Good Company

We are all forced to do things we don’t want to do. Forced into circumstances, dinner obligations, jobs, careers, and even parties we don’t really want to be a part of. People, everyday, around the world, find unhappiness in their lives. People have long said “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I think there is some truth to this. I had a long talk with someone very important to me, recently, about career choices and opportunity costs. We stood face to face and shared a serious life discussion encompassing feelings of frustration, uncertainty of one’s self, confusion, and ultimately about life and life’s opportunity costs.
This can be a very challenging conversation to have with me because, on the surface, it would seem life has, for the most part, gone my way. Now, I won’t disagree that the end (or current) results of most my efforts have played out in a positive fashion for me. However, NONE of these results were given to me. I was not provided a “head start” in life. It was NOT easy. I don’t have any expectations of any of my goals to be easily achieved. I dream big. I work hard. I make the necessary sacrifices and I do these things until I succeed. I refuse to lose. Without going into too much details, I come from a background of divorced parents. My father has worked in the same factory for nearly 30 years and never graduated high school. He is, to this day, a floor worker at his factory. A blue collar man who works 40 hours a week and has no say in his career. My mother has bounced around jobs since I was just a boy, doing whatever it took to put “food” on the table. She served, worked as a cashier in a grocery mart, etc… I went to a public school of 500 kids. TOTAL.
People always want to know how I got where I am today. I’m happy to answer with “I set goals, I worked hard, I never gave up, even when times were tough, AND THEY WERE TOUGH, and I never ever settled.” As I answer their question, I wonder to myself, where they think I “am”. I don’t feel I’m anywhere near my long term goal of accomplishments. I have SO much more I want to accomplish. So much more I WILL accomplish. My journey never stops, it never ends, nor does the work. It just leads into a new or further direction.
So, back to the topic of the conversation, I realize I SEEM bias in my discussion because of where I am, now, in life. Nonetheless, I have made a long journey to get here, and still have a long journey ahead. So, focusing on just that, the journey. To me, life is enjoyed through many of outlets; travel, health, books, movies, music, food, sewing, writing, the list is infinite. People often look over this “list” in search of what makes them happiest (or even happy). But, I feel they are missing a very key component in the journey of life and all its fruits. Company. In my opinion, the company that you keep, is responsible for nearly ALL of your happiness, or potential for. The relationships we build, develop and maintain are the keys to our happiness and in direct relation to our success – in career work and life.
Think back to your job(s) as a teen and how you thought the job was so terrible, at the time but, now seem so great, even though the actual position was LOW on the totem poll. Think about how much fun you had going to work, coming in hungover and making little to no money. HOW WERE YOU EVER HAPPY?!?! It’s because you Loved your coworkers. I, for instance, had a job at Ruby Tuesdays. I hated it, while I was there but, looking back, I miss SO many of those days. Why? Because I Loved the people I worked with. WHO you surround yourself with (at work, at the gym, in love, IN LIFE) is a MASSIVE component of your happiness. I would be happy picking up poop for $10 / hour if I worked with my 3 BEST friends. Doing something you Like* is important to build from. It also helps ensure SOME common interest with co workers but, WHO you work with, or WHO you live with is what really matter. The relationships we build our life around, they’re everything. Including our relationship with ourself. Cherish these. Develop them. Be patient and nurture them. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my most cherished relationships. Jessica in my love life and day to day, Jack Kelly as one of my best friends, fitness/life/relationship coach and comrade, Zach as my best friend and confidant in EVERYTHING, my little brother and my dad for always supporting me, challenging me and ALWAYS believing in me…. I can go on and on.
Surround yourself with GOOD people. People you like. People you LOVE. Smile. Appreciate the little things. Pat yourself on the back for the little wins, everyday. Cherish your relationships, with yourself and with others. My advice, “Do something you like, with someone you Love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

My Passion and Love for Competition and CrossFit

I am still in awe at this article. Interview with James was great, the experience of meeting so many amazing people has been indescribable. The relationships I’ve formed and friendships I’ve forged have been some of my strongest relationship – all through CrossFit. Last year was my first attempt at the competition known as The CrossFit Open. I had about three months experience and by the end of it, I was HOOKED. This year is a totally different story. Read all about my CrossFit story, here – http://games.crossfit.com/article/rockin-open

Pop Evil “IV” and Recent Life.

By no means has the album been officially titled but, “IV” is a working reference. It’s the bands fourth studio album, and my second (with them). Our growth, maturity, artistic exploration and interests have yet to pause or even slow. In many ways, it seems our exploration and open-minded approach is at an all time high. We feel there are no barriers, no rules and no “no’s” being enforced on this record. We went into the studio with new inspiration, new ideas, and a mindset of working hard and being positive. We worked together through growing pains, learning experiences, trying times, and easy ones.
The first five weeks passed rather quickly, with the exception of missing home and family, everyday. The working end of it, though, seemed to come at an all time simplicity. Songs flowed and ideas ran rapid. We bounced ideas of each other openly, receiving praise, compliments and constructive criticism. We felt strong, we believed in each other, and our confidence was showing the attempts we were willing to take in song writing. When the dust settled and we had finally grown tired, exhausted really, we had accumulated nearly 20 song ideas. Last album, “Onyx”, we had a total of 8 songs make it from demo to pre-production. We had more than doubled that, with no struggle, no resistance.
Since the completion of the 20 rough cuts, we have stepped away from the songs to let them marinade, to listen, to reflect. I chose to come home to Michigan for a short amount of time and in doing so, have moved into a new apt with Jessica. Our first apartment, of our very OWN. No roommates. No nightly guests. Just free range loving and free range food, haha. The stress of the new album and moving nearly drove me crazy at times, especially with the pressure of the CrossFit Open now being less than a week away but, in the lowest of lows, Jess and I bound together and we rose higher than ever.
Our apartment is small, it’s really not anything to write home about but, it’s ours. We’ve done a great job of starting to fill it with affordable pieces, furniture, and living essentials, as it’s already STOCKED FULL of Love. My training has taken a turn for the best, maybe ever. Listening to our songs reminds me of how far we’ve come, how strong this team is, and how great this album will be. I’m reminded daily to remain patient. Don’t get too greedy. Set goals, work for them, and don’t give up when all fails, it WILL get better. Jess and I waited nearly a year in Kalamazoo before finding our own place. Now, we have our own place, and while here, we have already found a much more desirable apartment for the same price for a summer move in. The upcoming place is much larger, beautiful and is in a great neighborhood with great landlords. It’s large enough for us to grow and stay, maybe for a few years, even. Something we’ve never had or done. Her job and dreams are in full flight and after never-ending struggle and tribulations, she continues to triumph and grow. I myself struggle regularly with the band, with our growth, our personal struggles and the music industry as a whole, yet, we go and make what I have NO DOUBT, is our strongest album, yet.
A strong foundation is everything; very few will build one, though. It’s not glamourous. It often feels like it takes the most effort and yields the least reward. I compare it to cutting drums to a new song. Drums, alone, are boring. They’re not much to listen to but, no song can be great with weak drums. It’s the base. It’s the core. Put in the time, don’t take shortcuts. Be patient. Set goals. Work HARD. It will only take everything you have but, in the end, it’s so worth it.