How Will You React When Things Goes Wrong?
By Cheval John
When something goes wrong, how will you respond?
Many will think about getting upset with the world and complain about how things are not going their way.
It is very easy to be very cheerful when things are going great.
But your true character will be revealed when the going get tough.
Case in point, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati had a 14 year playoff drought prior to the arrival of Marvin Lewis in 2003.
Under his tenure, the Bengals made 6 trips to the post season and lost in every appearance in the first round.
It seemed like when the bright lights shine on the Bengals especially on quarterback Andy Dalton, they shrink under pressure.
Stephen A. Smith has said that Lewis should not continue to be the head coach of the Bengals because of his playoff results.
He really has a point on that assessment because if anyone is going to be regarded as one of the greatest teams, player, or head coach, you must be able to win championships when the spotlight is on you.
Though the Bengals did not have the right players for Mr. Lewis to work with, they still should have found a way to win that elusive playoff game.
If you wilt away under the pressure and have excuses for why you could not deliver a championship or in the case of Mr. Lewis, a playoff victory, then you really can’t handle the expectations that come with the job.
That goes for anyone who is an employee, an entrepreneur, etc.
So if something goes wrong that is not in your control, how are you going to react? You can leave your comments below.
Video courtesy of ESPN First Take
Stuart Scott Leaves A Lasting Legacy
By Cheval John
You know you did your work and fulfilled your destiny when people leave touching tributes for your hard work and dedication.
Stuart Scott not only trendsending the sports journalism industry with phrases like “Booya,” he made a strong impact on many people who are normally not watching sports.
Scott passed away earlier this Sunday morning after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
His death affected so many people at ESPN to the point that Hannah Storm had to hold back tears while she broke the news of Scott’s passing.
He even had an impact on the President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Many sports teams around the country had moments of silence for Scott:
Madison Square Garden just held a moment of silence to honor Stuart Scott: http://t.co/ftJuTWCaRV #StuartScott
— InsideHoops.com NBA (@InsideHoops) January 5, 2015
The world of @MLB spent Sunday remembering Stuart Scott: http://t.co/FNp9TRRTuJ
— Cut4 (@Cut4) January 4, 2015
Former Sportscenter anchor Rich Eisen, who was paired with Scott during most of his time at ESPN, left a heartfelt tribute at his current job, “The NFL Network:
Oh, man. @richeisen sharing the loss of his old Sportscenter partner @StuartScott, http://t.co/5Tnm7RJM6D. Grab a tissue.
— RobGeorge (@RobGeorge) January 4, 2015
Mr. Scott will not only be remembered for his charisma and passion for sports, but also will be remembered for his fight against cancer.
Here is the speech he gave at the ESPYs last year after receiving the Jimmy V Perseverance Award:
One thing is for certain, Stuart Scott fulfilled his destiny and has inspired all of us to be ourselves and not worry about pleasing everyone.
Rest In Peace, Stuart Scott. You will be really missed.
Adversity Shows Your True Character
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of Associated Press
Florida State was one of the most interesting teams of the year.
The Seminoles, who previously won the BCS National Championship, was looking to claim a second consecutive title this year.
They were down 6 times, but found a way to win those close ball games that could have derailed their chances at participating in the first ever “College Football Playoff.”
After winning 29 straight games that included a national championship, the Seminoles got obliterated by Oregon 59-20 in the semifinals that was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasedena, California.
Though Florida State missed out on a chance to play for the national championship against Ohio State, who won their semifinal matchup against No.1 Alabama 42-35 in the All-State Sugar Bowl, they showed their true character in their loss.
After the game, 70% of the Florida State players went straight for the locker room and did not even congratulate the Ducks on their win.
Only a few stayed out to congratulate the Ducks that included quarterback Jameis Winston, who had his off the field issues, wide receiver Rashad Greene and head coach Jimbo Fisher.
That lack of sportmanship was a shock to Kirk Herbstreit, who was the analyst for the matchup on ESPN.
“That’s disappointing that 70 percent of the Florida State team is in the locker room,” Herbstreit said after Oregon’s 59-20 win on Thursday. “It’s easy to go across when you win a game to shake hands. You lose a game after 29 games and you can’t come over and shake a hand of an Oregon player and tell him, ‘Congratulations?'”
Though I have a disdain for the Seminoles because I am a Florida Gator fan, the lack of sportmanship was further confirmation on why I don’t like Florida State.
They showed me that they are a classless team and really need to take a long look at themselves to understand that they are representing their school, alumni and fan base.
Adversity showed Florida State’s true character as being sore losers and I suspect that not many people want to be associated with sore losers.
Focus On Fulfilling Your Goals in 2015
By Cheval John
2014 is coming to a close.
By the time of this writing, 2015 has already commenced in Australia, Japan and other parts of Asia.
People always make New Year’s Resolutions leading up to the New Year only to break them about two or three weeks later.
What they do is make those resolutions based out of shame according to brand strategist, Michelle Van Otten.
So how do you keep your “New Year’s Resolutions” if you keep on breaking them?
Michelle shared that an alternative to a New Year’s resolutions is creating a vision board.
(Warning: It get’s a little explicit between 34-38 minute)
You might wonder what is a vision board?
A vision board allows you to map out your goals for the New Year and to be specific on how to achieve those goals.
Vision boards also allows you to be held accountable to anyone who have seen it because it forces you to actually fulfill those goals.
I had the opportunity to create a vision board before this year when I discovered this concept from a few people who have vision board parties.
I even wrote out my declaration for this year here
I will say that I did not fulfill all of my goals for this year.
Does that make me a failure?
Not really.
The reason is because I had made a whole lot of progress this year and even fulfilled life long dreams that were not part of the goals like:
-Wrote two books in 2014
-Called two collegiate softball games at my alma mater, Sam Houston State
-Witness the SHSU Bowling Team win the school’s first ever NCAA Division I National Championship
-Connected with amazing people on social media, especially Twitter (fulfilled that goal for the New Year)
-Discovered Twitter Chats and learning about the new trends of Social Media
-Heard Chris Guillebeau speak at a book signing event for his new book, “The Happiness of Pursuit.”
-Celebrated my 100th episode of “What’s The Word?”
-Interviewed Susan Campbell Cross, author of “The FabYouList”
-Interviewed Donny Most, formerly of “Happy Days.”
So even if you do not meet all of your goals, it still does not hurt to put together a vision board.
As Mrs Cross said and I am paraphrasing, “Though you do not fulfill your goals at a certain point does not mean that you fail. As long as you fulfill those goals, then you accomplish a lot.”
Now that you have seen an alternative to a “New Year’s Resolution,” my hope is that everyone will fulfill their goals and make this world a better place.
And to keep up with this tradition of vision boards, here is my vision for what I want to accomplish in 2015.
Wishing everyone a fantastic New Year.
What are your goals for the New Year? You can leave your comments below.
Photo courtesy of www.personalbrandingblog.com
Biggio Earned The Right To Be In The Baseball Hall of Fame
By Cheval John
The city of Houston has a lot to be proud of today.
Craig Biggio, who spent his entire 20-year career with the Houston Astros, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today on his third try.
“I got a phone call at noon time that will forever change my life and my family’s life,” Biggio said to the Houston Chronicle. “This is a very overwhelming and humbling experience.”
Biggio will join this year’s class with former pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz on July 26th in Cooperstown, New York.
Biggio was a seven time All-Star and had 3,060 career hits, joining 27 other players in Major League Baseball (MLB) history with 3,000 or more career hits.
He was part of “The Killer Bs” during the majority of the 90s and early 2000s that featured Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Sean Berry.
“Craig deserves it,” said Bagwell to the Houston Chronicle. “It’s about time. I’m ready for July. I’m ready to be sitting there in Cooperstown sweating my butt off and listening to him. It’ll be really, really cool because Randy will be there too.”
Biggio also made his only World Series appearance with the Astros in 2005 which they lost to the Chicago White Sox.
One thing is for certain, Biggio deserved this honor because he played the game of baseball the right way amidst the steroid scandal that plagued the sport for about two decades.
Do you believe that Biggio deserved to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? You can leave your comments below.
Video courtesy of MLB
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