Posts from — April 2009

Swine Flu.. What is it exactly?  Well, for starters it’s a flu. What can we do now to help prevent catch this virus?  Simple, get plenty of rest & exercise, eat a balanced diet, do things that make you feel good and think positive.  Thinking positive is good for the mind and body. I wouldn’t worry too much about Swine Flu due to the fact that I haven’t gotten sick.  Besides, worrying is bad for your health..

Which reminds me, I need to start exercising (I’m not getting any younger).  I’ve been spending too much time in front of a computer, at work and at home.  I was off from work today and I decided to take advantage of the great weather we were having in Chicago (you never know what to expect) so I mowed the lawn as soon as it stopped raining.  I spent the rest of the day organizing files in my computer, reading email and listening to music.. music I grew up with.  A particular song brought back memories, a 1984 classic.  I was only six years old back then and I remember watching the big kids battle at a neighbor’s garage on top of the cardboard floor.  Those were the good ol’ days.  Do you remember when Boogie Down (Bronx) played? What were you doing back then? (I know I’m old school)..

Here’s the instrumental -Enjoy!:

Appreciate the people that surround you, appreciate what you have.. because every second that passes by is lost forever.  Life is made up of memories, always remember the good ones.. and don’t forget to wash your hands!

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of compliments from friends and family about this blog.  It moves me to hear that they’re inspired or motivated by specific posts.  We ALL have problems and sometimes we just need someone to listen.  The only thing that I ask of you (the reader) is to be there for those people who come to you for help. 

“Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.  Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.”

The quote above is from a well known essay tittled “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young”, that was written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997.  This essay was to be the commencement speech she would give to a graduating class if she was asked to give one.  When the column was later turned into a song, Schmich’s “wish” came true when the University of Zagreb’s started to play the song “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” at every graduation ceremony.

I want to share this speech with you because it puts things into perspective.   I hope that the advice helps you in life.. We only live once.  Let’s make it worth it.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99.. Wear Sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.  The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience… I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never-mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.  But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.. You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. 

Do one thing everyday that scares you.  Sing.  Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.  Floss.  Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind… the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.  Stretch.  Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do withyour life.. the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.  Get plenty of calcium.  Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.. what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. 

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can… don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the GREATEST instrument you’ll ever own.  Dance.. even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.  Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.  Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.  Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.  Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.  Travel.  Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.  Respect your elders.  Don’t expect anyone else to support you.  Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.  Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.  Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth, But trust me on the sunscreen.

Be there for others when given the opportunity. 

Forward this blog address to your friends and family.  We all need some positive reinforcement from time to time.

I’m an extremely busy person.. at least I think so.

Besides working as a manager at an up-and-coming hotel property, just one block off the beautiful Magnificent Mile, I also run my own business.  I’m trying to come up with a good work-life balance and I’m noticing that my life IS work!  I’m a workaholic, I like accomplishing things in life.. I love life.. Life’s good.  Is it because I love to work? OR, is it that I love what I do?  Are you doing what YOU want to do?  Are you doing what YOU want to do with YOUR life?.. makes you think right?  (Don’t let me interrupt… I’ll give you some time to think.)

So even with this ”depressed” economy, I still manage to stay up-beat.  The way I see it, we are now learning how to save money and how to budget.  Many families only buy the basics, what they NEED.  We’re revisiting our Values.  We are learning that money isn’t everything.  Money cannot buy happiness.  Keep in mind the definition of success (a state of accomplishment or achievement).  You CAN be successful in our current economic state.  People need to just SHUT their yapper and stop whining.

I woke up at six this morning (I hate oversleeping), jumped in the shower, had breakfast and went about my day (I did put clothes on before I ate).  I went to visit my mom (I love that woman).  I had to park on the next block, to avoid getting a parking ticket for zone parking (Chicago needs to make her money).  I guess I could have gotten a permit pass from her, but I enjoyed the walk (apparently I don’t do much of it).  During our conversation she asked, “How do you manage to stay positive?”  I told her, “When I wake up each morning, I decide how I want my day to be.  I always know it’s going to be a GREAT day.. I gave her an example.

Just this past Friday (the 17th), on my way to work, I broke a ti-rod.  My car was *Wobble-City.  I ended parking it on the middle of the street in between the yellow painted outline for an isle, on State Street off Van Buren view virtual map, just steps away from Harold Washington Library.  I called my old man (who’s always there when I need him).  He was going to get a tow-truck and I was about 1/2 mile away from work.  It was a beautiful day.  At 7:25 in the morning, the sun was out and I was enjoying the refreshing breeze.  It was that very moment when I realized that I needed to start exercising.  I mean, I use to run 5 miles, in boots, on the beach where the water met the sand, under the sweltering Sun. OOH-RAH! .. and now this 1/2 mile hike was taking a tole on me my legs (damn were they burning! - I guess I tend to walk fast).  The point was, I managed to get in to work on time’ish, it wasn’t raining, my legs didn’t melt off, the car stopped closer to work, the wheel didn’t come flying off on the Dan Ryan Expressway and I was still here to tell her the story.. Lucky for her.

Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.

Each morning, keep in mind that if you decide to be miserable or happy, just know that it takes the same amount of energy.

*Wobble-City:  adj. -A term my 6th grade gym teacher, Mr. West, used when referring to a wobbly spiral football throw.

Are you tired of the same shit different day routine?  If you’re not tired of it (like most people) then you might want to skip this post.

People that don’t know that their stuck in a routine are “comfortable”.  Comfortable people don’t like change and don’t take risks.  If I just described you, you better snap out of it.  We live in an environment where change is evolving around us and if you want to reach your goals, you need to start making some changes to your routine now.. because if you don’t, when change comes your way it will throw you off and you’ll feel like it’s the end of the world.. and we don’t want to feel that way, right?

So what did you do last year?  What did you do a month ago?  …a week ago? ..yesterday?  What did you do today to get you one step closer to achieving your dreams?  You should have no one to blame but you.  There are two different kinds of people with goals:  The Doers and the Sayers.  The Doers actually get shit done, period.  And obviously, the sayers just like flapp’n their gums.. (lol.. jk)  The Sayers just need a little “push” to get them up the first step.  The Sayers have the map to get them there but don’t have the gasoline to start the car.  This gasoline is the feeling you get when you want something so bad you can just taste it!

I want to help you reach one of your goals.  Do This: Take out a sheet of paper and a pen.  Now, write down all of your goals.  Go over your list and circle the ones that you think are the most important, keeping in mind that these should only be realistic goals.  Now rewrite the ones you circled on a separate sheet of paper.  Write down how your life would be different if you were to achieve each goal.  Do you see yourself a happier person?..  Then what are you waiting for?  Time waits for no one.  The only person that can make things happen is you.  From this moment forward, you need to work on becoming more independent.  The human race has been managing to do everything imaginable and nothing is impossible as long as you really want it.  You need to imagine what it will look like when you get there, what it will sound like, what it will smell like and what it will feel like… Can you taste it?  Keep that piece of paper and tape it to your dresser mirror, on the wall directly in front of you when you’re sitting on the thrown or on your refrigerator.  It is important to place it in an area that you will see it daily.  The goal here is to keep you focused on what you’re working towards.

So know that you took a look at what the future holds, what sacrifices will you make to enjoy the fruit of your seeds?  I didn’t say it was going to be easy, only the “strong” make it.. you must see yourself as one of the strong.. After all, it’s your life… it’s now or never.

So about a week later from my last post and I still no comments.. Lol, The closest of people have this address and everyone is just “watching”.  In a way, (I guess) this is kinda cool… I’m on stage and I do love the attention.

This actually happened at work today.  It was the typical Monday morning, lots to cover to make up for my two days off and I kept getting bombarded with problems.  As a department head at a hotel, associates tend to come to me with problems needing solutions.  I was presented with an issue were I needed to do what I felt was right and at the same time hurt a team member I care about.  A first time customer called to explain that she had overpaid and wanted to see if we had a record of it, to assist her with her story, so that we can mail her the unused deposit.  Pretty simple right?..

I may not be superstitious but I am a STRONG believer in Karma, hence the reason for my positive outlook in life.  So I start thinking.. How will this affect our customer relationship?  From a manager’s point of view, this was the opportunity for us, as a business, to shine for possible repeat business.  As a person, I knew that the lady whom I was speaking with over the phone really thought she made a mistake once she realized she did, only after departing early to join her family and friends at a loved one’s funeral.  I figured she was being too persistent (having called multiple times wanting to get the issue resolved) for her to just lie.  Sometimes you just have to give people the benefit of the doubt.  We want to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes to really see what it feels like and understand their actions.  As a customer, what would you do if you called a hotel and you weren’t getting the help you expected?

And now the hard part, telling my team member, who took in the needed amount, that the customer was right (only because the customer did not know that she was wrong).  I pretty much summed it up by saying “It is our responsibility to ensure our guests are taken care of”.  After all, we can have the marble floors and the satin sheets but guests won’t return if we don’t provide great service.

After assisting the customer and letting her know what she wanted to hear, she thanked me, she thanked our team for being very friendly throughout her stay, she explained how she enjoyed her visit and how she will return to stay at our property on her next trip to the City.  If our conversation would of ended on a negative note, I would have ruined her day (let alone she had a funeral to go to), she would have told all of her friends and family and we would lose potential business.  Word of mouth is the least expensive form of advertising and at the same time has more of an impact on the business than any other form of advertising.  If someone you trust tells you to try a certain product or service, you are more inclined to try it simply because of the personal connection you have with that person.  Trust plays an important role here.

I want you to think of a time when you made a positive difference in someones life.  How did you make the other person feel?  How did that make YOU feel?

The last three posts were created to inspire.. because without inspiration we tend to get comfortable with ourselves and with our surroundings and we end up wishing we did more with our life.  In a world where change is on-going, in the end it’s the risk takers that survive.  The truth of the matter is, whatever you set your mind to, there will always be obstacles in the way of fulfilling your dreams and goals.  Unless you’re willing to make sacrifices along the way, you will never get there.  Success doesn’t come overnight.  You must be patient and determined.

“You have determination like no other”.. It stuck in my mind, even after many years of first hearing this.  I don’t know if it was the position [at work] I was working towards, or the girl I had my eyes on, when my brother made this statement after I explained how I always get what I want.

There are three things that motivate most of us in life, those are: love, food and wealth.  These of course are general topics.  Meaning that love includes (but is not limited to):  sex, relationships, family, happiness and so on.  Food: nutrition, health, diet and so forth.  Wealth:  money, power, greed, etc.

Think about it.  Everything you actually work hard towards falls in one of these three categories.  At the end of the day, when you reach your goal(s).. you become successful.   The dictionary defines success as:  The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.

Success isn’t an item you can can hold, taste or touch.. it’s the feeling of accomplishment, the feeling that “The World Is Yours”.

So was Tony Montana successful?  In his own way he was.  Tony had accomplished what he desired.. Power.  I’m not telling you that you need to start trafficking some serious weight.  I’m just giving you an example at how one man’s vision motivated him into reaching his goal.  He took a risk, made some sacrifices, he was determined and most importantly he believed in himself.. but the process doesn’t have to be hard work all the time. With a positive attitude “The World Is Yours”.