And the winner is.........

Zach Bordeau is the first ever winner of the Suck it up, Buttercup! Award. Zach is a high school senior at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach. He is a student-athlete who takes his academics as serious as his chosen sport; football.

I know there are many student-atheletes out there, but I happen to know Zach and his whole family and they epitomize what it means to be family. You don't just get lucky to have a kid this good, it takes a lifetime of good surroundings and solid upbringing.

His parents are two incredible people that I am proud to call friends. They have done a tremendous job and deserve congratulations as well. I look forward to seeing and hearing all about the amazing things that lie ahead for Zach and will point back to this blog to say "I knew him when."

Great Job Zach!

We Will (We Will) ROCK YOU!

We are the Champions!

Current mood: blustery
Category: Life

Today I heard the 1970's rock anthem, We will Rock You! by Queen...I don't know if that is the actual title, but we all know the song. We all know and love the song, but can you imagine the risk that Queen took by recording that song...WOW! I can't even imagine how that might have gotten started...

Ok, so Freddy Mercury comes in and says..."Hey guys, I know we all have incredible voices and musical talent...what do you say we stomp our feet, clap our hands and yell, in unison...instead of the usual stuff?"

It could have easily gone the other way. The song could have been a huge flop...people could have hated it...but it didn't matter to these guys...they committed to a concept and they stuck to their guns and you know what? It paid off...>HUGE!

Let that be a lesson in risk. When you think that you are going to be judged harshly, have the internal fortitude to stick it out regardless of what people may think...

Every time you hear that famous song by Queen, just think of how risky it was, and furthermore, how much it paid off for them to take that risk.

We are all going to arrive safely at death, so you might as well kick ass and take names while you are here so that you can slide into the plate and at the end of your life say..."Wow! That was a blast! I wouldn't change a thing!"

Later...Rob

...and the KACtS Award goes to......

...and the KACtS award goes to....

Current mood: excited
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

Edward Torres!

just to follow up from my last blog...there are internal customers and external customers....Ed Torres works right next to me and he is the consummate professional! The guy is thorough, focused, driven, intelligent, articulate and just a hell of a guy.

That's why I have selected him as the most recent recipient of the KACtS (KICK-ASS-Customer-Service) award...it is pronounced cactus...and the trophy is (you guessed it) a desk-top cactus! If you know somebody who works with you, for you, above you or below you...maybe it is someone you just think does a great job all the time, take it upon yourself to go get them a little award and let them know what it is all about...

If you appreciate the work that others do, take the time to let them know...there is too little recognition for those doing the right things and too much emphasis on those who are doing things the wrong way....

A little Kick Ass Customer Service (KACtS) goes a long way!

Rock On Edward!


and thanks for your hard work!

Respectfully,

Rob

Inspiration

the goal is not to find work that inspires us...the goal is to find inspiration in the work that we do

Kick Ass Customer Service or KACtS!

You know, I tell people every day that we are all selling the same thing. There is only one thing we all sell that is worth buying and that is KACtS...or as I like to say, Kick Ass Customer Service!

That's right...we all have customers too...There is always someone in the audience who tells me that they aren't in sales and I tell them that is B.S.! We are all in sales...tell me what you do for a living and I will tell you how you are selling and to whom you are selling your goods to.

For instance, teachers have to sell their students on the ideas and theories that they are teaching. Police have to sell you on the idea that you are bad if you don't follow the laws.

Everyone is selling something...and that one thing is KACtS...if you don't believe me then try this little experiment...or rather ask yourself if you would go back to a good restaurant if the service was miserable...you might go back once, but if you received the same service, you probably wouldn't go back.

Anyway, that is what I refer to as "Outisde KACtS" but there is also something that is known as (you guessed it!) "Inside KACtS." That has to do with the way that you treat your fellow employees. You see, we really are in sales...we all have to work with people and get our ideas out and in place and the only way to do that is to offer KICK ASS CUSTOMER SERVICE! or KACtS!

So, next time you see someone do something great, give them a Cactus and write the letters KACtS on it to let them know your appreciate them!

Rob

Live Free or Die!

I have placed this blog under the category of "friends" because anyone from New Hampshire is a friend of mine. My wife was on the way back from a business trip yesterday and texted me from the plane that she was sitting next to wrestlers from the University of New Hampshire.

She knows how big of a fan I am of all things, New England, never mind New Hampshire...anyway, when she got off the plane she was ahead of them which allowed us the opportunity to give the wrestlers and coach a warm welcome, a hand shake and a pat on the back with well-wishes for a good tournament...

You gotta love a state with the Motto "Live Free or Die!"

Rob

Tulane Fraternity Brothers

A quick shout out to the Fraternity Brothers at Tulane University who are raising money for Haiti earthquake victims...WAY TO GO!

I don't know your names, or even which fraternity you belong to, but my wife was on a business trip and told me about the good work you are doing down there!


The world needs more people like you in the world...if you happen to read this, let me know and I will make sure I let the world know which Frat you guys are with...keep up the great work!
and for the rest of you...suck it up, buttercup!
Rob

Rob Cass and Politics

Current mood: aggravated
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

I don't get it...Politicians need to be liked...want to be liked...The very act of needing to be accepted, limits their own personal power because they are not acting authentically.

How refreshing would it be to have someone rise up who simply said...this is what I believe...and I believe strongly in these ideas and I will fight, fight, fight to keep things going "this" way...IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T VOTE FOR ME! Wow...that would be very cool.

See, why would I want to get into office, just so that I could try to please everyone...If you don't believe what I believe, and don't want to see the changes I see...then don't vote for me. Too many politicians are trying to find the right "angle" or the right "answers" so that they can be voted into place...That is a completely miserable approach to success...

I don't think George Washington asked everybody what they wanted when they were freezing their asses off in Valley Forge! His troops would have said...get us some shoes! get us some food...The Brits aren't THAT bad...Hell no, he didn't ask them or the general public what they wanted...He did what he felt in his heart was right...If his ideas were off track, then he surely would have known about it and would not have been granted the power that he was eventually granted. Truth be known, George Washington didn't set out to rule a country, indeed it was quite the opposite. He was a successful farmer in Virginia, he didn't need to be anything.

Politicians today, don't know what it is like to work on a farm or even a hard day of work. Politicking, I am sure is laborious, but not in the way that our founding fathers knew.

Nope, I wouldn't do well, because I can't imagine molding my views to the public...If the public doesn't believe what I think...then the hell with it!

Too many people are asking for too many hand outs and are not willing to take responsibility. Too many people are pointing the finger at everyone but themselves. There is little, if any, personal accountability in the world today.

Teachers are teaching government standards, government is getting bigger and is becoming more and more arrogant and forgetful of the principles that brought them to office in the first place.

I digress....Nobody, it seems, who is true to themselves can ever be President because of the way that the system is set up...I think we are done with the true leaders unless there is a drastic change. Unfortunately, that drastic change may not, and probably won't be very comfortable....

We can only hope.

Rob

FOCUS!

It's a matter of focus!

Current mood: focused
Category: Life

It doesn't matter what you are doing, who you are or where you want to go...one thing is for sure. YOU NEED TO FOCUS! Depending on the sincerity or size of your goal or plan you may need to focus more than others, but everybody has to get focused at some point.

I am amazed at every level of personal and business life how there is so much ambiguity in the daily movement and activities. One simple question would help people to move more efficiently in the right direction and that question is "How does this activity help me get to my goal?" Not a bad question right?

Apolo Ohno had another question that helps him to determine if he is on the right track, or more importantly, whether or not he has done everything in his power to put himself in the best position to win. His question is "Have I done everything possible today to put myself in the best position to win?" WOW! What a focused question! But his answer to that question revealed how champions view themselves...He simply said "it's tough to answer 'yes' to that question every day" WOW again! Here we have a world-class athlete being totally honest about themselves and their preparation.

The reason I bring up Apolo Ohno, is because most of us in our minds would answer "Yes!" to the same question he asks himself...But because he is not trying to fool himself, he gives himself an honest answer. The subtle difference between the two is startling. Apolo sets himself up to work harder and harder every day, where we set ourselves up to think that we are doing well enough and we don't necessarily strive for more. Don't take my word for it, see if it applies to your life.

The second part to this is the fact that, we don't know what it is that is important to us so it becomes hard, if not impossible to work hard at anything that is going to move us in a straight line. Many people, including me, work hard but not at a single goal...thus, we are basically working hard at running around in circles and never make forward progress on the things that matter most.

So before you go to work at anything, figure out what it is that you are trying to accomplish and work from there. Create your plan, then work that plan. Only then will you be able to focus on moving forward instead of in circles.


Good Luck. Rob

In Spirit

Current mood: inspired
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural

I am always surprised when I find words that remind me of other words and a sort of name game ensues...what am I talking about? Well...here is an example.

Just recently, I made a connection between the phrase, In Spirit and Inspired. Pretty basic, I know, but it goes much deeper than just a simple exchange in letters. Dr. Wayne Dyer has made the connection that Inspiration happens when we are IN SPIRIT...wow, that is a pretty big revelation when you think about it.

Being inspired means to be connected to your spirit, or the universe, or God. That makes all the sense in the world to me now. Not really understanding how inspiration works in the past, it all makes a lot more sense. If you are connected to spirit, you are connected to a much bigger source of energy and creativity than if you were only connected to your ego which is a finite and limited source of creativity and energy.

Why not be connected to the greatest source of creativity all the time? Well, from what I can tell, the ego feels threatened by the sheer vastness of connectedness and needs to feed itself off of fear and separateness. So, it convinces us that we have all we need to survive and thrive, which couldn't be further from the truth...We need to be connected to a deeper source to truly thrive...we may be able to survive on just the ego, but it is a lifeless survival that is without depth and satisfaction.

So, the lesson for today is that our true survival depends on our ability to be "in spirit" or to remain inspired.

Rob

You know what this is, don't you...

You know what this is, don't you?
Current mood: indescribable
Category: Blogging
...it's a continuation of my freshman journal. For those of you who don't know, let me clue you in...We were required to keep a journal our freshman year and we were only graded on the fact that we wrote...not graded on the quality of the content, punctuation, grammar or anything else...It was liberating. It was something that I could absolutely get a high grade on and it was awesome.

There were days when I would write my ABCs and count to 1000 just writing numbers. But something happened over the course of time. I became bored with writing stupid stuff and I actually began writing. Because I knew I wasn't going to be graded (judged) on the content I began to open up. The next thing you know I was getting creative...very cool.

It was, for me, a beginning. It was my first taste of the word "unconditional." It was a concept I hadn't heard before, never mind experienced. I liked it. It tasted so new and liberating. I dared to be judged...I wrote cuss words in my journal just to see if it would get a reaction...NOTHING! I wrote stupid things...Nothing! No judgment just a teacher's initials signaling that I had done what I was asked to do. Write.

I loved it. (I still do) It's not that I am necessarily good at it, but I enjoy it.

My blogs are an extension of that writing. The only thing that has changed is that I don't care if I am judged or not...the funny thing is that NOBODY CARES!!!! Cares!!!! cares!!!
(that was an echo if you didn't know)

Nope, it's just me and my pen, er, ummm, keyboard and off I go. Emptying my mind of the things that clutter it. Eventually, I have a clear pond to look into with no leaves on top of it...and I reach a place that let's me write about truth and it is tasty. It is cool. It is clean. It is fleeting. But I don't care, because I know that feeling will come back.

You know what I'm talkin' about....in fact, you know more intimately than you may want to let on. It's as if you know me...and you do...don't you. You know that place in your mind, in your heart...where you have written with truth and clarity. We have met there once or twice. I remember a time so far away. But not so far away really. Like yesterday or the day before, but not so long ago.

I love to visit that place, sometimes in my head, sometimes in my heart...sometimes both places. I am even ok on the days in between, they are just like a dream. But I am ok, and I am patient between those days. I even cherish those in between days because I know that I will go back to that place...sometimes intentionally, sometimes not so much...but I savor it when I am there and am not sad when it goes. I know it will return...I know that now, but I did not know it back then. I don't know what it would be like to be there all the time...too much of anything isn't good, so it probably wouldn't be a good thing...Nope, I think I get just the right amount of time there.

You know what I'm talking about, and you know what this is don't you...this is a continuation of my journal...thanks and don't hesitate to let me know you are reading this...Rob

Thin Mints and the Winter Olympics!

Category: Sports

You absolutely have to love the Winter Olympics! The only thing better than the Winter Olympics is eating a bunch of thin mints...you know, the Girl Scout treat made of minty tasting chocolate...Oh yeah baby! They make the Olympics taste oh sooo good!

Yep, as I sit here and watch these world class athletes I can't help but think that there is something really wrong with me as I eat a portion (aka a "sleeve") of thin mints...come on now, you know what I am talking about! There are only two portions in each box and they each come in a sleeve! Right? Boy am I motivated!

On this particular night I am watching the Cross Country Relay event. I am so incredibly impressed knowing how difficult and strenuous this amazing sport it...Yet, it doesn't stop me from taking two more cookies...dang, they are soo good when you leave them in the freezer...brrr, just like those skiers out there.

If only I had taken sports a little more seriously, I coulda been out there. Oops, spilled some milk on my flannel pj's....aint life grand! Like I was saying, If only I had worked harder...Hold on....my son is about to take the last cookie...HEY THAT'S MY COOKIE! Isn't it bed time? Have you brushed your teeth, don't forget to floss! UGH! He ate the last cookie, so that means I have to eat one more because I have more milk than cookies...You know what that means? YEP, gotta open the other "portion."

With a body like this, I need to find a winter sport that is amenable to my current physique...curling? bobsledding? Hmmm, maybe I am onto something, I will have to get back to you on this one...

But for the moment, I just have to say that it is like leap year for Girl Scout Cookies...it's rare occasion that should be appreciated and savored.

Enjoy it. Savor it.

Rob

Lindsey Von(terage)

Lindsey Von and Women's Downhill
Current mood: impressed
Watching the Olympics has been amazing this year and not just for the action. Lindsey Von has had her share of intrigue and suspense and she earned an incredible gold medal two nights ago. Her performance was absolutely stunning!

It is also worth noting that there were several women, the Swiss and German in particular who had wipe outs that were unbelievable, but they came back the next day to ski the slalom course and they were awesome...these women are TOUGH!

Anyway, back to Lindsey...She had an excellent downhill run last night and was in first place before the slalom run...she was hanging in there and then she caught a tip and just like that, her race was over...It was clear that she was disappointed as she sat on the mountain, but she composed herself very quickly.

All of that can be seen and it is what it is...but the interview after the fact is what most impressed me. Asked if she was disappointed, she said "No, I came out here and did my best." WOW! That speaks volumes about who she is and what her mindset is. What she referred to is one of the four agreements...the one that says, "Always do your best."

The truth is that when you do your best, there is nothing to regret and that is clearly how Lindsey felt...If you give your best all the time, then you shouldn't feel bad about what you did or did not accomplish...as long as you did your best, and that is exactly what she did!

Congratulations Lindsey on having a great attitude, tremendous effort and that gold medal of yours!

You embody the Suck it up, Buttercup! spirit!

Rob

The Sound of Freedom!

as I blog, I can hear the wicked engines of F-18s flying overhead. How lucky can one guy be? On a good day I can almost read the writing on the side of the cockpit that tells me who the pilot is.

I know a lot of people bitch and moan about jet noise, but I for one, LOVE IT! It goes right through you and makes you feel alive. And if you are lucky enough to be around when one of them is pushing the limits of the sound barrier, you will know that they make a sound that is just awesome...Almost like a whistling sound as they slice through the air at a couple of hundred miles per hour...very cool.

Anyway, it is just a simple change in the way we think about the aircraft that makes me love the sound they make...It comes from knowing that they are on our side and defending our interests. Can you imagine how menacing those very same sounds are to the terrorists in the mid-east? For them, that sound is all too often followed by, or even worse, proceeded by the deployment of munitions...OUCH! That would definitely make me hate jet noise...but, like I said, I a lucky to live in a place where the only aircraft I hear are the ones that are on our side.

It will be a dark day when we hear the whine of the enemy's jets...a dark day indeed. Until then, I thank my lucky stars for living in a place that gives me a daily and sometimes hourly reminder of our military strength and our freedom to move about without restrictions or fear. Do I love jet noise? You betcha!

Rock on! and Suck it up, Buttercup

VOW!

Virginia Offshore Wind (VOW) Coalition.

I love Virginia, and today, I have one more reason to be enamored by this great commonwealth. I have just come across the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition and I feel like I have seen the future of energy.

First things first..Off-shore wind energy is a beautiful thing on many levels. It is good, clean renewable energy and I think the world is ready for it. If Europe is any indication, they have been using wind energy for over a decade. So, this is not a new, radical thought or science fiction; it is happening right now.

From an economic standpoint, I feel like I am standing on the edge of a wave that is going to be a boom to our economy and mark a change for decades, if not centuries to come. This is exciting stuff, we are going into an era where we are done talking about the future of power to where we are putting one foot in front of the other to get it done.

No, it is not the end-all, be-all answer to our energy problems, but it is a significant step in the right direction. It is a meeting of the minds to put the resouces in place to make the right things happen at the right time. I suspect the pace will quicken and progress will follow suit.

At the head of it all is the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition. They have the vision and are putting together the resources that we will need to see it through. Let's face it, Virginia has the natural resources in the port of Virginia as well as one of the most vibrant ship repair industries in the world. From a supply chain perspective we have been blessed with manpower, natural settings and a proximity to the majority of the energy producing wind on the eastern seaboard. Put it all together and you have one tremendous opportunity.

I would venture to guess that there are very few emerging trends that are going to have as big an impact on our economy over the next 25 years as the offshore wind opptortunity. Virginians should be excited, but even more importantly, they should keep their finger on the pulse of the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition.

Good Begets Better!

Something occurred to me recently as I was listening to the radio. It occurred to me that the longer a group of people stay with each other, the better they get...after they achieve some success, the become even more successful. While that may seem like an obvious statement, here is what I have deduced from that observation.

The two areas that are the most obvious are sports and music, so lets use those two examples. When the athletes or musicians are starting out, there is a rough, raw energy to them. It's the break out phase of their success. The one where perservance and gratitude play a very large role. Once the first wave of success hits, more resources are available to spend more time focusing on the craft of their choice. With more time and resources, their "good" performance can be molded into a "better" performace. The more time you spend on a given trade or skill...the more likely you are to succeed. The more you are able to succeed, the more experience you will have to be able to draw from and the more likely you will be able to experiment and grow as an athlete or artist.
Imagine if the Beatles were not successful on their first two or three records...how much more music would they have created and how creative would they have been? Obviously, that is an impossible question to answer, but I think there is a case for stating that they probably would not have gone on to be the mega stars that they were if they started out with a couple of albums that bombed. Given their early success, they had access to better recording studios, better equipment and more connections to collaborate with. Their fanbase also wanted more and more of them which allowed them to be more creative in their musical approach.
The principle of "Good begets better" can also be linked to sports teams. Have you noticed how there is usually some sort of Super Bowl hangover for the teams that lose the Super Bowl? This is not always the case, but by and large, a loss in the Super Bowl can have devastating effects on the following years team. History proves it over and over. Teams, as well as, individuals have to take a deep look at themselves and work seemingly twice as hard to get to the same level. It seems to be a matter of motivation as much as anything else.

Needless to say, the best way to get better is to get "good." Then work off of that success and keep working to get to the next level. The bottom line is that perseverance and gratitude are a great first step. Good begets better!

Rock on!

Rob

Apolo Anton Oh YEs!

I love sports for so many reasons, and one of them is the ability to witness greatness and to hear, through interviews, the mindset of world-class champions. I have been a fan of Apolo Anton Ohno since he first crept into the national awareness 3 Winter Olympics ago. He had a great story and an interesting personality and he managed to live up to the hype...then he did it again in the last Olympics...

Fast forward to the 2010 Olympics. Before the games started I saw an interview with him and he was saying things that I don't think I have ever heard an athlete say. He was saying things like, "My mind is clear, I am calm, I am prepared. My body is ready..." he implied that he was at peace, calm, clear...mentally prepared, physically prepared....Maybe it was the way that he said it that made such an impression on me...here we have a guy who is already a celebrated athlete and A-list celebrity, preparing for the next games and he is talking like a zen-master.

If I was the competition, I would be shaking in my shoes...this guy is as relaxed as they come. Then in the quarter finals last night he absolutely smoked the rest of his heat...He gave notice that he was indeed prepared in body, mind and spirit. OHNO Indeed!

When the medal race began he was calmly skating in the rear waiting to make his move, which he inevitably did...in the last lap the Koreans found themselves 1,2,3 with Apolo in 4th place, out of medal contention. There was no panic in Apolo, there seemed to be no anxiety about his position almost as if to say that he was doing his best and that is all he could do.

Then, inexplicably, the second and third Korean skaters wiped out and took each other out of the race in the last 20 meters ( 20 METERS!!!!) Apolo could have coasted into a Silver medal. His face was almost in disbelief...but it just goes to show that all you can do is prepare and do your best...the outcome will be what the outcome will be. He didn't panic, he didn't fret...he just did his job and it wound up in his favor. Amazing!

I got the feeling that he would have been at peace regardless of where he finished in the race. I think that is the most amazing thing. He does not let his success or failure define who he is...he just keeps on working and working and working.

He mentioned in yet another interview that at the end of the day he only asks himself one question and that question is whether or not he did everything possible to prepare himself to win. He admitted that it was hard to answer that question with a "yes." WOW! that just goes to show you that champions are in pursuit of higher goals, and hold themselves to a higher standard.

I look forward to the rest of the Olympics to see what they hold for Apolo Anton Ohno.

Congratulations Apolo...Go team USA!

Rob

Patriotism

What does patriotism look like? I have a cousin...two actually, who bleed in red, white and blue! One of them is in the Marine Corp, the other is in the Army...both officers. Oh, by the way, about their parents...dad is a firefighter in the Bronx and mom works for the school system...You can't make this stuff up...I swear this is one of the most American families I know of, and I am proud to be a small part of their lives.

By the way, we aren't just talking your regular, run-of-the-mill officers either. Both of them have attended and graduated the Naval Academy and West Point respectively...that's pretty hard core! How do you make that happen? Well, I once asked their mom and she told me (if I remember right) that she sang our National Anthem to them every night when they were babies...I have no reason to doubt her.

When I hear people bitch and moan about opportunity, I just think of these guys. They aren't the wealthiest people on the planet and they have had to work...strike that, FIGHT, for everything that they have in their lives and they don't complain. They are model parents and active community members. There should be more people like them in the world and if there were, the world would be a much better place...SERIOUSLY.

You see, patriotism is not just about serving in the military. It has to do with the way that we raise our kids. It has to do with the pride that we take in our role as public servants, and furthermore to the degree that we give back in some small way, or contribute to the continued greatness of our country. It has to do with the way that we live our lives and with the conviction that we are here to make a difference.

Patriotism is in our veins as a family and we are proud to be a part of a much bigger family called the United States of America. It's a great family, but we still need to fight to keep it intact and strong. We each pass the torch to the next generation as our responsibilities to that fight change and evolve. This family, my cousins...epitomize that responsibility on every level. They are a case study in patriotism, and I dig them for that.

Every family has its issues, and I am not saying that they are perfect...but they are worth noting and worth knowing. Luckily, I know them and have some of their blood in my veins and that is a very cool thing.

Those are my thoughts tonight on patriotism...how patriotic is your family?

As a parting thought, I have one thing to say to you...My cousins can kick your cousins ass!

How 'bout them apples...

Rock On!


Rob

Touch and Go! ( Hawkeye Style!)

Touch and Go! Hawkeye Style!
Current mood:Fired Up!
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
............................

Touch and Go!

.. ..

There are so many aspects of my life that I just absolutely dig, and today I got to have one of those moments where I had the opportunity to stop and savor the moment. I work right outside of Oceana Air Base in ....Virginia Beach.., ..Virginia.... and got to see some of our Nation’s finest pilots practice their “touch and go!” approaches.

.. ..

Now, if you know anything about this area you would think that I was watching the Super Hornet pilots…but not on this fine day…it was all about the E-2C Hawkeyes today. As I was working inside of our office, less than a mile from the end of the runway, I could hear the props and knew right away that I would have to find a moment to step outside and admire the handy work of these cowboys…Cowboys?

.. ..

Yeah, you heard me right, these guys are the unsung heroes, but they are tough as nails and crazy as hell! They whip their Hawkeyes around like rag dolls and get every ounce of performance out of them and then some. You really have to know your stuff and spend a lot of time watching aircraft of all types before you can truly appreciate these special pilots and their birds.

.. ..

I have looking skyward since I was a kid growing up in ....Yuma.. ..Arizona..... Back then I was watching F-4 Phantoms and A-4 Skyhawks…Fast birds to be sure, but they just flew really fast in straight lines…While fast is cool, so is throwing your prop aircraft up on its side in a ridiculous bank. These guys are cowboys! They rock….and they do this just a couple of hundred feet off the ground on a regular basis…We should all be as good at our jobs as they are at their job…furthermore, we should all have as much fun as they are having up there. Fun? Hell yeah, they are having fun! You can tell the way that they fly the wings off their Hawkeyes…we should all have that much conviction, tenacity and brass in our own lives regardless of what we do for a living.

.. ..

They are what Suck it up, Buttercup! is all about. It’s about taking what you get and making it Rock and Roll! It’s about pushing to the limits! It’s about pride in your workmanship! It’s about being the best at what you do and loving every second of it.

.. ..

As I watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, I can’t help but compare the Hawkeye Pilots to Olympians, and as I do, Olympians fall woefully short of accomplishing what these pilots have accomplished. There isn’t even a category for what they do…they are such an elite class of athlete scholar that the percentage of them is in the .0000000% of the world population. How’s that for elite?

.. ..

You know what is the most amazing thing? You would never know these guys and gals when you are out during the regular course of your day. At least where I live, these guys are mowing their lawns, watching a game, fixing their cars or even more impressive, hanging out with their kids. Where do these guys come from? I don’t know, but when I say “God Bless ....America....” what I am really saying is “Thank you God for Hawkeye Pilots!”

.. ..

Maybe it’s just me, but I think there is something terribly freakin’ cool about a high speed pass, 100 feet off the ground with the landing gear up, 200 feet in front of me…they just slip through the air with that unmistakable prop noise.

.. ..

By the way, if you know of a Hawkeye Pilot…go ahead and thank them for me from the bottom of my heart. We appreciate what you do (even if you do love it) it means a lot to me and my family.

.. ..

Rock on!

check out the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8o3F0ORR7Q

Go with the flow baby, go with the flow!

It's funny how the natural order of the world ebbs and flows in a rhythm as old as time as itself, but we as individuals think that we can be in the "flow" all the time without having an ebb...Furthermore, most of us (if I can be so bold to say so...) don't understand the implications or the importance of the ebb.

We cannot be going full blast all the time. To think that we can be going full blast all the time shows a lack of understanding of the laws of nature. The key here is to understand your own natural cycles in energy, that is to say that you need to understand your own ebb and flow. It would be nice to put it into a category of awake and sleep, but it is not so easy.



We have all heard of people who can stay up late, get very little sleep and work like a champ the next day. Then there are people that need their religious 8 hours of sleep per night. Either way, these people understand their cycles and make the most of them. The problem is that no two people are exactly the same. Unfortunately, we place ourselves in the context of our work lives and expect to be product Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm or some variation of that scheme. Then we recharge over the weekend and do it again.



Well, that presents a problem because we are not all alike. I find that I have productivity bursts from 9pm-11pm...I get so much done in that time that it is crazy. During that time, I am most creative with numbers and words...meaning, that if I have a spreadsheet that needs to be looked at or created then that is the time that I am thinking the clearest...Normally, that is also the time that I blog or return emails for the day as well.



I realized a few years ago that I am productive at times when others are resting, and sometimes I am ridiculously unproductive when others are at their nine-five job. I catch myself working at 11pm on the weekends sometimes...but it never feels like work. It feels like the most productive time to work and get things done...so I just go with the flow. Doing anytyhing else feels unnatural and feels like swimmng against the tide...as well it should feel like I am swimming against the tide, because figuratively speaking, I am.

The truth is that I don't have it down to a science, but I understand that science is indeed involved in my productivity. The beauty with email is that it allows me to work at my pace and at a time that is convenient to my particular energy cycles. It also allows me to work with other people who have cycles that are opposite to mine. Rather than toss a bunch of people into a room and tell them to work together for 40 hours a week from Monday through Friday from 9-5 pm, we get more work done than a vast majority of those people in a fraction of the time.

This is the new millenium and there are ways to make the best of technology, but it is lost on so many people. Technology has made their lives busier, but not necessarily more productive....It should be the other way around...technology should allow us to be more productive, as well as, less busy. If you find that you are busier but less productive, I would recommend you take a deeper look at the role technology plays in your life.

But, as always, I digress...the point is that we can use technology in alignment with our ebbs and flows to create predictable, or at least regular, periods of "Hyper Productivity." But in order to accomplish this you must be willing and able to reshape your thoughts on what work is and the role it plays in your life. If you think of your daily activities as your job, then none of this applies. But if you think of your work as your life's work and you love it and want to be as effective as possible, it may require you to take a different approach to your work and a deeper look at your own personal cycles.

I have experienced tremendous growth at times in my professional life and those periods may last for a few days or a few months, but I can go back and look at periods of tremendous progress and when I do that I see that most of my energy and forward progress came after the hours of 5pm...If I was a clock watcher, I never would have made that progress because my eyes would have been focused on the clock.

Consider the tidal situation...can you imagine how far you can swim when you are swimming with the tide during a tidal surge? Can you imagine how little energy it would take for you to go a very far distance? You could swim a very long way with minimal effort. By the same token, can you imagine how far you could swim if you were swimming against the tide with all your effort? Chances are that you would spend more time and energy and actually end up going backwards. Figuratively speaking, that is what you are doing when you don't know or understand your own cycles. Thus is stands to reason that if the tide is going out, you need to realize that you will be spinning your wheels and maybe the best thing to do is to sit back and go with the flow...be it in the ebb or the flow of your own energy cycle.

So suck it up Buttercup and go with the flow!

Rob

I get my back into my living!

Put your back into it!

Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

For anyone who watched the half time show of the Super Bowl, you had a rare opportunity to see The Who perform live in a mixed medley...There have been some wildly mixed reviews, but I thought it was a great performance. They started off a little rough, considering that they don't have the pipes that they used to have...but it was, in my humble opinion, transcendent.

It's amazing how a phrase or a tune can take you back in time to the place when you first heard a song...or remind you of people that you remember. For me, The Who will forever remind me of my first friend at Plymouth Area High School way back in the 80's...a great guy named Bill Farrell...he is no longer with us, but I was happy to be reminded of his friendship during the half time show...I know he would have loved it...Among other things, I miss you Bill and wish you could have seen it...

The other thing about The Who is their gritty lyrics...Baba O'Reilly..."Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals, I get my back into my living..." Wow! I think more people need to "get their back into their living!" It's an investment, not just of your time, but also your physical energy. Do you get your back into your living? Can you even relate? Or do you just collect a paycheck?

I don't know...there is just something about that line that is so personal, so granular. It gets down to the heart of the matter...are you putting in the effort? or just going through the motions. You know, going through the motions only hurts you in the long run. Getting your back into your living takes commitment, energy and passion, maybe even a little fear.

All I am saying is that hard work never killed anyone...it's good for the body, it's good for the soul and it is good for the mind. Put in an honest days work and enjoy the time you have off.

Anyway, I thought of that and wanted to pass it along...It's funny how many different ways you can incorporate the Suck it up, Buttercup! spirit into every day life.

Have a great day...Rob

Success looks like...

Success is a funny thing. There are too many iconic figures and things that many people define as successful. You know the old adage, the grass is always greener on the other side...

Well, I have met some one recently that has, what appears to be, a pretty amazing life. But you know what? I wouldn't trade my life for their bank account ever. You see, my life might not be perfect and it has its ups and downs, but that is what makes it uniquely mine...but I digress..

What does success look like? It looks like getting up and working out when there is no fan fare and nobody to coach you on and inspire you. It is the will to get up and go to work and look forward to going home to hang out with your kids. It is staying up late, really late with your sick child to make sure that he is ok. It' putting in the extra effort...it's putting forth your best effort, it's striving to be more, to know more, to be the most you can be...then again at other times it is a matter of being less...less egotistical, less involved...looking inward for answers rather than outward. It's finding peace within yourself and finding that you are worthy regardless of your bank account balance.

It's being comfortable in the lows as well as the highs. It's about maintaining integrity when the law says you don't have to have integrity. It is a constant gut check. It is having the courage to be true to you and to march to a different drum. Sometimes that means you may lose your job because of your beliefs, when other times it is an act of courage to stay on the job and endure.

Success is not something you achieve, it is something you do. It is not final, it is a process. It does not begin and it does not end, it just is. You are or you aren't successful, but only you can make that determination. To let anyone else make that decision is to let that person judge you and that is not a person who will allow you to be truly you. You cannot let the outside world dictate your success or the terms of your success, work towards something and be the sole judge as to whether you have hit your mark or not. Be the judge...but know what you are shooting for. When you let others define success for you, you are already starting down the wrong path.

Real success comes from defining your own path and following it (ok, so this is my definition...don't let me influence your idea of success) regardless of what your family thinks. You have to do what you are and be true to your nature...anything else is the sign of a false entity...


Be true to you. Persevere with gratitude.

Rob

Perspective

You can always tell when you are talking to someone who embodies the Suck it up, Buttercup! spirit in the way that they talk. Just today I overheard someone putting things into perspective and I was so impressed that I had to share it with you in this blog.

Here I am in Virginia Beach, we have had two snow storms over the past 10 days and the temperature has barely risen above freezing for the last 2 weeks. Keep in mind that we are supposed to get snow tomorrow as well. For those of you who get snow on a regular basis, keep in mind that we can go 10 years without seeing a snowflake!

So while I was passing by two people talking at the grocery store, I heard one of the guys complain about the snow and cold weather...I just wanted to vomit. You would have thought that mother nature herself was plotting against this guy...He's what I like to call a "Victim." Those are people that take everything personal from a simple "hello" to a snowstorm. How do these people live? Their lives must be miserable...so, just when I was about to give up all hope, the guy he was talking to said those magic words (no, not SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP!) he said, "look at the bright side..." That's a phrase that always gets my attention. I lingered just long enough to hear him say, "...next month is Spring!" That's what I'm talkin' about! A positive spin...putting things into perspective.

You know, the funny thing is they were both right, the weather is miserable outside, and next month is indeed Spring! It was a simple demonstration of the differences between winners and losers!

Next time you hear yourself complaining, find a different perspective to view your situation from and move on...nobody likes a perpetual victim.

Rob

Who Dat?!

Who Dat?

Current mood: inspired

New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl Champs! Can you believe it?!!

Talk about Suck it up, Buttercup! Talk about pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and getting your ducks in a row...Here is a team that hasn't ever been to the Super Bowl...Here is a team that has only won two playoff games in the last 43 years...and they have won 3 in this post season including the most elusive win of them all.

Everybody had the same sentiment when asked who was going to win the Super Bowl. Everyone had the same answer..."We want the Saints to win, but we know the Colts will win!" How wrong were all of us! This is as good as it gets without your own team winning.

Never mind the fact that the city was devastated in 1995...Drew Brees was cut from San Diego and nobody was giving him a real shot at success. Nobody, that is, except the New Orleans Saints! He overcame serious, potentially career ending injuries...and stayed in the game, mentally not just physically..That's what suck it up buttercup is all about...Perseverance baby, perseverance!

I mean really, they were playing the mighty, mighty Colts with the UNSTOPPABLE Manning! Did they really think that they could win? Apparently so! Apparently so, INDEED! This team had something special at the beginning of the season, you could see their momentum building week after week. They played with passion, they played with power and they were having fun. They played with conviction and they believed in themselves when very few people outside of New Orleans did. But it was something special to witness. They have been building momentum over the past few years, but nobody was really paying attention. And that is how it happens, when you finally realize that they have been building a head of steam for the past 48 months, it is woefully too late and if you are the Colts, you find yourself on the losing side of the Super Bowl score!


Congratulations Drew Brees and the Saints!!! You deserve it and are an inspiration to a Nation! ROCK ON!

Rob

Improbable Suck it up Story

Hurricane Katrina...August 2005...The city of New Orleans is left in shambles. The Super Dome is severely damaged as well...The city, the people and the atmosphere is full of devastation and destruction.

Fast forward to February 2010...The New Orleans Saints are going to the Super Bowl and will be playing the Colts at a time when Peyton Manning is at a point in his career when he is playing out of his mind. Since this is a Suck it up, Buttercup! story, we are going to focus on the Saints and more importantly the role that Drew Brees.

I will be honest with you, I am not a lifetime Saints fan, but from the start of this year I have been fascinated with Drew Brees. It's not as if he is the biggest guy on the team or that he is the most athletic. In fact, San Diego cut him a few years back. First of all, any time that a player can get cut and dropped from a team and stay on top of his game...actually improve his game...all of that is impressive enough, but something else impresses me even more. Drew has become (apparently) the emotional leader of this team.

I don't want to gloss over the fact that the guy is a passing fool. He is on fire and he is peaking at a time that couldn't be better. All that aside, this is a guy who is having the time of his life. He loves what he does and it shows. He is not only good at what he does, but he is having fun and he is fired up! That is a dangerous mix when you are opposing them in the Super Bowl. Yes, we all know about Peyton and his resume, but the Saints are dangerous if for no other reason that a little guy named Drew Brees who is having a blast.

He is a leader in that he gets his team fired up and ready to play the game. He is the heartbeat of the team...and that translates into the heartbeat of a city and millions of people...I want to be like that, I want to be like Drew Brees...If I was a betting man, I would bet on the Colts...but you know what...My heart and soul wants to see the Saints go and kick butt...It is a Suck it up, Buttercup! kind of Super Bowl.

I want to see Drew Brees take his boys and get them fired up!!!! It's an awesome thing to see and I would like to see it one more time!

GO SAINTS AND WHO DAT NATION!

Suck it up, Buttercup!

Rob

A Magnet Called Gratitude

There are some people out there that seem to have all the luck. Then there are others who seem to be perpetually in bad spirits. I have studied successful people and attitudes for the better part of 20 years...maybe not from an academic point of view, but definitely as an interested third party and I have made some startling observations.

First of all, I am continually amazed at how grateful many successful people are. With gratitude comes humility and appreciation. This humility is not the self deprecating kind, but rather a sincere appreciation for the opportunities that have been presented and the gifts that have been bestowed upon those people. This genuine appreciation and gratitude seem to have the effect of a powerful magnet.

As far as I can tell, here's how it works. Let's say that you are completely grateful for your job. I don't care what the job is, let's just say that you are grateful for it...You may be grateful that you have a job at all, and that you are able to sustain a good life for your family. You may be grateful that you have work that you enjoy and for those folks that you work with and get to meet on a daily basis. If you are that person, you probably enjoy your trip to work in the morning, and you are probably more likely to say hello to your fellow workers and furthermore, take on more responsibilities at work. Hence, you gain more responsibility which ultimately leads to more income for you and your family and your success begets success.

On the other hand, let's say that you are not grateful for your job and you despise the ride to work every morning. You are pissed off when you get to work and resent the work that you have to do. You take every opportunity to avoid work and responsibility for that matter and can't get out of work quick enough. Ironically enough, you are not necessarily happy with your home life either (which is a topic for another day) Chances are that you are not going to attract many good things to your situation in your work life, because you aren't grateful for the few things you do have going for you.

As you appreciate things and are grateful, so expand the gifts and blessings in your life. The more grateful, genuinely grateful you are, the more that seems to come to you. I think that gratitude is one of the most under rated feelings that we can control. It is completely up to us whether or not we are grateful or not. That being said, it is under our own control to attract or repel more blessings and gifts to our own lives.

Do you have the magnet of gratitude?

Think about it...Rob

Rock Bottom

It seems there is a correlation that always been there, but that I have just made. Very specifically, that is the correlation between hitting rock bottom and building a solid foundation.

As with anything, the stability of your building relies completely on the foundation. This holds for the physical world as well as the philosophical. Well, many people understand the principles that allow great buildings to be constructed, but when it comes to their own lives they forget about all their intrinsic knowledge of foundations and go to work creating worlds and dreams based on weak foundations.

How do I know this? Because I am the king of building weak foundations. I have done it before and I will probably do it again. A funny thing happens though as you go through this amazing life...eventually and inevitably, you are going to hit rock bottom. We have all heard about this "rock bottom" indeed many great works of literature and film have been created around the rise and fall, then the rise from the fall.

It is a human condition that we cannot escape. Some of us, not me, are able to avoid hitting rock bottom until their death bed. Others hit it at an early age, but make no mistake about it, we all hit it at some point in our lives. Some of us, me included, have had the unique opportunity to hit rock bottom more than once. For this I suppose that I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but never-the-less, it happens.

From this twisting and painful experience we are afforded the opportunity to rebuild from scratch. We are afforded the opportunity to create a more solid foundation than the one before and build higher and more stable futures. Unfortunately it is a natural occurrence that is a pre-requisite for building a strong future, or building, or family, or company...we must start from a solid foundation...so when you are at rock bottom, just think to yourself that you are at a great place to lay a solid foundation.

Keep the faith...Rob

It's easy when its easy!

It's easy when it's easy...WHAT?!

When things are going great, it is easy to feel good about everything going on and it is easy to stay positive. That's why I always say that the internal barometer of a person is best seen when they are struggling.

You see, we all hit the highs and the lows, but it is easier to see what kind of internal fortitude people possess when things aren't going their way. Are they still nice people? Do they treat their spouse with love and respect, or do they become absolute jerks? Some people believe that they will become great benefactors of the human race when they make it big...but in the mean time, they are just going to be self-centered until they get to the top...Here is a newsflash for you, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

If you are a jerk, you will just be a bigger jerk when you have fame and fortune...money, power and fame make you more of what you, intrinsically, are. That means if you are a great person without money, you will probably go on to be a great person with money....

But I digress (a little.) Let's face it, we are facing some pretty tough times right now on a lot of levels. Look around to see how those around you are weathering the storm. Take a look at yourself and see how you are handling all of the pressures facing us as individuals and furthermore as a nation. Now more than ever we need to look inside ourselves to find out what we are really made of. Consider these trying times a gift to find ourselves, or rather the center of ourselves. Up to this point, very few of us have ever had to take stock of who we are and where we are headed. Now, we have that opportunity...yes, opportunity. Be thankful for it.

So, our plans are not as solid as we may have thought and our reality has been shaken over the past 2 years. I submit to you that it may get worse before it gets better. Take time to figure out what is really important to you and what is not. I am not here to tell you what you should have as your top priority...only you can know that, but at the very least, take a look inside to see what is going on inside of you every once in a while. That way, it will be much easier when it is easy and it won't be so hard the next time it's hard.

...and that is the spirit of Suck it up, Buttercup!

Rob

Perseverance and Gratitude

You know, at face value, most people think that Suck it up, Buttercup! Is all about the sarcasm…I must admit that it is easy to make that assumption. But honestly it has a lot more to do with the fact that success in the new millennium has to do with perseverance and gratitude. This is lost on so many people today…the only thing that I can attribute that to is a sense of entitlement…

You see, so many people think that they are entitled to the best that life has to offer that they aren’t willing to work for it, nor are they grateful for the opportunities that they have in their lives.

There is one person in particular whom I had the chance to personally interview for a magazine that really put things into perspective; Kendra Todd. I was impressed with her humble and grateful nature from the beginning of the interview. It was well over a year ago, but I still remember a sense of overflowing gratitude.

Think about it for a second, if you aren’t grateful for your job, do you think you are going to do your best? If you aren’t grateful for your job, do you think your boss can sense it? Or your co-workers, or clients?

Suck it up, Buttercup! Is not just a sarcastic remark, it is a lifelong case study of perseverance and gratitude. Kendra Todd fits that model of success and I think a lot of us can learn from her attitude. Be grateful and persevere!

Rob
###

MindSet

Suck it up, Buttercup! is not so much something we should say to other people as much as we need to say it to ourselves. It's a kind of mindset that operates under the premise that nobody wants to hear our sob story because everyone has one.

Seriously, look around, everyone is going through a tough time right now. No matter how bad you think you have it, it pales in comparison to what the people of Haiti are going through. Just when you think you have it bad, just realize it could always be much, much worse. When you think of all the people in the world that live with out running water or a roof over their head...then you have to realize that you are being petty and weak. Suck it up, Buttercup! things could be worse.

Regardless of where you are in life or what you have accomplished, today is the day you start off on the right foot. Things aren't going to change overnight, they are going to change only after a long, steady, consistent effort. It isn't going to happen as you walk out the front door...it is gong to take some time. Furthermore, if you can't see the good that is going on all around you, then you are never going to see it.

Part of the miracle of success is recognizing the small opportunities to acknowledge the good that is going on in the world and on your front door step. You have to recognize and seize those little opportunities to live richly and make a difference at the most basic level. If you can't do that at a basic level, then you won't be able to do it at an elevated level. It is at the moment that you realize the little things are important that you realize the little things are in fact, the elevated level. There are those who are waiting around for a big event to happen so that they can be all that they can be, but that big event never materializes and then they realize they have been shunning people in their lives that are truly important...unfortunately, they realize this too late because they have been stuck in their own drama...that is the definition of a tragic life...living only for yourself and not bringing value to anyone else.

For that I say...suck it up, Buttercup! get over yourself!

Rob

Bubble Burst

Ok, so the economy is in the tank and everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. At this point who the hell cares whose fault it is. Can you imagine...(no I won't break out into song with Yoko on this one..) but can you imagine 300 million Americans holding themselves accountable for their actions? Whoa! That would be cool!

(AINT GONNA HAPPEN!) Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. But even if a small group, say a couple of hundred thousand were able to get just pissed off enough to see that they are responsible for the happiness or misery in their lives, the world would be that much better.

Too many litigious people running around expecting the world to be given to them...well, it just doesn't happen like that. And if you know anything about the economy, you will know that it is going to get worse before it gets better, so you better get a plan if you aren't on one already.

Yup, we all need to suck it up a little bit more than we probably ever had to in the past. You may even want to get rid of those credit cards and start living below your means so that you can actually retire someday.

In the mean time, don't forget that part of your success is the amount of gratitude that you have in your life. Are you grateful to be in the job you are in? In the industry that you are in? In the country in which you live? If not, then make a change...This is the new millennium, we all have choices...that's it for the moment.

Suck it up, Buttercup!

Rob