We hear so much in our culture today about how you have to work hard to be successful. Which is true. However, what usually goes unsaid is the implication that you must succeed at all costs. The end justifies the means. If you need to step on people to get ahead, then that’s just part of the game.
Conan is the first person in the spotlight I have heard in a long time defy that idea. Not only should you work hard, but you also need to treat people with dignity and respect. It sounds simple, but so many people in positions of power don’t hold this belief.
The means matter. How we live and how we treat people matters. Our fortunes will vary and we all will go through good times and tough times. The important thing is to stay true to our beliefs no matter what and to continually treat others with the dignity and respect they deserve.
This entry was posted January 22nd, 2010 and has 3 comments.
Today is officially my last day working at Media Works. After much thought, prayer and discussion with friends and family, I have decided to leave my beloved Baltimore and take a job at Blueliner Marketing in New York City.
I am extremely excited about embarking on this adventure. Blueliner is a great agency made up of a lot of smart and interesting people and I know we will do big things in the coming months and years. I’m also really looking forward to living and working in New York. Having spent a good amount of time there in the past year, I know that it is going to be a really amazing life experience.
As I’m sure anyone reading this knows, my girlfriend Lauren and I have been dating long-distance for the past year and a half. We have done amazingly well dealing with long Megabus rides, weeks of not seeing each other, and all of the issues that go along with a long-distance relationship. With that said, I cannot wait to actually live in the same city as her.
But with the excitement and anticipation of a new experience undoubtedly comes the downside of leaving the people and places that you know so well. My family and lifelong friends live in Baltimore and I know it’s going to be hard, at times, not being able to drive over to their houses or grab dinner together on a weeknight. Baltimore has always been my home and a city that I love. There is something about Baltimore that cannot be replicated in any other city.
I am also truly going to miss all of the people at Media Works and our amazing clients. I have gained an incredible amount of knowledge over the past 3 years and have developed some really great relationships that I am sure will continue through the years. I owe a special thank you to Jody Berg for giving me the opportunity to be a part of Media Works and for much guidance and support during my time there.
The more I think and talk about the move, though, the more excited I get. Thanks to all of my friends, family, and maybe some strangers who read this blog. I hope you will keep reading and stick with me throughout this next stage of my life. And next time you’re in New York, give me a call.
So, here’s to new challenges and experiences. Stay tuned.
This entry was posted November 24th, 2009 and has no nomments.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Coming from a big extended family, Thanksgiving has traditionally been the holiday that we all spend together, relaxing and enjoying each others’ company. As the years pass, I find myself even more excited about this holiday. During this week leading up to Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a few minutes and remember what I am thankful for.
I heard something this past weekend that really made me stop and think. It was something to the effect of, Are we spending more time complaining about the things we don’t have and what’s not going as planned, or being grateful and thankful for all of the blessings we do have?
If you really think about it, are you actively being thankful for things throughout the day or spending your time and energy complaining? Obviously there are times when it’s hard to feel thankful and times when you need to address the things that are not going well. But for most of us, most of the time, life is pretty good.
There are so many things to be thankful for, but as of late I have been thinking about one thing more than the rest. I am surrounded by amazing and supportive people. My family, friends, and girlfriend have been there for me so many times in so many ways and I am eternally grateful to them. I only hope that they receive the same type of support from me. To all of you, thank you.
My challenge to all of us this week is to intentionally spend some time being thankful. Especially when things aren’t going well, step back and think of something that you’re thankful for. It really does help put things back in perspective. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.
This entry was posted June 30th, 2009 and has 1 comment.
Last night, as I was driving to pick up my little brother, I was struck by the fact that it has been nearly two years since we were matched. Many things in both my life and his life have changed in the last two years, but what hasn’t changed is the ongoing commitment to spend time together.
I approached the whole Big Brothers thing with excitement, but also a bit of trepidation. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure that I could be a good mentor or role model for a kid. I don’t have life figured out, so what wisdom can I impart on someone else?
Through this experience, I’ve learned that I don’t have to be perfect and I don’t have to attempt to share some great wisdom or knowledge with him. All I really have to do is remain committed to spending time with him and do a lot of listening. I don’t know that he will remember anything I have said to him in 10 years, but I’m pretty sure he will remember that someone cared enough about him to take him to baseball games, play video games with him, and teach him how to fix his bike.
This entry was posted January 19th, 2009 and has no nomments.
On Saturday afternoon I joined 40,000 of my fellow Baltimoreans to welcome President-Elect Obama to our city. Tomorrow, of course, Mr. Obama will be sworn-in as president. For many people, especially older African-Americans, this is a day they thought would never come. Tomorrow, January 20, 2009, the United States of America will inaugurate our first African-American president.
While we were waiting for Obama to address the crowd, I stood next to an older African-American couple and their friends. You could just tell that the election of Barack Obama meant so much to them. They lived through the worst and most disgraceful part of American history and now are seeing an African-American man take the office of President of the United States of America.
Our country has come so far in the 45 years since Dr. King gave his beloved I Have a Dream speech. Many are even saying today that Dr. King’s vision has now been fully realized. CNN released poll results this morning saying that “More than two-thirds of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision for race relations has been fulfilled.”
This entry was posted November 7th, 2008 and has 4 comments.
My grandmother, Mary Smiraglia, passed away this Wednesday at the age of 85 after a bout with liver cancer. Each of the grandchildren were asked to write a letter to or about her. This is mine.
From my earliest memories, my grandparent’s house was always filled with what seemed like a thousand people. Whether it was Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just someone’s birthday, my entire huge family was always there. I looked forward to these events so much because I knew how fun they would be.
As a kid, I thought everyone had a large family that they were really close with. The older I got, the more I realized that this was something very special and a thing to be cherished. Despite having 7 children, 18 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren, my grandmother always made time for each of us. I remember her coming to my elementary school for ‘grandparents’ day’ and bragging about having 18 grandchildren and how amazing they all were. They would ask all of the grandparents to stay standing until their number of grandchildren was called. My grandmother was always the last one standing.
Sometimes you don’t understand how strong a person is until they have to deal with tragedy. My grandfather passed away rather suddenly when I was 10-years-old. This was a very tough time for my family and something that I know devastated my grandmother. Some people would have been defeated by the loss of their true love, what must have been an overwhelming experience. My grandmother, however, dealt with the loss by bringing the family even closer together.
This entry was posted November 5th, 2008 and has 1 comment.
November 4, 2008 was a historic day in America. It was a day that we will all remember for the rest of our lives. Forty-five years after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, the United States of America has elected Barack Obama, our first African American president. This is a major accomplishment and one for which I feel extreme pride.
We also have many other things to celebrate today. A huge number of new voters came out yesterday. People who previously couldn’t care less about politics were bursting with pride and passion for this candidate and becoming involved in the political process. Countries around the world are looking at America once again as a place where anyone can rise to the top.
President-Elect Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last night was absolutely amazing. He spoke with much honor, thankfulness and hope. One of the most powerful moments came when he told the story of the 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper who voted yesterday. He talked of all that America has accomplished in the last 100 years and all that we hope to accomplish in the next century.
This entry was posted November 4th, 2008 and has no nomments.
I am proud to have exercised my right as an American citizen and voted this morning. I arrived at my polling location at 7:10 am to find a line of approximately 200 people already there. This is much larger than the line I stood in during the 2004 election, maybe even twice the size.
I have spent a lot of time researching the candidates, watching debates, and talking with people on both sides. There are so many huge issues to deal with in America and around the world. From the economy, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to what I believe is the most critical issue, energy independence, and many more. With all of these issues to consider, the decision for me came down to who I believe is best equipped to lead the United States in the right direction.
For these reasons, this morning I cast my vote for Barack Obama. I believe Mr. Obama has the vision and leadership ability to unite our country and move it in the right direction.
We should not, however, expect immediate change. The problems with the US and global economies were not created overnight and will take time to correct. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will need to be handled properly in order to ensure victory and peace in those countries after we leave. And the issue of energy independence needs a well thought-out, long-term solution.
While we cannot expect immediate change, what we can expect with Barack Obama is a president of high integrity who will motivate and inspire Americans to reach for something better. We can expect a president who looks out for the middle class and not the most wealthy Americans. And we can expect a president who deeply cares about our country and will bring in the best team possible to help get America back on track.
Regardless of who you are voting for today, I encourage you to get to the polls and make your voice heard. We all have a chance to be a part of history today and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.
This entry was posted October 15th, 2008 and has no nomments.
Again this year, I’m proud to participate in Blog Action Day. Last year’s topic was the environment, and tons of high-profile blogs participated to raise awareness. This year, Blog Action Day is focused on a very important issue that is close to my heart, Poverty.
Now, I myself have never been poor or experienced anything close to poverty. However, anyone who lives in this world and has their eyes open notices poverty, how it affects people, and how difficult it can be for people to pull themselves out of it.
The problem is that most people don’t have their eyes open.
Even living in a major American city like Baltimore, which has pockets of severe poverty, it is so easy to ignore the problem. That’s because poverty doesn’t always infiltrate our neighborhoods and daily lives. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t have a responsibility to confront the issue of poverty and do something about it.
This entry was posted April 30th, 2008 and has 1 comment.
In order to make up for my lack of posts over the past few weeks, I feel I need to justify myself to my faithful readers. Here are some of the ways I have been spending my time over the past few weeks while not blogging. I know it’s a bummer to click on a blog and see the same post at the top that’s been there for 2 weeks. I promise to do better in the future.
Playing social league sports, but having lots of rain-outs.
Thursday nights with the ABL (Abbott Basketball League) are always a lot of fun. Some nights the actual basketball being played is better than others, but it’s always a good time.
I was a little reluctant about joining a kickball team this season, but am glad that I did. I’ve spent the last 6 Saturdays at Patterson HS playing on an awesome kickball team. We’ve also had some good team-building excursions to Kislings after the games.
The Sore Losers are yet again displaying our dominance in BSSC football. We have won all 4 of our games, even though I almost lost the last one for us. Strangely enough we haven’t had any Saturday kickball rainouts, but have had 3 on football Sundays.
Last, is the Parkville men’s softball team. I am really looking forward to playing on this team, but our first 2 games have been rained out. Lame.
