Live in the moment. Forget the past and don’t concern yourself with the future.
This motivational cliche got me to thinking...It does have a lot of truth in it, but I don't necessarily agree with it.
There is nothing that we can do to change the past - the moment is the only thing we have and can change. Our current moment alters the course of the future, but it is not just our own moment that influences the future. But more on that later.
We all need to learn from the past while in the present. Otherwise we keep making the same unfortunate mistakes. I am a firm believer in analyzing the past - both the good and bad, about myself, my immediate community and the world around me. It is the only way to make myself better - often times learning from those around me or from my own mistakes.
At the same time, spending too much time in the past can haunt someone's present. I often dwell too much on the past and what is to become of the future. I forget the only thing I can change is the present and have Alzheimer’s when it comes to those lessons learned from the past. I only remember what happened, not how or why something happened. I need to transform those lessons quickly into an action plan for the present – not for the future.
As for the future, there are too many outside forces that put stress on creating a step-by-step plan that assures the direction of even tomorrow. Yes, you can create a to-do list for the moment, or in terms of the corporate world, a strategic plan of short- and long-term plan. However, that plan often becomes a wasteland of opportunity if not constantly evaluated in the present. The current moment of action creates the future direction – not the plan put into place in what becomes the past.
Anyway, that is my brain thinking for the day – living in the moment.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Directionally Challenged
I was driving down the road today and couldn’t help but notice someone who was obviously lost, or at least not familiar with the area. Through the back window, I could see the person look at papers and slowing down at each intersection almost as if wanting to turn but not dialing the steering wheel left or right. Eventually, the car ducked into a long residential driveway and hopefully found its destination.
That made me start to think. I pass street signage almost every thousand feet or so helping to guide me to my final destination. I also have my car's odometer to tell me distance traveled. After making the same trip a few times, I don’t even need the street signs. And if I am new to an area, I can use maps and Internet direction tools to get me from Point A to Point B.
I am one of the most directionally challenged people I know, even with those tools. If not for Cheyenne Mountain and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, I would get lost more often as I could not tell east from west (the mountains are on the west side of town). When dark, I don’t even have that visual tool.
Which makes me ponder this even further. How did people find distant destinations centuries ago without road infrastructure and signage, elaborate map tools and the Internet for handy directions? Was the compass and scenic landmarks the norm? Obviously, one could not use "go 14 miles on Highway 1 and turn left at the Burger King on Main Street, travel another 2 miles on West Blvd. and make a right at the 7-11."
That made me start to think. I pass street signage almost every thousand feet or so helping to guide me to my final destination. I also have my car's odometer to tell me distance traveled. After making the same trip a few times, I don’t even need the street signs. And if I am new to an area, I can use maps and Internet direction tools to get me from Point A to Point B.
I am one of the most directionally challenged people I know, even with those tools. If not for Cheyenne Mountain and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, I would get lost more often as I could not tell east from west (the mountains are on the west side of town). When dark, I don’t even have that visual tool.
Which makes me ponder this even further. How did people find distant destinations centuries ago without road infrastructure and signage, elaborate map tools and the Internet for handy directions? Was the compass and scenic landmarks the norm? Obviously, one could not use "go 14 miles on Highway 1 and turn left at the Burger King on Main Street, travel another 2 miles on West Blvd. and make a right at the 7-11."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
More than a Nickname
I have gone through my fair share of nicknames in nearly 40 years. Below are just a few.
Billy: I guess this one is not that uncommon for someone named William. I made the switch from Billy to Bill around the third grade. Frankly, I can't really remember what caused the change other than I wanted to feel more grown up. Or maybe I couldn't form the letter 'y' very well in handwriting class. Anyway, Bill became what I answered to. Unless my Mom was angry at me, and I knew I better respond by full name with specific emphasis on my middle name.
Spanky: One of the very first true nicknames that I can remember. I was pegged with this name shortly after playing the part of the loveable character from "Little Rascals" in television commercials, door-size posters and other marketing campaigns promoting Gum Pach (pop rocks that turn into bubble gum) while living in Japan. At age nine, people recognized me for playing a celebrity from another country and another generation. After I explain my first "career" to new friends that I begin to trust, Spanky becomes a short-term nickname.
ID: As a freshman in college, I had the habit of knowing the most trivial facts and was the ace in the hole for our dorm's floor while playing Trivia-Thon on the campus radio station. "ID" is short for Information Director.
Sid: As quickly as "ID" came about as a nickname, Sid came along as a sophomore in college. ID morphed into Sid through my knowledge of sports and that I worked in the college sports information office at Buena Vista College. In the collegiate athletics world, sports information director is abbreviated as SID. Hence, my new nickname. For the next three years in college, all but my roommate, a few friends and professors knew my real name. Even today, friends from my college days still call me Sid. Maybe that is why I have lost track of them over the years - they don't know my real name.
Wild Bill: I had an alter ego in college. For three years, I had DJ shifts on the campus radio station. I had a few different name over the time, but my favorite was Wild Bill. On the microphone, I could change my personality and become someone entirely different than myself. For those who know me, I am far from being wild.
Billionary: A nickname I have had at various stages of my adult life. It came about from a common practice of mine - making up words on the fly while talking. I know exactly what I mean to say, but some made-up word comes out and people still know what I mean. So instead of someone named Dict's book of words, I had my own called a Billionary.
Billionaire: While working in Texas, this nickname came out one day as one of my co-workers discussed how little money we were making. All of sudden, billionaire just became an instant nickname for myself.
Billiam: This nickname has survived in a view different locations with uncommon links to the friends. I assume Billiam is a common term for people calling their friends named Bill. It does rhyme with William and has Bill in it. And it does have a cool sound to it.
Billster and Mr. Bill: Like Billiam, these two nicknames have come and gone at different stages in my life.
Sponge: Like a sponge absorbing water, a friend identified me like a sponge because if I read or heard something, I could recall it. It may take a little to get the information out, but the information was swelled into the brain membranes. This nickname changed slightly for some people and soon became known as SpongeBill, one of my favorite cartoons.
Mentorfessor: A co-worker coined this nickname recently. It is a combination of being somewhat of a writing mentor for her. After telling her I was a college instructor for a semester, she shortened professor and combined it with mentor.
And then there were some not so pleasant nicknames. Punk. Porky. And even more unflattering names.
So why did I make this a subject of my blog, you may ask. There is a meaning to it other than a short history lesson as to names I have answered to.
Like nicknames, people know each one of us in different ways. A lot of times, the nickname itself kind of relates to the level of relationship or how people know one another.
As for me, even my good friends only know a small portion of my life and sometimes it is related directly to which nickname was in use.
Each nickname I have had brings back fond memories for those times that it was common to hear. For the most part, I would not trade-in any nickname as it means a transition in my life and a different set of friends.
And really, nicknames are coined and used by friends. And for that, I am thankful that I have so many friends.
Billy: I guess this one is not that uncommon for someone named William. I made the switch from Billy to Bill around the third grade. Frankly, I can't really remember what caused the change other than I wanted to feel more grown up. Or maybe I couldn't form the letter 'y' very well in handwriting class. Anyway, Bill became what I answered to. Unless my Mom was angry at me, and I knew I better respond by full name with specific emphasis on my middle name.
Spanky: One of the very first true nicknames that I can remember. I was pegged with this name shortly after playing the part of the loveable character from "Little Rascals" in television commercials, door-size posters and other marketing campaigns promoting Gum Pach (pop rocks that turn into bubble gum) while living in Japan. At age nine, people recognized me for playing a celebrity from another country and another generation. After I explain my first "career" to new friends that I begin to trust, Spanky becomes a short-term nickname.
ID: As a freshman in college, I had the habit of knowing the most trivial facts and was the ace in the hole for our dorm's floor while playing Trivia-Thon on the campus radio station. "ID" is short for Information Director.
Sid: As quickly as "ID" came about as a nickname, Sid came along as a sophomore in college. ID morphed into Sid through my knowledge of sports and that I worked in the college sports information office at Buena Vista College. In the collegiate athletics world, sports information director is abbreviated as SID. Hence, my new nickname. For the next three years in college, all but my roommate, a few friends and professors knew my real name. Even today, friends from my college days still call me Sid. Maybe that is why I have lost track of them over the years - they don't know my real name.
Wild Bill: I had an alter ego in college. For three years, I had DJ shifts on the campus radio station. I had a few different name over the time, but my favorite was Wild Bill. On the microphone, I could change my personality and become someone entirely different than myself. For those who know me, I am far from being wild.
Billionary: A nickname I have had at various stages of my adult life. It came about from a common practice of mine - making up words on the fly while talking. I know exactly what I mean to say, but some made-up word comes out and people still know what I mean. So instead of someone named Dict's book of words, I had my own called a Billionary.
Billionaire: While working in Texas, this nickname came out one day as one of my co-workers discussed how little money we were making. All of sudden, billionaire just became an instant nickname for myself.
Billiam: This nickname has survived in a view different locations with uncommon links to the friends. I assume Billiam is a common term for people calling their friends named Bill. It does rhyme with William and has Bill in it. And it does have a cool sound to it.
Billster and Mr. Bill: Like Billiam, these two nicknames have come and gone at different stages in my life.
Sponge: Like a sponge absorbing water, a friend identified me like a sponge because if I read or heard something, I could recall it. It may take a little to get the information out, but the information was swelled into the brain membranes. This nickname changed slightly for some people and soon became known as SpongeBill, one of my favorite cartoons.
Mentorfessor: A co-worker coined this nickname recently. It is a combination of being somewhat of a writing mentor for her. After telling her I was a college instructor for a semester, she shortened professor and combined it with mentor.
And then there were some not so pleasant nicknames. Punk. Porky. And even more unflattering names.
So why did I make this a subject of my blog, you may ask. There is a meaning to it other than a short history lesson as to names I have answered to.
Like nicknames, people know each one of us in different ways. A lot of times, the nickname itself kind of relates to the level of relationship or how people know one another.
As for me, even my good friends only know a small portion of my life and sometimes it is related directly to which nickname was in use.
Each nickname I have had brings back fond memories for those times that it was common to hear. For the most part, I would not trade-in any nickname as it means a transition in my life and a different set of friends.
And really, nicknames are coined and used by friends. And for that, I am thankful that I have so many friends.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Introduction of Billiam
I am not sure exactly how to open up a blog for a first post, but I will start off with an introduction.
Web browser, meet me.
I have traveled across the country, across the ocean and lived in places in between. I was born in Spencer, Iowa, but my early childhood was shaped in Japan as part of a military family. At just eight weeks old, I moved to Yokota Air Base (just outside of Tokyo) and stayed there for five years. After that, my dad was transferred to Dover, where I began my educational career in kindergarten.
Less than two years later, my father was again transferred back to Yokota. As much as I don't remember about my first trip to Japan, my second experience in the country was very memorable. For the next four-plus years, Japan came to life for me. I am sure things have changed in the 30 years since I left in 1980. But what a marvelous time I had.
I experienced many of the same things kids in the States did in the 1970s. I was in the Cub Scouts. I was in several bowling leagues. I went to an American school.
But I had the opportunity to do many other things while living in Japan. I got to know the Japanese culture, visited many of the country's landmarks and learned at an early age that people can be different and that is not all bad. I learned at a young age to accept people as who they are.
People are in disbelief when I tell them I was a child star in Japan. My blond hair and blue eyes helped me land several child modeling gigs touting anything from clothing to Honda motor scooters to a product called Gum Pach (pop rocks that turned into bubble gum).
For the life of me, I can't remember her name, but I was able to work with the top Japanese actress in 1979 as part of a calendar for Honda motor scooters. I also appeared on television commercials promoting Gum Pach in which I portrayed Spanky from the Little Rascals (Our Gang) television series.
In 1980, at the height of my modeling career, my father was transferred to Tacoma, Wash. At first, I didn't want to go as I was having a lot of fun in my first career. Plus, Mount St. Helens had just erupted months earlier and it was something of an unknown. I had lived almost 10 of my first 11 years in Japan.
However, I quickly came to love the Pacific Northwest. The scenery was great and it reminded me of the Japanese mountains. Yes, it rains a lot. But you learn to accept it.
I made many friends along the way at Heartwood Elementary, Woodbrook Junior High and Clover Park High School. Unfortunately, over time, I have lost contact with those early friends. Thankfully, I have been able to reunite with three of my best friends over the last year. That in itself probably deserves its own blog down the road.
After high school, I wanted to attend college where I was not a number and could get a personalized education. Growing up, I did not have a chance to know my grandparents who lived in Iowa. Well, I was able to solve both issues by going to Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa. The school had an enrollment of under 1,000, and it was located just 17 miles from my grandparents.
I really learned a lot while in Iowa. I truly grew as an individual, both from the books and just life experiences. I got to know part of my family heritage, made new friends while often times being an outsider to many, changed majors three times (computer science to secondary education to mass communications/public relations), employed in various media formats and finally graduated in 1991.
After graduation, I worked as the associate editor (nice title to mean sports editor and circulation manager) for the Storm Lake Times for just under a year. After the paper released me due to budget cuts (yes, newspaper experienced that back then), I went back to college to work on my master's degree at West Texas A&M University. Concurrently, I was working as a graduate assistant in the school's sports information office working 40-plus hours and going to school full-time. Anyway, I got my master's degree in communications in two years and was named the full-time sports information director even before I had my diploma in 1994.
I wrapped up my eighth year at West Texas A&M in 2000 under tremendous burnout. I was working 60-80 hours a week for peanuts of a salary and little respect on the job. Along the way, I did earn awards for the work, but it went virtually unnoticed on campus. I started to question if that was the direction I wanted my life to take. If not for some very good friends, a couple on campus and several not related to work, life would have been unbearable. I regret that I have not been back to Amarillo/Canyon as often as I would like to catch up in person.
I finally made the change in July 2000 and moved to Colorado Springs, where I accepted a position with the American Volleyball Coaches Association. In that position, I worked primarily with collegiate volleyball programs promoting the game at a national level, overseeing the awards program, compiling and distributing the recognized national poll, etc. By 2004, I was promoted to the senior director of communications, awards and technology.
The run at the AVCA ended somewhat abruptly in 2006 as the organization moved to Kentucky and I did not want to move. I think God was looking over me at that time, though. A position came open at USA Volleyball a couple months before the AVCA moved, and I was able to simply change jobs without an interruption in paychecks. All I had to do was drive a little further to work - 4.7 miles versus 2.0 miles. However, that is a lot better than about 1,000 miles to Kentucky after I had just bought a house. Plus, my new friends were here and I had learned from past experience separating from friends is very difficult.
With USA Volleyball, I am the manager of media relations and publications. One of my main responsibilities is working as the press officer for the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. I traveled to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games in which the team earned the silver medal. While in Beijing, I also assisted in the media relations efforts for the U.S. Men's National Team which won the Olympic Games gold medal. It has been a blast working with our Olympic athletes.
I also work with our high performance pipeline players and teams that feed into the national team. These athletes are generally 12-18 years old.
Other key responsibilities on my plate are handling corporate media relations, assisting with publications, writing articles for our 250,000 copy quarterly magazine and our online newsletter.
With this job, it rekindles part of my childhood. I get to travel the country and the world, while learning about other cultures and people. It seems like I have settled down in Colorado Springs, but yet having the opportunity to explore this world at the same time.
Now that the introduction is over, enjoy the much shorter blog posts.
Web browser, meet me.
I have traveled across the country, across the ocean and lived in places in between. I was born in Spencer, Iowa, but my early childhood was shaped in Japan as part of a military family. At just eight weeks old, I moved to Yokota Air Base (just outside of Tokyo) and stayed there for five years. After that, my dad was transferred to Dover, where I began my educational career in kindergarten.
Less than two years later, my father was again transferred back to Yokota. As much as I don't remember about my first trip to Japan, my second experience in the country was very memorable. For the next four-plus years, Japan came to life for me. I am sure things have changed in the 30 years since I left in 1980. But what a marvelous time I had.
I experienced many of the same things kids in the States did in the 1970s. I was in the Cub Scouts. I was in several bowling leagues. I went to an American school.
But I had the opportunity to do many other things while living in Japan. I got to know the Japanese culture, visited many of the country's landmarks and learned at an early age that people can be different and that is not all bad. I learned at a young age to accept people as who they are.
People are in disbelief when I tell them I was a child star in Japan. My blond hair and blue eyes helped me land several child modeling gigs touting anything from clothing to Honda motor scooters to a product called Gum Pach (pop rocks that turned into bubble gum).
For the life of me, I can't remember her name, but I was able to work with the top Japanese actress in 1979 as part of a calendar for Honda motor scooters. I also appeared on television commercials promoting Gum Pach in which I portrayed Spanky from the Little Rascals (Our Gang) television series.
In 1980, at the height of my modeling career, my father was transferred to Tacoma, Wash. At first, I didn't want to go as I was having a lot of fun in my first career. Plus, Mount St. Helens had just erupted months earlier and it was something of an unknown. I had lived almost 10 of my first 11 years in Japan.
However, I quickly came to love the Pacific Northwest. The scenery was great and it reminded me of the Japanese mountains. Yes, it rains a lot. But you learn to accept it.
I made many friends along the way at Heartwood Elementary, Woodbrook Junior High and Clover Park High School. Unfortunately, over time, I have lost contact with those early friends. Thankfully, I have been able to reunite with three of my best friends over the last year. That in itself probably deserves its own blog down the road.
After high school, I wanted to attend college where I was not a number and could get a personalized education. Growing up, I did not have a chance to know my grandparents who lived in Iowa. Well, I was able to solve both issues by going to Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa. The school had an enrollment of under 1,000, and it was located just 17 miles from my grandparents.
I really learned a lot while in Iowa. I truly grew as an individual, both from the books and just life experiences. I got to know part of my family heritage, made new friends while often times being an outsider to many, changed majors three times (computer science to secondary education to mass communications/public relations), employed in various media formats and finally graduated in 1991.
After graduation, I worked as the associate editor (nice title to mean sports editor and circulation manager) for the Storm Lake Times for just under a year. After the paper released me due to budget cuts (yes, newspaper experienced that back then), I went back to college to work on my master's degree at West Texas A&M University. Concurrently, I was working as a graduate assistant in the school's sports information office working 40-plus hours and going to school full-time. Anyway, I got my master's degree in communications in two years and was named the full-time sports information director even before I had my diploma in 1994.
I wrapped up my eighth year at West Texas A&M in 2000 under tremendous burnout. I was working 60-80 hours a week for peanuts of a salary and little respect on the job. Along the way, I did earn awards for the work, but it went virtually unnoticed on campus. I started to question if that was the direction I wanted my life to take. If not for some very good friends, a couple on campus and several not related to work, life would have been unbearable. I regret that I have not been back to Amarillo/Canyon as often as I would like to catch up in person.
I finally made the change in July 2000 and moved to Colorado Springs, where I accepted a position with the American Volleyball Coaches Association. In that position, I worked primarily with collegiate volleyball programs promoting the game at a national level, overseeing the awards program, compiling and distributing the recognized national poll, etc. By 2004, I was promoted to the senior director of communications, awards and technology.
The run at the AVCA ended somewhat abruptly in 2006 as the organization moved to Kentucky and I did not want to move. I think God was looking over me at that time, though. A position came open at USA Volleyball a couple months before the AVCA moved, and I was able to simply change jobs without an interruption in paychecks. All I had to do was drive a little further to work - 4.7 miles versus 2.0 miles. However, that is a lot better than about 1,000 miles to Kentucky after I had just bought a house. Plus, my new friends were here and I had learned from past experience separating from friends is very difficult.
With USA Volleyball, I am the manager of media relations and publications. One of my main responsibilities is working as the press officer for the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. I traveled to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games in which the team earned the silver medal. While in Beijing, I also assisted in the media relations efforts for the U.S. Men's National Team which won the Olympic Games gold medal. It has been a blast working with our Olympic athletes.
I also work with our high performance pipeline players and teams that feed into the national team. These athletes are generally 12-18 years old.
Other key responsibilities on my plate are handling corporate media relations, assisting with publications, writing articles for our 250,000 copy quarterly magazine and our online newsletter.
With this job, it rekindles part of my childhood. I get to travel the country and the world, while learning about other cultures and people. It seems like I have settled down in Colorado Springs, but yet having the opportunity to explore this world at the same time.
Now that the introduction is over, enjoy the much shorter blog posts.
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