Losing with Grace…

I live in a world where everyone is always talking about leadership and how to handle yourself as a leader. I’m lucky that I get to see some of the best leadership on this planet first hand and I’m very grateful for that because it has helped me grow in incredible ways. I am constantly surrounded by great leaders and people who are used to winning, but I can say that there is something I feel we all need to hear occasionally. Sometimes we all lose and great teams and leaders lose well too.

It’s a pretty common fact that games and contests were not invented to create losing teams. Everyone wants to be a winner. Unfortunately, at some point all of us have to lose. Fortunately, there is a way to do this and still feel like a winner.

A proactive attitude can do wonders for your entire team and your own mind as well. I was once on a team where one of our players looked at the rest of the team several times and asked “Why do we suck so bad?”. They even looked over at the other team and apologized out loud telling them “We suck!”. I believe this kind of talk only serves no good purpose. It demoralizes your own team more than they already are. It also tells the other team that you don’t respect yourself enough to even try to give them a challenge. Your team already knows they aren’t playing well and the other team already knows you aren’t playing well, so “We suck!” “I suck!” or “You suck!” never has to be mentioned. It should be obvious to everyone involved. If you find yourself losing, take the role of motivator. You may not win, but you can always get better! The other team will appreciate the practice.

You should also never give up. You may be in last place, but finishing is an accomplishment in itself. When you take that away from your team by forfeiting or getting your team disqualified on purpose, you do nothing more than strip yourselves of the dignity of finishing well. You also take away the chance to get better. The team that quits is even more of a loser than the team who tried and finished last.

Losing only strips your pride if you let it get to you. Don’t let it affect those around you too. You can win while losing as long as you keep the right attitude and you never give up.

Don’t get so used to winning that you forget how to lose well…

Jer

Mobile Office Suiteness

Woo-Hoo!

If you follow me on Twitter (@jtcrespo), you’ll know that this weekend I was trying to piece together a way to create and edit stories that I write on-the-go from my iPhone. Few of my best ideas come to me while I am sitting at my computer, so I wanted a completely mobile writing suite. I had two criteria for this project: a) It had to be cheap and b) I had to be able to sync multiple computers with my phone by using three buttons or less.

My original goal for this project was not to exceed $20 for a mobile suite that would allow me to handle all of my text and spreadsheet documents from multiple locations. I knew the desktop part wouldn’t be a problem since I have been using OpenOffice.org (OO) since it was created a while back. I love OO because I can work on almost any type of text or spreadsheet file with it. OpenOffice.org is perfectly suited for working across multiple platforms. And it’s free…  This left me with $20 to spend on an iPhone app that would let me work on documents and sync them with the same file stored on other systems. This would prove to be the hard part, but I found that the DocsToGo by DataViz ($9.99 for iPhone) app solved this problem well. This app is also available on a lot of other phones as well, so click on the link to see if your phone is supported.

I also like to make things as simple as possible for myself or I will never follow through. I think this is a common trait in a lot of us. Because of this, I needed any system I used to be able to sync all 3 of my computers with my phone and I needed it to do it easily. Using DocsToGo, everything is saved to one file on my phone and I simply replace the files on my computers when I sync up. I can’t sync all three at the same time, but this works for me for now.

So if you’re looking to play with your documents and spreadsheets while on the go, this is the system that works for me…

I’m back! (And this time I mean it!)

Hey look! I make Poast!

Yeah, Yeah, I’m back… Why you ask? Because I love you! Okay, maybe it’s a bit more selfish than that.

First let’s examine why I stopped blogging back at the end of May. Simply put, I felt like I was searching for things to entertain other people and not really myself. I let updating my blog become a chore and something I wasn’t excited to do any more. Granted, I had a lot of fun in the process, but I lost something as well. I lost sight of the fact that this is actually a window into my heart and one day I can look back and see what may be the closest thing to a diary I’ll ever have. Recently I realized something. All of that is okay with me because it gives people insight into who I really am.

Blogging also gives me practice at something I’m not really good at, but love to do and I have recently committed to doing more of. That would be writing…

So there you have it. I won’t be updating every day, but I will be back often. I have a list of blog projects waiting to be released and hopefully we’ll share new adventures, great products and programs, and whatever else comes along. I’m not going to be elaborate, just down to earth and simple. Just like I enjoy everything else in my life.

Thanks for still being here for me…

Jerry

Bark in the Park…

The other night I was sitting at a Gwinnett Braves game eating a giant hot dog covered in condiments and I thought to myself….

“Do you know what would make this moment perfect and really warm my heart?”  (besides antacids?)

“We should be able to bring our dogs out to enjoy this with us!”

Well low and behold, I found out that the promotions crew at the Gwinnett Braves have decided to risk it all and let us bring our dogs to the park for a day. Isn’t that awesome! You better believe I plan to be there and I’m asking (actually begging with little puppy dog eyes) for you all to come out and join us too! If you don’t own a dog, that’s fine too. (I’ll have one extra someone can borrow for the evening.) Just come out and support our four-legged friends and the Gwinnet Braves. The new stadium is seriously cool by the way.

Are you interested? If not, please have someone hold a mirror under your nose because I’m pretty sure you aren’t breathing… This is the ultimate doggie play date people! There are going to be contests happening and everything. Not to mention the fact that we all get to sit together all picnic style and watch a great baseball game and catch homers!

So here are the details: Bark in the Park – June 11th, 2009 7pm at the new Gwinnett stadium. Let me know if you are coming in the comment section below. We’ll be sitting in the berm area because we will have pets, I think it’s a fair trade…

Oh, by the way… Have I mentioned that I’ll buy the tickets for the first 5 people who comment below and say they are coming?

If you need more information or would like to buy tickets on your own, you can click on the following link and scroll down to June 11th. :  http://gwinnett.braves.milb.com/promotions/index.jsp?sid=t431

101 Things To Do In 1001 Days

Late one night a few months ago, I was surfing the net and “Stumbled” (more about StumbleUpon at a later date) across a site called Day Zero Project.  Following is the basic rundown of what this project is about.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Being the list oriented person I am, How could I resist? It took me forever, but I have finally finished my list. I actually started it on April 1st, 2009 because I wanted to try it before I blogged about it. That means my end date will be December 28th, 2011. I’m sure I’ll need lots of encouragement and help with many of these, so please feel free to participate wherever you want. I’d love to have you around! My plan is to donate $5 per accomplished task to charity if I am able to complete all of the tasks on the list. So here they are in no particular order and not even categorized…

101 Things To Accomplish in 1001 Days
1) Get debt free
2) Lose 40 pounds. (10/40)
3) Do 10 things that risk rejection. (2/10) (No surprises yet…)
4) Buy another car with cash. ($5000 min.)
5) Buy an adventure motorcycle with cash. ($4000 min.)
6) Get a Commercial Driver’s License (Class A)
7) 2 Random ROAD TRIPS!! (0/2)
8 ) Write a book. (No matter how bad or short it is…)
9) Blog once per day for 60 days consecutively. (0/60)
10) Develop a growth plan for work, then work it…
11) Visit parents in WY twice. (0/2)
12) One adventure motorcycle trip. (Mostly offroad.)
13) Spend 4 days camping by myself.
14) Catch 10 different species of fish on fly rod. (Release them all… ) (0/10)
15) Travel to another country.
16) Think of 5 new items to invent and create a prototype for 1 of them. (0/5, 0/1)
17) Get 2 of my ideas on stage or in public. (0/2)
18) Learn to program lights at Buckhead Church.
19) Volunteer to feed the homeless 2 times. (0/2)
20) Go on 2 REAL dates with the same person. (0/2)
21) Write a letter to my Mom to tell her I love her.
22) Give blood 2 times. (0/2)
23) Make one lifelong dream come true for someone other than myself.
24) Cook 1 new recipe per month.
25) Commit 3 random acts of kindness.
26) Read at least 1 book per month.
27) Run 3 5k’s.
28) Run Peachtree Road Race.
29) Learn Spanish at a conversational level.
30) Have dinner or lunch with 1 new person every month.
31) Go on an overnight trip by canoe or kayak
32) Wear a superhero outfit under my clothes for a day and not tell anyone. (Blog about it the next day.)
33) Spend at least 1 day in 2 cities I’ve never been in.
34) Start roller-blading.
35) Go to 2 outdoor sporting events.
36) Go to 2 major music concerts.
37) See 8 movies on opening day. (2/8) (Wolverine and Star Trek April, 09)
38) Visit 1 new state that I’ve never been in.
39) Cook for friends
40) Eat nothing but Special K cereal for 1 week. (You didn’t think this whole thing would be serious did you?)
41) Notice 4 perfect days, stop everything planned and do something completely spontaneous.
42) Create 2 new yearly traditions for myself.
43) Start to learn to play a stringed instrument.
44) Meet 3 people in person that I’ve previously only known online.
45) Take 1 complete vacation. (Cabin, Hotel)
46) Run 3 days a week or more for 2 consecutive months.
47) Write a will
48) Organize my home and storage unit.
49) Organize 1 dog play date
50) Have a picnic on the roof of a building.
51) Join a mentoring group
52) Write a letter to someone who hurt me in the past, burn it, then call them and work it out in person.
53) Compliment excellent customer service to a manager 5 times.
54) Make a list of 50 things that I absolutely love and post it somewhere public so people can learn more about me.
55) Develop a plan to start mapping my brain and generate more useful ideas.
56) Babysit a child for free.
57) Send a “just because” care package to a friend.
58) Compliment 1 person sincerely per day for 30 days.
59) Plant a tree
60) Drink nothing but water for 1 week.
61) Get 8 hours of sleep every night for 1 week.
62) Send out Christmas cards  one year.
63) Make a reading list, then read it…
64) Paint/draw 1 picture I like and hang it.
65) See a play
66) Eat a meal in a nice restaurant by myself.
67) Take an interesting photo of myself.
68) Fast for 72 hours
69) Take a class for fun. (Scuba diving?)
70) Send 10 thank-you cards to people not on staff
71) Do a daily affirmation in the mirror for 30 consecutive days.
72) Write a letter to myself telling me what I like about me and blog it for others to see.
73) Write a letter to my past self giving advice I now realize I wish I had then.
74) Write one anonymous letter to someone and deliver it.
75) Surpass 200,000 miles on the Geo.
76) Teach one person how to fly-fish. (Jared Roman) ← nominated himself!
77) Read the bible in chronological order.
78) Watch every episode of McGuyver. (10/139)
79) Visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
80) Make something explode.
81) Restore something old.
82) Build something from scratch. (electronics?)
83) Get on a TV show or commercial
84) Stay up all night talking to someone.
85) Organize a scavenger hunt
86) Create, shoot, and edit goofy videos for the blog.
87) Spend an entire day without talking.
88) Have someone else give me a fashion makeover.
89) Sit on top of a mountain and absorb for a day.
90) Create my own holiday and convince others to celebrate it.
91) Take a vacation day to play with children.
92) Quit caffeine for 1 week.
93) Do something that is a complete secret.
94) Spend a weekend experiencing another culture.
95) Record one entire day in photographs.
96) Ride on a train other than MARTA.
97) Spend a night looking at the stars.
98) Arrange a night out for someone else and their GF or spouse. Take care of all details for them.
99) Get CPR certification
100) Change 5 of the previous goals to make them more challenging.
101) Find someone who doesn’t like me and change their opinion of me.

Wow!

I know beatboxing is old school, but this guy is incredible…

And the winner was…

Providing you aren’t in the middle of your own personal Groundhog Day experience, you should have woken up this morning and realized that today is the day after Valentine’s Day. This means that we had a winner for the Win A Date With Jerry! contest and “the date” has happened…

Or did it?

Yeah, suspense on a blog just doesn’t work so well. The closest I could come was to hold out and not say anything until today. So here goes!

First I need to explain something: This contest was all for fun. That’s one reason why I was pleasantly surprised when people actually did enter it. My joke on me got real, and real fast… I am also not usually the type that would do a blog post regarding “a date”, but people have been asking and my mom is kind of expecting it.

Now onto details before my mom kills me!

Yes I did indeed have “a date” with one lucky lady. Truth be known, I was the lucky one. My friend from work Kristie Poll had entered and she made every effort to let me and the Selection Committee know that she intended to win. I think that a fear of what she would do if she lost may have had some bearing on the committee’s decision.  I keed!

This is Kristie on a trip she took a while back:

So what did we do?

You should know that I am not a “show and go” kind of guy. I enjoy sitting down and getting to know the person I am with rather than just going to a movie or show and leaving. Because of this, I called Kristie and arranged for us to meet before “the date” to hang out so that we would be more comfortable on “the date”.  After this call, I tried to pull together something cool for us to do but my mind completely shut down. (Give me a break! It’s been a while since I’ve had to plan something like this!) I went to bed on Friday night having absolutely no clue how I was going to pull off a fun ice-breaker activity while knowing that it was going to be raining.

Saturday morning comes and I wake up sometime between 6 or 7am and an idea came to me! But first I had to go back to sleep for a few hours…

Finally I got moving again and I stop by an art supply store and pick up this baby:

That is a kit that contains everything you need for oil/acrylic/chalk/sketching/watercolor paintings. The box also serves as an easel. It’s incredibly awesome and I’m probably going to get myself one soon because this one now belongs to Kristie.

So I get to Kristie’s condo and go through the process of getting up to her floor. This involves signing in and being escorted to the elevator by a concierge. I was surprised when I didn’t even have to knock before she opened the door for me and I gave her a pink rose. (I learned earlier that she loves pink…)  For the rest of the afternoon, we hung out at her place and we painted while we watched part of Down With Love and Top Gun and chatted about stuff. I had a great time!

This is the masterpiece that Kristie painted:

We have agreed not to discuss what I painted. We even tried to make it better by painting a giant heart on it, but even that couldn’t save it.

Then Jared and Meredith came and picked us up and we went to Medieval Times for dinner and JOUSTING!!!! Oh Yeah!!

If you are not familiar with Medieval Times, it is a dinner theater in which you eat dinner with your hands while actors re-enact a story of a princess and her prince, a tournament, and an evil knight trying to take over a kingdom. Pretty basic storyline, but really well done! I walked away from this experience absolutely amazed! I highly recommend it to anyone. We thought it was going to be a joke and we would just be people watching all night, but we actually got into it and had an incredible time!

After Medieval Times, we drove Kristie home, I walked her to her door, cried over my horrible painting, gave her a hug, and then I drove home and dreamed of castles and battles in far away kingdoms.

All in all, I would say that I had a wonderful time and Kristie is an extreme amount of fun to be around.

Both parties involved in this post are currently negotiating further (appropriate) activities and will disclose any pending arrangements in due course. We appreciate your interest, but we are not at liberty to discuss anything at the time of this publication due to the fact that we have no idea…

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!!!

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

How many times have you heard that recently?

Are you tired of saying “I haven’t made plans yet?

Well have I got a deal for you!

Do you ever dream of the day when your knight in shining armor comes riding up to you on his battle steed? Do you long to sit in your very own castle and dine with other royalty? Do you secretly hope Westley from The Princess Bride will come rescue you? Well all of that can be yours on this Valentine’s Day because I am now accepting applications for my latest contest.

This contest will be a series of dates that will be happening occasionally in upcoming months. I can promise that all dates will be interesting and pretty different from most normal dates. I promise that some will be cheesy and some will actually be pretty amazing. I will have no control in who my dates are, so all inquiries must be emailed to my Selection Committee at winadatewithjerry@gmail.com.  I have been held down and tortured until I gave up my deepest and most sincere desires and an application has been created to indicate what I think is the perfect woman. So I encourage you to please email winadatewithjerry@gmail.com and someone from The Win A Date With Jerry Selection Committee will get an application right to you.

Act now! Supplies are limited!

“But Jerry! What am I applying for?”

To celebrate our first Win A Date With Jerry Contest, we’re going to be going old school. Medieval in fact!

Are you ready watch knights battle to the death for the hand of a fair maiden. OF COURSE YOU ARE!

Are you ready to see the forces of good and evil try to conquer each other? OF COURSE YOU ARE!

Are you ready to have a bar maid ask you if “Ma’Lord and Lady would like another Pepsi”? I’M BETTING SO!

If all of these things are appealing to you, then you’ll be excited to know that our inaugural event is going to be held at:

By The Way: All dates will be double dates with two of the most amazing people I know. Jared and Meredith Roman! So I would recommend applying just to hang out with them…

Sometimes I amuse myself…

…so much that I thought this conversation I had with Jared about me buying a pellet gun today  was hilarious.

I think it sums up our friendship pretty well!

Walking a mile in his shoes may be tough…

Very cool speaker with an incredible story…