms, shoulders, and face muscles. Granted, he was 2 blocks away from his house, so he was obviously grinding it out. But it just didn’t look healthy. The look in his eye was something I’ll never forget. I could have screamed at him and he probably wouldn’t have heard me. The man was incredibly focused, but it looked like he was totally overdoing it and could really hurt himself.

As I turned the corner with Sweetie, Ed was out of my sight. I then began to think more about what I just saw. “Holy shit” is what came out of my mouth next. I was totally taken back.

I then thought to myself. Ed is a man who cares so much about running. He is a man who lives to overcome the challenge of always completing the run. It’s that rush and thrill of crossing the finish line; it’s the rush of getting a hard workout in every single day or the day just won’t end right. Here is a guy who has nothing to prove to anyone — the residents of the neighborhood knows he’s a living legend.

But he knows what he has to prove to himself. And that’s never taking no for an answer. Let me reiterate: every inch forward is an absolute burden for Ed. But he keeps moving — keeps pushing — keeps fighting. I love the phrase, “mind over body” — and Ed is 100 percent mind over body when he runs the neighborhood streets.

And guess what? I saw him out there again this morning. Fighting and grinding like nobody else.

Talk about a daily dose of inspiration, huh? I know how much harder I can work when I see Ed out there running. Whether it’s in the gym or at my job — there’s always a little more left in the tank. If Ed gives more, we all can give more.

So, here’s to continuing to move even when it hurts like never before. Here’s to Ed showing us that NO IS NOT AN ANSWER.

by

Prove Your Independence. Become Social.

Congressional Campaigner turned Marketing Consultant…that’s me. Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot about myself in this past year, and now I want to talk about it in this post. By no means do I think I am an expert or have all the answers, but I am a firm believer in approaching your professional career as if you are always searching for something. Always discovering. Always trying. Okay, here we go…

Rhetorical Question: Extrovert or introvert? What are you?

You can’t answer because I am going to answer for you…you are both!

I truly believe we all have it in us if we really try. If we really care. Now, don’t be somebody you’re not. But be a talker, even if you don’t love to do it. It’s not like you don’t know how to talk, right? The sociology major just might need a little more practice than the advertising major. And vice versa. The advertising major knows how to study in a room by his or herself. Right? Good. Sorry for the stereotypes…

Extroverts:

Don’t like working by yourself? Did you love group study sessions in college or what? Well, how about you go and post up at a Starbucks for the day. Go sit in front of the computer and learn something way out of your element. Or spend a weekend trying to create something. Ditch the computer and pull out the moleskin. Get some ideas on PAPER. Use a different side of your brain while you’re at it. But, the key is doing it on your own. Be that introvert you never thought you could be.

Introverts: 

How about going to a networking event by yourself?Just force yourself to be social. Hone your social skills by going up to random people and start chatting with them. Be the one to volunteer to go to a company function and just shake as many hands as possible. It won’t the most fun you’ve ever had — but you will find out what you out what you are capable of what it really feels like to be uncomfortable. Nobody likes a person who struggles in social situations, so get better at it.

Proving that you can be that introvert and extrovert simply makes you all the more marketable as a young professional. Show others how dynamic your skills really are. Hey, don’t you want more talking points at that next interview? I know I sure do. I think sometimes, we focus too much at getting better at the things we are already proficient at. Don’t get me wrong, master your skills, but mix it up as well. It’s the only way you are going to grow.

But what about “playing to your strengths?” I use to hear that a lot when I was playing competitive golf. Lay up to 100 yards instead of 80 because I am better from 100 yards. That’s all good and smart within in the situation, but at some point it is imperative get better from 80 yards. You know what I am saying? That would make me an all around better golfer. Fact.

To be better at golf or more marketable as a young professional. — or whatever it maybe — you have to get used to being uncomfortable…all the time! Discover what is unnatural for you and put the time in to get better at it.

In the end, we still will always lean a little more one way than the other, but why can’t we aspire have both? Make yourself more marketable. It’s on you.

Prove your Independence. Become Social.

What do you guys think?

by

This Social Media Consumption Thing

Social Media is all about consumption: intellectual consumption and emotional consumption. This post isn’t a rant, but more a personal observation.

INTELLECTUAL CONSUMPTION

Our phones, tablets, and computers own our lives. It is a fact. We are all addicted. Don’t say you’re not, because you are. We just spend so much damn time on these things and talk to anyone we want…whenever we want.

These devices also allow us to have access to an infinite amount of information when we want it. The internet doesn’t know what limits or boundaries are. I mean, how huge is Twitter these days? F****** powerful. It is something that we can’t get enough of. Twitter, in simpler terms, has made people more educated.

Maybe you don’t like to read books, but you love to read articles on Twitter. It’s like we have all become these little eager beavers aspiring to learn something new every damn minute of the day. Why couldn’t my Twitter feed be my summer reading 10 years ago?

Shane Mac, entrepreneur and author of the critically acclaimed book, Stop with the BS touches on the things I just mentioned above. In the book, he states that too many people sit behind their computers all day and just open windows on their browser. And, by the end of the day they have 10 or 12 open. I know I am one of those people. A hardcore consumer of knowledge. He then points out how it’s good to take in information, but the question then becomes, what are we doing with this information?

What too many of us do: consume it, think about it, and forget about it. (Hit repeat come morning)

Shane stresses that we need to spend a little less time on intellectual consumption and spend more time acting. More time doing. More time creating.

This really hit home with me. Tasty food for thought…agree?

So enough with all the intellectual consumption, what about this emotional consumption from social media that we yearn for?

EMOTIONAL CONSUMPTION

Social media creates an outlet that provides comfort, support, attention, and gratification. All those words tie in with human emotion. Social media creates an opportunity for people who maybe never had a real physical voice — now a chance to be heard, listened to, and noticed.

Every status update on Facebook and tweet about our personal lives are crafted with intense thought. To the point of “should I use the exclamation point or period?” We think “well, if I write this, I know it will bring on the likes.” We then become so proud of our status and start checking Facebook obviously to see where our like count is at every 5 minutes. Same goes with Instagram posting!

It could be a post about the new job we got, how early we woke up this morning, or about how bad the Bears are. We simply want to tell a story about what we are thinking or what’s happening in our lives, and then get feedback.

We post for notoriety and to be consumed by the feeling of attention. I don’t think it is really healthy, but it is the way it is. It’s all about gratification, and when you get 20 likes on a status..that feeling is phenomenal.

This effort to consume emotion and knowledge through social media is really quite fascinating. We all do it. Good or bad? You be the judge. But in the end, it’s human nature. We need to fuel our egos with emotion and our brains with knowledge. And social media gives us an infinite amount of chances to do it. Said “infinite” twice in this post, didn’t I?

I could have gotten all Psych 101 on you with this post, but that would be just too much. We love to consume. Thank you, social media.

What do you think about our social media consumption habits?

by

The Campaign That Did

Now, that the campaign has been over for a few weeks — I am starting to feel rejuvenated again. I’ve caught up on sleep, reconnected with the desk worker at the gym, and haven’t stepped foot near a Dunkin’ donuts.

I have also reconnected with my local friends in Chi City and celebrated with old friends in Kansas City. BBQ and a Bruce Springsteen concert in the heart of America after working on a Congressional election…can a single month get more American than that? Incredible fun.

But, for some quick and last thoughts on the Brad Schneider campaign experience.

It’s almost tiresome to think about the experience. It was 11 months of balls to the wall. Whether it was spending 15 hours in the office, knocking doors in the rain, or making phone calls until our necks goes numb — we did it all.

And when that magical moment came upon us on election night, it was like we were all set free. To see Brad walk into the room with the cameras in his face and the people screaming his name was freaking awesome. I just remember thinking “God, this was so worth it!” So proud. So happy. So relieved to win!

YEP!

And, as I reflect on my time working for the campaign, I feel extremely grateful to have been apart of something so unique. I worked with so many wonderful people with such incredible drive. When the times were tough, we pushed each other even harder. Because we all knew the cause was more important than any of our little struggles. The cause kept us going.

A great staff and a hell of candidate just made the experience all the more special.

Whether Brad Schneider is a Congressman for two years or 20, he will make a positive impact on the people he comes across. Being a great candidate is one thing, but being a caring person is another. Brad shows personal characteristics that seems to be lacking in a lot of Congressmen and women today.

Brad is a listener, and when I say that, I mean that he takes real interest in people: looking interns right in the eye, writing handwritten thank you notes, and always thanking the staff were routine actions for him. I watched this kind of stuff for 11 months, and I know other staff members would attest to it all. We all learned a lot from Brad. Congressional Candidates don’t have to be that nice and caring towards people, but Brad never hesitated.

So, until my next adventure…cheers to the Brad Schneider for Congress campaign and everyone involved in it!

We all made history.