If you're friends with me on Facebook, first of all- I'm sorry. I tend to post a lot, usually it's meaningless stuff that only I care about, but sometimes I like to think that I do something constructive with my social media outlet of choice. But second of all, my online acquaintances might know that I've been dealing with a struggle of patience lately. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a control freak- a trait I've been working hard to improve on this summer- I get really nervous when a situation is out of my hands.
For the past couple weeks there has been a situation which is completely out of my hands, but I care about as much as anything. A tough combination if I've ever heard one. But you know me, I always try to make the most of tough situations, learn from it, and then blog about it.
So what's the sports journalist's interpretation of learning patience and dealing with difficulty you can do nothing about?
When (if?) I graduate college, I am going to do everything I can to secure a good job in this field. I'll write my tail off and always do the best I can, just like I'm doing now. But to a certain extent, it's not all up to me. Hard work, dedication, talent, and creativity only go so far. Getting a good job as a sports writer takes two very important and uncontrollable things: connections and luck. If I don't learn this lesson now, then waiting and hoping and praying for that gig at Sports Illustrated at 21 years old will be even more frustrating. Especially if I don't get it.
So what can I learn from these last two weeks? Not everything is up to me. Some situations are simply out of my control. What should I do in those instances?
That, my Facebook friends, is a blogpost for another day.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
No Earthly Good
Sleep is an interesting concept. It's one of those things that we all love, but can't really enjoy. Think about it. While you're sleeping, you don't even really know it, so you can't truly enjoy it. For me, the best part is those last few seconds before I drift off. Complete relaxation. I've even taken this concept so far as to set alarms in the middle of the night, hours before I have to get up, just so I can wake up and experience that glorious feeling of drifting off once again.
Then comes the day. The long, tiring, stressful day. Most days at about 2 o'clock we start thinking about sleep again; thinking about that night when we'll get to rest once again. Sometimes those thoughts creep in before noon. Sometimes it's mere minutes after we get out of bed. But it's bound to happen. We long for that feeling, the one that we can't really enjoy.
Thinking about this, I realized that the best part about sleep is the anticipation, not the act itself. And I fear that this line of thinking has crept into the way I live my life. Sometimes I get so focused on the future, planning it, thinking about it, and even trying to enjoy it years before I actually get there, that I don't enjoy what's happening right now. I forget about today because I'm so wrapped up in tomorrow.
Someone close to me brought this reality to my attention a few months ago, "We can worry about the future later," she said. "I try not to get too wrapped up in what might happen and try to enjoy what is happening. Live in the moment."
I really need to live in the moment more. Because I realize now that I may have missed out on some great experiences because I was thinking about what they could lead up to. I didn't appreciate what was going on; I took opportunities and even people for granted.
Hopefully now I can change that. Hopefully now I can enjoy today and not think so much about tomorrow. Hopefully now I can enjoy some great things in my life that I wasn't fully appreciating before.
Hopefully I get that chance.
Then comes the day. The long, tiring, stressful day. Most days at about 2 o'clock we start thinking about sleep again; thinking about that night when we'll get to rest once again. Sometimes those thoughts creep in before noon. Sometimes it's mere minutes after we get out of bed. But it's bound to happen. We long for that feeling, the one that we can't really enjoy.
Thinking about this, I realized that the best part about sleep is the anticipation, not the act itself. And I fear that this line of thinking has crept into the way I live my life. Sometimes I get so focused on the future, planning it, thinking about it, and even trying to enjoy it years before I actually get there, that I don't enjoy what's happening right now. I forget about today because I'm so wrapped up in tomorrow.
Someone close to me brought this reality to my attention a few months ago, "We can worry about the future later," she said. "I try not to get too wrapped up in what might happen and try to enjoy what is happening. Live in the moment."
I really need to live in the moment more. Because I realize now that I may have missed out on some great experiences because I was thinking about what they could lead up to. I didn't appreciate what was going on; I took opportunities and even people for granted.
Hopefully now I can change that. Hopefully now I can enjoy today and not think so much about tomorrow. Hopefully now I can enjoy some great things in my life that I wasn't fully appreciating before.
Hopefully I get that chance.
Friday, June 10, 2011
A Humbling Experience
It's been quite a long while since my last post. You could say I've been busy. I've never worked a full time job before. Three part time jobs at the same time, yes. But one full time job, no. It's an entirely new experience for me. I'm used to jobs that are mostly just sitting at a desk and letting my creative juices flow. While there are definitely some desk-sitting aspects of this job, most of it is general custodial work. Eight hours of general custodial work every day.
In the time I've been working this job, I've grown to appreciate my jobs in the communication field even more. I'm so blessed to be in this line of work and to have positions doing things that I am very passionate about and really enjoy.
However, I've also matured in the sense that I now believe that at some point in everyone's life, we should all have a job like this. Whether a custodian, fast food service, or anything in that realm, it's a great and humbling experience to have. These jobs can be tough, no one is above them, and you can learn a lot from them. I am so glad I've done this, I have a whole new respect for the people in these professions. But that doesn't mean I don't look forward to getting back to work in my chosen field, I can't wait to get back to writing (and now editing) everyday, but I will be sure to take this as a valuable learning experience, and become a better person because of it.
In the time I've been working this job, I've grown to appreciate my jobs in the communication field even more. I'm so blessed to be in this line of work and to have positions doing things that I am very passionate about and really enjoy.
However, I've also matured in the sense that I now believe that at some point in everyone's life, we should all have a job like this. Whether a custodian, fast food service, or anything in that realm, it's a great and humbling experience to have. These jobs can be tough, no one is above them, and you can learn a lot from them. I am so glad I've done this, I have a whole new respect for the people in these professions. But that doesn't mean I don't look forward to getting back to work in my chosen field, I can't wait to get back to writing (and now editing) everyday, but I will be sure to take this as a valuable learning experience, and become a better person because of it.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Right Credentials
I was sitting in a friend's dorm room. We were playing some video game, I'm not sure what it was, but I know I was losing. Our conversation drifted towards sports, because with two red-blooded American guys, it's gonna make it there eventually. We had ESPN on earlier, and he had made a comment about the female commentator. "Unless you actually played sports, you have no right to be talking about them," he said. And this wasn't just a sexist comment. He went on to say that writers and TV anchors who haven't at least played in college had no business in the sports journalism business.
What about me?
I've never played a real organized game of football in my life, but I think I could debate the 2005 NFL draft class as well as anyone. I've never stepped on a pitcher's mound for anything other than to do an interview, but I could talk about Kerry Wood's arm for quite a while. And I've never stepped to the free throw line with a game on the line, but I have pretty strong opinions about LeBron James and the Miami Heat's trio.
I was homeschooled; I never got the chance to play sports at a young age. By the time I spent my first day in a real classroom, I was sixteen years old. It was too late for me.
So is my career as a sports writer doomed? I think not.
Once, during my days as a 15 year-old sports reporter for a town newspaper, I was nearly refused admittance to a basketball game because I claimed I was with the paper. The ticket-taker didn't believe that someone younger than some of the players on the high school team could be writing about them. But I was. And I intend to keep surprising people just like that.
What about me?
I've never played a real organized game of football in my life, but I think I could debate the 2005 NFL draft class as well as anyone. I've never stepped on a pitcher's mound for anything other than to do an interview, but I could talk about Kerry Wood's arm for quite a while. And I've never stepped to the free throw line with a game on the line, but I have pretty strong opinions about LeBron James and the Miami Heat's trio.
I was homeschooled; I never got the chance to play sports at a young age. By the time I spent my first day in a real classroom, I was sixteen years old. It was too late for me.
So is my career as a sports writer doomed? I think not.
Once, during my days as a 15 year-old sports reporter for a town newspaper, I was nearly refused admittance to a basketball game because I claimed I was with the paper. The ticket-taker didn't believe that someone younger than some of the players on the high school team could be writing about them. But I was. And I intend to keep surprising people just like that.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
My Own Story
I'm watching The Rookie right now. How does one of the greatest sports movies of all time translate into a revelation about my own personal career as a sports journalist?
Glad you asked.
As I watch Dennis Quaid play a middle-aged man with not much more than a dream, a 98 mile-an-hour fastball and a bad haircut try to make it as a pro baseball player, I think about how that could be me. Of course, you could come up with one or two differences between our stories, but I'd prefer to focus on the similarities.
In case you've never seen it (first of all, see it), The Rookie is a movie about a high school science teacher who was once a pro baseball pitcher, but had to leave the game due to injuries. But he never lost his love for the game. Years after he had supposedly past his prime, he was throwing faster than ever. Long story short, he tried out for a minor league club and made the team.
It wasn't easy from there though. Minor leaguers don't make much money, and this teacher had a family back home with bills to pay. Not to mention that he had been out of the game for such a long time and the strikeouts didn't always come easy. But he was chasing a dream, no matter what the risk, it was hard, and there was no guarantee that things would work out, but he did it anyway. Why? Because he would never have been able to sleep at night if he didn't see if he could actually do it.
And he did.
Now, I'm not saying I'm anything special. But as soon as I flipped this movie on the TV, I couldn't help but think that's what my career might be like. Sure, I don't know if I will ever amount to anything as a writer; I don't know if I'll ever make it Sports Illustrated, the major leagues of sports writing. But I know that I have to try, or else I won't be able to sleep at night.
I know it won't be easy, and I know there will be no guarantees. Also, just like in the movie, there could be personal battles to face along the way. Writing about sports, just like playing them, can take you away from home and your loved ones for days at a time. And journalism is far from a lucrative career. As Ray Romano (who played a sports journalist on Everybody Loves Raymond) once said, "I'm a sports writer. I don't make a lot of money, I write about people who make a lot of money."
But, just like the movie, there could be great rewards. Someday, I want to tell my kid that their dad writes for the biggest sports magazine there is. I want to be somebody, I want to be the best, so I'll keep trying; keep writing, until I know I can't anymore.
You never know, thirty years from now, I could look back on this blog post and shake my head. "That was a nice dream," I'll say. But I'll be okay with it, because I went for my dream, so I'll be able to sleep at night.
Glad you asked.
As I watch Dennis Quaid play a middle-aged man with not much more than a dream, a 98 mile-an-hour fastball and a bad haircut try to make it as a pro baseball player, I think about how that could be me. Of course, you could come up with one or two differences between our stories, but I'd prefer to focus on the similarities.
In case you've never seen it (first of all, see it), The Rookie is a movie about a high school science teacher who was once a pro baseball pitcher, but had to leave the game due to injuries. But he never lost his love for the game. Years after he had supposedly past his prime, he was throwing faster than ever. Long story short, he tried out for a minor league club and made the team.
It wasn't easy from there though. Minor leaguers don't make much money, and this teacher had a family back home with bills to pay. Not to mention that he had been out of the game for such a long time and the strikeouts didn't always come easy. But he was chasing a dream, no matter what the risk, it was hard, and there was no guarantee that things would work out, but he did it anyway. Why? Because he would never have been able to sleep at night if he didn't see if he could actually do it.
And he did.
Now, I'm not saying I'm anything special. But as soon as I flipped this movie on the TV, I couldn't help but think that's what my career might be like. Sure, I don't know if I will ever amount to anything as a writer; I don't know if I'll ever make it Sports Illustrated, the major leagues of sports writing. But I know that I have to try, or else I won't be able to sleep at night.
I know it won't be easy, and I know there will be no guarantees. Also, just like in the movie, there could be personal battles to face along the way. Writing about sports, just like playing them, can take you away from home and your loved ones for days at a time. And journalism is far from a lucrative career. As Ray Romano (who played a sports journalist on Everybody Loves Raymond) once said, "I'm a sports writer. I don't make a lot of money, I write about people who make a lot of money."
But, just like the movie, there could be great rewards. Someday, I want to tell my kid that their dad writes for the biggest sports magazine there is. I want to be somebody, I want to be the best, so I'll keep trying; keep writing, until I know I can't anymore.
You never know, thirty years from now, I could look back on this blog post and shake my head. "That was a nice dream," I'll say. But I'll be okay with it, because I went for my dream, so I'll be able to sleep at night.
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