My Eyes are Grateful

In an effort to describe the feelings that arise from the time our eyes have met would mean to die and come back with your second breath

No, my mind has not been forsaken to darkened planes and hopeless being

It is simply this feeling

How amazing!!

To feel such passion for another,
Lacking the reciprocation yes,
but a gift is to be cherished.
To receive is not an expectation

Yes, her sight blazes the very essence of my spirit that flows like a vicious stream down the falls

But what scares me most is that I thought it could endure such a blow, yet her charm melts me as snow in a summers glance with just a smile, bestow

Alas, if I am to die, I'd rather die happy than remain not to ever know such beauty

You bid me farewell as your admirer

as if it was your duty

Overqualified: The Oxymoronic Myth of the Working Man.

Have you ever tried finding a job? If you're lucky you won't have to look too long, but it seems that now days, you have to watch how you are presented to an employer. This is the age of the self made and, yet, so many of us are still swimming in shark infested waters trying to get a piece of the proverbial pie. In any given moment, our lifeline could get pulled at any time with the remark of, "well, we may not be what you're looking for." I.E. "We don't want to pay you that much." It amazes me that so many companies are searching for quality, yet only think quantity. Let me explain what I mean.

I'm an entrepreneur looking for a job in today's market. Yes, just as Michael Jordan tried to hit a home run, I realized this isn't for me. Yet, it took this situation to get it through my head. I recently went through a two week ordeal with a local gym owner who, himself, was an entrepreneur. I saw that he was looking for a Membership Sales Director for his gym and the pay was within the $24-$27k/year range so I applied. Naturally, I got a call immediately given the extent experience my resume showed. We marveled in hour long discussions regarding business, customers, marketing strategies and so forth which, in all honesty, I loved yet felt I was short changing myself by giving away all of my insight for free. If Tony Robbins can charge his rate for his insight, why can't I? Right? Well .... Maybe that was a bad example. However! What did the Joker say? "If you're good at something, never do it for free!". Better example.

This particular gym owner informed me that he was so impressed with my knowledge and experience that he decided he wanted to actually create a position specifically for me. Think of Boss/Leader all rolled into one. I was to help with: Marketing/Events, Promo, Sales, Personal Training and bringing value to the brand and emphasizing the experience. Now, I'm not against working but I wasn't interested in working for cheap either. I've had the pleasure of working with a different gym owner and his lovely wife who understood supply and demand a little better than the latter. (To which I am incredibly sorry I let him and his wife down. I wasn't in the right head space for that job and I wish things had went differently, but the experience was worth its weight in golden knowledge. And for that, I thank you.)

So, after he went as far as to say I was the most qualified individual he had spoken to regarding employment, like symphony of hesitancy, his tone changed dramatically when we got to discussing compensation. In case you didn't know, the fitness industry is shifting it's payments from lump sums to monthly drafts from your account. Which means the gyms don't get that huge sum of money monthly from PT. So the pay scale changed a lot for management. Now, keep in mind, before we mentioned pay, I DID apply for a job that pays in the ballpark of $24-$27k a year. I simply stated I wanted a consistent salary that is negotiable(within his range) and I wasn't interested in bonuses/commissions, etc etc. He was startled at this, but with a lot of doubt in his voice, he let me know that he didn't know if that would work. 

So fast forward a few days, they ask me to "Secret Shop" their class to offer my opinion (I do know people get paid for this job). I agree, and oblige the G.M. with my thoughts and feelings regarding the class. Ironically, this convo turns into another interview for this Hybrid position that doesn't even exist. After explainimg the details of my past experiences, the previous job offers I've been given and offered and turned down, we end the convo with a conversation regarding boxing, sports etc. Not even 6 hours pass and I get a phone call from said G.M. informing me they will NOT be hiring me and will be looking for someone else due to the ASSUMED financial offers been given to me by other potential Assistant Manager and Fitness Manager jobs that I've turned down in the past. It actually came down to not wanting to pay me a non disclosed, non-negotiated compensation which they NEVER offered me.

I was left dumbfounded, yet understand this reason in entirely. There was also a Dr in Dallas who wanted me to help him with marketing, work his front desk, help sell a new age remedy of therapy for his office yet only wanted to pay me a very insufficient amount(nothing one could live off of) with the reasoning of, "you don't have enough office experience for me to pay you more." So, in short,

EMPLOYERS WANT "QUALITY" EMPLOYEES YET REFUSE TO PAY THEM A QUALITY PAY RATE.

All I can say for your company, is that you get exactly what you pay for. Employers and customers alike.

As I've been saying, this is the age of the self made.  We as working men and women have been given a choice and the line was drawn in the sand long ago. Either make your own future, or work to make someone else's future. I have found a new fortune in having faith, not only in myself but faith in the universe/divine/god or whatever you believe in. Education is soon being discovered in long conversations with intelligent individuals as well as archives and in the shelves of libraries and your traditional 4 year diploma is soon going to be worth only the price of the paper it is printed on.

Success at Rock Bottom: Influence When It's MOST Needed

What's that age old saying? The one people always tell themselves when things aren't going bad?

"Money isn't everything."

Yeah, sure. Money isn't everything but it's a lot easier to be in bad mood with some serious cash sitting in your bank account than it is when you're flat bloke. In fact, EVERYTHING is much easier to deal with when you can look at your bank account and it looks like a phone number.

But what if you DIDN'T have that? (Which most of us are there anyways, so we can all relate) What do you think the most important thing is to have when you've hit rock bottom? I.E.

• You're flat broke and can't even buy food
• Your self esteem is totally shattered 
• You don't have a friend who's willing to lend a hand (Seriously, who hasn't been in that situation)
• You have no job
• You feel completely alone and isolated

Congratulations, you've reached Rock Bottom. The real Boulevard of Broken Dreams where Heartbreak Hotel houses more potential ideas than a cemetery. What do you do now? How can I get out of here?? How did this happen? (This is the most common question)

Every single successful individual regardless if you're thinking of: Churchill, Schwarzenegger, Cardone, Gates or Jobs, has walked a path in their lifetime and discovered they have come to a crossroads. Something they had acted like a "Map" and that something took them to where they were now. (No, it wasn't money)

They had a vision. A vision that led them exactly where they needed to be. With that vision they had a purpose which acted as a flashlight to keep them focused on their vision. Apart from the latter, they had something as unique as the previous. They had MOTIVATION!! I'm here to help you find your tools to success. (Aren't you glad this wasn't another boring blog relative to some 10 step program or a spiel for Advocare?) 

To me Motivation, Purpose and Vision are the only three things you need to achieve absolutely anything you have ever wanted to earn. Notice the key word, EARN. I am here to help you. Not give you all the answers, but to purpose you analyze the questions proposed to you so you may find your own personal map, flashlight and unique drive to achieve something because I assure you that Arnold didn't have the same vision, purpose and motivation as Jobs or Churchill did.

Vision::

We are visual beings. Perception is everything and, unfortunately, that works against us. We take what we see too seriously and thus shape our existence around it and accept it. That's why the broke stay poor and the rich stay rich. You have to be so mentally strong that you must undo all of your upbringing to believe and accept what you see as reality. You MUST force your mind, body and spirit to refuse to accept where you are and believe you are going somewhere better and you DESERVE it. If you don't already have a vision in your mind of where you see yourself and what you see yourself doing, you must write it down. You MUST write it down until it is chiseled into your subconscious and that is all you think about. Your vision will soon become your obsession and, only until it's an obsession, it will become a reality. 

Purpose::

Were you really meant to be here to tuck yourself in a cheap suit jacket, sit in a cubicle all day and pay bills until you finally die? Were you really meant to slave away for 50 years until you are finally able to live but are too old and far gone to even enjoy it? Far too many of us are going through the motions in life with NO PURPOSE! It's a ball and chain that's wearing your soul down and stifling your flight. We were all born to do SOMETHING special and unique because, like life, nothing, "Just Happens." You don't just happen to be a good painter, a good writer, a good designer, a good whatever you are. We each have a calling and to discover that is to discover what your purpose here in life is. It's not to just life, it's not to work your entire life, it's not to conform or comply. We have been raised to conform, comply and go along with the heard. This is the generation of the Self Made man (and woman, of course) and it's becoming more and more apparent. What do you love to do? What are you good at? Got it? Good, you have found your purpose. Let it guide you to your success via your vision.

MOTIVATION::

Let's face it, money's nice. Car's are nice. Flashy stuff is cute but it's worthless. It literally pales in comparison to the value of having motivation to pursue what truly makes you happy and what your true calling is for. What makes motivation so valuable?? Because no matter what you purchase in your life, you can never BUY motivation. Motivation is that fire that burns inside you to go an extra mile, work an extra hour or put that extra project on your plate. Some people love to say they have it, but when things start going against them, they lose it. Which , in my book, means they never had it in the first place. Truly having motivation is having the ability to continue the pursuit even if you had no logical reason to. Your excuses aren't a logical reason, that's just you being a bitch. Logical reasons are them saying, "You're working out for a show? you aren't ready and you may not even place buddy." and you replying, "Doesn't matter if I place or not, I'm still going to try and I'll be even more prepared for the next one." 

Them: "Hey bud, it's quitting time! Why are you still here?"

You: "I wanted to get a head start on this project and stay ahead of the game. This is really important to me and my career"

Them: "You'll never make it as a writer"

You: "Oh? Watch me."

If you aren't so pumped by the end of this then I don't know what to tell you! That was awesome!! I'm ready to go hit the weights again! Walk the dogs, AGAIN! Write , AGAIN! Everything again but bigger and better! Bottom line, stop being such a bitch and take a hold of your life with BOTH hands and own it! You only get one so you might as well life this one up ! If not, you'll end up working, buying or investing into someone's passion who did live it up and , for that, we thank you 

Gym Bunnies and Gym Dummies

Here we are late in February and as the lights go out , so do the resolutioners. Flying out of the gym as fast as they flew in with a different outlook on what working out is all about.

We in the gym applaud your ambition to try and we know we will see you again next year. This , however, is about the leftovers. The type of gym personalities that tend to ruin the vibe for those who are here to try and those who are here to stay.

To the Gym Bunnies and Gym Dummies , please do the rest of us a favor and go back to the bars and leave the dumbbells alone.

Let's break down who I'm talking about:

Gym Walkers aka Gym Bunnies:  These are an astounding creature of attention. Usually dresses in a full LuLu Lemon, Under Armor or Victoria Secret attire.  They're the desperate housewives / attention whores who wear the bear minimal of the tightest clothing while parading around the most male occupied area to find a single 5lbs dumbell and proceed to "Squat " with it in the middle of the gym. Other characteristics of her include:

- Taking selfies w/ duck lips
- Gloves matches attire
- More cleavage than a porn star would have
- Saying, "OMG" 20 times in a sentence
- Fixing her hair in the gym mirrors
- texting/tweeting/facebooking constantly
-iPod matches her workout attire
- Constantly looking for something / lost

No matter what they weather may be, she's always hot on the prowl for some form of attention that, by her disgusted look on her face, she claims to have never wanted in the first place.

You'll notice she will always have her make up set and ready to go for an evening out after the gym so her hair is either flawless in a headband or flawless in general and they're rarely ever sweat.

Be weary of this cougar for you're looking for a night of fun but a long search of a new gym when her husband comes calling .

Gym Dummies:

The male version of Gym Bunnies. These strange forms can be found by the following characteristics:

- Extremely tight tops
- Peg Legs aka Chicken Legs
- Heavy smell of cologne
- Have been known to wear sunglasses inside the gym
- Grunt loudly whilst handling the lightest of weights
- Color Coordination of gym attire
- Gives "workout advice" to the women
- Flexes what he hopes is a bicep and abs in the gym mirrors
-Wears workout gloves (seriously)
- does 3 sets of selfies

A queer and confused being, this gym dummy ended up in the wrong club by means of narcissism and arrogance. Hopefully alluring the girls in the gym to feel on his "pipes" and get their number for a smoothie later.

Avoid this creature at all costs or you may find yourself locked in a verbal Full Nelson w/ the gym dummies!!!!

A gym is a place we are to work and improve and progress. If you want to socialize, go to the bar for happy hour or start a Match.com account. People who are uncomfortable with the gym environment usually are because of these types of gym personalities. All your doing is taking up gym equipment and oxygen.