Posts tagged living the dream

A couple years ago I rented Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” from Netflix. “Seven Samurai” had the reputation of being one of the finest movies ever made; required viewing for any movie buff, the quintessential samurai movie. For a few months I made it a habit to watch samurai movies from the 60s and 70s and was rarely disappointed.

At the moment, I feel like one of the characters in “Seven Samurai.” He is called Kyuzo, and he is a master swordsman. In the film, the audience is introduced to him as he duels another samurai in a ring - where he dispatches his opponent easily with a wooden sword using a peerless blend of composure and skill.

After being recruited to join the other samurai, the youngest member of the group comes to visit Kyuzo. He asks Kyuzo to teach him swordsmanship, and believes he’s “just great!” Kyuzo isn’t quite sure how to respond to the apprentice samurai, he appears somewhat confused as to why the young man would want his help. It seems like everyone admires Kyuzo’s swordsmanship, but Kyuzo does not see his ability as anything remarkable. He is not arrogant or dismissive, rather he almost deflects the praise with silence or humble acknowledgement.

During a conversation with my mother today she mentioned she saw an old childhood friend of mine today. She told me that my old friend was really proud of my recent accomplishments and impressed that I worked so hard to get to where I wanted to go. She suggested I contact him via Facebook and speak to him about my recent life changes.

It put me in a strange place. I had a Kyuzo moment. I do not view what I went through these last few months as anything extraordinary, inspirational, or exceptional. I wrote to my old friend a couple weeks ago, because I recognized how he played a role in this process years ago.

Back in the early 90s, when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were all the rage, my friend and I would pretend to be on TV talking about them. He had family in Chicago, so he quickly became a fan. We were also soccer and baseball teammates for many years, so I’d be lying if I said that our times back then didn’t play a part now. I keep hearing from my peers that they find what I did somewhat inspirational and it has influenced them to make changes in their own lives.

One of the members of my Bible Study came up to me one night, shortly after I left my counseling job of four year and told me that she asked to take a leave of absence from her job as a lab tech at Colorado State University to try and sort through her own business. She asked me if she could talk to me about the process, and I agreed. For me it was another Kyuzo moment.

I cannot say that I live my life to inspire or to influence others to make significant changes in their lives. But I’ve become aware that the actions and deeds of my life are doing just that. It is not something I feel I can take credit for, but it is something I must deal with. Kyuzo moments offer me the chance to appreciate the ways I passively help other people simply by living my own life. 

Job search facts:

4.1- Years spent employed as a counselor in a residential treatment facility.

11- Months needed to secure a position in collegiate athletics after leaving my previous job.

3- Career counselors utilized in helping me refine my job search and develop job searching skills.

12- Career paths considered before choosing sports information.

1- Conversation with my sister that persuaded me to pursue a career in sports information.

9- Sports information directors who I corresponded with or held an informational interview with.

17- Schools where application packets were sent.

11- States where those schools were located.

2- On-campus interviews earned.

Interesting facts about last season:

11-0 - The record of the women’s basketball team in games where I was a member of the game day staff (the lone loss came in a game I did not attend).

6- Sports that I worked as a member of the game day staff last season (men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball, baseball, men’s/women’s tennis).

6- Feature articles written (men’s basketball, women’s basketball, track/cross country, baseball, men’s/women’s tennis, Title IX).

New job facts:

6- Sports I am responsible for and listed as the primary contact in my new position (women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, baseball, men’s/women’s tennis).

100- Dollar amount provided to purchase athletic apparel through the school’s direct-buy deal with Adidas.

2- Projected years to earn a Master’s Degree while working as a Graduate Assistant.

New location facts:

554- Miles from my home in Colorado to my new home in Kansas.

8.5- Number of hours required to traverse that distance by car.

13- Days given to move from Colorado to Kansas.

100- Yards from my front door to my office.

20,000- Size of Emporia, Kan.

6,500- Enrollment of Emporia State University.

2.7 million- Size of the Denver, Colo. metro area.

24,000- Enrollment of Metro State University of Denver.

At approximately 12:00 p.m. (MST) I received a call from the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. He informed me that Whitworth University wished to fly me to Spokane from Denver for a formal interview and a tour of the campus.

I was given three potential dates for the interview in early July. One of the available dates was July 9th, my birthday. I listed that date as my first priority because it is a chance to give myself a truly special birthday present.

As you might imagine, I am rather excited and have notified several of my closest friends via phone already. I would like to thank you (the fans) for your continued support over the past few months and positive vibes sent my way.

Tomorrow I have an interview to be the Assistant Sports Information Director at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

This is kind of a big deal for me, so I would appreciate any positivity/optimism any of you may have as I look to secure this opportunity.

As I have mentioned before, I value the fans and all the support they offer. Stay tuned for a press conference much like the days of the trivia team.

I believe I live my life a certain way, and find that people don’t necessarily understand what I’m doing or why I do it. The explanation is simple, I devote considerable time every day indulging in the things I love. It’s a routine I’ve crafted over the years that’s been adapted to the advances in technology. The routine looks something like this:

• Everyday I wake up and read; gathering information from the day before. I usually start with the sports section, analyzing the box scores and feature stories on current sporting events. I did the same thing growing up when the newspaper was the primary medium of information that required the use of one’s brain (although I did watch Sportscenter repeats three or four times on weekends). I usually read the European soccer (football) stories first and move on to whatever sport is in season in the US (like baseball and the NFL Draft). I would estimate I read at least 45 minutes before I do anything each morning.
• I then eat something like a bowl of cereal or whatever I can mock up in a couple minutes: a peanut butter sandwich or quasadilla or whatever. I think its important to eat, but I typically don’t eat too much.
• Hygiene (shower, brush teeth, etc.)
• During the meat of the day I do whatever I feel is the most pressing need. At the moment, the most important project in my life is figuring out how to chart a path into the college sports industry. To this point three potential paths emerged: 1. Get a job in an athletic department directly. 2. Receive a grad assistant position, allowing me to gain experience and an advanced degree simultaneously 3. Work in the university in a different capacity and then transfer internally once a vacancy in athletics presents itself. This task is my top priority, but I don’t think those close to me necessarily feel that way.
• I write something, whether it be a Tumblr post, email, cover letter, or random nonsense to my friends via text message.
• Eat dinner.
• My participation in Tuesday’s trivia night is well documented. When there is less going on and I keep to myself, I will usually read some more. In the evening my attention turns to comic books and I find myself headfirst into decades of character development and complex, interweaving story lines. I also watch programs like “Game of Thrones” for that reason - deep characters in a complex story that requires attention. I’ve mentioned this before, but there is much to be learned simply by paying attention.
• I fall asleep, typically at 1 a.m. or so. My alarm goes off to the sound of sitar music written by Ravi Shankar and George Harrison.
• Throughout the day, I never stop thinking.

This is how all the interesting things I say and think are developed and developed to the depth that they are. Here’s an example:

I mocked this up a couple days ago after being inspired by “Game of Thrones.” I got the images from a free heraldry website. This coat-of-arms represents one of my best friends and every piece of it has meaning.

1. His last name is Sullivan, so he belongs to House Sully (like House Tully - home of Catelyn Stark’s family)
2. His nickname is the “Sullybear,” thus the sigil is the aptly named “Sully Bear”
3. He has the motto “Do Good” and “Be Excellent” tattooed on his right and left bicep respectively. It makes a catchy motto when put together. That is why the arms are on the shield.
4. The chevron pointing upward represents the north, where he lives (and where I used to live)
5. The dog he has is half beagle, half basset hound. She has a brown spot on her right side. As you can see, the spot is on the correct side. 
6. The colors are those of the Colorado state flag and the color scheme of the minor league hockey team he works for.

So there’s a look at what happens in my brain everyday. Everything I do works like that. Sometimes it’s hard to articulate it, as crazy as that may sound.

I feel as if I am teetering on the brink of achieving the bliss I want, doing what I love as a profession. I want to believe so badly that what I am doing will come to something and prove the incomparable Joseph Campbell correct.