Remember the Dixie Chicks

I'm writing this on a friend's laptop back home in Florida. Right now, President Obama is on TV and the Internet addressing questions through a "town-hall" style meeting, answering questions via YouTube submissions as well as a live audience in the same room as him.

It is important to never act as a partisan. Democrat or Republican nor Liberal or Conservative. By nature, I'm not a partisan person, nor do I believe anyone is. By nature, in groups, we can be partisan -- take sides, be reactive, not address complex issues in a thoughtful way, in George Carlin's words "people in groups wear stupid hats." Its easier that way. However, as individuals, we think different.

Much like how someone is born into a certain society or culture, a certain religion, a family of intolerance, environment plays a huge role in what we know, what we don't know, and how we know or don't know. Worse off, one tends to shut out other viewpoints and even worse off, his or hers own logic is censored.

Partisanship isn't disagreeing or arguing, either. In fact, when partisanship gets really bad, rational arguments actually stop happening! Absurdity. And why do these arguments fail? Because the approach for partisans is to win or lose. Many people don't engage in arguments because they don't want this battle.

For truly smart people, the goal is not to win or lose. The goal is to move the conversation forward. The idea is to learn from each other through conversation, through arguing different sides, figuring out what approach or idea makes the most sense based on history and the present circumstances.

Partisanship is like watching a soap opera. It plays on our need for entertainment, negative entertainment. Instead, "pulling" - the process of pooling ideas and going through a process of dissemination as to which one(s) are the best - provides positive entertainment. Positive breeds positive and negative breeds negative.

The way I try to engage politics or any issue is based on the logic of that issue. Nonetheless, I get pulled into petty arguments at times and fall into what I call the "label trap." Once you label something, including "liberal," "conservative," "right," "left," your unconscious and your conscious begin seeing things in that prism. This falls back to yesterday's blog. It's just like any sort of training or muscle memory process. Just like eating or smoking habits, you have to make a conscious effort to change that prism which, unfortunately, is ingrained in many of us from such an early age.

Just because Peyton Manning finds ways to beat my Jacksonville Jaguars and drives me crazy for the long completions he makes doesn't deny the fact that he's a helluva football player. All it says is that the Jags need to get a better defense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Chicks -- This is intolerance of free speech, not to mention the simple fact that the major point of what they said came true. Break through to the merit of the words, not the simple fact that they may not like the guy you like. Break through the black and white and discern as much grey as you can.

Putting aside some manliness for a second:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwc5YSAc-7g "Not ready to make nice"- Dixie Chicks

Thin-Slicing

I'm reading this book right now called Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell. Many of you may have read the book or some of Gladwell's other best-sellers, The Tipping Point and the most recent release, Outliers. In Blink, Gladwell often refers to something he calls "thin-slicing." In his words, " 'thin-slicing' refers to the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience."

Having just gone over the half-way point, I'll refuse to prognosticate on any sort of merits of the book (although, it has been a rediculously fascinating and informative read thus far). What I will do, however, is offer an example I've experienced that I think qualifies as thin-slicing.

Jobs: I wouldn't be writing this blog right now if I hadn't done some serious thin-slicing in my past work life. Only 23, I've run a gammit of tormenting positions: McDonald's fry guy (my dad called this one a real 'character-builder'), non-profits, busboy, host, dishwasher, waiter, administrative office position at Florida State University, Project Coordinator on a DOE-funded research project, Production Assistant in reality TV, telemarketer, tutor, bank teller, and now coach, comedian, and whatever you call this.

Where's the thin-slicing? Has the thin-slicing helped or hindered me?

First off, there's no way I could tear through that many positions if it weren't for a "this job doesn't feel right" thing occurring in my brain. From my interpretation, that's a lot of what thin-slicing is. Intuition and feeling. At many points, and still now, I have trouble verbalizing exactly why the job wasn't for me or why I found them tortuous at times. When I think about it, telemarketing isn't that bad. Even waiting tables or working for a TV show or in an office. But I hated them. And when I try to describe them, maybe my words don't necessarily match how I feel. By the way, Gladwell says that verbalizing can block the picture that pops in our brain and leads to intuition. This he says, is a right vs. left brain thing.

I tend to not believe so much in regrets. But looking back, maybe I'd have thin-sliced more often when it came to jobs. Or at least followed through on my thin-slicing and instead of fallen back into a job that was similar to the one before (restaurant-to-restuarant or office-to-office), maybe I would have been more aggressive with following my intuition. What held me back? Traditional dogma certainly played a role (i.e. make it a goal to not spend a lifetime or multiple jobs "character-building"). What I've found through tutoring, through coaching, through comedy, people pay for things that are good. If you like what you're doing, you'll get good at it. People will pay for it. Don't ever be content with something that isn't making you happy, and if you have to pay the bills, then stick with it, but work to get out of ASAP! Why? You're wasting the only thing you have, life. Not to mention, you bring your miseries onto others. And that's just mean.

Now, is this to say we should always make snap decisions over analytic-type planning? Probably not. I don't know. Read Blink and other stuff out there. Fall on your past experiences, maybe. But I do believe in the power of listening to how you feel. How you feel is unconscious, but listening and interpreting those feelings is conscious. I think the more we can combine our unconscious and conscious and utilize the power of them, or in other words, utilizing the power of rational analysis with gut intuition at appropriate times and places, the better decisions we make.

I had this explained in a very simple way to me. This person told me: recall back to an experience, whether its a specific event or just a specific environment or circumstance. Again, maybe its a theme park or a beach or just sunny days or the feeling of truly accomplishing something you're proud of. Let that sink in. Think to that often and refer to it constantly. Eventually your unconscious mind, where those feelings resonate, will start to translate into unconscious and conscious actions. You'll wind up in your happy place much, much more often.

And I can say, after applying this method for a couple months, it does start to work. And no matter what they say about getting to your happy place, illicit drug use isn't necessary.

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XDY2UyMTYE - John Lennon, Beautiful Boy

Performing is Different

It is. Live performing brings out adrenaline. Because, even though you may know the act, you never know the performance. The act is what's planned. For the artist: it is the set list; for the athlete it is the practiced shots or culmination of workouts; for the skilled test taker it is the note taking and endless hours of study.

Performing keeps us alive, though. Because for all that we can control, for all of our work ethic and practice, we can't control the questions asked, the conditions of the course or the audience and stage we'll be performing at.

How cool is it to not know?

The key to being our best (and at the same time, the very counter intuitive part) is focus. It is easy to get swept up in the perceived pressure of performing. If you're a runner who races, you can't help but notice the hundreds if not thousands of other competitors. Not to mention, all the tents, the race clock, the line for the porta potty, the pre-race and post-race chatter, etc. etc. How do you stick to your act? How do you not go out too fast? Your practiced miles and trials?

Focus.

And focus on you.

And focus on the act that you have practiced.

The winner of the race, just like the doctor, just like the Broadway actress, just like the polished comedian was made a long time ago. On muddy trails. In libraries. In evening acting classes and endless summer camps. In dirty clubs with little to no sound systems and even smaller audiences.

I look at performing as a result of a culmination of work. The one who can focus back on the work the best is the one who performs the best. But sometimes we get caught up in the moment. The crowd is too much, the environment is difficult, the pressure is overwhelming.

But take away the competitive aspect. Better yet, take away all the shit you cannot control.

In the end, you're only competing against yourself. Screw others and the circumstances. The coolest thing about performing is discovering self. It's amazing, and it will trump winning a god-damn trophy any day. And when self-discovery is your big picture, you're mind automatically focuses on self and doesn't get caught up in all the hoopla of the performance. It's a bit weird, but true. When you change your end goal to self, embrace the moment for what it is, indirectly, you will become a better competitor. You'll rise above your competition without trying. Why? Because your competition is so focused on what you and the rest are doing. They get sidetracked by the same crap you wanted to but were too disciplined to fall for.

I once knew a coach who looked at a cross country team who won a major cross country meet. After the meet, he took the trophy the team won, and in front of them, threw the trophy in a river. The team beat all the other teams, but they won based on talent, not on performance. They're performance was lack-luster and if thrown into a different arena, maybe the other teams would have kicked their ass. That didn't matter -- the level of competition. It was good enough compared to the others in the same field, but not to the standard they had set for themselves.

This isn't to knock the idea of competition. It's healthy and necessary. However, competition should mostly be saved for the practice range. It's healthy for game-planning, strategy, research.

It is only when performing that one can get in "the zone." The Zone is the zone of one's self, not of me and another performer. So my thoughts: find something you enjoy and start to schedule performances. Feel the adrenaline, the nerves, and the fear that underlies it. Work your butt off to get better when you perform. But always perform. And never worry about your rank. That's all crap anyway. Let self-satisfaction and decency be your guide.

U2 Where The Streets Have No Name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpVbLm4TN3g

Open Book

People open up more when they think they are alone. That's the true brilliance behind social networks like facebook, myspace, twitter, match.com (not that I have any experience on the latter). Sure they are mad profitable, but the user buy-in comes down to an instinct in us to open up and share ourselves in a sort of private way -- even if we fill out our profiles in private, we still know people will eventually look at them.

Same thing with music. Lyrics can inspire, but often times the writers and musicians of these songs seem reluctant to open up about the deeper meaning behind the words. On the same note, you won't see me belting out tunes in front of any sort of moderately-sized audience (unless of course I'm offered a sizable sum of money and a couple c-grade hookers). We tend to be most in touch with lyrics as well as our own thoughts and sentiments when we don't have others around.

The obvious reason is that we're embarassed to open-up when others are present. I've heard that the number one fear for Americans (not sure about the Aussies, they are f-in crazy) is public speaking. There's another factor, however. When we are around others, things are more complicated. Our mind is consumed with our surroundings and those who fill it, often times lacking the solitude necessary to articulate or act on the truths we define when our mind is in a simpler and more sedate state. If you don't believe me, just move to California and try pot. You'll open up a lot more in front of others.

I argue, however, that you don't need pot.

What you need is a balance of inspiration and perspiration. In other words, you need inspiration -- long-term motivation to reach some goal, as well as perspiration -- a steady dose of hard work.

Good example: listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and then moving across the country to be follow your passion of music or acting. Bad example: watching Steven Segal jump a building and then trying this on your own or watching Stevo sniff wasabi and then proclaiming in front of a group of testosterone infused males, "anybody could do that!"

And I believe it is the perspiration part that scares all of us. I remember back in high school when I watched the Prefontaine movie, "Without Limits." I took it pretty literally, being extremely inspired. The next morning I had a cross country race. Pre was a front runner, so I figured why not the Cross-Man. Yeah, come mile 2, Cross was no longer a front runner. Why? Maybe I lacked the talent, but talent is hard to measure. What I could control was my work ethic. My perspiration. And that certainly wasn't at the level to put me in front-runner status.

I've noticed something with certain people: Bob Dylan, Bill Belichick, Harrison Ford, my old high school coach Steve Lyons. These people, all extremely good at what they do or did, are men of few words. If you ask them an intricate question about what they do, often times you get an ironically short and simple answer. Why? Maybe they have a limited vocabulary heavily versed, in "yes" and "no" and "maybe." I tend to think it has to do with the fact that these are perspiration people. People who value the work that's necessary to get a desired result and that therein lies most of the answers to the interviewers' questions. Why go any further?

I'm certainly not pithy like Belichick, nor do I necessary feel it is the best way to go all the time. However, I totally get the sentiment. And I appreciate it. Belichick interview following Super Bowl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7FNsSl80vM

Inspiration can come in varied ways and can happen everyday: through music, sunshine, rainy days, the beach, a comment from a friend in support of something you've put time and effort into. When you match it with perspiration, simple work, you become more of yourself, both in private and in public.

Song: Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard, Paul Simon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqtX4qZBdRs

Topanga Canyon Morning Run

Today's run began at 9am PST. Sadly, it was the longest I've gone for a while, just over an hour. Not bad, but for someone slated to run a marathon in a month, I may want to pick up my game.

Nonetheless, this morning was great. Cool, wet, muddy, windy and rainy until on my turnaround when the sun broke through. With the exception of the near wipe outs as I made my way through tight, sticky turns on the trail, I was brought back to the joy of the old cross country days.

There's something about plowing up hills and holding the arms out as I try to maintain balance on the downhill while flinging wet clay from my shoes that seems both adventurous and natural to me. The thing about running trails and terrain is that when I'm doing it, my mind is no where else but on the trail. The few times my mind has trailed off in the past, I've payed in the form of embarrassing falls, such as the one by Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. At least the summer campers who witnessed me get the skid marks enjoyed it!

Most surprisingly, I found Topanga Canyon, a state park centered between the valley and the foot of Malibu's Pacific Ocean to have an oddly independent and isolated feel to it. Unlike many of the arid and dry southern California trails I've been on, much of the trail I trudged up had more of a North Carolina feel -- very green, pretty wet, skinny trails in some areas, tight turns, lots of nature/wildlife (I discovered a deer within the first minute), and yes, hilly. I liken it also to those air freshener or potpourri commercials I would see growing up. Or the tampon one where the woman is frolicing in a green, yet moutainous area while "there she goes" is playing in the background...youtube it, I swear. Damn, if there's one commercial that makes me want to buy tampons that's the one.

As you can see from the picture at the top, Topanga has this sort of Boone, NC feel to it. As you take Top. Canyon Rd. off the PCH, you start to feel like in a little mountain town. Small mom and pop stores and little artsy festivals. If you live in LA and you're in for an escape without escaping, this could be a good place for you.

Song: Carolina On My Mind, James Taylor and The DixieChicks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LvhF0uSEAE

Justin

The Running Scene and Scenes in General

Skinny jogging pants, Nike and Adidas hats, anorexic men, band-aided nips, the occasional breath-right nasal strip, maybe some ipods, and then the beer garden. This is a generalization of the common scene you'll see after a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or God-forgive, a 26.2 mile race. OH, and I forgot bagels. Lots of bagels.

The chatter: "could've gone faster, but i've been at pretty high mileage for the past month" or "my knee's been bothering me, or I would've been up there."

Am I generalizing? Yes. Stereotyping? Yes. But stereotypes persist for a reason. Scenes are scenes are scenes. How many coffee shops have you driven by where gaggles of cyclists are hanging out sipping on a cup of joe and chattering about their ride? Or networking events for tech, business, or entertainment, where people thumb each other while getting loaded on over-priced mixed drinks, imported beer, and ego.

And I understand the importance of these events. And I understand the postive nature that scenes can have. Belonging is important, right brothers of Sigma Chi?

My point in writing on this particular topic is that we can all be better networkers, fraternity brothers, runners, if we acknowledge the scene we walk into. Scenes somehow tend to provoke competition and subsequently, self-importance. We try to prove things to others through talk. In the words of many, talk is cheap.

In my perspective, when I walk into scenes I try not to take them too seriously. And subsequently, I feel I am at my best. Looser, more honest, more fun, more effective. "Humble Pie" in the words of the New England Patriots, and the proof is in the pudding. I just try to remember, as scenes are scenes are scenes, my work is my work is my work.

Wasting Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnxJ6YxrYQ

Justin

March Madness

This is the first year in a while I've really immersed myself in March Madness. The reason: my team is in. Florida State is set to take on Wisconsin tonight, and it's about damn time. A college like FSU, with all it money and prestige within athletics is making its first tourney debut since 1998. Hard to believe, but all can be forgotten with an impressive showing.

My Powerhouse Favorites:

1. UNC (#1 seed) - I hate to say it, but once they have all their guns, they're going to be tough to beat.
2. Louisville (#1 seed) - These guys are good. I think the average height is about 7'5".
3. Syracuse (#3 seed) - Well coached and talented. Know how to win.
4. Villanova (#3 seed) - These guys will surprise.

Over-Rated:
1. Pitt (#1 seed) - As I write this, they pull off a close win over #16 ETSU.
2. UCLA (#6 seed) - Sqweeker last night. They will fall in round of 32.
3. Missouri (#3 seed) - Will fall to Marquette in round of 32.

Diamond in the Buffs (an ode to Dustin Diamond):
1. Florida State (#5 seed) - will they rise? or will they, in Bob Dylan's words, "break, like a little girl."
2. Maryland and Michigan(#10 seeds) - Both from big conferences and have FSU-like potential to surprise...both have survived into round of 32.
3. Texas (#7 seed) - Playing the Dukies in round of 32. Duke has been weak the last several years, and well, you don't want to mess with Texas.

Presidential Picks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keMBascrkm0

Justin