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LEARNING JANUARY 2008
LEARNING JANUARY 2008 - Archive What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday January 31 2008 I'm in limbo at my parents house as I am readying a flight from Buffalo NY to Fort Lauderdale Florida. I'm going on a vacation for the first time in almost 3 years with my entire extended family. It's an anniversary of some sort -- I really don't pay attention to these things, but all I know is that I'm going on a Caribbean Cruise as my ticket, passport etc.. is all taken care of. I am looking forward to turning off my mind for a couple of days and recharging myself for another 3 years. I really don't like vacations that much as I enjoy working so much, but this couldn't come at a better time. I am burned out, it's that simple. There is that fear I have of relaxing though. Last time I was on vacation it drove me crazy and my addictions (drugs, alcohol) of my past started creeping up on me. But I do know that I have to learn the art of relaxation for the betterment of myself and my mind. I'll be with my family (sisters, parents, nieces and nephew) for about 10 days -- the longest time in over 8 years I'll be with them for so long. I'm scared of that more than anything because I really think this vacation will make our relationships stronger or it will push us all away even more. Stay tuned! What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday January 30 2008 I am going away and I have to get everything done. I can't get a hold of someone I desperately need to get a hold of and it's driving me crazy. I learned yesterday that I can only obsess about the things that I can control myself. I love to control situations but I am not Yoda and I can use the force and just get things done myself. These are hard things to overcome and PATIENCE is needed. And I obviously haven't mastered the art of patience yet. I just hope I do one day as the emotion of frustration is a tad destructive on the body. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday January 29 2008 I just sat down in the morning in from of the computer and didn't stop working for 17 hours. Great feeling because I brought down everything on my to do list and my entire email bag (which is always full of emails and I can never catch up) was completely empty. Sometimes you just need to roll up the sleeves and get rid of all that crap in order to feel alive again. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday January 28 2008 Radio show #2 in the bag. We improved about 40% from the first show. And if we keep improving that rapidly, then we're headed for greatness. I learned yesterday that when you put the right team together, all you have to do is worry about your own job because you know the rest of the team will worry about their jobs and get better themselves. Then all I have to do is worry about me and that's a good feeling. What I Learned Yesterday - Saturday/Sunday January 26-27 2008 TOP 10 Most Important Things I Learned this week: 10. I have a lot to learn and the things I need to learn can't come fast enough. But I do know what I need to learn so that is 80% of the battle. 9. Any time I have fear or insecurity (and don't we all have a bit of these emotions at least once a day), I need to talk about my feelings to someone or else it will rot inside of me forever. The trick is to talk through those feelings and have someone talk through their feelings with you -- then all of a sudden you learn a whole lot more about yourself and the world. 8. From age 3 to the present - I remember every single negative remark someone said about me. And there's been a lot! It's my mission to throw that shit back into all of their faces and if it takes to age 100 to do it, then I'll live that long to get it done. It's what drives me. 7. WANTED: WINNERS! Time for me and the rest of the world to begin to be a Winner and stop being such losers. 6. There's a difference in life between a you problem and a society problem. I want to help the world become a better place and everyone who lives in it -- but sometimes the people who are looking for handouts should really help themselves instead of looking for others to help them. That may seem like a right-sided statement to make, but I am a liberal. I just think that we all need to step up to make things better instead of bitching about all the problems in the world and all the problems with our so called leaders. 5. We always get our chance to do what we love to do. It always happens. The trick is to always be prepared for those opportunities. 4. Instincts. It's all about our instincts. I like to follow them more than question them. 3. I believe what I believe and I know most people don't believe what I believe. But that will never change me. I like to think I really know what I'm doing. And that's what makes me crazy and that's what makes me sane. 2. People baffle me. But I love them so much. 1. If I don't succeed all of my goals in my lifetime, so be it. But I have a feeling I'm going to. What I Learned Yesterday - Friday January 25 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': Film Festival Night last night. Successful night as it was a sold out evening. I learned that the marketing I'm doing is right on but I need to keep pushing. I know my personality is either going to make me or break me. All I ever see is how we can be better as I ignore the good things. This is how I've always been. But I know that life is about balance. I am a big fan of QB Tom Brady who is probably the greatest athlete of this generation. He was talking about one of his old coaches and mentors: "If we had a good day at practice, he always said that we did good but we can do better. If we had a bad day at practice, he always said that we didn't have a good day so we need to be better. But he was never negative no matter what." It's always about being better but the trick is to stay in balance while you get better. There's always room for improvement in life but it can't control you. Because if it does, you will go mad. What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday January 24 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': It's all about pushing yourself to be the best. That's all I understand in this life that I live. I demand to be the best out of myself. I learned yesterday that's the top of the pyramid in my life and if I try to get the best out of myself, then things will slide down in the most positive way possible. What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday January 23 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I had a conflict yesterday. Someone was talking to me about their passion project to help the world become a better place. She was preaching about the wrongs in our society when it comes to food supply etc... and was doing something about it. I loved her passion but I knew what she was talking about is doomed for failure. She's an idealist who has many great things to say and some terrific ideas - but she just doesn't realize how the system really works. We live in a society that's in the midst of being driven by a freight train that's become so gigantic, it now would take about 2 miles for it to stop. We're in a maddening time because so many things have been set up that are impossible to stop. So this passionate lady wants to stop this train. But it can't be stopped and I feel bad because I know her current projects are doomed to failure. The only thing I can do in these situations is be honest and explain to someone how a practical way for change can happen. I love idealists because they see the beauty and ugliness in the world at such a high level. Problem is they forget the practicals when they set out to achieve their passions. It's the conflict I have and I guess the world has too. We're stuck in a madness of practicals so the idealists are handcuffed with nothing to do. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday January 22 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I'm planning ahead for my first vacation in over 2 years. I know that rest will begin soon so I can push myself as hard as possible until that day arrives. I'm scared of vacations. I am afraid my brain will turn into mush if I take some time off. Plus I'm not the type of guy who likes to sit on a beach or poolside doing nothing at all. But it's my time to catch up on my reading and reflect on the madness of the last 2+ years when I did take a vacation. I am trying to get ready for it. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday January 21 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': First Radio Show So I began a new chapter in my life yesterday as we completed our first radio show. Clips will be presented throughout our website on the many interview segments we conducted and will conduct in the upcoming weeks, months and perhaps years. I have begun many projects in my lifetime and through these experiences I can now tell when things have a long term future or if I need to abort and start something new. And this radio show has a long term future that will be a success. We made many mistakes and have a lot of adjustments to make, which always happens in new beginnings. I couldn't walk for the first 17 months of my existence, but I eventually learned how to run fast -- and that is exactly what will happen with the radio show. We're just figuring out how to crawl so we can learn how to run later on. So I feel optimistic. This is all part of my plan for this website and we're a bit ahead of schedule. BUT when these leaps happen for me, for some reason -- and this has happened my entire life -- I get really depressed! I think part of the reason I get depressed is because my brain goes into overdrive and I don't know how to control it. It's like an assembly line loaded with products (ideas) that's running too fast for the workers (me). So it shuts down due to lack of manpower (my energy level). I must learn to control my ideas and feelings so this crash of depression doesn't happen. I have no answers right now but I learned the big question that does need to be figured out. What I Learned Yesterday - Saturday/Sunday January 19/20 2008 10. I still hate the movie 'Cloverfield after 48 hours of reflection and it's my mission in life to make sure that the kids don't get brainwashed anymore from this shit. We need substance! 9. I'm in the early stages of my 30's and I seem so far away from people who are in their late teens/early 20's. This got me depressed for about 10 minutes when I realized that when I was in my late teens/early 20's I had no understanding of this age group either. So I'm always far away. 8. It's my mission in the first two months of the year to master the understanding of Radio -- and what it takes to be successful. 7. If I don't write down a to do list in the morning - I'm completely lost in my day. 6. In order to have an absolute belief you must accept and understand the exact opposite belief. 5. I love a lot of my life as I've gone up the ladder I am reminded of all the fun things that have happened to me -- and I never, ever would want to go back in a million years. 4. I am an extremely competitive person. This will either make or break me in life. Perhaps a combination of both. 3. I hate commercials, especially movie trailers. I have now mastered the art of not paying attention when they are on. 2. The more I think about it, the more I realize that we're in the midst of a very magical time in man's evolution. 1. Football season is almost over. And that really sucks. What I Learned Yesterday - Friday January 18 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I spent the entire day at the movies yesterday. I saw a bunch of films and the one that disturbed me the most was the film 'Cloverfield'. The reason is because I really disliked this movie and I never like to say that about any film because I know the hard work it takes to actually make one. But this film just seemed a tad too cookie cutter for me. Meaning that it was written strickly for the main film target audience (18-24) and any rational person knows that there is absolutely no logic behind this film at all. I hate to sound like a jackass but from the dialogue, to the logic of the camera gimmick they used, to the absolutely strange characters they invented (they had lives, jobs and living arrangements like a middle aged person would, except they were in their early 20's) -- this movie left my head scratching. The reason was because I also knew that this movie would be a big hit and a lot of people would love it. I was left with a moment of depression at the end of the day. The first I've had in almost 7 months -- because I just think that people are being manipulated and I have to put a stop to it. There's no way a non-brainwashed person would like this film. OR I'm just a dumbass snob that overthinks things when I don't understand something. WILDsound's movie reviewer Eli Manning has taken a lot of heat for his review of this film on our site as he ripped it! No other review in the past 12 hours has been given more flake than Cloverfield. I don't despise it as much as him --- or maybe I do. And I hate myself for hating something so much. I don't like the word hate because it's an emotion that triggers feelings that are not good for me and the world. But I can't help myself to hate this film because I know the creative team is pulling a fast one on the audience. Or I've gone down that road of snobville! So I learned yesterday that feeling of hate is an emotion so strong and you feel that emotion because something in your inner integrity is being compromised so much, you can help but feel so angry about it. OR you hate something because there's something inside about that thing you hate that reminds you of what you hate about yourself. AND you must figure out which one it is right away. What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday January 17 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I am realizing that the feelings I have are more important than actual logic. And that's a scary thing because all my life I was taught by people to stick with the facts and the answers will come. I am learning it's my instincts that I must trust the most. What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday January 16 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': A Sense of Accomplishment I've started a hobby in 1987 that I still continue to do. It's the only streamline I've had in that entire time. Even during the times when I was a drunken lout, I've still continued to do this hobby. I've beeen though a lot in 20 years but this hobby has stayed with me the entire time. I like to edit professional sporting events -- classic games, Super Bowls, World Series etc... into my own personal ball of fun. These tapes and future disks are for my viewing pleasure as they've been edited according to my personal tastes at the time I did it. I started doing this when I was a kid because it was a lot of fun. I never knew that this would lead to a lot of great practice for my future filmmaking career -- testing patterns of pacing, conflict and storytelling. I just did it because it took me away from all the things I thought was pointless or didn't like -- like school! I just realized yesterday that having this sense of continuing accomplishment is such a great thing for my overall confidence. There are people I know who did really well in school, getting straight A's all the way to graduating from University. They felt proud to achieve at such a high level and it gave them a lot of confidence. I personally never got even close to hitting the 'A' mark so I never knew that feeling. I just liked to hang out with the ones that did. But I realized that my editing collection is the same feeling of accomplishment. The only difference was that it wasn't recognized by anyone except for myself. And I probably learned just as much - style, math, geography, physics -- just to name a few things I happened to pick up doing this collection. This hobby will always be just my own as that's what hobbies are, but I never truly realized the learning curves I've formed by doing this hobby I do. I've accomplished a lot and accomplishment of any sort just makes you a better person because it gives you confidence. And confidence pushes you do achieve whatever you want to set out to do. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday January 15 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I've spend the first two weeks of the new year trying to get completely organized. And I'm actually proud of myself for the first time in a long while because I've completely caught up. It seemed that for the entire year of 2007 I was behind the 8-ball and could never catch up. Now I'm caught up and my brain feels completely free. Organizing, Organizing, Organizing = Creative mastery! I'm just feeling very open now -- like I'm ready to take a gigantic leap onto mankind. And it's just those small little steps that make it happen. I wished I learned this years ago. But I guess I finally learned it. Just get totally organized and many things open up. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday January 14 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': Enthusiasm The best way to lead is enthusiasm. Just show people you love what you're doing and how much fun you're having. People want to be a part of something -- ALWAYS -- when a good time is happening. If you show people that this is how you're gaining happiness, then people will come. Enthusiasm is the secret to great leadership. I just figured that out yesterday. What I Learned Yesterday - Friday/Saturday January 11-12 2008 TOP 10 Most Important Things I Learned This Week 10. Radio is the future. That's why I just signed on to have my own weekly show. It's scary but more exciting than anything else. And I'll succeed too. 9. I like to 'tell' instead of 'ask'. This is good a lot of the time but can be a problem when it comes to close relationships. 8. Tom Brady is the man! No one is doing their job better than this guy in the entire world. There's so much to learn from this guy. He's a mentor in many ways and he's actually younger than me. 7. Giving a great speech lasts for a few minutes but the excitement goes away quickly if that speech really didn't have much substance. 6. I am now writing down a list of goals every single day before I go to sleep --- and it's already paid off considerably. Amazing what happens when you write things down. 5. Greatness can never occur by just one person. 4. Fox TV is a master at promoting their TV shows. 3. Being a great networker is more valuable than being talented -- most of the time. It's unfortunate for many people, but it's just the way it is. 2. What's life all about? - I don't know but I know that each of us needs to chisel our mark into it while we are alive. 1. John Stewart just might be funnier without his writers! What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday January 10 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I used to read about a book a week. It was something I really needed to do in my everyday existence in order for me to feel stimulated enough. My girlfriend is a bit of an oddball as she averages reading about 4-5 books a week. But these days I'm so busy I can't even read my weekly Sports Illustrated. I've always got a book on the go but it just takes a lot longer to get through it. I need to get back into the habit of reading more. It jump starts everything for me as it's my workout for my brain. It's needed. What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday January 9 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': It's my job to do the dishes where I live. Sometimes I keep great tabs on them and they get done every day. Other times (which will never happen again!) I lose track of life and forget to wash them, or I just get too lazy to do them. They stack up and no matter how much I want to avoid them, they are still there and they need to get done. So during those times when I'm forced to wash the dishes because there aren't any dishes left, it's takes about an hour of hard work. I have to scrap crusty crap off and the smell just isn't great either. After doing them I swear that I'll never make the same mistake again, but of course I do -- and it pisses me off how stupid I can be. This reminds my of our world. I guess CHANGE is the word of the year because we're now at that moment of our society where CHANGE needs to happen. It's the boiling point. People hate CHANGE normally so they avoid it at all costs -- and the politicans use that non-change values in their gameplan to get elected. But of course you run out of dishes and need to do the hard work when if you just washed away the crap day by day you wouldn't need to have to do this great overhaul. It's why every society created in the history of mankind has eventually fallen and it's why I can't wash the dishes in a consistent basis. Eventually I guess we'll figure it out. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday January 8 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': Barack Obama is an amazing public speaker. You can't help but be effected when he speaks. He's a star in the making. But he really didn't say anything in his speech yesterday except that 'change' needs to happen. Well, gee wiz - really! I never knew that. Hillary Clinton is a pretty good speaker but she really doesn't have that star charm that Obama has. But she actually has something to say. And theirs tons of experience on her side without even mentioning that her husband in perhaps the greatest president in the last 50 years. So it's a no-brainer that I'm pulling for Clinton. But Obama just might get elected because he's a star! The democratic party seems to be star happy these days. But Clinton is the one who can help tear things down and bring the change that's needed. So I'm a Clinton supporter I truly realized yesterday. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday January 7 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I just read a great story yesterday about Pablo Casals, the famed cellist. A reporter asked him one day: "Mr. Casals, you are the greatest cellist who ever lived. You're 95 years old. Tell me, why do you practice your cello six hours a day?" "Because," Pablo answered, "I believe that I'm making progress." Only a mediocre man is always at his best. We are all works in progress. Always. You only can be great at your craft if you practice at least 6 hours a day at it. What I Learned Yesterday - Saturday/Sunday January 5-6 2008 TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK 10. New Years gives me a chance to reflect on my past and see what issues I need to clear up in my present so I can have the best future. I want to have the same feelings at the end of every week because this is a really good thing. So I'll shock my body and make sure I tell myself it's the end and beginning of something new. 9. Radio is the past, present and future of great media. It's not going anywhere and I'm thinking on jumping on their 80 year band wagon. 8. Put the College Football atmosphere and blend it with the NFL smarts and skills and you have yourself something that can control the world. 7. I went on the scale on New Year's Day and I didn't like what I saw. I'm at the same weight when I played football and that's 20LBs too much for common weight. So I'm on a diet and will lose it in 6 weeks. The art of discpline is the greatest practice a human being can do. I love it and I really hate it at the same time. And being in a mix bag of contradictions is a lot of fun. 6. I know I always get what I want and that's a heavy weight to carry in this world. 5. That people shouldn't miss the feature film we're showing this month - ALCATREZ REUNION! It's a fantastic film that will shock, entertain and blow you away. 4. I'm a liberal but I even have to admit that there's a whole lot to learn from the conservatives in this world. You wonder why they do some of the things that they do, but there are some smart cookies over there. 3. I just marked it down on my calender. In 20 years when I am in my 50's, I will apply, run and become the mayor of my home town of Niagara Falls. 2. The WGA will lose a lot more than they'll win when this strike gets settled. This strike reminds me of the NHL players strike from 2 years ago. Creative talent who are not in reality in how the system really works. Too bad. 1. A year ago today I was a very different person. A year from now today I will be an extremely different person. What I Learned Yesterday - Friday January 4 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': I've been doing this 'what a smart person is' poll for a week and I'm already learning a ton because everyone has a different answer. So I'm going to keep doing if for the rest of the month. My own answer for what a smart person is as of today is 3 things: - Someone who can turn nothing into something and make it practical What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday January 3 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': WORDS I HATE, WORDS I LOVE Never understood the word 'Artist'. The dictionary defines 'Artist' as one who professes and practices an imaginative art. A skilled performer. Good definition and if someone happens to practice that definition then they can call themselves an artist. But I just hear that word thrown around too much by a lot of wankers. I prefer if someone calls me a 'creator'. What do you do for a living? Dictionary definition of 'creator' - one that creates usually by bringing something new or original into being; especially capitalized That's a way better word. What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday January 2 2008 POLL: What is the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': HURRYING TO STAY CALM The Pennsylania Dutch had a saying - "The hurrier I go the behinder I get." Sometimes the harder I try, the worse I do things. This is a hard lesson I just recently learned. One of the problems of my personality is that I am a very impatient person. I want things to be there for me exactly when I want it to. This situation I have causes me to rush through things. In every school report card I got it seemed to always say the same two things no matter what class it was: Matthew doesn't work to his potential and Matthew rushes through his work so he can get done first. The potential part I think I overcame, but the rushing part is the major part of my personality that I'll overcome this month. That is what I learned yesterday. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday January 1 2008 Want to figure out the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': WINNERS AND LOSERS The only thing I know is that I don't want to be a LOSER is 2008. So in order to not be a LOSER I must then be a WINNER. So I wrote down a list of what it will take for me to become the WINNER that I'm suppose to be and how I shouldn't act, say or be: A winner says: 'Let's find out'. A loser says: 'Nobody knows.' A winner says when they make a mistake (and we all do): 'I was wrong'. A loser says 'It wasn't my fault.' A winner says: 'I'm good but not as good as I ought to be'. A loser says: 'I'm not as bad as a lot of other people.' A winner tries to learn from those who are superior to him/her. A loser tries to tear down those who are superior to him/her A winner says: 'There ought to be a better way to do it.' A loser says: 'That's the way it's always been done here.' A winner wants to hear the honest answer. A loser wants to hear what they want to hear. A winner doesn't make excuses for anything. A loser is a loser and makes excuses for everything. Winners encourage innovations, creativity and passion for their work, for their life. I DEMAND FOR MYSELF TO BE A WINNER! My to do list of 2008
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