Each and every one of us has a vice or two, and most of us enjoy many great freedoms as well. In some cases, the price of those vices and freedoms are nominal while others are extremely priceless. Now, imagine that somebody was willing to pay you to endorse something like Coca-Cola or Mountain Dew. How much would they have to pay you to promote and endorse their product? Of course, if the product that they want you to endorse was already a product that you use and enjoy, that price could be much smaller. Heck, you might ask for a lifetime supply of it as part of the negotiation, but what happens if the product is something that you despise and never use? For me, I have not had a carbonated beverage since Christmas of 1999, so, if Coca-Cola asked me to endorse their Coca-Cola Classic [carbonated] beverage, I would actually turn it down… but suggest that I promote their non-carbonated Powerade sports drink instead. However, we all see athletes settling for a price; sometimes, it is quite obvious when a celebrity is endorsing a product that they do not use and merely did so to earn some fast cash. Like wrestling’s Million Dollar Man always said:

“Everybody’s got a price for the Million Dollar Man.”

This question is universal as we can ask that about every aspect of our lives. Think about your hobbies and ask yourself what price somebody would have to pay you for you to stop (or start) doing something that you loved (or hated). For me, some of my biggest hobbies and interests include fitness and social media. I have recently debated within myself about what I would do if somebody offered to pay me to stop one of my favorite hobbies, but I honestly cannot find a price suitable to stop working out or engaging others on social media. I sometimes joke around with my foursquare friend, Eric Andersen, about slowing down his check-ins so I can catch up in the near future. You see, Eric started on foursquare a few months before I did, and he has maintained. As a result, he is nearing 21,000 check-ins while I remain a mere 4,000 check-ins behind. Of course, I am not going to be paying him to stop checking in, but it is a fun topic to think about. Also, when it comes to foursquare, no amount of money would satisfy me enough to stop checking in; as you know, foursquare introduced me to Elaine, and that added bonus makes all the difference in the world. Similarly, I have met (both virtually and in person) a lot of people thanks to Facebook and Twitter, so you won’t find my posts and tweets stopping anytime in the near future either. I will be going to the gym nearly every day, and I will be checking in each time in order to help maintain my mayorship! Lastly, I won’t be doing any carbonated beverage commercials any time soon. Still, I’m sure there is a price out there for just about anything. How much is your online freedom worth to you? What about your hobbies or your business?

Too often in today’s business world, we find bunches of negative people within the workplace. We see the office co-worker looking at the potential negative side of the job and/or personal life. We see the pessimistic cashier at the local grocery or convenience store who rarely acknowledges the good aspects of the day or even life in general. People are constantly being negative, and that just flat out sucks! Life is way too short to just find and focus on the negatives. Whether we make a lot of money or very little, time is finite, and we must make every moment count, so now is the time to give that service to others with a smile.

Do you like your job? If not, you need to either find the positives within your current job position or find a job that you do like. I recommend doing a little bit of both. Let’s say that you are a graphic designer at heart (heck, you might even have a degree in it too) yet work for a landscaping company; you have to make ends meet, so you might not be able to stop doing the landscaping in order to go into business for yourself right away. What can you do in the meantime? Well, you can find [positive] things about the landscaping that you can focus on and stick with that! With your eye for attention to detail and creative touch, you can exert positive energy into making the customer’s land look like the masterpiece that it can be!  Maybe, you are stuck in a low-end cashier’s position right now. If so, give that extra service with a smile! Brighten your customers’ days. Give out that positive energy, and you can be sure that it will come back your way. But, we should push out that positive energy because we want to and not solely to gain back positive energy and personal gains. That’s just some food for thought because life is too short to waste it. It’s time to turn your frown upside down!

As 2011 comes to a rapid conclusion, I reflect back on what I have achieved within each aspect of my life. While I find that I had some great success this year, it is time for me to renew my focus on the upcoming year. As always, I have very ambitious goals, and I look to achieving them. So, without further ado, here are my primary New Year’s Resolutions (by category):

Personal Life

Here are seven of my top personal resolutions/goals for 2012:

#1 Become a better man! I always strive to be the best person possible. No matter the title I have with a person – lover, boyfriend, son, cousin, grandson, godfather, best friend, workout buddy, colleague, client, consultant, peer, or anything in-between – it is important for me to continue do my part and my very best to be the very best I can be! At times, I am sure I will fall short of expectation, but it is my every intention to be a better man each and every day!

#2 Read More Often! I love to read a good book, especially non-fiction [business and/or technology] books! I always love the learning process, and reading is a great way for me to continue to gain more and more knowledge! However, there are times wherein I either do not have time to read or merely do not allot enough time to read. Plus, while I consider myself to be a good reader, I tend to read books slower than one might imagine (1 hour per 20ish page chapter), and I often have many different books that I am currently reading! In 2011, I wanted to completely read between 15 and 20 books, but, while I did a good amount of reading, I did not complete as many books as I had originally hoped, so I am challenging myself to read 15 to 20 books in 2012!

#3 Attain all of my 2012 Fitness goals! 2011 was a big year for me as I transitioned from healthy hobby to improved and healthy lifestyle. I went to the gym 6 to 7 times each week, and I found myself achieving a lot of my lifting goals. While I have come a long way, I still have a lot yet to accomplish, and 2012 is as best of a year to make a big dent in that. I plan to keep pumping the iron 6-7 times each week, but I need to add more cardio back into the mix! Since I did not run a race like I did last year, I spent less time on the treadmill, and I also did not hit spin class as often as I would normally like! Well, that has to change in 2012! Ultimately, I have high expectations and goals when it comes to fitness in 2012!

#4 Finish Writing The Book! I mentioned this last year, but I really need to work to wrap up this poetry book. I basically have this follow-up book completely written, but I just need to add some additional details and polish it up before sending it to the publisher! It has taken me too long, and I just need to step it up and wrap it up. I have high hopes for a spring or summer release. Once I get this book published, I will be looking to get into writing more about business and technology. Ideally, I will be starting with some more frequent free e-book or e-paper releases about social media and then just go from there!

#5 Make Progress on Ph. D.! I really was not able to make much progress towards my doctorate degree in 2011, but that needs to change as I move through 2012. While I do not anticipate being able to finish it up this year, I certainly expect to conduct a little more research and get closer to completing the degree! I have thought about changing institutions, but Kennesaw State University does not have a Ph. D. program (just a DBA). So, I might stick with Walden University but might also continue to keep my options open!

#6 Earn my A License from the USPA (for skydiving)! I had this listed in 2010, but it was not a top priority. While it is highly possible that I will not get a chance to completely earn my A (solo skydiving) license, it is important to me that I at least make strides towards achieving that! At worst case, I want to get back up in the plane and jump out a few times before we get to fall because I really miss skydiving.

#7 Vacation – Vegas, Orlando, & Cedar Point?! Well, in 2011, I was lucky to get away to Orlando with Elaine, Jamie, family, and friends, but we did not get a chance to make it up to Michigan to see my godchildren and close friends nor had the ability to either get back to Cedar Point or Las Vegas. Certainly, expecting all of these to happen within 2012 might be asking a bit much, especially with my busy schedule and other priorities, but I remain confident that we can check off a few of these. I figure that we should get the chance to go to Orlando again this summer after the new castle at Disney has opened, and I look to find a way to get up to Michigan and Cedar Point in one swoop, so that could be a spring weekend getaway! That leaves Las Vegas; maybe, I can get out there in early fall to see the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest and expo! Plus, I have always wanted to hit up Vegas for New Year’s Eve, so that might be another option, but time will tell!

Technology & Social Media

Sure, I could go on and on about some things I want to accomplish within the world(s) of business, technology, and social media (specifically), but I will tell you my top three biz/tech/SoMe  resolutions for 2012.

#8 Blog Post & Comment More Often! Let’s get specific. In 2011, I took extra time to really focus on writing and posting more. Overall, I did a solid job, but 2012 needs to be the year that I really step it up. I should easily be able to post 2-4 times per week across the various blogs that I write on (i.e. here, my fitness blog, my random thoughts blog, my writing blog, the 4sqDay blog, etc. While posting is great, and I continue to look for ways to do so, I also need to be more consistent on my commenting. I read so many great blog posts from inspiring and intelligent people, but there are times when I either do not take the time or simply do not have the time to construct the type of blog post responses that I would like to. If I do say so myself, I do a solid job of commenting back to those comments left on my blog by others, but, in 2012, I look to become more consistent with my commenting across all blogging platforms!

#9 Take & Post More Pictures! A picture is worth one thousand words! Those who know me best know that I love taking pictures. Whenever I go to an event, hang out on the weekend with loved ones, or even when trying to track my fitness progress, I love to capture those moments with a picture or two (or twenty). As 2011 came to a close, I seemed to be slacking a little bit, so I hope that 2012 is the year that I get back to capturing those moments. Ideally, I look to take pictures each and every week – some during or after workouts; some on weekends; some at tweetups, birthday parties, and other events; and some just because I can! As always, I look forward to visually sharing those memories with each of you through my various social media interactions!

#10 Reorganize & Re-Optimize Twitter Lists! In 2011, I continued my frustration over the current 20 list limit per Twitter profile. Unfortunately, either my concerns went on deaf ears or merely did not reach the right ears. I even blogged about it on at least four occasions, but nobody from Twitter replied in action. I have done all that I can in order to creatively reorganize those I follow on Twitter, but I still have difficulty getting it just right, so, if Twitter will not enable me to create more lists, I will have to do a much better job of being creative with my lists in 2011!

So, there you have it – ten resolutions to get me started! What are some of your resolutions for 2012? I’d love to hear your goals!

Dear Santa,

I write to you in hopes for another great Christmas. In years past, I have truly been blessed with so many intangible gifts. As we approach this Christmas, I have a few items, tangible and intangible, that I would love to receive. Overall, I am confident that I have been a good boy this year, so here goes! First, I ask for continued health – physical, mental, and emotion. I have been lucky to maintain a great level of health over the past 30 years, and I hope for continued health as we move into 2012. Second, I ask for continued and unconditional love. Last year, I got an extra early Christmas gift in the form of 4sqLoveStory; for this year, I ask for the next step. I hope to share even more greatness as the New Year approaches. I know that that is not something you have control over, but I figured you could put in a good word for me. Third, I ask for great health and prosperity for those close to me – for my loved ones, for family near and far, and for all of my friends, online and offline! Certainly, I ask for positivity and good deeds for all people on earth; since you have a bigger following online and offline than I do, I figured you might have a little more Klout!

Now that we have the really important stuff out of the way, I could use a few stocking stuffers if time and budget permits. First, would you ask those great folks over at foursquare to finally convert my profile to a follow/celebrity account? I have at least 165 friend requests that I currently cannot accept. Furthermore, there are more of my Facebook friends have recently become foursquare users. It would be great to be able to connect with them! Second, do you have any connections within the ranks of Twitter? For quite some time now, I’ve really needed more lists – being limited to 20 lists per profile is really cramping my style. Ten or 20 more lists would be a great start! Lastly, I know those people over at Research in Motion are busy trying to figure out their BlackBerry mess of sorts, but they still lack an Android app for their quality Tungle service! Like so many other people, I’m getting really blue in the face waiting for them to release this version of the app. If you could lend them an elf or two to help speed up the process, that would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and just one more thing… if you happen to swing by any business or technology (social media) authors’ homes before coming to my place, would you grab a copy of their books and ask them to sign them? You know how much I love autographed copies of awesome books.

Thanks again for listening, and I wish you safe travels this year!

Dwayne

While words do not truly and completely do it justice, I merely wanted to take a brief moment to say, “Thank You,” to all veterans, past and present, on this Veterans Day! Thank You so very much!

Okay… first, I must start off by saying that I tend to have a few pet peeves and am probably a tad bit OCD! With that understanding out there, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on communication. As we all probably have realized by now, true communication is a two-way street. It is a process about give and take, a process of speaking and listening. Now, let’s add in the simple fact that technology has altered the way we communicate. We know how few are sitting down to write a letter or send a card; we know that many are looking for instant communication with their colleagues, friends, and family members, so they turn to email, text messaging, social media networks, and e-greeting cards to spark the conversation or relay their intended message. With the popularization of [these] quick, mobile communication methods, more people are relying on acronyms and abbreviations to speed up the process, and I am certainly for this. However, I must admit that we sometimes lose sight of what we truly are saying. An example that I have realized more and more in the recent past is the use of “TTYL” or “TTYS.” As so many people do, I use both of these often. Yet, technically, I think we should be using “TWYS” and “TWYL” instead because we do not simply “Talk To” people, for we really talk with people. I certainly do not enjoy getting talked to; alternatively, I prefer having people to talk with. Remember, communication is supposed to be a two-way process, so let’s make sure that we are acknowledging this simple, yet important fact. I know that I am not the only one with word selection pet peeves; which acronyms bug you the most and why?

Each of us plays many roles in life, and we all wear a variety of titles, but it appears that there are numerous leaders out there in today’s world who just do not live up to their titles. Many enjoy the luxuries of the titles they possess, but some just do not work hard enough to truly live up to the duties of the title; simply, many fail to neither give that extra but necessary effort nor lead from the front. Unfortunately, this appears to be the current trend, and that is why we all need to wake up and make sure that we are doing all that we can to fulfill our roles in life – to be the very best person that we can.

Currently, there are numerous examples of people enjoying the fruits of their title(s) yet not living up to an appropriate level. In the business world, we are constantly hearing about some CEO or other executive stealing from their company or abusing their powers and privileges. Those CEOs are enjoying the “high life,” but they are not pulling their own weight and living up to the standards set forth by their organization’s stakeholders. In the political arena, many representatives are constantly misappropriating taxpayers’ dollars; they are giving their buddies inside deals and outlandish government contracts. Around the globe, we see dictators and dignitaries basking in the fruits of luxury while their people are getting abused and are dying from a lack of life’s fundamental needs (ie. food, water, and shelter). In many of those cases, these political figures are mightily failing to show political leadership and responsibility. Sometimes, we hear about a biological father being anything but a father. He contributed to the birth of the child, but he has yet to step up to be the man that he should be for his child. Essentially, calling yourself a father does not really make you one, for your actions do or don’t. I could go on and on with the examples, but you get the picture! Certainly, there are cases wherein somebody truly earned the title that he or she now wears, but, once you earn it, you must still work each and every day (giving your best effort) to maintain and live up to the title. It reminds me of my time in the Marine Corps; we all had to go through twelve weeks of boot camp to earn the title, Marine, but being a Marine does not stop there; there are the Corps Values and leadership traits that a Marine must always work to maintain. Earning the title is only half the battle!

In almost every example case above, so many fail to see that decisions have consequences, that there are things called opportunity costs. Not working hard to maintain and live up to the title has consequences just like hard work and dedication do (yet the actual consequences tend to drastically differ). In most situations (barring emergencies, etc.), you would not cut the left side of the lawn and not finish cutting the right side, would you? Concurrently, we all carry so many different titles within our own lives, and it is common to not fulfill or live up to each of those titles every second of each day, but it should still be our resolve to put our best foot forward, give the best effort possible, and strive to give our 100 percent each and every time! If you can’t live up to the title of CEO, political representative, father, or Marine, why should you continue wearing it?

As you may have noticed, my blogging has been absent over the course of the past month or so. After enduring a move, a quick vacation, and a few additional client projects, I am glad to say that I am now back to writing to my audience and sharing my perspective on a variety of topics within business, technology, and much more. Check back soon and see some of the pieces that I am currently working on. I appreciate the time that you take to read my thoughts and perspectives; I look forward to sharing many new great ideas in the near future!

In an ever-growing world of technology, we find ourselves at new crossroads never seen before. In recent years, for example, we all have seen exponential growth in the popularity of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn! As this popularity continued to rise, more and more people entered the world of social media, and, like in other cases, some people simply found themselves hooked. We only have some many minutes in a day, each minute is a commodity that we cannot get back once we use it up! Hence, there are great opportunity cost associated with each decision that we make.

Recently, I read a blog post by Alycia Birch that reminded us all about the debate about social media’s effects on students. As many experts are pointing out, more students are being consumed by social media networks like Facebook, and this is having a negative effect on their standardized test scores and other aspects of their academic pursuits. How will this affect today’s students as they move forward into the workplace? Are we losing more competitive edge to students abroad? This is merely one example of how social media is being frowned upon.

As for me, I find it critical that we all do our best to manage our time in more efficient ways. It might be best if we plan ahead and set aside time for our priorities first. When I was younger, my family told me that I needed to do my homework before I went out to play, and I feel that we need to instill more of this discipline in the younger generations of today and tomorrow. But, it does not stop there; this social media addiction concern is not just limited to students in middle school, high school, or even college, for it extends into the workplace. There are many worries that our workplace productivity is being harmed by this addiction. Hence, we all need to manage our time a little bit better, including me! We must find better ways to accomplish the priorities while still setting aside personal time to enjoy the various fruits of life, including technology! So, let’s all strive to find better balance in our lives!

Whether in the world of business or in the world of personal challenges, we cannot allow fear to own and control our every move. According to Sven Goran Eriksson, “the greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” To succeed, we must take risks, but we also cannot simply take risks so foolishly. Instead, we should plan and prepare accordingly, and then we can take those appropriate risks! As I mentioned in my last blog, I like to challenge myself and take a chance! I do not mind trying new things. In doing so, I am becoming a better person, discovering great new things along my journey. Also, we cannot simply give up. There are occasions where you may endure a setback or possibly fail, but you must not quite. Sometimes, we just have to get back up and try again. Other times, it might be best to reevaluate and just try another route.

In 2008, I was looking to try a new adventure, and, as a thrill seeker, I found skydiving to be my next challenge. Sure, jumping out of a perfectly good airplane at approximately 10,000 feet can be a bit scary, but I did not jump unprepared. Instead, I researched about the sport of skydiving, and then I acquainted myself with the equipment that was going to allow me to safely perform this thrill! In addition, I followed the safety guidelines of the USPA and absorbed the necessary knowledge from the skydiving instructors. In the summer of 2008, I completed my first jump in Saginaw, Michigan. I then went on to jump three more times that summer, each time learning from the previous experiences. Below is a video of my third jump. While I had jumped twice before this video, this was the first time jumping out of the Cessna 206. As you may be able to see, I tumbled a little bit while exiting the plane, a mistake that I corrected on my fourth jump. Also, I miscalculated my landing, slowing my parachute down a little early - hence the harder than normal landing. Each time, I learned and then improved from mistakes’ lessons.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciYyCJJhs3s

We cannot allow fear to get in the way. With proper training, guidance, and knowledge, anything is possible, and we must always remember that! Set S.M.A.R.T. goals! Make them specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Do not be afraid to fail; instead, we must maintain motivation, continuously learn on the fly and as the environment changes, and enjoy the journey!

Like the Old Proverb says… Where there’s a will, there’s a way! So, maintain your will, find a way, and do not be afraid to fail!