Archives for November 2005
Will They Know Me- I Am Going To Die
Among thinking people there is a fundamental question that is asked about our place in the world. Who are we? What are we doing here? What does it all mean? How can I be a parent? Will my children ever really know me as my friends do or are they destined to see me as nothing but their parent.
Ok, that is more than one question but it hits on a central theme of who am I and why am I here. I don’t spend much time wondering why I am here. I am. I live and I breathe and while I walk the earth I might as well enjoy myself.
For me one of the tougher questions is tied into my children. I sometimes wonder how they will see me. By the time that they are old enough to really start asking these questions on a deeper level I will most likely be in my fifties.
What kind of man will they see? I won’t look like I do now. In my mind’s eye I see that 19 year-old boy who wore a flat top and had a rock hard body that was chiseled and solid courtesy of hours spent swimming and lifting weights. I see the boy who drove a ’69 Dodge Dart Swinger, a ’77 Camaro and a ’77 Chevy Impala.
I see a free spirit. I see a shirtless tanned body and a pair of shorts and I remember knowing that my parents had never been like me, that they were so very serious and different. I remember thinking that they couldn’t know what it was like to be so madly in love that it made their heart ache and their lungs burn. I remember thinking that they had never partied as hard as I did or laughed as much.
Now at 36 I look back and smile. I was immature and short on life lessons and I suspect that my children will look at me through similar eyes. Sometimes I find that to be difficult. Sometimes it bothers me that my children will know me so very differently than others do and other times it makes perfect sense.
One day I am going to die. One day my physical presence here will end. The light in my eyes will be extinguished and there won’t be anything but memories of me. I don’t need to leave a legacy of stone, no building need be erected in my honor or memory.
The only legacy that I need is that provided by my children and any offspring that they may have. It is a weird thought and a strange corner that I am trying to explore. I am not sure that any of this makes any sense, but…
I’ll come back to this topic again. It is something that I will revisit.
Life is a Journey
This evening my son and I sat down as is our custom and spent some time discussing his day. I like to hear what he has to say about the world he lives in. I want to know his thoughts, understand his concerns and take care of of his fears.
His opening question was “did you win?” He asked because I had just returned from the gym where I had spent a couple of hours playing basketball. In some respects it wasn’t much of a question as it was really more of a statement. He still thinks that I am bigger, badder, better and stronger than anyone.
It is kind of an empowering feeling. It really makes me feel good. I want to enjoy this moment for as long as I can because one day he will realize that I am just a man. That is ok, but we can wait. I also am trying to impress upon him that exercise is always going to be important. Exercise your mind and your body or you could win this award.
He pressed me about the gym so I told him that my team won. For that matter we won six games in a row. It was a great day at the gym, there is nothing like running the table. It just feels really good. The big boy was really excited about this and asked me if we won because of me and I was pleased to be able to tell him that we won the first game because I tipped a shot back in.
I was pleased because I did it and because it gave me another opportunity to speak with him about hard work and effort. He is still a little young for some of the lessons I want to review with him but it is never too early to start teaching.
What I told him was that life is a journey, it is a big trip that you go on, an adventure that you get to live every day. And as his eyes got bigger I talked to him about how sometimes there are people who are bigger, stronger and smarter than us. There are always going to be people that have more talent but there are ways to make it more fair.
Actually I said that there ways to solve the imbalance and then I realized that he wasn’t following so I flipped to the easier concept of making it more fair. Part of the way that you do that is to be tenacious, persistent, stubborn and determined to do the best that you can. When you do those things, when you keep at it and you don’t quit good things happen.
They happen because many people are unwilling to do that. They give up. When it gets too hard they just drop and run away. And that provides others with an opening to succeed.
New post coming right up.
Brand Awareness
Adweek by way of Yahoo reports the following:
“Hershey’s is the most powerful brand among U.S. consumers ages 13-49, followed by M&M’s, Reeses and Oreo. Is it any wonder, then, that Atkins was the least-liked among 1,079 brands surveyed, according to “BrandPower,” a new study conducted by Genius Insight, New York.
“Dieting does not have positive connotations—it’s about sacrifice,” said Paul Jenkins, partner, Genius Insights. “What’s not to like about candy? At the end of the day, it’s comforting.”
The “BrandPower” survey, now in its sixth year, contacted some 2,900 people online over the course of six months, ending Nov. 15, and asked them to rank brands based on likability and awareness, respectively. It then averaged those numbers, along with demographic factors, to come up with the final rankings. The survey also ranked brands by several demographic categories, including race, sex and three age groups: 13-20, 21-33 and 34-49-year-olds.
No. 5 overall in the “BrandPower” survey was Sony. Though the company has been taking its lumps in terms of global profits, Sony still dominates consumers’ minds, placing top among non-food brands, ranking No. 1 among men 13-49 and No. 3 in likability.
The rest of the top 10 includes, in order, Kellogg, Kleenex, Kraft, Nestle and Google.”
And
“Another brand that faces challenges, at least based on those surveyed, is Levi’s. The jeans brand ranked No. 4 overall among consumers age 34-49 and No. 39 overall. However, it was No. 70 among 21-33-year olds and dropped to No. 82 among the 13-20 demographic. “They’ve thrown a lot of money and creativity at those groups, but it’s not sticking,” said Jenkins. “It’s a strong brand, but it’s not where it should be.”
Things I missed By Not going to Yeshiva
Sportsmanship- Being a Good Sport
I was very disappointed when I read this article.I am a firm believer that athletics can teach you many life lessons but what is being taught below is not right.
“ST. LOUIS (AP) – A study of youth sports found evidence of cheating, taunting, even intentionally trying to hurt an opponent.
And the bad behavior wasn’t limited to the kids. Some coaches admitted yelling at athletes – even verbally abusing them, and some players said they were struck.
Among the findings:
– Nearly one in 10 young athletes admitted cheating.
– 13 percent said they have tried to hurt an opponent.
– 31 percent had argued with an official.
– 13 percent had made fun of a less-skilled teammate.
– 27 percent had acted like “bad sports.”
“Even more disturbing is the number of coaches whose behavior fosters unhealthy climates,” said Brenda Bredemeier, another author and associate professor of education at Missouri-St. Louis.
Seven percent of coaches encouraged athletes to cheat, and 8 percent encouraged their athletes to hurt an opponent, the young athletes told researchers. No coaches admitted either encouraging cheating or injury.
But more than one-third of coaches said they yelled at players for making mistakes, and one-fifth made fun of a team member.
Four percent of athletes said their coaches had hit, kicked or slapped them.”