Commentary

Commentary

When Work & Life Crossover: How Athletes, Pop Culture Stars and Biz Leaders Maximize Their Mojo Between Sun-up and Sundown

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It’s one of those events that seem to get better and better. As the Superbowl buildup came to its highpoint, many wondered who’d be named league MVP. While Lamar Jackson didn’t make it to the big game, folks got their eyes on what he’s gonna do next season to shake the post-season blues.

The TV ratings numbers suggest that the Superbowl pulled more eyeballs than any other program ever. The expectation for Usher’s performance at the halftime show was met with collab appearances from some main players in pop music. Then to top things off, Usher tied the knot and dropped new music.

He wasn’t the only one breaking pop culture news. Beyonce and Taylor Swift spilled the beans on their latest projects. Over the years, we’ve watched them go from green shoots to icons right before our eyes. They’re among an elite level of performers who have style, fandoms and ‘energizer bunny’ type mojo.

A recent USA Today news article suggests that professionals these days see work/life balance as important to their well-being. But it also showed that many are willing to give-up some dollars for having work/life meaning. It’s this modern-day mindset that points to them having more work/life mojo.

So how do athletes, pop culture stars and biz leaders maximize their mojo between sun-up and sun-down when work and life crossover? It’s true, many have the resources to hire nannies and assistants for their to-do lists. If they take-on a greater load in how they serve country and family, they’re focused on:

  • Legacy:- As the saying goes, “begin with the end in mind and work your way back”. It’s one of the 7 habits of highly effective people. It’s a way to not be limited by the now or the not yet.
  • Opportunity:- Some say luck is where preparation meets opportunity. But sometimes opportunities come disguised or hidden to the naked eye. You gotta have an ‘A+ eye’ as your AI.
  • Voice:- Finding your voice isn’t just about the sounds you make. It’s also about the leaps and bounds you’ll take. When truths are faced and voices get shaped then dreams get draped.
  • Earnings:- Are you earning your keeps? That’s to say are you getting better, smarter, calmer, wiser in your work/life activities? It’s not just about how you make a living but also make a life.       

Keys might say it’s all about the L.O.V.E. you bring to the table. Love for people reminds us to serve the ‘least of these’; love for country makes you wanna serve on the frontlines, whether in battle of war or halls of civics. A love for your game makes you wanna put in the work so folks know you’ve got what it takes.

The talk is that the Kansas City Chiefs are on a ‘dynasty streak’. With back-to-back Superbowl wins, they’re looking to do the unthinkable…a three-peat. Folks are wondering what’s it gonna take for them to raise their game. Well, seems like they’re already thinking about legacy, opportunity, voice and earnings.

Talkback: What does work/life mojo say about the love you bring to the table?

Tip: When work and life crossover, it takes balance and meaning to experience the greatest earnings.

Tracks: Buju Banton – Born for Greatness – https://youtu.be/mNXfca7eo14?si=siwGKirIliaESFNp

Hil St. Soul – Blessed – https://youtu.be/Tk6FKBT8tkk?si=W1FCzuRKq2aGle05

The Next Crop of Block-Busters: How Jay-Z and Mike Epps are Making Good on Their Connections in High Places

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There’re so many streaming media outlets trying to bundle their service. Industry experts believe that’s become necessary in order to survive. Gen Z’ers might not even know that before there was ‘Netflix and Chill’, there was mail-order DVD delivery. And before that was the Blockbuster store.

Well, the next crop of block-busters isn’t from the movie business. As Hip-Hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, a biz mogul is being celebrated with a multi-floor exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library. “The Book of HOV” exhibit celebrates the life & work of Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, the first hip-hop billionaire.

Gayle King Interviews Jay-Z

While that’s happening in NYC, Comedian Mike Epps has teamed-up with HGTV on ‘Buying Back the Block’ in Indy. He and his TV-producer wife bought six houses where he grew up, turning them from ‘rundown to uptown’ in appeal. He wants to give the community a chance at a hometown comeback.

Jay-Z says it’s important to remember where you came from. This way it can keep you on course for where you’re going. For sure, the exhibit reflects that and captures his many multi-platinum albums. Epps has travelled all over the country and seen ‘blight by flight’ when residents leave and resources scatter.

They’re both making good on their roots, riches and relationships in biz. The fact that the exhibit is in Brooklyn seems to light Jay’s fire as a ‘full circle’ moment. For Epps, one of the houses that went under reno was once owned by his grandmother. They’re at a point of ‘flashback and comeback’ fueled by:        

  • Motivation:- Jay-Z says his upbringing was ‘normal’ but there were times of violence and bloodshed not far away. His success motivation came from not trying to fit-in but to break-out.
  • Mastery:- He and Epps have put in the work to be a master at their craft. That makes it easier to duplicate themselves in other areas even if it’s not the primary skillset that got them famous.
  • Membership:- As the credit card commercial likes to say, “membership has its privileges”. In their case they’re drawing on relationships over the years from their network and net worth.  
  • Meaning:- With many career tracks, there’s a time money is the driver. Then the focus expands to being a mainstay in the game. After a while, it’s about more meaning in your life’s work.           

When asked what’s next, album or enterprise, HOV wasn’t locked-in one way or other. His social justice work is front-and-center. Plus, his NFL collab led to production honors of a Grammy for the Superbowl halftime show in LA. That was nothing short of major considering his life’s journey growing up in danger.

Mike & Kyra Epps

These guys got lots on their plates to keep them busy on the road, in showbiz or family life. They’ve made the money, become a mainstay and are now banking on having more meaning. They’re showing us what it takes to not just make a living but to make a life as the next crop of block-busters. It’s how we’ll roll!

Talkback: What else might Jay-Z or Epps have up their sleeves as top dawgs in the marketplace?

Tip: While making a living gets you going, making a life keeps you on a path of money, mainstay and meaning.

Tracks: Ciara, Chris Brown – How We Roll – https://youtu.be/xnumI3_qt-w?si=49A_QxeAbHLbKdCE

Nailah Blackman – Jam of the Year – https://youtu.be/_EepymWJeXc?si=JnW2rgt-BcYQEKTQ

Next Gen Ready to Ball? How Aliyah Boston and Diamond Miller Show Up Not Just for the Fame But to Raise Their Game

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It was ‘lights out’ excitement at the recent NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship. The build-up was epic and the boost in game cred carried over from semis to Finals. The numbers speak for themselves, on the court in player stats, in sports entertainment as well as market stats. Why is all this happening?

Well, seems like next gen is ready to ball! Just look at team play and individual records of Aliyah Boston and Diamond Miller. Boston is prob the most heralded South Carolina Gamecocks player in history. While Miller is the second Maryland Terrapins player to achieve high first-round pick in the WNBA draft.

Aliyah Boston on GMA
#1 Overall Pick

Boston’s stat sheet reads like a long form record book of accomplishments. The highlights include three straight Final Four appearances, Finals Most Outstanding Player, multiple Defensive Player of the Year Awards along with Player of the Year distinction. You could easily run out of breath trying to list them all.

Miller is no slouch either as a product of Somerset NJ (hometown of this blog’s editor) and a scoring machine for the Terps. At the end of her high school days she realized she had what it took to be among the best. So, she just put in the work and feels blessed for the chance to grow as a player and person.

It’s a very proud moment not just for Miller in NJ but also Boston who’s a native of the U.S Virgin Islands. Friends and fam know that they don’t just show up for the fame, but moreso to raise their game. Plus, since the WNBA isn’t just a game but also a business, they’ll up-level their value as players by turning:

  • Skill into silver:- When they sign that contract they’ll be trading their talent for cash, coins and maybe a few pieces of silver? Going from NIL to the pro space gets dollaz added to the bag.     
  • Product into gold:- Every team starts out the season hoping to go as far as possible and to maybe one day win it all. This requires stellar performance for players to take home the gold (silver) trophy. 
  • Hustle into rubies:- That’s when passion for the game makes a player/team red hot. We saw that with Boston and the Gamecocks. The Indiana Fever hope she’ll light the same fire there.      
  • Status into diamond:- To have diamond status in the music biz is to forge impact in industry and beyond the charts. Miller’s fandom thinks she’s got the goods in the game and beyond the arena.          

Here’s some more on the market stats. The TV ratings for the Finals game was almost double from the semis two days earlier. It was also almost double since the last record high in 2002 when UCONN won the title. The jump in market appeal reminds us of what U.S. Women’s Soccer has done over the years.

Diamond Miller
#2 Overall Pick

In the next few weeks, the dust will settle before the start of the WNBA season. The veteran players and rookies will take the court to showcase their skills, improve the product, fire-up their passion and elevate the status of the league. You can bet Boston and Miller will be among names making the highlight reel.

Talkback: Did the Finals game between LSU and Iowa meet or beat fan expectations?

Tip: You go from ‘diamond in the rough’ to top draft pick by turning skill into silver, passion into rubies as well as hustle & flow into what makes winners go.

Tracks: Rihanna – Diamond – https://youtu.be/lWA2pjMjpBs

Ace Hood – Hustle Hard – https://youtu.be/r_dh16HQkqQ

Crush It Like These Major Players: Key Steps to Being on Top of Your Game and Having First-Rate Status!

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GOAT! That’s a term Mikaela Shiffrin doesn’t like having said about her. It brings a flashback of the real animal. Also, she prefers the term ‘resetting records’ over ‘breaking records’. No one can take away her first-rate status as a downhill skier. She recently became the winningest female athlete in World Cup.

In a different world, Lebron James reigns supreme. He recently passed the all-time scoring record once held by Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. The GOAT label often comes up with James too. Interestingly, breaking the scoring record wasn’t something he thought possible or set out to do in the early days of his career.

While Shiffrin and James dazzle in different sports, they just crush it on the ski slopes and basketball hoops. The similarities stack-up based on how they’ve maintained longevity, are media savvy and bring a high sense for social consciousness. James is vocal on justice issues, Shiffrin on climate change.

Jabbar had kind words to say about James when his record was smashed. He reminded us that “when one person climbs higher than the last person, we all feel like we are capable of being more.” Lindsey Vonn might agree with those words since it was her winning record that Shiffrin passed to being on top.       

Shiffrin had a low period after the sudden loss of her dad from a head injury. Her focus went off-track as her passion was low grade. Even with James breaking the record, the Lakers haven’t been putting up enough points. So how do they keep their game at such a high level? What’s the secret to their longevity?

  • Creativity:- As Shiffrin raises her level of preparation for upcoming events she finds ways to keep her performance on the up-and-up. Plus, creativity isn’t always flashy but it’s likely groovy.   
  • Consistency:- For James to break the all-time scoring record, he had to be dropping points on a consistent basis. That might explain how he broke the record in one less season than Jabbar.   
  • Reinvention:- James has changed NBA teams three times and with each team he’s won a championship. Beyond his physical condition, he’s also been about game reinvention.      
  • Collaboration:- Shiffrin has teamed-up with other skiers on sounding the alarm about climate change. They feel the future of the sport rests on not having warm winters that cause snow melt.        

Shiffrin still has some fuel left in the tank. Many believe she’ll pass the all-time World Cup wins record held by a male skier. While her last Olympic appearance was a disappointment, she’s the only skier to have won in all six World Cup disciplines, according to the LA Times.

If not GOAT, then at least first-rate status is something they both can claim based on how they crush it. James is still running up and down the court like he’s got spring-chicken legs. Shiffrin is used to being on top of the mountain heading down. But renewed passion inspires us to rise from low grade to high-point.

Talkback: Could James be as good as Shiffrin on the slopes, or Shiffrin as good as James on the court?

Tip: ‘GOATS’ know how to ‘crush it’ with passion and maybe even go from low grade to high point.

Tracks: Tedashii Ft Lecrae – Get Out My Way – https://youtu.be/ZBshbsz1nGg

Archie Eversole Ft ‘Chiefs’ Playoff Hype – We Ready – https://youtu.be/Lzuc2fiwIOk

Shaking Things Up Beyond How You Impress: Find the Moxie You Need to Rock the Game in a Way That’s Priceless

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Doc Cunningham
“Da Island Guy”

Time Magazine has named its person of the year. It’s a big deal in some circles to see if their key influencer made it among the finalists. The honor, normally going to public figures across, politics, business and showbiz, tries to bring some end-of-year ‘umph’ to kinda top-off the wild and wonderous.

No worries, though Quinta Brunson and Lizzo didn’t make the list, they’re among pop culture’s movers and shakers. Brunson has had a world-wind year with the success of the sitcom Abbott Elementary. It leads the Critics Choice TV category nods and she’s also one of People Magazine’s Persons of the Year!

In the case of Lizzo, she’s been making the rounds on her album release promotional stops, like the Today Show and SNL. Plus, with her Apple TV+ documentary, she’s giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put on a concert. Ofcourse, fans get a look & feel for what makes her tick.

Quinta & Oprah

Brunson recently had a sit-down interview with Oprah where she got high praise about her work. The media mogul was impressed with how Brunson has been shaking things up beyond how you impress. Meantime, Lizzo recently made history playing the flute once owned by founding father James Madison.

While as kids, neither Brunson or Lizzo were seen as future superstars, they’ve found the moxie to rock the game in a way that’s priceless. For Brunson, it started with doing short comedy clips that went viral, while with Lizzo it was in mixing hip hop with her performance style. So they know you gotta be:

  • Ready:- Brunson had flashes of fame in her early days of trying out comedy bits. While going viral was what gave her the initial exposure, it’s messaging that would click and make her stick.      
  • Steady:- Lizzo remembers having to skip hanging out with friends so she could go to music class and bond with her flute. That gave her a feeling of steady, even with the craziness in her world. 
  • Element:- In Science class students learn the Periodic Table of Elements. It gives the basic makeup of things. In showbiz they’ve found their connecting talent/element for crossover appeal.     
  • Represent:- Brunson might say Abbott Elementary was meant to represent the value that teachers bring to society. For Lizzo, it’s about how ‘big girls’ get to represent their fullness in life.        
Lizzo

Brunson isn’t so concerned these days about going viral. The thing that drives her passion is in making a show that brings generations together. She got the idea from reminiscing of a time when she could watch a TV show with her grandfather and they’d both get the joke.

After a long day in the studio or on the road, they’ll tell you that there’s nothing like being in your element and having the chance to represent. It turns the feeling of making an impression into a fun form of expression. Those moments in their niche are the ticket for how they bring content that’s cool and rich.

Talkback: While at the office, how do you get the most out of your element?

Tip: Turning passion into niche gives the feeling of turning impression into a fun form of expression.

Tracks: Busta Rhymes Ft Mary J. Blige – You Will Never Find Another Me – https://youtu.be/XKwmuRT2VOI,

Maffio, Kymani Marley, Julian Marley – Blessings – https://youtu.be/8Sc5yOzrNDM

How Folks Headline the Main Event: By Getting the Most Out of Their Careers Even When It Means Changing the Game

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Doc Cunningham

The college homecoming season is the place to be! It’s when alums return to their alma mater to reminisce on their experience. It’s usually built around the big football game between rivals. That was the case recently in Jackson Mississippi and the JSU squad with Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders.

But there’s another kinda homecoming with the Netflix release of “The School for Good and Evil” starring Kerry Washington and Charlize Theron. The story is about a school that produces heroes and villains, depending on their social track and pedigree. Washington plays the Dean of the School of Good.

Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders

Since becoming head coach, Sanders has been generating major buzz and team play. Companies have come calling to support the program. High School recruits are giving HBCU’s a second look. The team has raised its game as fans get turned-up where the recent homecoming was a blockbuster sellout.

It’s like Sanders could be thought of as ‘Dean of Prime Athletics’ by how he’s impacted the gridiron space. Plus, he and Washington, are no strangers to making social impact. In between movie promo stops, she’s also helping to get the word out on the upcoming midterm elections. It’s that important to democracy.

From early days, Sanders knew how to get the headlines. His flashy style and breakout play often made the highlight reel. Now he’s about to create a major first, as ESPN’s GameDay Crew’s live broadcast will happen on the JSU campus. They’ve both been getting the most out of their careers by how they:

  • Learn the Game:- Sanders knows it’s not just about doing drills and mastering game skills. It’s also about those transferrable skills no matter where they take their mojo on the field of dreams.   
  • Flip the Rules:- Usually, ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast happens on a Power-5 conference school campus. But Sanders has his team balling and sports media folks talking.  
  • Perform the Sell:- Washington took a different type role than we’re used to from her days on Scandal. But she connects the film’s entertainment value with her market value as an actress.    
  • Bring the Sizzle:- The idea behind the School for Good & Evil isn’t just about life’s choices. It reminds us of how to balance our yin and yang, our old-school and new-school to bring the sizzle.    
Kerry Washington

Washington says she enjoyed shooting the movie because her kids were there to admire the costumes. The chemistry between her and co-star Theron was an instant connect. They made the most of the project as a career move by ‘breaking the mold’ to play a role somewhat outside of their comfort zone.

Sanders has been breaking news with a recent appearance on CBS 60 Minutes. The team will prob headline coverage and analysis on ESPN’s Saturday line-up. If a homecoming sellout didn’t get your attention, then chances are you think it’s just certain schools that can create the next generation of pros.

Talkback: Is ‘Prime Vision’ something just for JSU or will it catch on elsewhere?

Tip: Be a headliner by how you maximize a second chance, cause folks to give you a second look and be amazing.

Tracks: Mary J. Blige – Amazing – https://youtu.be/CRZig-WX_U8

El DeBarge – Second Chance – https://youtu.be/CBhw5FUBHY8

Underdogs Rise Up: How Viola Davis and Frances Tiafoe Turned Their Backstory to Breakout Glory

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The wall-to-wall coverage across broadcast and cable is over! The world was watching the pomp and circumstance around Queen Elizabeth’s homegoing events. With every angle covered in location and legacy, some folks aren’t sure if the whole Monarchy thing will survive without having to scale back.

While her son Charles has assumed the throne as King, there’s still a coronation ceremony in the works in the coming months. Imagine how some Brits feel about him taking over? Even a few Commonwealth countries are thinking about their next steps. That story is still unfolding and extends for 1000 or so years.

How ‘bout the other unofficial ‘Kings’ that fans these days are giving props to? There’s Viola Davis in her new movie role as ‘The Woman King.’ And there’s Frances Tiafoe who some think could be the next king of tennis (so to speak). Think of them not simply as ’rags to riches’ but more like ‘underdogs rise up’.

Next ‘King of Tennis’

Davis spreads her wings from TV screen to big screen as both star and producer. She plays a warrior in an all-female African army from the 1800’s. Tiafoe is the first Black American to advance to the U.S. Open semis since 1972 and Arthur Ashe. He’s stepped-up his game from junior tennis to being ranked top-25.

Their journeys played out differently but with a similar thrust. For Davis, it was looking around and being on the socio economic low-end. She still found a way out and way up to her breakthrough. For Tiafoe, he grew-up seeing wealth, it just wasn’t his own. They’ve turned their backstory to breakout glory with a:

  • Dream:- At 12, he got bit by the tennis bug from hanging around the Sports Center where his dad worked as a custodian. Dreams can happen by association, aha moment or even trial & error.    
  • Goal:- To build-on his desire and skills, a coach took him under his wings. Then one tournament after another he started to achieve his goal of eventually winning big on the youth circuit.   
  • Lane:- Davis decided to pursue this movie project as she considered new acting roles. Sometimes in careers it means re-inventing yourself in a new lane or a new line of success.    
  • Brand:- She’s expanded her cred not just as actress but as producer and can begin to carve her niche as a brand. Your brand is how you want others to see you, based on how you do you.      
Viola Davis

Davis shares how persistence and perseverance was needed to make the movie. Sometimes when a thing has never been done before, it can be a tough sell. But along the way it took moments of faith to the guide the hands of fate. That also came from personal experience in how she met her husband.

Tiafoe might not say he’s on the fast-track to #1. But he’s certainly seen as the latest American male tennis player who’s got next, once the big names like Federer, Nadal and others move on. They’re inspiring young and older to live out their dreams, even when times are hard or a job isn’t as it seems.

Talkback: Kobe gave us the mamba mentality. What’s the motivation mindset that works for you?

Tip: Underdogs rise up by turning dreams into brands and backstory into breakout glory.

Tracks: Alicia Keys – Underdogs – https://youtu.be/izyZLKIWGiA

Jennifer Hudson – Hallelujah – https://youtu.be/LgMCm5NWtII

Dream Out Loud: Here’s to Rolling Out the Red Carpet Under the Bright Lights of Success

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Doc Cunningham

Who thinks the NBA playoffs ‘bout to get poppin’? The post-season slate of games started off with the play-in tournament. Teams on the bubble got to earn the last few slots before the first round series matchups. This year the Lakers are out of the running and the Bucks seem like favorites to repeat.

Fans got watchful eyes on some teams while franchise execs looking at whether their squad’s got the right stuff. In-between quarters, we get to see LeBron talking with his younger self in a TV ad. It’s like a back-in-the-day preview of things to come, a kinda before and after. And as they say the rest is history.

Maybe Lebron’s hoping we’ll see another ad someday of him talking with his son about making it in the league. He stirred lots of buzz recently about wanting to one day play with his son before retiring. It’s as if he was trying to dream out loud, wishing that the ‘hoop gods’ were listening. Well, the media crew were.

Press Conference

As a kid, he had coaches who saw his potential. That got shaped over the years to the point where he went from high school straight to primetime. That’s not easy to do. Just think, only two percent of college athletes make it to the pros. It’s a much smaller number that jump directly from high school.

Folks who dream out loud do more than just say stuff and hope it happens like magic. Bron might tell his son you gotta believe it before you see it. Spend time building-up in the weight room and taking shots in the gym. But listen closely, there’s other heads-up points you’ll hear in convo or on sports shows about:

  • Planning:- The off season brings downtime as things happen behind the scenes. Soon he’ll be back at it during training camp. But he’s prob also thinking thru next-level moves in career & biz.    
  • Passion:- In that post-game interview he said he’d like to play a few more seasons. As long as he’s in good shape and still got love for the game, he feels his passion will stay strong.
  • Pizzazz:- Fans get excited for his high-flying dunks in a game. They like the no-look passes on a score assist. His eye for the game and his heart for winning is often the spark for a turnaround.   
  • Patience:- It took a while before he won his first NBA championship. Year-in year-out he kept working at it until things clicked. Sometimes success feels slow, but patience gets you to the win.      

Bron knows there’s more to it than just swag, right? You gotta have discipline to have game. You gotta see things thru from first shot before you’re named the MVP. There’s even the idea that you gotta do that thing thousands of times before it’s a breeze in doing it almost like second nature and with ease.

Big Stage

Being under the bright lights of success is a great place to be seen. Sometimes it takes a setback for that push to go from stop to star, from seeing red to seeing green in dollars and a dream. Lebron says retirement’s gotta wait if he can still produce at a high level and if in his spirit, he still got the fire to amaze.

Talkback: Lebron/Wade vs Durant/Irving, best tag-team combo? Plus, what’s Lebron doing these days in the off-season, spinning his wheels or cutting new deals?

Tip: Those who dream-out-loud set things in motion to go from first step to bright lights and red carpet.

A WordPress Community & Lifestyle Feature in #WordPrompt

Signing-off From the Office: What the “Great Resignation” Did to Create a New Vision for Work, Career and Lifestyle

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Doc Cunningham

In sports news, Tom Brady is on his way back! Retirement didn’t last long. Rumors kept swirling he’d maybe head to the 49ers since they’ve been his childhood dream team. But not this time, he’s staying put in a different ‘Bay’ area. Some weren’t surprised while others were annoyed that he just won’t step aside.

The numbers are major in his pro career. He’s been on more Superbowl winning teams than any other player in history. He has so many championship rings he could almost wear them on each finger. It seems Brady isn’t quite ready to sign-off, hang-up his cleats or “take the bridge” to an off-the-field role.

Tom Brady Rings

There’re some other stunning numbers though around news of the Great Resignation. That’s the large wave of folks who’ve been stepping out, moving up and shifting gears in their careers. The pandemic caused many to reassess what’s important in work, career and lifestyle.

What’s driving the job change numbers into the millions? Well, it’s a dream come true to be doing what they love. It’s a way of getting lost in the work and having fun. Plus, it’s about enjoying more time at the parks and 9-to-5 benefits in the perks which bring big energy, money and happiness.

Some opted to start a biz, grow a side-hustle or pause to redirect their passion. Some might have made the move from job to career, while others took the career to vocation route where “purpose in living” is priceless. A big takeaway from all this is in a new vision for work based on great résumés that:   

  • Crossover:- Some skills are tied to a job and some have crossover appeal. Life’s transferrable skills can move from job to job as easily as traveling over a bridge from end to end.
  • Connect:- Does your favorite song keep playing in your head? Is it the verse, chorus or vibe that connects with your core? Social & professional networks forge connections around a skillset core.
  • Callout Dreams:- Early education gives baseline knowledge. Then we go deeper within a subject area. The pandemic pushed folks deeper to callout goals, dreams and bucket-lists.  
  • Collaborate:- Adding two numbers gives us a sum. Multiplying two numbers gives us a product. A collab across two numbers creates greater visibility and a sum of products in the marketplace.    
Baseball Breaking News

Of-course there was more sports news with word the baseball season isn’t lost. Sports fans were full of joy knowing that the seventh-inning stretch will be in full effect. The athletes’ careers have a season’s window of games. Over time they get to showcase clutch performances, or even change teams.

Other careers have a season’s window too, maybe with promotion or crossroads decision. Those not ready to retire, whether “comeback jocks” like Brady or “bounce-back execs” like Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, are proof of times pushing us towards ‘joy & mojo’ at work or ‘gin & juice’ at Happy Hour.

Talkback: Alexa, did Tom Brady retire? Siri, is Howard Schultz back at Starbucks? Hey Google (or Cortana), is Colin Kaepernick still in shape?

Tip: On the road of career travels, pit-stops come and go but a dream is like fuel for the ride.

A WordPress Community & Lifestyle Feature in #WordPrompt

Megan Thee Stallion and Bryce Young Getting Raves on the Big Stage for Their Game That’s Like in Another League

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As folks wind-down another year, others getting ready to turn-it-up “like they don’t care”. The holiday season is a good time to look back on the year-in-review. Plus, some will party-on in “jingle bells” style. That might be the case for Megan Thee Stallion and Bryce Young who’ve become even hotter this year.

Megan made it known that while she’s gone from ‘hot girl summer’ to pushing her ‘hottie sauce’, she’s more than just a one-hit wonder. Now that she’s a college grad, she’s ready to top the music charts and market share. True, with her degree in the Healthcare field she hopes to open an assisted-living facility.

For Young, he’s upped his cred leaps and bounds in winning the Heisman trophy as a college sophomore. This gave Alabama’s football program consecutive wins. Maybe if he puts up big numbers again, he’d be right back here next year. It’s happened once before of a back-to-back winner as a player.

Considering that each year Time Magazine names its Person of the Year, they’re on track in a similar way. While they didn’t make that list, they’ve been getting that kinda press. Winning the Heisman makes Young like Player of the Year in college. She’d be happy to run with the title of Hip/Hop Grad of the Year.

They’re getting raves for their game that’s like in another league. Even if their style of play doesn’t fit some people’s taste, there’s more left in the tank. Megan says she got her mojo from watching women in her family make that paper. Young learned as an understudy to Mac Jones. Their success is built on a:

  • System of Excellence

The QB position has produced lots of Heisman winners over the years. Many have gone on to be pro-bowl players in the big leagues. But it seems there’s something about Alabama squads that turn out gems in players in all positions. Maybe it’s about a system of excellence that helps them rise to the occasion.    

  • Boxset of Skills

For those Christmas giving purchases, sometimes folks just want to order one of a particular type of merchandise. But for others, they’d like to pick-up the boxset with a combination of styles or flavors. Well, for Megan and Young, they bring a boxset of skills to their game with a winning combo of style & flava.   

  • Bucket-list of Goals

They might also know something about stepping outside the box to achieve a bucket-load in money or stats. For Megan it seems her push to be a college grad was more like a bucket-list goal. While her music career took-off for sure, she still wanted to show that she could finish her studies in Health Administration.         

  • Sense of Purpose

There’re stories like the “5 plays that made Bryce Young” or the “key collabs that put Megan on the map.” Those articles and sports clips might be just about on point. But to take a page from a famed college coach, to be an even bigger blowout and make a difference in their careers involves a sense purpose.

Megan’s prob working on her next project. In a few months we might be hearing ‘hot girl summer, part 2’. For Young, the season isn’t done yet since Alabama is in the College Playoffs. When the dust settles, they might look back and see lessons learned and look forward being ready to step hottie next year.

Tip: No matter the field of dreams, league of play or line of work, the standouts find a way to make big moves with a system of excellence and make a difference with a sense of purpose.

Talkback: Who’s got that end-of-year vibe or lala feeling?

Tracks: Alicia Keys ft Swae Lee – LaLa – https://youtu.be/fmx8ww3XYHg

Skip Marley ft Popcaan – Vibe – https://youtu.be/pTwMEpSZq9M