A COUPLE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010

"My wife said to me once, 'Explain to me why you do this? The times that you enjoy it are so much fewer than the rest of the other stuff. What kind of ego do you have to have to keep proving things to yourself? Why do you it? You're not happy, so why do you keep doing it? I told her she didn't understand. I told her it's just about competition because my whole life, since I was seven years old, you went to the gym or you went to the playground. It was always, who are we playing and where? I'm still doing it. Nothing has changed. 'It's still, who are we playing today?" -Bill Parcells

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." -Gandhi


HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEPS! Good to be back with you. Long time no speak. I'm back at it and I am really looking to get some action going in the new year. I am going to write more frequently in 2010, and really try to attack some important aspects of our favorite sports and pop culture subjects that immerse our brains and twitter feeds on a daily basis. I also want to spend some more time talking about leadership and business, and the unique aspects that link the two. This is something I like to read about and talk about, and hope to engage you guys with it throughout the year.

I changed the name of the blog. I think this will probably be a temporary thing. I might also change it all the time as well. The YOUGOTJC handle, for those who don't know came from Entourage. In one episode during season 1, Ari answers his phone by saying "You got Gold." Haha--I always liked that. I went through a phase where I answered my phone "You got JC," and still do on drunk occasions. But I heard Kobe Bryant say the phrase "cutthroat efficiency" the other day in an interview. I really liked it. It's that kind of focused language that makes KB24 so dominant and the best player on the planet. So we are gonna go with that for a bit, until I find something else I find interesting.

With 2010 just 5 days old, the resolution making season is still in full swing. Gyms are packed. Whole Foods checkout lines are 5 deep across the board. The lip service that people make to themselves and their friends is making its way as it does every year. And that is exciting. I wish people well with their resolutions.

For me, I don't have many tangible resolutions. But here are 2.

1. Read 50 Quality Books--Key word here is quality. The number that you attach to it is of little importance. I threw 50 out there. That's a nice round reachable number for me. For a lot of you it might be less. I am a curious reader, who has come to enjoy reading, maybe even look forward to it. Read about what you're passionate about. Read about what you are interested in. I covet books about leadership and business. I am enamored by the idea of being the best and being looked at as the best. Using the best techniques. Using the most innovative approach. Creating a model that is unique and no one else has thought to try.

The challenge then becomes sifting through the shitty ideas, and finding the most solid, fundamental ideas out there. Those are the ones you want to implement into your day to day opportunities.

But back to my point. Read about what you believe in. Read what excites you.

Books on my current short list:
1. Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
2. Linchpin by Seth Godin
3. The Score Takes Care of Itself by the late great coach Bill Walsh and two helping authors
4. The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam
5. Rework by Jason Fried

2. Travel--Not just traveling in the short term fellas, but continuing to make plans and goals to travel in the long term future. I want to see the world. I want to find out what all the fuss is about. I wanna spend the night in a big city like NY. I want to surf in Austrailia. I want to hang out in Central Park London. I want to see a Real Madrid soccer game against a worthy opponent (little side story--I met an absolute babe on New Years Eve, who has done a lot of traveling. She says there is nothing in the world like an English Premiere League soccer game. She swore by it. She was borderline dorky about it, and she can't wait to go back. And she had 20-30 other destinations that she was dying to travel to. She was a doll, it would take way too long to talk her up as much as I really need to, but she really solidified for me the need to see what else is going on in the world. ) The timing is never gonna be right guys. So you just gotta make it happen. Make it a priority to make it a priority.

Big Ticket Destinations in 2010 and a little beyond:
1. London
2. Seattle
3. Las Vegas
4. Chicago
5. Sydney
6. NYC