Time To Take The Big Shovel

Pride is one of a man’s best and worst attributes.  Pride will make a man work as hard as he can and give his best effort.  Pride will also blind a man to the fact that there comes a time in life where it is time to move on and “pass the torch.”

This post is a bit more personal.  It has to do with someone I admire and look up to…my father.

For those of you who watch the national weather, you’ll know that we had a major snowstorm in the Northeast the weekend before Christmas. Some areas got anywhere from 18 – 24 inches of snow.  I live in the area that got the 24 inches.

Anyway, just as I’d dug myself out, I got a call from my mother asking if I could come by.  She sounded worried and asked could I come over as soon as possible.  I drove over as fast as I could, considering the weather, to find my father digging out the driveway.

I grew up here so I know how bad the snow can get, but this was the most snow we’d gotten in years. The plows had already come through so they pack heaps and snow in front of everyone’s house.  And there was dad, bent over and grunting considerably to dig himself out.

This bring me to my story of the Big Shovel. For was long as I can remember, there has always been the Big Shovel, about 4 feet long with a large metal end that looked like it could move mountains with one swipe.  When I was younger, it reminded me of a battle-axe with my father being the only black Viking in the neighborhood as he dealt the snow his wrath.

But I’m not so young anymore, and my dad not so mighty.  You can only expect so much from the old man.  He’s still pretty strong for his age and will probably outlive most of us, but you could tell that Father Time had finally gotten a hold of him. He seemed to struggle with the ice.  Instead of the superhero I’d looked up to for so many years…he looked…human…mortal.

I knew why my mom called me now.  It was time for me to take the Big Shovel.

It wasn’t like I didn’t try to take it before.  All through high school and college, my dad insisted and demanded that he take the big shovel and the brunt of the work.  Even after I had a family of my own and stopped by to check on them, dad was still outside shoveling away.  He’d always told me that’s what the man of the house does.  I was always given the smaller plastic shovel and was tasked with clearing the walkway and the steps.  From the car area down to the street was the “man work.”

I thought about how I’d approach him about it.  I really did.  My dad is a very proud man, who often tells of how he and his brothers had to go and chop trees for the wood stove to heat the house.  I remember him attending a football banquet at his old high school where he presented an award to an athlete that broke his all time rushing record, a record that stood for almost 40 years.  He was strong as an ox and took pride in taking care of his loved ones.

But this wasn’t the same man.  I wasn’t as concerned about his physical well-being as I was his pride.  As a man, we always take pride in taking care of our family and home.  And he couldn’t do that anymore…at least in this case.

I stepped out of my car and put on my gloves.  I approached my dad and gently tapped him on the shoulder.  He looked at me as if he knew it was time.

“Hey dad, let me take over for a while.”

He gave me his usual “I got it” and went back to work so I let him shovel a few more times until he was out of breath.  Then I tapped him on the shoulder again and smiled.  He gave me the shovel and went into the house.

It’s a hard thing, letting go of your pride and stepping aside.  Admitting that you’ve taken something as far as you can.  The mind is willing but the body is able.  But eventually, we all have to do that.  My father finally passed the Big Shovel onto me, and one day, I’ll pass it onto my son.

…or maybe I’ll just call him and tell him to take it.  That ice seems to get heavier and heavier.

Feel free to comment.

The Monster In My Closet

Part of being a man is admitting your fears and getting them out.  This post is as much for me as it is for you to read; call it a cleansing of the soul or facing my fears or whatever shi*t you want to call it.  It’s just something I have to get off my chest.

There’s a monster in my closet that I’m afraid of.  I’m scared to death of it.  It nearly killed me the last time; I barely got away.  I remember sitting in my living room with my head in my hands, wonder how I was going to go on…or even if I should.

Those who know me, who know the real me, know that the last few years have been really rough emotionally.  My life was turned upside down (you know there was a woman involved) and I got hit from the blind side.  Fifteen years…gone in an instant.

When it first happened, I went through a really deep depression.  I didn’t want to go out or see anyone.  My best friend was the bottle of vodka I’d nurse until I fell asleep.  I was fully functional to those who didn’t know; I was promoted twice at work and received several accolades.  But once I got home and closed the door, I was alone, and the monster would come out of the closet.

The monster was me.  A depressed, unmotivated, self-destructive me.  A me I didn’t recognize when I looked in the mirror. This monster looked timid and afraid.  I didn’t recognize it. I didn’t recognize me.

There would be days I wouldn’t shave, get dressed, or even bathe.  I didn’t care if I ate or slept.  I’d just stay in bed.  Days seemed passed without me even knowing sometimes.  I’d was a walking corpse; I was dead inside.

There were times when death seemed a reprieve.   I was dead anyway; I just happened to be breathing.

I’m telling you this because the monster nearly came out of the closet again.  It wasn’t because of a woman; it was just because of life.  Things are a little tough right now.  Stress is building and my motivation was sloping.  For the past few days, I hadn’t gone to the gym (those that know me are probably shocked; I’m a ritual 6 day per week guy).  I’d look at the phone and just let it ring; I didn’t want to talk to anyone.  This feeling seemed too familiar; the monster was coming out again..

Am I crazy?  A lil’ bit.

But something happened today.  I woke up early, 6 AM. I laid in bed with my eyes opened.  I rubbed my overgrown facial hair.  I looked around my messy room; clothes and papers were everywhere. But something changed today.

I told myself, “Get up.”  And I did.  The monster wasn’t going to get me.  Not this time.

I cleaned up my bedroom, changed into my workout clothes, and headed for the gym.  I showered and shaved.  I felt like a brand new man.  I went to a casino and played a poker tournament.  My pocket Kings got cracked by a set of 3′s.  I laughed it off.  I didn’t make the final table, but it didn’t matter.  I was just having fun.  I did some Christmas shopping.  I called an old friend I hadn’t spoken to in a year.  I wrote a few blogs you’ll see here in the future.  I started reading a book.

In short…I decided to live.

The monster’s not going to get me.  Not this time.

Feel free to comment.

Show Some Pride

This post will be short because:

1. a picture says 1000 words
2. I shouldn’t have to tell grown men to give their all in what they do.

Part of being a man is to be proud in one’s work and to give your best effort at all times.  Therefore, I must give the Chicago Bulls effort against the Toronto Raptors on December 5th a vote of “Just Not Manly”.  Their play was not TrueMan approved.

It isn’t because they lost by 32 points.  That happens sometimes; you win some, you lose some.  Sometimes you lose big because the other team was that much better than you on that given night.

However, effort is something entirely different.  I don’t care how badly you beat me or how bad the situation is, you’re going to know you’ve been in a fight.  That’s why when I saw this from Saturday nights effort against the Toronto Raptors I was shocked.

Yes, the game was well in hand, and the Bulls were going to lose, but to allow someone to bend over and tie their shoes during the game is unacceptable. At least run up and guard him and try to steal the ball.  Try to salvage something from this night that you can hold your head up high about.

This is something that not only applies in sports but in life.  It applies in your work, your relationships, your hustle, your dreams.  Like Kanye West says in his song Champion, “To me givin’ up’s way harder than tryin’.”

(Note: That is probably the first and last positive reference you’ll see me give to Kanye West.  Mark the date).

If you’re lax in some things, you’re probably lax in all.  At least try and act like you care.  At least try and act like you want to win, no matter what the final score says.

Chicago Bulls…it’s time to man up.

A Day Off?

I had an interesting conversation with my father today.

My called to check up on my parents and see how they were (I’m a good son).  My father happened to be off and was looking forward to spending some time away from the office.

I asked him why he was off and he told me he had a furlough day.  My father works for the state and the state is in a bit of a budget crunch.  To save money, all state employees were given 5 days off without pay this year, so he was taking some of his time off.  The plan has worked so well that the state plans to continue this next year and may go as high as 10 days.

My father said he was looking forward to having the day off though.  He planned to get together with one of his friends, another state employee that was off, and they were going to go to New York City for the day and do some sight-seeing.  He’s big into that.

That time without pay thing is getting around as companies are trying to “right-size” budgets.  I have a few friends that have also been given time off with out pay. Some are taking the time do to handywork around the house.  Others are visiting family.  Others are taking the time to get away and take a vacation.  They’re enjoying their extended vacation time off…

…and that’s where the problem starts.

News Flash:  THIS IS NOT VACATION TIME.  THIS IS NOT PERSONAL TIME.  STOP THINKING OF IT THAT WAY.

You need to change your thinking.   If you company is “giving” you this time off, it’s not a good thing.  Basically, you’ve been laid off for a few days.  That’s a more accurate description.

This should be a wake up call.  Your company would rather be less productive and save money than pay you to come into the office and work.  I repeat, this is not a good thing.  It’s better than being out of a job, but not by much.  You can bet your company is considering that and already had a plan in place in case things come to that.  What you need to do is plan a strategy for your to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on your job for a paycheck.

There are a lot of options out there; you just have to think outside the box a little.  I saw a little girl on the Wendy Williams show…..

Ok, let me explain that one. I’m a virtual employee, so I work from home.  I don’t watch a lot of daytime TV, but I happened to be channel surfing and Wendy Williams was on.  She had a little girl who basically thought outside the box and put together “haircare baskets” from existing products.  She made $100,000 last year…at age 13.   If that’s not inspiration to look for gaps in the marketplace, I don’t know what is.

I know some of you are thinking that these are just some bad economic times and that you’ll “ride the wave” until things pick up and everything will go back to the way it was.  Guess again.  If your employer was getting anything close to the production they were getting with fewer employees or man hours, why would they go back to spending more money when they don’t have to. It’s more likely that your company will continue doing “more with less”, using the fear of losing your job as motivation to keep people doing more.

You need to dig your head out of the sand, and quickly.  There are lots of things that can be done for you to help secure your own financial future.  Even if you don’t make $100,000 on your own, I’m sure if you did something part time and  made and extra $1000 a month, that would help out if you were to suddenly lose your job.

I also have some furlough time coming.  Instead of taking a vacation, I’m going to head to the library (yes, they still exist) and visit the Small Business Development Center.  That will give me a lot of ideas on how to free myself from the grip of corporate America and invest in my own future.

What will you with your day off?  Feel free to comment.

“This Is It” – Lessons From “The Gloved One”

Recently, I took my son to see “This Is It”, the film compilation of rehearsal, behind-the-scenes footage for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” concert series that was to be held for 100 shows in London.  We got our tickets, popcorn, and soda, and expected to see an entertaining film about Michael Jackson, complete with the timeless moonwalk, a “scha-mon” here and there, and endless soundbites of “he-he”.  Instead I learned a lot more.

Michael Jackson was a hustler.  And a damn good one too.

He had you all fooled into thinking he was all about zipper pants, glittery gloves and wearing white socks with everything.   People talk about MJ because of child molestation accusations, Bubbles, carrying around a grown man like a 3-year-old (what ever happened to Emanuel Lewis?), or his battles with Vitiligo (hey, give him a break).  But Michael Jackson was about his business; his business just happened to be music.  In watching the film, I learned that Michael Jackson knew what a lot of us so-called business types still have failed to learn:

Love over Money

Through out the film, Michael kept talking about the love of what he was doing and the passion that follows it.  That’s key, and a lot of us miss it.  We’re so quick chasing a dollar that when we get it, it’s hard to hold onto because of how we got there.  Listen to most successful people.  Not your “guys” like Floyd Mayweather and those Cash Money Morons who throw money in the air every chance they get.  Not guys that will probably be broke in 10 years.  I’m talking about your Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Russell Simmonds.  They rarely talk about money first.  It’s almost as if the money is a product of something when you love what you do.  More attention is on staying true to the craft and what you do.

Focus on Service/Quality Of The Product

It’s been said there are three components of business: Price, Product, and Service/Quality.  If you have to focus on of them, I’d focus on Service/Quality.  It’s the only aspect of any business that is unique to the provider and can’t really be duplicated.

Too often, we focus on the Price and the Product itself; that’ really a mistake.  Focusing on price will cause you to lose business as soon as your competitor’s price is lower than yours.  Walmart has been doing that for decades.

Products become outdated, so focusing on the product itself is also a losing proposition.  I’m guessing that you haven’t used your VCR in years, and you might not even know what an eight-track player is.  Someone will always come around and build a better “mouse trap.”

Michael Jackson focused on the quality of his music.  There is a lot of music today that sounds better because of sound engineers, digital recording, and the autotune, but is the quality there? Will it be around 20 years from now? The hooks today are better, but I can almost guarantee you Chris Brown and Lil’ Wayne will be forgotten about in 20 years.  Michael’s music has lasted generations, from the Jackson 5 to his last album “Invincible”, and was indelible to everyone that heard it.  People say that his last album flopped; yeah, it flopped to about 13 million sales worldwide.  Most artists would dream to “flop” an album like that.  His best-selling album was Thriller, which did well over 100 million in sales world-wide.

But the biggest reason I know Michael Jackson put out a quality product was because of my son.  My son was singing along with a lot of his songs word for word.  It wasn’t just my kid, either.  There were dozens of parents in there with children from about age 5 up that were singing along.  You don’t last that long in any game unless you pour quality into your product.

Attention To Detail

One particular scene I remember was when  Michael and his producer were going over the music for “The Way You Make Me Feel.”  They were going over the intro and Michael kept harping on how he needed to make the intro “simmer” before going into the main part of the song.  The sticking point was one note.  ONE note.  One.  Not a whole bar, just one note that was dropping too early.  They must have gone over that 5 – 6 times before it got Michael’s approval, and he wasn’t moving off of what he wanted.

If Michael didn’t hear or see what he wanted, he stopped rehearsal and they did it again until they got it right.  Everything else seemed to flow, but if there was one aspect that didn’t quite work, the whole piece didn’t work.

Michael Jackson knew that people will demand success and remember your failures.  If you’re going to do something, do it right until it’s where you want it to be.

Be Hands On

Every great hustler/entrepreneur makes sure they are a part of the process in each aspect.  I remember years ago when Toni Braxton was on Oprah and she was saying how it was hard to manage millions of dollars so she had accountants and managers handling most of the money.  Oprah quickly pointed out that she still signed every check for Harpo Productions to makes sure she knew where the money was going.

I believe Oprah is currently sitting on about $1.5 billion right now.  Toni Braxton…not so much.

This doesn’t mean be micro-managing. Hire the right people and trust them to make good decision, but only a fool would leave their entire operation in someone else’s hands.  You need to know what’s going on.  Michael Jackson was hands on, even on what seemed to be menial tasks.  He  was even present at the dancer auditions, pointing out flaws and picking out the ones he wanted.  This could have been left to the dance choreographers, but if the dancers were going to be an “extension of Michael” as it was put, he wanted to make sure he was a part of the process.

“This Is It” taught me a lot about Michael Jackson’s drive to be successful, but it also gave me tools I could take away and apply in my own life and push to be successful.

It almost made me want to give him a pass for wearing skinny jeans and those damn Captain Crunch looking jackets throughout the entire film.

…almost.

Rest in Peace, MJ.

Dress The Part

Hello, everyone.  I’m back.  This time I’m focusing on fashion, because you guys need some help. Trust me on this. I took a break last night and went out to the casino for a quick Hold ‘Em tournament.  Sitting across the table from me was a man who had on a baseball cap with a wave cap on, a throwback jersey, and his jeans sagging so low you could see his boxers.  The problem is he had to be at least 40.

You have to realize that life is not a rap video.  You can’t sag your jeans all the time.  You can’t wear a 6X white t-shirt when you’re only 5’8″ and expect to be taken seriously.  And no matter how many times you’ve seen it, Air Jordans do not go with dress pants.

Have you ever seen the movie “Hitman”? Agent 47 (played by Timothy Olyphant) was a smooth cat, dressed to the nines.  If a man who makes his living shooting at people and throwing them in the trunk of his car knows the value of a suit and tie, you can at least have one in your closet.

About 6 years ago, I was working for a fortune 500 company in the Philadelphia area.  There were very few minorities in management positions, so we were a pretty close-knit bunch.  We tried to mentor some, as many people as we could, but some guys are just hard-headed.

I remember this guy named “D”.  “D” was a pretty smart guy and had a future, but there were just some things he didn’t get.

He he said I wasn’t “keepin’ it real” , called me a “sellout” and told me I forgot where I came from.  He said this because I pulled him to the side and told that having a nice white dress shirt, a silk tie, and dress pants did not make his Timberland boots suitable office attire.

Based on my experience, there are a few things every man needs to have in his clothing arsenal:

Suits

This is a no-brainer.   Two at minimum, one navy blue, one charcoal grey. No yellow 12 button Steve Harvey specials.  No coats that make you look like  you’re trying to remake a Zapp video.  Two single breast, three button suits.  That’s all I’m asking for.

Solid long-sleeved dress shirts

With a suit you should wear white and baby blue shirts only.  And they have to be long sleeved shirts, unless you work the register at McDonald’s.  Save your yellows and pinks for casual days outside of the workplace (however, I’d question a pink shirt at any time).  French cuffs are acceptable on occasion. That brings me to…

Cuff Links

Something conservative. No dice.  No large diamonds that draw attention.  No links that look like spinning rims (yes, they do make those and I’ve seen fools wearing them).

A Watch

I know that in the days of Blackberry’s and Ipods with clocks on them that we rarely use a watch, but they really are a great accessory.  No bling. No diamonds around the face.  If you want a higher end watch that says class, Tag Heuer, Cartier, and Omega are all nice.  Or even a pocketwatch.  But don’t get it twisted; I’ve seen a $60 Fossil with more style than those gaudy TechnoMarine “shinin’ in ya face” wrist pieces.

Dress shoes

If you can spend $200 on a pair of tennis shoes or Timberlands, you can spend the same (or less) on a nice pair of dress shoes.  Cap toes, oxfords, wingtips, and dress boots are all nice and will go with a suit.  Choose something comfortable that says style.

Jeans

Here is my sleeper.  Every man should have a few pair of nice fitting jeans he can wear out.  You can switch up a nice pair of  jeans with a blazer or even one of your suit jackets.  Iron them or take them to the cleaners.  I actually like the term “denim pants” better because people will actually think about taking the wrinkles out of them before they wear them.

A few years ago, I have to admit that Kanye West wore the blazer/jeans style well.  It was a good look for young men.  Then he got on that leather pants/Liz Claiborne scarf sh*t and took it to the left (wish we could kick his ass to the left).

Hint:  If  you can put your jeans on without a belt and they fall to the floor around your ankles, they’re too big for you.

Now here are some things a man shouldn’t have in his wardrobe:

• Skinny jeans – I’m putting the worst offender first.  Under no circumstances should any man have a pair of skinny jeans in his closet.  You are a man.  You guys think I’m kidding but I’m going to start slappin’ any man I see with some tight ass jeans on.  It’s not manly.

• Rows and rows of Jerseys – No man should have too many jerseys.  What are you, 14?  A jersey for each of your favorite sports teams is ok, but to have rows and rows is unacceptable.  Grow up.

• Leather Pants – Unless you’re a professional wrestler, I can’t think of a reason any self-respecting man would have a pair of leather pants in his closet.  If you can think of one, let me know.  Then when I smack the sh*t out of you for even trying to come up with a reason for it, tell me how that feels.

• Long Black Trenchcoat – Unless you’re planning to be in a low-budget remake of “The Matrix”, take this out of your closet and burn it.

I’m not being hard on you, fellas.  I’m just trying to help you out.  If you’re going to be a man, you have to dress the part.  You don’t have to wear a suit all the time, but having your pants sagging off your ass all the time isn’t grown up.  There’s no law against wearing a dress shirt when you go out either.

It’s time to man up.

“All Around The World, Same Song”

I’m writing this to you from Canada, so I guess I should start with “Aye”.  Business trip.  The traveling isn’t anything new, but I haven’t been to Canada in a while, it was nice to go back.  I’m in Mississauga, about 20 minutes or so  outside of Toronto.

It’s nice “north of the border”  and they say it’s different from life in the States.

I caught a cab from the airport to my hotel from my Indian cabbie.  I understood about every third or fourth word but he was nice.  We talked about my trip, how long I’d be staying, and recommendations for a few good restaurants to try.  I reach my hotel to find a crew of Asian deskclerks, which because the hotel was new, were only too happy to help me, almost harassing.

As I check in, the Hispanic looking woman from housekeeping confirms to the deskclerk that my room is cleaned and ready.  Thanks.  I hate a dirty room.

My co-workers took a later flight, so I had some time to myself.  I decided to take a walk to the convenience store a few blocks away to get a few items.

The Korean store owners smiled nicely as I walked around the store for my spray starch, bottled water, and bubble gum.  I decided to bypass the skin magazines and the bootlegged DVDs and CDs.  Gotta pay with cash, card not accepted.  As I make my way towards the exit, I notice the store owners seem a little more at ease.

I walked by a small stand where an African gentleman was selling sunglasses.  They looked like some cheap knockoffs, but you can’t knock him for trying.  The warm greeting “Nice eh’, my friend” doesn’t phase me.  I keep it moving.

About a block up, I approach a few of the “block boys” dressed in baggy jeans, Timberlands and hoodies.  No words were exchanged between us; just a “whats’ up” head nod as I passed by.  Keep a sharp eye out…just in case.

It’s a little cold and rainy today, so I dipped into Starbucks to grab a small coffee.  Old, white lady, you don’t have to grip your purse as  I walk by.  I just want a coffee.  Can’t believe I’m getting this overpriced bullsh*t, but it’s cold.

Time to head back to the hotel.  I’m passing by a Popeye’s and peer through the large glass widows.  There’s a little bit of every type in there.   I guess everyone loves greasy fried food.

I’m almost at the hotel.  As I pass the office building next to my hotel, I notice it’s empty, except for a few mannequins in the lobby.  I ask the kind young lady behind the desk about it and she tells me the business that used to be there closed down because they couldn’t get any business.  About 200 people out of work.

I guess things aren’t so different over here after all.  All around the world,  same song…

Feel free to comment.

The 30 Second Exit Strategy

If you walk around your office, you’re bound to see some interesting set ups in people’s cubicles, desks, and personal offices. Some people have potted plants. Others have pictures they brought in from home. There are usually a wide assortment of nick-nacks, family photos, and coffee mugs. It seems quite comfortable.

That’s the problem.

I remember working in Philadelphia and having to attend a senior management meeting for a new Human Resources initiative. It was all about “work life balance” and how we have to take into account our employees life outside of the office. One of our vice presidents chimed in with, “Here’s an idea…work while you’re at work. Balance your life on you own time.”

As much as companies talk about “balance”, that sums up the way they feel. You’re there to work and your personal issues shouldn’t interfere. I don’t even know if that’s wrong; you’re there to work and paid well (hopefully) for it. Keep your work and personal lives separate.  That’s why it tickles me when I see offices with so many personal effects. The office is not your home; the office is your office. Home is home. Don’t try to combine the two.

I had a very interesting conversation once early in my working career. If I see someone in a position that I want to be in one day, I try to use them as a mentor (whether they know it or not) so I can advance my career. I was a junior project team member (the guy that crunches a few numbers, runs copies, and gets coffee, basically) on a project being run by a guy we’ll call “R”. “R” seemed to have it all, from the corner office with the dark red mahogany wood to the personal parking space…to the mid six figure annual bonus. Seemed like a good guy to mark as a mentor.

One day “R” called me to his office to meet with him and review some numbers I’d put together for the project. I straightened my tie and walked into his office…and it was empty. Empty. Sure, he had a copy of the company’s annual report and a few binders of work product in the corner, but not much else. I counted three personal effects: a coffee mug his kids bought him, a picture of his family, and something his kids gave him the last Father’s Day. Everything else belonged to the company.

We started talking and I drummed up the courage to ask him why his office was so empty. I remember him laughing and telling me something I’ll never forget.

“Never have anything in your office that you can’t pick up and leave with in 30 seconds or less.”

He explained to me his reasoning behind that statement, and I’ve carried it with me to this day. It reminds you of where you work and where you live. Your office is your office, not your home. Stop trying to make it a home.

This philosophy prepares you just in case anything happens. Company loyalty went the way of the do do bird long ago.  Hell, the POST OFFICE is reducing its workforce.  I know people that kissed all types of ass and did everything short of “yassa bossin” (and some even did that), but when the next round of layoffs came, they were told to pack their things with everyone else.

If you’re ever laid off or fired, you have to be mentally ready to sever ties.  The physical part is easy: you’ll be escorted out.

You need to have a 30 second exit strategy that prepares you to leave your job if you have to.  If you’ve prepared yourself, you’ll give yourself a great chance to rebound quickly.  I’ve given you some of the key components below.

• Keep your office “lean”. Only have there what you need there. A few personal effects are ok, but only what you can pick up and walk out with immediately.   No long drawn out scene of you getting emotional while packing a cardboard box and saying goodbye.  Leave with your dignity in tact.  Like I said, this is more mental than physical.

• Keep your office contacts updated. Don’t wait until you leave to get the contact information of people in your office. If you wait, you may not get a chance to get contacts because companies will literally walk you out. Get your contacts in your Rolodex and take that with you when you go; let them know you’ll be in touch.

• Update your resume as often as needed. This is where many tenured or job-devoted people fail because they think they don’t need to update their resume if they’re not changing jobs.  Everytime you get a new job title, accomplish a task, or change departments, update your personal resume. You want to be able to get an updated resume into market immediately.

• Go on a job interview at least once a year, even if you’re happy with your job and aren’t planning to leave. You need to stay aware of what employers are looking for in the market place and how job requirements have changed. Have you noticed how a lot more jobs have “Spanish preferred” in the job description? Will you be ready when that becomes “Spanish required”? How much Spanish will you need to know? Will you only need to speak it, or read and write it as well?  You need to know.

• Keep networking, whether it’s on Facebook (yes, employers do look at Facebook, smarten up), LinkedIn, or any associations you might or should belong to.  It increases your chances of getting back on your feet sooner than later.

If you follow this strategy, you’ll be ready if the “pink slip” ever comes to your desk.  30 seconds should be all you need.

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Hustle Hard

When did hustlers get such a bad wrap?

According to Dictionary.com, a hustler is “an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.”

I know I’m working to get back to being a hustler.  So should you.

The “hustle” just means giving your all and giving more than the next guy.  For example, former major league baseball player Pete Rose earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle” after Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk.  He sprinted to first base when he didn’t have to.  It was that kind of determination and will that helped him break MLB’s all-time hits record.

Donald Trump is a hustler.  Russell Simmons is definitely a hustler.  He helped create Def Jam and created Phat Farm.  The man even has his own credit card, the Rush Card! His empire is so vast even Kimora Lee and her golddiggin’ ass came at his neck, it didn’t phase him (yeah, I said it, and if you ever listened to any interview she’s done, you’d realize she’s a golddigger too).

My all time favorite hustler is Vincent Kennedy McMahon, better known as Vince McMahon, the CEO, chairman, and majority owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).  I can see you guys laughing right now about admiring a man who promotes fake wrestling.  Let me tell you why…

He took a largely regional product, broke down the geographic barriers, and made it mainstream.  McMahon took it from the backwoods of America to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: WWE).  WWE’s Monday Night Raw is the longest running weekly episodic television show in history.  In 2008, WWE made well over $500 million in revenue.

But the main reason why I like Vince McMahon is that is he is selling you a product he told you was fake.  In order to avoid the costly insurance required for sports teams and franchises, he told the world every last bodyslam was scripted…and you still eat it up.  He still made you want it even when you saw a punch completely miss a guy and he fell down anyway.  If that’s not a hustler, I don’t know what is.

There are rules every hustler needs to follow.  I’ll list a few:

• Believe even when no one else does.  Not everyone is going to be in your corner, so be prepared for doubters and even ridicule…and keep going in spite of it.
• Realize that what you gross is gross.  The best way to sum this up is to quote a lyrics from Lauren Hill’s song “Final Hour”: “It ain’t about what you cop, it’s about what you keep.” Focus on the net gain.  You can make $1,000,000 a year, but if your expenses are $1,000,001, you’re broke.
• Break the process even if it isn’t broken.  Find a new way to do an old task, and you’ll find a new niche to market.
• Use your money wisely and only if you have to.  Many of the wealthy carry mortgages, even if they don’t have to.  Why? Because paying off their mortgage isn’t going to generate as much money as they could if they put their money somewhere else, and the wouldn’t get the tax benefits either.  Do you know what you call a credit card that you use now and pay the balance off in full at the end of the month? An interest free loan.  Smarten up.
• Connect all of your pieces.  An idea connects to a website, a website to a blog, a blog to a merchandising chain.  It all comes together (By the way – look out for ManAmongBoys t-shirts.  Coming soon!!).
• Watch the law.  Laws by definition are “the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.”  In short they are the rules, so know them so you don’t break them. They also are society’s view at a given point in time.  They change.  Something that is against the law today might be tomorrow’s opportunity if that law changes.
• Know when to get off the path.  Going down with the ship might be honorable, but it’s not smart.  If an idea isn’t working no matter how much you’ve put into it, let it go and move onto another one.  Don’t let pride get in the way.  If it’s not working, let it go.

Being a hustler is not only a good thing, but it’s the only way to go if you want to get ahead.  Find your hustle and make it work for you.

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