The mental game
So much of what determines success is the mental game. Having the confidence and self-encouragement to get the job done, under whatever circumstances present themselves. It’s the same in business, sports, relationships….it’s all the same set of mental tools. I recently heard of a woman who picked up tennis as a 3.0/3.5-level player and won the state championship two years later, through primarily focusing on mental exercises and, to a lesser extent, on-court practice. Last week, I played a league tennis match against a focused opponent of lesser skill. In both sets, I was leading early (2-0 in the first, 4-1 in the second), but he managed to claw his way back in. I ultimately lost in a tie-breaker (6-3, 5-7, 10-7) and played decently, but couldn’t help but think it was the mental game that dictated my outcome (or lack thereof). I immediately thought of this Nike Golf commercial, with Early Woods’ narration. Tiger has incredible raw physical skill, but so do each of the other top 100 PGA golfers. What really separates Tiger from the pack is his mental game. Mike Donald lost the 1990 US Open to Hale Irwin on the 19th hole of a playoff when Irwin sank a miraculous 70-foot putt. Donald virtually disappeared from professional golf soon after, while Irwin became the dominant senior tour player. The mental game has as much, if not more, to do with winning and losing a match, a negotiation, a sale as the raw physical circumstances.
Wisdom from George Bernard Shaw
This is the true joy in life: Being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
Sphere: Related ContentVoice your support for NY State recognition of same sex marriage
Someone forward me this today and it’s worth reading (and doing!)
New York Governor David Paterson has opened a phone line to determine
how much support there is for his directive to recognize same-sex
marriages from other states and countries. The call is simple and takes
about 5 seconds. Here’s all you have to do:
Call: 1-518-474-8390
Here’s what happens:
Person on the Other End of the Phone: "Executive Chamber, may I help
you?"
You: "I want to voice my support for Governor Paterson’s same-sex
marriage directive."
POTOEOTP: "OK, what’s your zip code?"
You: "11231 (or whatever it is)."
POTOEOTP: "OK, thanks, goodbye." —
Sphere: Related ContentMy Thoughts on Tim Russert….
Like most people I spoke to, I was moved by the news of Tim Russert’s death. I became an avid fan of Meet the Press, just within the past year, and began recording it religiously and looked forward to watching the episodes Sunday nights, especially as the political season blossomed. Tim Russert was the uncontested best political journalist of the day and probably the single-best television journalist on the air. I will truly miss his insight, commentary and unmatched ability to ask the difficult questions directly without mincing words.
Watching numerous shows and commentary about his life over the past few days, what strikes me as most unique about the man was his disposition and approach to work, life, family and faith. His preparation and commitment to journalistic excellence and being the very best at his profession are clear, but he did it with a casual, hearty and just fun thread weaved throughout the experience. He often referred to people affectionately as "brother", whether they were much older or much younger. He was masterful at delivering lines, often witty and clever, as his recent appearance on Conan O’brien showed. Despite his success, it was pretty clear that his family always came first and he spoke affectionately about his father, son and wife often. It turns out he was a deeply religious man as well, during a time in which religiosity has fallen out of favor. One of my favorite quotes from the coverage of his death was by Jon Meacham, who in a Newsweek article, described Russert’s personal appeal for him to debate Christopher Hitchens. "You gotta come down and defend the faith, Brother," Russert said. Meacham had an old rule that he would never debate Hitchens about anything as he
is one of the great intellects and wits of the age and there as no
chance he could ever win, so he protested. Russert won him over by saying "It’s the faith, Brother," he said. "I can’t do it—I’m the moderator. But it’ll be great."
I’m realizing that Tim Russert was an truly inspirational figure for me. He achieved greatness on so many levels that I value….in his profession, as a father, as a son, as a husband, as a friend. He was the leading journalist of our time and yet the topics he chose for his two books were his father and father/son relationships. And despite being a somewhat public personality, he achieved his greatness kinda quietly. That’s a rare accomplishment for anybody, but should be an inspiration for us all.
Below is a clip of Bruce’s personal tribute at the memorial service today and Luke Russert’s beautiful eulogy to his father….
Sphere: Related ContentCell phones bad for your health?
I’ve been preaching this for a long time. A few years ago, I compiled a folder full of studies on damage inflicted by cell phones. Now, it’s getting mainstream media attention. CNN devoted an entire Larry King to the topic two weeks ago. This article (and forthcoming scientific study) sound ominous. Those 4 years of I-Banking with that old school Nokia glued to my ear may come back to haunt me, in more ways than I realized….
Cancer and Technology: Top 10 Highest-Radiation Cell Phones
Sphere: Related ContentMemorial day thoughts….
Andy Rooney, brilliant as usual, sharing his thoughts on Memorial Day this year…
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DC in May….some thoughts
- Alleyways and nooks of Capital Hill are charming. Wonderful and diverse neighborhood. I love it.
- Site lines from Lincoln to WW2 to Washington Memorials are stunning. Well done.
- Cold war era signage and graphics around federal buildings downtown need updated. They’re dated both visually and politically, though not surprising given current administration’s foreign policy outlook.
Famous for a day….
This chart graphs the traffic on Sphere’s blog in April. As you can see, traffic chugs along fairly consistently at 150-300 visits per day, then spikes to more than 3,000 the day of our acquisition, which was covered by various high profile blogs and mainstream publishers. What’s funny is that the influx of traffic only lasts two days before returning to previous levels. In fact, over the past week, traffic has dipped down in the 100-150 range, which is lower than normal. Perhaps, our ruby slippers are wearing thin:) It just goes to show that fame is often fickle and short-lived….
User generated photos picking up steam on Bergen Carroll
When I put together Bergen Carroll a year or so ago, I setup a feature whereby readers could showcase their photos in a "featured photo" section by tagging them Bergen Carroll on Flickr. For the better part of 12 months, nobody noticed and the only photos rotating through the system were ones I uploaded myself. Then, something happened and people figured it out, possibly prompted by a few Flickr messages sent to neighborhood residents. Over the past two months, 80 neighborhood photos have been tagged Bergen Carroll on Flickr by 3-4 different photographers. I love that this feature has been noticed and is being used as intended. It shows that adoption can sometimes take time (and can require patience) before usage grows. Though having that patience is often a necessity if you believe a product has real growth potential. Another six months without adoption and I may have taken the feature down…..
Sphere: Related ContentYael Naim….wow!
Saw Yael Naim perform last night at a celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary. She stole the show (which actually wasn’t very hard though did require competing with MC, Natalie Portman). People who don’t recognize the name, surely know her most popular song, New Soul, licensed by Apple for the MacBook Air commercials. Along with all the other accolades afforded to Steve Jobs, people are giving him credit for discovering this talent. I’d be curious to know the real story here. I suspect an ad exec with a finely tuned ear suggested a few songs and while Jobs made the final call, it’s this anonymous (for now) guy or gal who deserves the credit. Either way, I’m in love. Here are videos of her performing the two songs I saw her do last night:
Sphere: Related ContentCongestion pricing - what’s the problem?
On Wednesday this week, my trip from Cobble Hill to Midtown took me 90 minutes. The subway was experiencing delays, so I went above ground at W4th and cabbed the rest of the trip. Sadly, the taxi portion consumed more than 30 minutes because 6th and 8th Avenues were totally clogged. This has been the case increasingly in NYC, as there are simply more automobiles on the island, than Manhattan can support on an average day. Even in Brooklyn, the roads are jammed. On Tuesday of this week, my drive to Coney Island (to defend a speeding ticket on the BQE, go figure) took 50 minutes.
Just two weeks ago, Sheldon Silver and the Democratic majority of the NY State Assembly vetoed Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan in the New York City Council, preventing the measure from reaching a public vote. While I usually vote Democratic (or even more liberally), I can’t understand the ill will towards this measure from NYC representatives. (Governor Corzine was also opposed to it, but for more obvious reasons, as he’s representing his constituents in NJ.) Automobile traffic in Manhattan has reached epic proportions. Nobody will argue that. Traveling by car mid-day is unbearable. It’s one of the most unattractive qualities of our great city. Can you imagine other global cosmopolitan centers with this issue? Traffic in LA is bad, but it’s all on the freeway. Same with San Francisco. Inner city traffic in DC, Boston or Chicago doesn’t compare. London is crowded, but all the streets are one-way which keeps traffic flowing. Paris….no chance. This measure would have raised an estimated $350 million in federal funds that would be used to improve and add subway capacity. Then, drivers entering Manhattan would be charged $8 for the day. Money also would flow towards bike lanes (an increasingly popular mode of transport) and other greener forms of movement. While yes, some people of lesser means may have lost perceived access to Manhattan, those who truly rely on the city day-to-day would benefit greatly with increased mobility. A city of this size needs the latest and greatest public transportation technology, and this measure would help raise the funds to pay for it. Mayor Bloomberg called the votes against his bill cowardly and I agree on this one. Sheldon Silver was also a major factor in stopping the Manhattan Jets stadium construction plans, a move that would have added some periodic traffic on Sundays, but one that would have revitalized Hell’s Kitchen and brought a professional sports team to the NY Metro area for the first time since the Brooklyn Dodgers. Assemblyman Silver has been in office for more than two decades and usually is elected without challengers. Given his recent voting record, which shreaks of stagnation and fear of change/improvement, it may be time for the Assemblyman to consider his next career. I hope Governor Patterson and Mayor Bloomberg will be able to resusitate this plan that would have benefited so many New Yorkers.
Sphere: Related Contentin da AOL Sphere
Yesterday was the big day, we announced our acquisition by AOL:
TechCrunch Coverage
Sphere blog Coverage
NYT/The Deal Coverage
All Things D Coverage
This is a thrill and very exciting, but also a tad bittersweet. Exciting because any time a small fledgling startup that you’re a part of building is acquired by one of the large Internet superstars, it signals that we’ve made it; that we’ve created something of value that others recognize and appreciate. Based on our traction in the market and accelerating demand for partnership, we knew this internally, but an acquisition by a brand like AOL announces it through a bullhorn to the rest of the world. It’s also exciting because AOL is giving us the opportunity to remain independent, which we love because the team has really gelled and is hitting on all cylinders right now. It’s fantastic that we get to continue working together and building out what we started with the resources of AOL. Of course, this is also where the bittersweetness comes in. I’ve been involved with Sphere for 14 months. For eight of those, we were engaged in a courtship ritual dance of sorts, that eventually resulted in me joining the team. For the past six, we’ve been sprinting towards the finish line and fending off other competitors trying to take a piece of our pie. Our pipeline is full with some of the biggest and most exciting brands and publishers. Our business should continue to grow and naturally, there’s a part of me that would have loved to ride this one out a tad longer, especially since six months was just enough time to really get in a groove. Though I imagine this is a sentiment that one feels whenever a sale of a business takes place, whether after six years or six months. Now, time to focus on the great opportunities this brings and to finish what we started. Onwards and upwards we go….
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