Welcome to the online home of me, some guy given the name John Cleveland Payne. In the grand scheme of life, I am just another guy with another blog. But to myself, and hopefully to all of you who actually read this, I am something a little more special. From a young age, I fell in love of the idea of ‘the message’ and medium in which you try to transmit.
Basically, everyone has a message to give to the world. Some are basic, some complex, some have the power to up lift and some are just out there to bring as many people down as possible. But everyone has a message, and most people have problems identifying their message. And the ones who get that far can seem to figure out how to get the world to listen.
Well, I have a message, and this is where I will get a chance to share it. Hopefully, you’ll get plenty of things to keep you motivated or inspired, provide knowledge and comfort, and just have a little fun. Apologies for the state of flux and state of seemingly confusing messages that you’ll get here for a while, as I am doing a lot of personal soul searching, and scrubbing of old ideas to take the best of the past to build a new beginning.
In 2007, I changed the name of blog from “The Mis-Adventures Of The Jazzy Cool One” to “Life In Fast Forward.” I began to tear down old blogs and newsletters and try to find places for them here. My goal is to take the focus off of me the person, and show the world the life I live and share with every human on the planet. I aspire to life at a very high standard, and instead of dealing with people who rather slow us down, I want to find ways to help people pick up there own pace. As you get to see an insight to the further adventures I hope to lead, hopefully you’ll enjoy the ride, and want to come along.
Other things
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Other things
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Today Is Recommitment Day
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Today is Recommitment Day.
Today, I have chosen to recommit to my fitness plans that have been ignored as life has gotten in the way.
Today, I have chosen to recommit to learning new things to keep my mind from growing old.
Today, I have chosen to recommit to dreaming just for the sake of dreaming.
Today is Recommitment Day, and I will recommit to everything I had planned to create a better life for myself and those I care about before distractions set in and nay-sayers began to weigh me down.
And if I should stumble and lose focus, I'll pick my self up and prepare myself for tomorrow
Where tomorrow, I will recommit myself. I will make tomorrow Recommitment Day, if necessary. And the next day, if necessary.
You want to get in better shape, but you don’t have or can’t afford a gym membership. There are plenty of simpledevices for yourhome that can help you get a pretty hefty workout in the comfort of your own home. But if you can’t afford any of the home gym equipment, or just don’t want to be bothered by the space it could take up in you home, you can still get a great workout with some of the best built equipment every designed. Your own body.
The 18-move workout is designed to take fewer than 20 minutes without a single piece of external equipment. It may just be the workout plan to help you jumpstart that new fitness plan you’ve been putting off for months.
It’s hard to believe I that at 20 I could bowl a consistent 115, but at 33-years-old, my game is defiantly on a serious decline. Life as a professional bowler is obviously a ways off, with my average this weekend dropping from 105 to 91 (88/89/97), after I dropped taking my wife along with me as a distraction.
I am initiating a list of goals to use as my own personal carrot to dangle in front of myself. First is immediate, once I can average 125 for three weeks straight, I get to buy bowling gear. I also have a target to create a bowling team at work for winter leagues, which means I have to get better quickly if I want to find some people to bowl with me and not embarrass myself, other that from the few people who actually keep up with this blog.
Sure, I want to write a lot of books, but when I do finally complete my book on how to get yourself the media attention you want (and not necessarily deserve), I know what the main principle will revolve around: Don't Be Boring!
After almost 6 years of of being a broadcast gatekeeper, dealing with public relations experts and small business gurus and community affairs directors and public information officers, all trying to get their guys on the radio for a little bit of pub, I am amazed by how many professions in the business screw this up.
There are plenty of people in the world with interesting stories. There are plenty of people in the world with a message that needs to be. There is plenty of open airtime somewhere to get all these people a little bit of exposure. Do not blow your opportunity by putting the audience to sleep.
Here is a quick three step approach to help you know whether or not you have what it takes to keep the attention of the listeners/viewers, and get you number listed on an emergency call back list.
- Read Your Press Release: What does your press materials actually say about you? Is it a canned write-up or a well crafted document? Is it compelling? Is it boring? Is your event or cause laughable? Is it laughable on purpose? Do you even have a press release to give out? Take the time to craft out a press release that tells the prospective media source just what you want to say, and make them want to say it for you.
- Be Exited About Making Contact: You don't know who the true gatekeeper to your on air interview, but there is a good chance that that person on you're on the phone with can easily be a quick route to a "We'll see what we can do," when you call with a last minute interview opportunity. Even if your pre-interviewer sound bored to tears and totally annoyed by having to talk you, you better make them believe you are eager (but not to eager) to talk to them. Be gracious of the time they are taking an patient with explanation if they don't seem to get your information.
- Be On Time & On Topic: Don't miss your opportunity! Get addresses and directions, phone numbers, back-up phone number, email addresses, and emergency back-up phone numbers and email addresses. Don't feel embarrassed by double and triple checking to confirm you have all the details. Know the style and flow of the show you're going to appear on, and then nail the interview by focusing on your host and your topic. Don't leave the host baffled or lost in conversation, don't ramble from one issue to the next, and what ever you do, DO NOT READ DIRECTLY FROM THE BULLET POINTS FROM YOUR PRESS RELEASE! Now is the time to know your material, and care about your material, and hopefully make someone else care. Because if you hope to be back for more airtime an publicity, give them an interview that will have the audience asking for more information. That will almost guarantee you a follow up interview.
Paralyzed by Overcommitment (The Glass is Too Big) http://www.wynia.org/wordpress/2008/06/01/paralyzed-by-overcommitment/ Reading so many blogs make you feel like you really know the writers, and J Wynia one of the best. And what is best about him, is his true grasp on the important perspectives of life. Hope to see him back with enough time for serious blogging soon...
Parents: You are Their Best Friend (The Cranking Widgets Blog) http://blog.crankingwidgets.com/2008/06/04/kids-best-friend/ While your outlook on this maxum may change when they become teenagers, for the younger years, enjoy being their best pals.
The Career Employee Bill of Rights (ChangeThis Newsletter) http://www.changethis.com/47.03.EmployeeRights In every workplace, they're eight inalienable rights that you didn't know you even had. Study this manifesto and take each right to heart.
There are three ways to become a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA):
A 200 average or better for the most recent league season with at least 36 games in that league.
A 190 average or better in a sanctioned USBC Sport Bowling League. This is a league run by the USBC using the PBA patterns. You can find out if there are sports leagues near you by contacting the USBC at (414) 421-6400.
Cashing in a PBA Regional tournament as a non-member. You can gain access to information on entering regional tournaments on pba.com.
My plan is raise my skill level by bowl three games a week, and looking for a league in the fall. Of course, in my first outing a month ago, I was horrible. This time, not much better. Game one score at 124, game two scored at 96, and game three scored at 95, for an average of 105. The main factor to work on is concentration (might need to leave the wife behind when bowling for practice), followed by consistency.
I have read far more than my share of self-help books, and want to some day have a self-help bestseller of my own. But after shuffling through pages and pages of books I’ve read and notes I have taken over the years, I think I have the formula whittled down to just three simple steps.
Step 1: Figure out what you are doing that is bad. Step 2: Stop doing it. Step 3: Find something to replace what you were doing that was bad with something that is good.
I’m not sure how many pages I can stretch out of that. Plus, who pays for such simple advice?
Sometimes you've just got to be thankful for the small victories and just be happy that you seemed to make some progress, or at least didn't completely lose the war.
With all the frustrations I've suffered at work work last week, compounded with some serious setbacks with this blog/website/company, I end the week with a few relatively minor victories that I am going to blow way out of proportion, just because I can:
- I blogged for 7 days straight: Some posts were a little cheesy, some were mind numbing rambling rants, but I logged in 8 posts in 7 straight days, even while spending 14 hours driving last weekend. A new streak begins today, with my target being ten day in a row. Wish me luck.
- I have cured myself of high cholesterol: Cured is a pretty strong word, but since being diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol in 2000 (at the age of 26), I've been on what seems like a non-stop clinical trial of pills to get everything under control...when I completely ignoring it. But thanks to a wife with great insurance who lovingly nags, and doctor who nags I am slowly starting to get used to, and nurse by phone who gets paid to nag and is good at what she does, and some actual effort on my part, I am apparently so low the doctor almost suggested I start drinking a cup of margarine with breakfast. With a HDL of 46 & a LDL of 43, I am officially off one of my five prescribed medications, Crestor.
I'll spend another week trying to launch dozen of major things again, attempting to not feel the pressure of hitting straight home runs, because while they help, its the number of runs scored that determine whether you win the game. And its almost impossible to win them all. In the meantime, I will lick my wounds of the last two weeks by knowing that I did accomplish something, and hope that next weekend I will will have a few more victories to add to the list.
Handling Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes & Moving Ahead On A New Track
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
It's been a little over two weeks since I shifted duties at work. I was for almost three years the morning show producer at the news/talk station in the radio cluster, a job that had grown well beyond where it should have about a 18 months ago. Luckily, I wasn't losing my job like so many others in this industry, I was getting an opportunity base on the fact that I am pretty much a computer geek with no life to spearhead some cluster wide initiative with our websites.
It's also been a little over two weeks since I have been suffering from a sense of blah, which only subsides when I am flooded in a whirlwind of emergency work (and it's almost never my emergency). Since I technically have less responsibility, I should see more productivity and a cleaner desk. Instead, it seems like a lot less productivity, less energy, more stress, and a desk that is returning to the messy state.
After a little analysis of the situation, I've come up with a few issues that are contributing to the problem:
- no chain of command: I don't have a 'boss' for all the new initiative, per se. There is the head sales manager, the sales exec he put in charge of tracking, then all the sales people, station directors, and air talent, all of who are coming to me with various bits and pieces the ad up to the things I am being told need to be done
- lack of focus: With no hierarchy to follow, there is no straight line to receive inputs, so they come from all directions, and at all times. The piece of paper that ends up at the top of the stack usual gets immediate focus, and that stack is being continually fed.
- lack of energy: I could blame the puppy, since I am getting up at 3am to walk and spend time with him before work. Only I was always getting up at 3am, and sometimes earlier, because I needed that extra time before being at work at 4:30am. And even if I am going home at a decent hour (only working 11 hour days instead of 14 hour days), I find myself even more drained, even earlier in the day.
- lack of resources: As I said, I was giving new duties based on the fact I had a little bit of knowledge a a few share ware programs to make things work for the websites. That being said, my slow work computer is still slow, and my person computers and wallet are not very happy for the extra tasking they are being forced to do.
All these things are making me feel unproductive and extra cranky, and with me not directly producing any shows, I don't get the right to cuss profusely at work anymore. So I'm just going to have to solve my problems. My current plan of action includes:
- establishing a process for incoming and outgoing projects: I've already drafted an 'Interactive Production Order' sheet, have revamped the tracking spreadsheet we threw together to keep up on interactive details, and have learned that while I cannot curse, and can be pretty stern went getting a message across to the inhabitants of the sale bay, as long as I am pushing for positive results. Getting everyone to buy in on a 'process' have take a little effort in the current wild-west nature of the initiative, but I never said I was afraid of challenges.
- pin point focus: Starting with cleaning up my work area, I have to ensure that all the incomings are kept in some semblance of order. I had already established a few methods to keep incoming information in check for producing and show booking, and will attempt to modify them for use on interactive initiatives. Granted, training air staff to working within parameter didn't exactly work out very well either, but I do have plans.
- exercise & diet: To increase my energy, I've got to get a steady exercise habit down, especially since I'm spending $24 a month on a two-year gym contract. The puppy was supposed to help out on getting out to walk, only the puppy isn't quite up to cooperating in the walking park. I do have a cool GPS fitness watch that I like to use (computer geek remember) that has be great in tracking walks and runs to precision, but I have to make the time for them. Also, despite all the convince my wife may do, there will be less eating out. Its way to expensive now anyway. I will have to make more time to cook, which I like to do
- beg for a better computer: This one is going to be tough, since no one is getting anything new, even if we are just asking for an investment for this new revenue source. Aw well...
Prisoners 'need work experience' (BBC News) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7445342.stm A quote from the British prison offeners charity Clinks on giving prisoner a chance to to get in the job hunt: "There was also support for day release, such as visits to Jobcentres or college open days."
We’re keeping the streak alive with this little graphic I eaked out a little time to create today…
Its a graphic on how I view my self (obviously), something I have been thinking a lot about lately as I’ve been motivated to ‘upgrade my personal image,’ which for me means actually caring.
I have a long drive tonight, and a long day expected tomorrow, so I’ll get back to more of an explanation soon, including how come Bryant Gumbel gets to represent my ideal self...
I am on the road very early to spend some time with my family in Baton Rouge for the weekend. With gas prices as high as they are, my income as low as it is, and the complete time and energy drain it takes spending 14 hours round trip, with an estimated home arrival time two hours before I have to be at work, this weekend is a total inconvenience. But when the chance to undertake this inconvenience materialized, I jumped at the chance to take it.
Knowing just how weird I am about people, I have a very tight bond went it comes to family (I had to convincing the wife that all the yelling is just the fact we are a pretty loud family on both my mom and dad’s sides). When I get the chance to spend some time, especially with my niece and nephew, just about any amount of pain and punishment turns out to be worth it. It’s a part of my attempts to be more human, more or less, and despite the fact I just take it out on my co-workers when I’m cranky, it works out.
One cousin gets married today at 2pm, another has a dance recital at 2pm tomorrow. I am assuming I’ll be stuck watching the 10-year-old and under cousins, since everyone seemed to get a kick out of watching me be tourtured. But it is well worth it.
Rembermer, some things are really worth the hassle and hardship they may brings. Figure out what they are for your life, and put in the time nessicary to make it work out.
Now that I have more or less mastered the man purse, its time to follow my next impossible mission. My current list to choose from, in no particular order or degree of difficultly:
- Eating with chop sticks - Becoming a professional bowler - buying a sport coat
While the sport coat would be the obvious easily choice, I am really digging the idea of bowling more (I like bowling shoes).
Last weekend, I was wandering through Radio Shack on the look out for a few headphone adapters, and the sales guy was doing a little question probing in hopes to eek out a sale (I understand the procedure, being a former Radio Shack sales person myself). When he asked what I did for a living, I told him I was a Radio News Producer. When he asked what a Radio News Producer actually does, I rattled of a laundry list of random things that seemingly any idiot can accomplish, but for some reasons, I am often the only one that can figure it out at the time.
I though about it a few hours later, and my wife. I ofter fire back at my wife when she asks what I did that day at work that I 'basically yell at people and cuss a lot.' Which brings up this new, but soon to be classic sports meltdown by Seattle Mariners Manager John McLaren.
...and I can officially start my count of days of continual musings to all of you. And I get to tick off two days straight of blogging on my Seinfeldian Chain Calendar. First made popular from a post on Lifehacker.com on how Jerry Seinfeld made himself into a continual writer, chain calendars became the online rage for a while, and I even used one to convince my wife to eat more salads.
...I'm going to count it as a blog post. Because my goal is to get a string of posts, and I am honestly to tired to compose anything remotely profound (as if I ever managed profound anyway).
The new things in my life I will get around to filling in the details later: new job duties, new focus for the "company," a new puppy, and a boat load of new starts and restarts all around.
