Moving Again

Yep, you read that right. In the span of a year I’m moving this blog for the third time.

It’s true, it took less than five minutes to install WordPress.org. It then took Ms. Indecisive two hours to pick, fix and edit a new theme

For now, you can find me here: www.fieryirishrose.com.

The Finger

This is how I feel about the last 30 days. I hope the craptastic bullshit that I’ve been dealing with ends soon. Personally, I thought I had fairly decent karma, but apparently I pissed the hell out of someone somewhere.

Life Lessons from Swimming

Growing up, swimming shaped my whole life. When you spend 40+ hours per week at the pool, how can it not?

I don’t regret the long hours nor the wrinkled fingers nor swimming til I puked blood. And, I certainly don’t regret the lessons I learned and have carried with me into everything I do.

My wish is that one day, my kids’ get a swim coach just as amazing (and scary) who will impart similar lessons unto them:

Never walk when you can swim.
Never take the easy way out. Never miss an opportunity to practice.

Not racing is like practicing for a spelling test and then not taking it.
It’s not enough to show up to practice. Take the risk and race. Otherwise, all your work is for nothing.

Practice doesn’t start until the lactic acid kicks in.
If you’re not pushing yourself out of comfort zones, you’ll never get better.

There’s no reason not to show up to practice.
Take your commitments seriously. Don’t make silly excuses. Play like a champion.

Coach never explained his lessons. He repeated them until they were second nature and let us figure out what each one truly meant. Twenty years later? I still say to myself, “Never walk when you can swim,” any time I’m about to get out of the water.

Priceless

• - Plane Tickets: $987
• - Hotels: $830
• - Taxis: $130

Making the same mistake twice? $1,947

Hopefully, I won’t be dumb enough to make the same mistake a third time.

Terrified

Every feel like this about the person you’re currently dating? Never settle… always wait for the butterflies

Why Phelps Won’t Be at the 2012 Olympics

Mark my words, Michael Phelps will not compete in the 2012 Olympics. With his fiasco this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this. I’m still struggling with the decision but, from one swimmer to another here’s why:

1. He’s out of college. Swimming after college is hard. Period. During college, you have a daily schedule, you have friends who do the same thing and you don’t have much else to do. Even though you don’t have much to do, you’re kept busy with classes, study hours and swim practice. Enough to fill a day and keep anyone out of trouble or from getting bored.
2. What has Phelps done since finishing the Olympics? Partied. He’s in Vegas constantly. When he’s not in Vegas, he’s partying somewhere else. Classic burnout modus operandi. Will he stop? Probably. Most swimmers go through the same cycles and always end up back in the water.
3. He’s unmotivated. Just look at all the social media accounts he set up and has now abandoned. Did you also notice he started using them this week after being caught? He’s already won eight gold medals. What’s his goal in 2012? Win nine? Winning eight again would just be boring. In fact, when asked, he says his greatest swimming moment is a swim from Athens NOT the recent Olympics.
4. He’s bored. Phelps is a classic case of ADD. He already won eight gold medals. He’s already number one. Unless some superstar appears out of the blue, he’s already beat all the opponents he’s dreamed of beating. He’s moving on to bigger and better things. In a young adult’s life, four years is a hell of a long time. Think about it. How long have you held a job before getting “the itch”? One year? Maybe two?
5. It won’t be worth the effort. The Olympic committee and USA Swimming Organization are unforgiving. They’ll remember this one bong hit and put him through so many drug tests and other hoops it just won’t be worth it. Also, the news will bring this incident up repeatedly. I’m sure he’d rather brush it under a rug and forget about it. These three entities won’t let him.

Why do I think he might participate? Six months before the Olympics he’ll get motivated. He’ll hop back in the water, practice hard and once again dominate. But, if he starts practicing or honestly considering 2012 before then, I’ll be shocked.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Five material things I’m currently loving on:

1. Betsey Johnson bras. I’m not a huge Betsey fan, so how I ended up with my first one is a mystery. Not only do they fit, but they’re super cute. Here’s hoping she expands her line.
2. Brooks Running Shoes. When the triathlon store in Vegas suggested I try Brooks, it killed me. I couldn’t imagine switching from Pearl Izumi or Mizuno. In fact, I bought a pair of Izumi’s to stop the guilt of switching. But, I’m really enjoying my Brooks shoes. They are more supportive than any Izumi’s I’ve ever had.
3. My Dyson handheld vacuum. I’ve had a Dyson for a few years, but I never thought to get the handheld version. However, with my new car and propensity to shed hair everywhere, I figured what the hell. Wow, I never thought I could be obsessed with a vacuum, but it is amazing. I think I use it more than my upright Dyson.
4. My iPhone. When I tested it in stores, the typing sucked. But, I really wanted to understand everyone’s obsession, so I picked one up. My fear of the sucky typing was silly and like all the other lemmings, I’ve fallen in love. While I haven’t started using it for work yet, I’m seriously considering it. My favorite thing? The way you delete emails.
5. Nike+. I still think it’s inaccurate, but the guilt trip it gives when you miss a day is amazing. It does a better job than any personal training or coach I’ve ever had.

Strength

Some think that strength is physical; the ability to break a plank or lift 300 pounds. But, strength is also:

• - Not crying in front of your kids and pretending everything is okay
• - It’s finishing a meal and walking out quietly after your finance tells you he’s not in love
• - It’s saying “I love you” first
• - It’s hugging the opponent who beat you by 100th of a second
• - It’s remaining silent while someone cries on your shoulder
• - It’s leaving an abusive relationship
• - It’s saying “no”
• - It’s saying ”yes”
• - It’s doing something everyday that scares you; no matter how big or small
• - It’s moving to a new city, taking a new job, going on a blind date
• - It’s voicing your opinion
• - It’s letting go

Strength lies in the little things. You’re stronger than you realize.

Yea, This is a Superbowl XLIII Post

The quote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” seems to describe Superbowl XLII vs. XLIII perfectly.

What stayed the same?

1. The majority of ads contained NO URL.
2. Once again, sites weren’t ready for the traffic. You’d think they’d learn from last year. You think someone would warn them. But, NOOOOO. I wonder if it had more to do with a communication breakdown between departments? Did anyone bother to tell their IT team they were running a Super Bowl commercial? Probably not.
3. NO paid search. Why hasn’t any marketer implemented this into their Super Bowl plan!?!?! Seriously, how hard and how much time does it take to add additional keywords and ad copy? Hell, you can set up your own AdWords account in under fifteen minutes.
4. To top it off, NO ad contained a text call to action. This shocks me. Can you imagine how much phone number acquisition could have taken place? I’m getting wet and sick at the same time just thinking about it.
5. Sobe had a semi-weird commercial that no one understood. Seriously, how many people picked up 3-D glasses? Even if you did, did you really put them on for a thirty second commercial?

What changed?

1. OMG. The noise on twitter was deafening. I couldn’t take it, but others seemed to love it. Broadcasting your thoughts on the commercials to a few hundred people just as geeky as you? Yeah, I totally see the appeal.
2. With social media playing a more prominent role, I think brands who bought commercial spots actually got more bang for their buck. Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter, one stop shop for viewing the ads online? Yes, much better integration.
3. Commercials were “leaked” early to the web. This was my favorite part. It goes back to users being in control. I could watch when and how I wanted. I could share with friends and coworkers. I could watch over and over again. I didn’t have to wait until Sunday, hoping that I wouldn’t miss the “cool” ad. Just one more reason why I love the Miller High Life 1-Second Spots.
4. All the ads were immediately up on Hulu. AND it was promoted throughout the Superbowl. Remember last year having to search AND not finding some of the ads? Or, to the cringe of Brand Managers everywhere, finding a shitty copy of it on YouTube from some guy named JizzSaver?
5. Usually, I love the Budweiser Super Bowl ads. At least one always makes my favorite list. This year? I couldn’t even add one to my Runner Up list. Bummer.

Rockstar Managers

Managing people is a tough job. It’s also an art form that few people excel at. Before you sign onto a job that involves having people report directly to you, make sure you can do the below things. Of course, a lot of other things make up rock star managers, but this is a rant

1. Have Balls. At some point, you’re probably going to fire someone, rescind a promotion, give constructive criticism and scold employees. Have the balls to not only do all of the above, but also do it gracefully. Don’t forget, women have balls too. Usually, they have bigger and better ones than their male counterparts
2. Be Flexible. Not only to your employees’ needs, but also to their styles. Not everyone likes to be managed the same way. Be flexible enough to adapt your style to different types of people. If you can do this, you’ll get a lot more bang out of your employees.
3. Don’t be a Douchebag. This one goes hand in hand with having balls. If you have to do “dirty work,” do it with confidence. Do it yourself; don’t hide behind your boss. Do it face to face. Doing it by email, IM, DM, phone, etc. is weak and lame.

If you can’t do the above, rethink positions that involve you actually managing people. Why? Because you’re going to suck.