Life is What YOU Make of it!!!

My mom was having problems with her car not starting. I looked at all of the possible symtoms, for instance, I checked the battery, alternator, and also if there was power in the car. We even tried to charge the battery, but the car didn’t turn on, so the obvious victim was the starter. My mom made a trip to the local mechanic shop and told them of the possible problem. They quoted her $189.36 for the starter and $66.00 for labor with a grand total of $270.98. I thought to myself that the quote was reasonable, however, I told her let me check autozone to see how much the starter cost. I looked online (autozone website) for a 1999 Nissan Sentra 1.6L DOHC starter and found one for $87.96 with the core (the shitty starter already on the car) or pay $132.96 without trading in your old starter. Both of the options would give you a lifetime warranty, so if anything happened to the new starter you can go back and get another one for free. So I calculated the amount for the starter if we bought it on our own and the labor to be $155.36. As you would expect we didn’t take her car to the mechanic who quoted her the first price and took it to someone else with a starter we bought at autozone. So when it was all said and done she saved over $100 bucks and the piece of mind of that her car was fixed properly.

Why does this matter to you?

Well people get ripped off like this all the time and simply take whatever the mechanic says and puts full trust in them. I am all about making money, but it sucks to take advantage of people who don’t know anything about automobiles. It seems that most mechanics only think about the front end, meaning that they care about the first encounter or purchase with the customer. However, there is more money to be made if the person was totally honest from the beginning because the customer will continuously come back because of the great work performed and honesty given from the mechanic. I think most mechanics only worry about the now and not about the later and sadly to say nothing is ever done enough to help people watch out for signs and shaddy things that happen. I think I am going to see if I can solve this problem some how some way.

Never really know what might happen if you lived in a different area or took a different route in your life. Some people will say that they would be the same person and others have no clue. In reality no one really knows, but a concept of being in a different environment from the start of your life gets you thinking of the possibilities. I don’t know if I would have been a person that is a Christian, entrepreneur, civil engineer, love playing basketball, car addict, playing video games, and reading books.

Is it really that important?

Thinking about how you would have been if you were in a different environment doesn’t matter at all. A person can even say that it is a waste of time, but there is a lesson that can be learned here. The lesson is that going to different places and exposing yourself to events and people out of your comfort zone can give you understanding and realization of if you really admire the activity, group of people, or place. So instead of thinking about it just try it out. That is one of my goals I want to do for the coming year. So the motto of next year is “Just Try It Out”.

As Time Goes By

This day and age we’re living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.

Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein’s theory.
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax relieve the tension

And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed.

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, “I love you.”
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date.
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny.

It’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

-Herman Hupfeld

What is Really Important

There are many times in life that we wished we would have done this and that. Or that we would have took advantage of opportunities that arise and we didn’t do anything about. Or were doing things that consumed us so much that we forgot about what was really important. Or whatever else, it doesn’t matter, this poem puts me back into place and at times I get different perspectives of my situations and what needs to be done differently to get me back on track.

I have come to realize that material possessions, having a good job, experiencing and enjoying your hobbies, and whatever else that consumes us are only short lived excitements in life. I believe that anyone in life can survive of love from another person. That sounds so cliche, especially during the holiday season, but it really is the truth. And that is what I get from this poem in my life at this present moment.

With that said let me know what you think of this poem.

Person #1: “Hey how is everything going? I hope all is going well with you and the people in your life?”

Person #2: ” It is good. Keep in Touch.”

And then the process repeats itself again with person #1 always checking to see how everything is with person #2. When this happens too many times person #1 just has to stop and not even worry about contacting that person again. The reason why is because one person deeply cares about the relationship and the other person simply doesn’t care. It really is that simple, we go through life wanting somebody to care for us and be our friend, but don’t want to put in the work to return the favor. I have more respect for people that I email and don’t return my messages than someone who only responds when I email. I am not saying that I am a perfect person because I am also guilty of being person #2, but once the situation is realized I try to resolve the problem and become aware of what I am doing when it happens again.

Why does this happen?

I have no real clue why someone says one thing and doesn’t return the favor, but it does happen quite a bit. There are a couple of things that can be done.

#1. Talk to person #2 about the situation and see if that changes their behavior, if it doesn’t move on.

#2. Stop trying to connect and move on.

So now what?

In the long run you don’t really know what will happen with people you want to keep in contact with. There is a very very slim chance that you will be able to or really want to keep in contact with old friends or former co-workers. The reason why is because people change for all different reasons and that person might not be in the same state as when you knew that person best. With that said if it is worth keeping up then do so and if it doesn’t work out then move on. Remember there are 6 billion plus people in the world and you are not going to connect, have a relationship, play video games, travel, or talk to in your life time. So just meet and try to connect with as many people as you can and you should be alright.

I just found out today that one of my favorite professors, Dr. Timothy Kramer, at school was killed accidently over the weekend in a plane crash. He was flying one of his planes into Maryland with his girlfriend. He was about to land before his plane hit some treetops that ultimately brought the plane down. I was and still am shocked that he is not here anymore.

Greater was the Person than the Teacher

The first time I met Dr. Kramer he didn’t talk about class he wanted to know who I was. We talked about careers, going to grad school, automobiles, airplanes, and his college days. He told some of the same stories over and over, but it didn’t matter they were entertaining and you can see that that was one of his best moments in his life. He also loved mechanical toys and the sure enjoyment it gave him, hence his love for flying airplanes. Dr. Kramer taught us more about life than the actual class lesson; there was a time he was going home for the day and stopped by the car club to check out the old school cars and also make fun of mine, he told members of the club about his experience and what he did to his cars.

What a Happy Hour Would do to a Person

I remember it vividly. My group had a really shitty presentation, but Dr. Kramer told us that he would buy the whole class a round of drinks at the local bar to celebrate us finishing the senior design class. I couldn’t believe it neither could my classmates and friends, but we didn’t let the opportunity pass us by. We truely got to know Dr. Kramer that night because he was talking to us like old friends, we were telling each other about our lives and just enjoying each others company.

I Wish I Would of…

After school finished I emailed Dr. Kramer a couple of times and would pretty much be checking up on each other to see if everything was okay. Once I read his words I was thrilled that he was doing fine and I went on with my life. I wish I would have talked to him more about my true passions and dreams because he truely showed and lived his passion every single day, especially when he was flying his planes and talking to people about flying. I wish I would have went to visit him when I was visiting other friends at college. I wish I would have seen the enjoyment of him flying his plane. I wish I would have knew him on an even more personal level.

I at times wonder and ask people about their business, “How do you make money?”

It is an important question because you simply can’t survive if your business can’t make money. In my last business venture we had an incomplete business plan and a shaky business model.

Definitions from Wikipedia

1. Business Plan-is a summary of how a business or entrepreneur intends to organize an entrepreneurial endeavor and implement activities necessary and sufficient for the venture to succeed. It is a written explanation of the company’s business model for the venture in question. Business plans are developed for ventures in both business and government.

2.Business Model-a conceptual tool that contains a big set of elements and their relationships and allows expressing the business logic of a specific firm. It is a description of the value a company offers to one or several segments of customers and of the architecture of the firm and its network of partners for creating, marketing, and delivering this value and relationship capital, to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams.

Ways to Make Money

There are many ways a business can make money. Whether it be advertising, selling products and services, giving marketing advice, or whatever there are many angles a business can take. There can be two companies that provide the same service and with a similiar business plan, but have a totally different approach of making money. I believe that the business model is more important than the plan because you simply can’t stay alive as a company, if money can’t be made from the business it is really a hobby or a business. There are no problems with hobbies, all of us have them, it just puts everything into perspective when you decide to start a business.

Is This the Only Way?

To be honest no and yes, there have been many successful companies that didn’t have a business plan, but some way of generating money (business model). However, it is best to have something defined and go with the flow of starting a business.

I really don’t know how to explain it, but it really sucks and makes me sad that I can’t do two activities I love to do due to some medical concerns. I have been feeling some pain in my knee for sometime because of running and workingout my lower body. So I decided to make an appointment to see a specialist in joint/knee injuries. Well this is what the doctor told me,

“there are no broken bones, you are bone legged(which I have no idea what it means), you are not flexible at all, you have patellar tendinitis, and YOU need to stop running and playing basketball“.

This injury or pain can be treated

The doctor told me that I can do a couple of things to reduce the pain in this area. Firstly, I can take medication he prescribed for me, stretch my lower body especially my hamstrings, do other cardio exercises like biking, the elliptical machine, and swimming. I can probaly play basketball and run, but on a very limited basis.

It sucks to when you can’t do what you love

I am going crazy right now, I am wondering what I can do to have fun and also get some good exercise done. When I was running I felt so alive and believed that I could do anything. I did alot of thinking while running and it helped me get into a good mood when I wasn’t feeling up to par. Oh yeah I could literally burn past people with ease, it was simply my way of connecting with myself. Basketball has always been my favorite sport, I loved doing fadaways and shooting jumpers, and of course blocking shots. But both of the two activities put ridiculous amount of pain on my knees and would  literally take  a week to fully heal if no other cardio was performed.

It makes you think…

Not being able to do the things I love really made me think of what I am not doing right now that I do love. You never know when you can’t do something you love to do when it is really life preventing. There are many things we do in life that are routine that we don’t like doing, but we do anyway. People make sacrifices everyday in order to get that big payout later on, but once they complete that mission he/she doesn’t see the benefit or choices something else to go after.

Well I am still thinking what I plan to do for the near future, I will try some things that the doctor suggested and do some new things that I may like. So stay tuned for the change to “non knee pounding” physical activities.

“You’re not hearing me, JJ. You’re a musician. It’s not just what you did. It’s who you are. And I’m not saying you’re going to be a successful musician. I don’t even know if you’re a good one. It was just that I could see you’d be no use to anyone if you stopped. And look what happened. You break the band up, and five minutes later you’re standing on the top of a tower block. You’re stuck with it. And without it you’re dead. Or you might as well be.”

This quote is from a recent book I just finished last week which is called, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.

What Consumed Me?
Many of us are like this, whether it be music, school, cars, computers, sports or whatever else we like to do specific things more often than others and at times it consumes us. I mentioned something similiar in a past article found here. The shocking truth to this quote is that JJ still didn’t understand what his ex-girlfriend was saying and in life most people don’t take the time to step back and realize their own situation and how it is effecting them. At a time in my life I was one dimensional, I dreamed, sweated, intoxicated myself with the world of automobiles. I still love them, but I don’t let it totally consume me as it did in the past. Whenever I would talk to people automobiles will always come up some way; had tons of friends that loved automobiles; tried to go to as many racing event’s as much as possible; I read tons of car magazines and books; and watch television shows and movies that dealt with cars.

You Start to Wake up When Others Tell You

I started to realize that all I knew was cars, I didn’t have much to talk about to people, it just sucked being just a listener and not a contributer to the conversations, and it really drove me crazy. That is when I looked at myself and determined that there is more to me than cars. And there is more to everyone else then what is currently consuming them. I am not saying drop what you love to do, but continue to explore other things that you may enjoy and love because no one really knows if they will like something if they don’t try it.