Thursday, August 26, 2010

Success and Leadership


 Steps to be a Leader
At my Leadership Academy this year one of our speakers suggested what was needed to be successful in life and in the work place. He said to "become a seeker of resources and then become a resource for others." I believe that advice is applicable to all parts of our life and the first step to becoming a leader. Check out the link under the picture and see what Simon Sinek has to say about leadership. Just started following him on twitter (http://twitter.com/simonsinek) and found several articles of his on Askmen.com. Enjoy the resource.
(You know I had use this picture because of the orange arrow)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

It's a Hard Knock Life...Remembering all your kids names


Watch as he tries to name them all: Cromartie plays name that baby
Antonio Cromartie defensive player for the New York Jets should be relieved if he can only list interceptions as things he has caught in the past 5 years. Thanks to HBO's Hard Kocks:Training Camp series the world was made aware that Mr. Cromartie has assisted in bringing 8 kids into this world under the age of five! Three kids are 3 years old! And I not talking Jon and Kate plus Eight fertility drugs here, with that special someone. Although he is married he has six baby mamas! In Kid Cudi fashion he's got "99 problems and they're all women". Here's the roster: Cromartie has eight kids under the age of five. He attempts to name them all, and I attempt to jot it all down and do my best with spelling: Alonzo, 5; Keris, 3; Myjunia, 3; "my daughter who just turned three", 3; Tyler 3; London, 10 months; Lelani, 2; and, finally, Jersey, who looks to be a newborn.  So sad.

Because I Love Ads

funny ads 3 Some ads just know how to win me over (30 Photos)
Out There Ads

Some of my current favorites are on YouTube to check out anytime. Check out the Swagger Wagon series Toyota minivan clips and the greatness of the Old Spice ads.

Your prettier than I am


Beer Goggles
No wonder guys are so prone to buying drinks for women.Turns out one of my favorite and most hilarious movies 'Knocked Up' may have been on to something.

Phoenix and the Beard


Watch Trailer
Remember the uncomfortable Letterman interview? Remember the rap? Don't know if this movie will really make sense of any of that but this trailert looks damn interesting. Something about the wild Hussein beard that draws one in

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Project PASSION at work and live by the 4 P's


10 Ways to show you mean business
I had a professor Ms. Angela Boston in college who said something very profound when addressing us new graduates expectations regarding salary and which career choices to make in life. She said "Pursue your Purpose with Passion, and receive the Payoff". The 4 P's. Your passion for whatever your doing will provide the fuel and intangibles needed to succeed and in turn you will compensated accordingly. Put yourself in a position to be your best, Check out the link for tips to show your boss and your firm you mean business. I really respect people who follow there passions like actors and musicians who risk it all to achieve their dream. I recently heard the story of an actor who after high school he left the Midwest in his Toyota Tercel to live with his aunt and uncle until he could chip in enough to get an apartment in L.A. to share with 3 other strangers. Now, Jon Hamm Mad Men star, is up for Emmy's for his role as Don Draper on Mad Men and his appearances on 30 Rock as well as  his role in the new movie 'The Town'. He made it to the PAYOFF. The rest of just have to decide if we have faith to believe in the 4 P's.
Note: I love using the corporate looking photo that spells HR EEOC diversity in the workplace all covered in one photo. Cracks me up

Black and White is better


Alfa Romeo
I don't know what's better the pics or the car but it doesn't have the same effect without the black and white touch. I would love to dabble in photography one day. I enjoy the simplicity of objects and accesories not so much people. This series would make a great photo book

Sexy Luxury!


Jaguar concept
So I know black people love Jaguars and I have never been that guy but this is dope. Beats the hell out of the Wrigley's minivan

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Slowed me down (Edited)


The picture above best represents the picture stained into the back of my mind since last weekend when
I helped my aunt move into an assisted living home. I have a feeling this may come across as corny or minimal but since I can't shake it I'll share it. There was an elderly couple resting together on a bench in the hallway.The man considerably in much better shape than his counterpart  seemed to be putting on his best patient face. Standing from time to time the way one does if concerned about getting stiff joints, and becoming more and more restless with each passing moment. The woman he was with was not in as good of health and seemed to enjoy this pause considerably more. She set on the small bench with relief in her eyes as the bench and the cane she gripped both absorbed her fatigue. She was in no hurry to get up anytime soon and you could tell while the gentlemen remained almost antsy while waiting patiently to get wherever they were headed. After a small while the woman took a large breath, the way you do when you dread the inevitable, which was in this case the momentous task of peeling herself off of that beloved bench. With careful consideration and patience for his elderly counterpart the gentlemen assisted his partner after what I believed to be a stirring pep talk down the hall and to the elevator at the pace she set. This was not an easy task for her because by visual account it seemed 40% of her weight was invested in the canes assistance, another 40% in her exhausted legs and the last 20% invested in the gentlemen's frail strength. And that was the last I saw of them but it got me thinking how selfless the two of them were, particularly the gentlemen. We as more capable, independent and less selfless people so often in relationships seek agendas that earn sex,shopping trips, future permission for activities etc. Sometimes consciously and sometimes not. Most likely because of where the two of them are in their lives these two emotionally and physically leaned on each other in such a platonic and organic selfless way you could feel it. They not only needed each other but what stood out most to me was the gentlemen took pride in being there for his counterpart with the promise of nothing in return. What I'll never know is if this couple had been married for 50+ years or simply friends. But I like to think that after years of spending time together and fighting through life's distractions they have come to a point where all they have is each others whole hearted affection for being there for one another in whatever capacity they could muster. Slowed me down.

Travel, the last ditch effort for the captivity of attention

Manning the road down I-30 early in the morning consuming mounds caffeine from a Venti black Starbucks coffee hoping it will be he perfect supplement to the 4 hours of sleep I had got the night before. On a road trip to little Rock, Arkansas to move my aunt who is suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's back to DFW to a better quality assisted living home. IN route, I spent more quality time enjoying my family than I have since moving out years ago. We shared meaningful conversations, laughed and most importantly solved at least 4 major social issues three quarters of the way to our destination. On our trip we exchanged ideas and asked questions of each other traditionally we wouldn't bother asking  but for only the reason of being too busy, shying away from confrontation or whatever excuse one musters not get delve deep into conversation. The road trip we took revealed perspectives and generational gaps and concerns that we as individuals have never made time to discuss and it was great. This to me is one of the greatest benefits of travel, the undivided attention a passenger van or cockpit atmosphere offers that is so difficult to achieve in a multitasking world of TV, internet, chores, and agendas.


Which brings me to the greatness of travel. the captivity of minimal distractions that bring focus, energy and efficiency to projects. Be it plane, train or automobile I see travel as a resource to connect with projects, pople and most importantly yourself without having the current of life to swim against we seem to swim much easier .Have you ever noticed how much work you can get done on a plane? Or how in the back of a car you can knock out a chapter of a book or crossword puzzle a bit faster than you can even in a serene setting at home? I swear if they could recreate an airplane cockpit in high rises across the nation we all would be significantly more productive.I envy the train commuter in the east who gets unabridged time twice daily to pour themselves into there laptops, the morning news or even their iPod. We rarely are put in situations where distractions are so limited we can do nothing but focus on the singular effort of accomplishing one task, and if your like me it's so special when you get to focus like that.  We often times miss out on relationships to foster the juggling of more lesser relationships. For instance, have you ever had Facebbok interrupt a solid conversation with someone else to just to appease a the passive communication of a facebook reply or message? My point is that we have fallen victim to focusing on the number of tasks completed in a day as opposed to the quality at which they were accomplished. Let's not treat relationships the same way. Put yourself in a position from time to time to infuse quality into your week or month. It may take disconnecting to make a quality connection to what matters be it projects or people. I'm glad I was able to do that to connect with my family last weekend.  

Embracing what stinks?


'We boast the faults we are unwilling to correct.' -Francois de La Rochefoucauld 


This to me is a powerful quote because it operates at the core of who we are. This was the 'quote of the day' one  day on askmen.com . We only reveal so much of ourselves to friends, family and spouses reserving certain flaws and faults in us to known only by us with hope of improvement.These are the faults about ourselves we long to improve, a "secret project" if you will. But it's funny how often we reveal flaws in what appears to be a shameless fashion. Have we given up on these faults of ours and have decided to wear them as a badge due to lack of self control or lack of conviction? You could be guilty of embracing being judgmental, vain, greedy etc. Regardless despite willing to reveal the flaws we are unwillingly to accountable for these imperfections which we all have. I believe accountability is the best treatment to tend to weeds in the lawn of your life. The question we have to ask ourselves is how much do you mind weeds?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

9 Ways To Go From Nobody to Somebody


Link: 9 Ways To Go From Nobody to Somebody
Somewhat simplistic in its nature the liat of ways to go about becoming the man has some descent tips for getting noticed in the office or in social circles. A bit more elaborate than Tony Montana's philosphy.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

New School sites given the Old School treatment

old school website ads 6 If old school ads were made for modern day websites (5 Photos)
Link: Old School Social Networking
I found a new random site the other night and one of the things I found was this really cool set of ads done in an old school motif for current web sites. I'm a huge fan of ads and even more of "old school ads" circa the 50's and 60's which is why I jumped all over Mad Men when it came out. I just thought this was really cool. Enjoy

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Hot Tub Time Machine to Idiocracy


In Finland they recently held the Sauna World Championships where men competed to see who could withstand the hottest of temperatures at fatal levels. In fact this year there was a fatality! No surprise since these guys were toughing out temperatures around 230 degrees Fahrenheit! If you've never seen the movie Idiocracy the premise of the movie is that we as a society with each passing year become dumber and more easily entertained by less to the point where, well The Sauna World Championships make the news. Yes this is coming from the guy who put up the "diamonds surrounded by poo" link but in my defense the only thing left bruised were my ribs from laughing the first time I heard the quote. Ah, I can see the "Ouch my balls" debut in our future sooner than it should be. Enjoy!
Sauna Article  Sauna Video

Audio Emmit as you've never heard him before


Congrats to Emmitt Smith who was inducted into the football Hall of Fame this past weekend. A true Dallas Cowboy legend Emmitt gave a heartfelt speech of gratitude and celebration of others. Most would say his most savvy time behind a microphone considering his ESPN stint and some other audio gems such as my favorite here >Diamonds & Poo Poo. Regardless it was a great induction speech so if you didn't here any parts of it feel free to give it a look and listen >Induction Speech


*P.S this post was an excuse to post my favorite  1310 TheTicket drop and the gold anklet in the post picture

Phil Jackson and Kobe make the best movie of the year (NO Spoilers here)


The movie Inception has it all, action, dialogue, a believable and underrated love story you care about, and so much depth at certain points you feel like you may drown in the meaty plot and strategy that never allows your brain take a breather. What's special about the film is each of the features mentioned above are in my opinion masterfully measured into the perfect movie. I will say that it is extremely cerebral but I enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with the strategy and pace of the movie. Not to mention the best part which is the mental hangover the movie leaves you with in its final scene. Even today I've thought of other possible scenarios regarding the movies ending. . Christopher Nolan the director to which I imply the Phil Jackson reference (The Zen Master) is genius while DiCaprio (Kobe Bryant) has to be not only at the top of his game but looking down stories above his peers clearly in his prime just like the NBA Champion athlete he goes to see, DiCaprio is an actor we will talk about for decades. After Nolan brought his talents of dialog and story line to the last two Batman films he's definitely out done himself with Inception.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 3rd Rock from the Sun and 500 Days of summer (which I do recommend renting) definitely holds his own in the film as a very likable and savvy character. I have quickly become a fan of his low key and complimenting wit and am looking forward to his future projects. Especially if it's in Nolan's next movie as the Riddler...Batman 3? Inception is a must see but only if you are willing to devote your time to the film free of distractions. Not only will you not be disappointed but you'll be anxious to discuss your take. If you've seen the movie check out the sites here Costume and Full discussion that discusses scenarios and theories regarding the movies end. Enjoy

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Abs not included


I forget which marketing campaign endorses "love the skin your in" but its a great tag line and  brings to mind a grand new purchase I made this weekend at the local Sports Authority.  I purchased the above pictured Under Armor O Series Boxerjock for $20 after a buddy turned me on to them about a week ago (Dont look too much into that). Since the purchase I deem them THE BEST pair of "draws" I have ever spent an evening in. You never get too hot,  there super flexible and the leave you like feeling you could run the hurdles or hold your own in a pick up game in whatever your wearing be it a suit or some jeans. Most importantly it keeps "things" (clears throat) in place. These are a must have this time of year and I'm most definitely headed back to get more. These would be a great unsuspecting gift for a friend or family member and you not worry about  receiving kudos for the brave purchase. I'm thinking if I had this campaign I might push a jingle from the "My Buddy" dolls from the 80's but instead "My Undies" and show dudes clearing obstacles and participating in outdoor activities in suits. We'll see one day I guess.  Anyway, you can find the underwear at most sports retailers but be warned, despite the numerous benefits of these underwear by testimony of my wife, abs are not included. 


Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Tip that kept on Tipping


Last night my wife and I went for a late dinner to Texas Roadhouse. She recently started a mushroom kick and I'm a big fan of their Fort Worth Rib-eye and a single tall Shiner Bock draft so it sounded like a winner. The only thing different this meal from other meals we have has at Texas Roadhouse was our waiter. A quick talking, hovering, north eastern mannered 20 something who didn't appear to be aware of his top heavy habits. It started with the order of our drinks when he preceded to lean over the top of us and  lean  on his elbows and propping up his head too close within our personal space. At first it was comical until the salad and entrĂ©es came and he continued to pear over the both of us as if the table was a glass bottom boat as if he was fighting for the best view.There were several instances I was tempted to shove my steak in his mouth or offer him a big sloppy kiss! In particular there was an instance where he asked my wife Allyson if she wanted some more to drink while he simultaneously laser beamed through the bottom of the glass while standing over it as if he was kid looking for the prize in the bottom of a cereal box. Now traditionally my wife and I are not confrontational people and we let most things go.But this guy's north eastern charm had worn on me by the time he laid out the check HALF WAY through  my steak and beer combo consumption time.When  finished consuming and feeling both well fed and inspired I paid the bill and wrote at the bottom  "PLEASE do not lean over or hover over the table and the food". Mind you I still tipped 15% which is low for me since I tip 20% almost always( in an effort to chip at the "blacks don't tip" stereotype). After finding out was I was up to my wife pleaded with me to scratch over the "additional" tip I had left but I felt this was a "teachable moment" (so often used now). He could either call me an asshole under his breath, OR take the tip to heart and work on it. I may have made the guy 5% more at every table he touched from here on out! No thank you was necessary. Well... he could have thanked me in person as he basically read it in front of me as he so RUDELY picked up the tab while we were finishing dinner. But ya know what? That jackwaggon deserved to be embarrassed if he was because I wasn't. I wasn't holding up his shift, it was still early and he broke so many waiter rules if that one burned him then well he earned it, bullying me through dinner with his fast paced Philadelphia (most known for being rude) charm. So as I finished my beer clearly aware that he was aware of my critique I really did wonder how he would take the suggestion. I also wondered what we would ever do if we had him as our waiter again...I've seen Clerks II, DAMN!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Should you put Pseudo before your title or job description?

Link: Do you have the Imposter Syndrome?
I wonder as young professionals how many of us have felt we would be exposed as "The Pretender" instead of the "ambitious" asset we hope they see us as. Just be ready to step your game up. Take a read

Marcus & the Malaysian Australian

No, the title above is not the name of a new sitcom, or the title of a scandal  I'm trying to keep under the radar and out of the newspapers. The title references a foreign colleague of mine who came to work with me in Dallas this past Wednesday . After a 26 hour flight from AustralIa I was surprised to find out Heath (pictured above) a territory sales manager, a Malaysian born Australian was first and foremost a Texan! . After visiting Texas for the first time last fall, Heath fell in love with the Lone Star State. From maps and magazines, to flags and license plates, Heath was sure to let me know his heart and his home in Australia belongs in Texas. I have never witnessed such a refreshing current perspective of the American dream, patriotism, and the hope of what our nation offers as an alternative. This guy Heath, listens to country music radio and Texas local WBAP by internet just to feel like he is apart of Texas. During the day he rattled off facts like the state bird, flower, governor, our STATE SONG! I didn't even know the title! So after a full day of discussing our regional differences concerning how we go to market in retail outlets for the same company but on different continents and after a very "Texan" lunch at Love and War in Grapevine, I would like to award Heath "Honorary Texan" citizenship. I want thank him for reminding of the greatness that is democracy and the privilege to  pursue success through perseverance and hard work that we take for granted. As Heath put it, its the uniqueness of an "imperfect system that is still the best in the world" is what makes America still the place to be. We as natural born citizens view America as just a place we live when so many others view it as a place where their dreams live. Heath is trying to live that dream and he just applied for a job with company here. Now if I could only get Heath to embrace my Dallas Mavericks instead of those shady San Antonio Spurs!