I can do more.
If you can look yourself in the mirror and be honest, then that statement probably holds true for you as well.
There are 24 hours in a day, and it's amazing, if you actually sit down and write out how you spend all of those hours, you'll see there were some you could use more wisely. I started thinking about this when one of my buddies posted a video on his blog of a guest speaker whose message was simple...we oversleep. If you slept 7 hours a night instead of 8, how much could you accomplish in that extra hour? It's a motivating philosophy.
Speaking of sleep, I keep waking up at random early morning hours lately, no matter what time I actually get to bed. Last night, I got back from work Shooting Camp at the University of Maryland (more on that in a second) at around 12:30 (traffic slowed me down), and was out by 2 am, and yet this morning at 7:45 am, my eyes opened up on me again. Trying to fall back to sleep was only semi-successful.
I have a feeling I know why I can't sleep. It's this job opportunity that's on my mind, and waiting to hear back on a job you want so bad, one that will change your life forever, that you really NEED can weigh on your mind and spirit. It's a real practice in patience, and for someone who believes in making their own luck, it's a challenge. Let's just hope I get the call soon, and I appreciate everyone's prayers and support as I look for the next opportunity in my life.
Back to camp, wow what a great night of basketball. It's such a privilege to be able to work camp with such a great Women's Basketball program in the first place, but yesterday's camp was kind of a last second surprise. I'll take it though. There were over 100 kids in the gym for a 3 hour camp, and they got great instruction, learned a lot, and got better. What else can you ask for? I love working camp because I loved going to camp as a kid. I also love it because I get to teach the greatest game in the world (my opinion) to people who really want to learn and improve. Basketball has been good to me, and I've been truly blessed that God gave me basketball to be such an important part of my life. An hour in the gym is never an hour wasted I say, and I look forward to returning to Maryland this weekend for Overnight Camp, should be a blast.
Today, you can take steps to make tomorrow better. I've always believed that. You can do more. You can make a little more happen. Seek advice from good sources and be aggressive. Push hard for what you want and deserve. I need to start doing more. I know what you're thinking, I work all these different jobs and all as it is, but trust me, I can do so much more if I just eliminate some waste and think about it. This post is my contract with myself to start doing more and stop wasting as much. I have big goals, and it's time to do more to achieve them.
Live in your own reality. Work hard. Do more.
Travis
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
I've got good news....Hope
What a great weekend, now that I have weekends back. This morning, my phone alarm did not go off at 5 something in the morning to wake me up for my 11-12 hour Sunday shift. No, instead I woke up on my own time, at around 10:30, with absolutely nothing on my schedule, outside of one very important thing, going to Church.
I have not been to church on a Sunday in 28 months, and that's always bugged me. To be honest, I haven't been to my church, Immanuel Baptist, since my grandmother passed away in 2011. It was such a great feeling to be able to go and see familiar faces, a real breath of fresh air. It wasn't a return to faith or anything, because if you know me, I believe you are a Christian whether you make it to church or not. Serving and accepting Jesus Christ is a 24/7 job. But, it was just something I had missed. And of course, my grandma and grandpa were on my mind, because it's the first time I'd worshiped there without either of them there as well. Going to see my grandma sing in the choir on Sundays was very special for me.
Anyway, as fate would have it, of course there was a sermon tonight that spoke to me, and I left with good news---- hope. I am so thankful to have so much hope now, hope for something better on the horizon. In my last post, I discussed how I was thankful for the past, and excited, hopeful for the future.
It's no coincidence that highly self-motivated people enjoy each others' company, and enjoy reading, hearing, and sharing each others' ideas and stories. This is why I've always enjoyed my faith, because there's so much in the Bible that speaks to me. I have always believed faith and basketball have gone hand in hand. One of the reasons I'm so trusting, upbeat, and confident all the time is because of my faith and beliefs, that I'm living out a plan God laid for me years before. I trust and confide that what happens in 5 minutes, 5 years, etc. was meant to happen, and I'm just living out the story God wrote for me.
I am where I am right now, writing this post, because it's His will. I know God has bigger and better plans for me, and as He turns the page on my next chapter, I am ready, willing, and hopeful to start. I hope that when you read this blog, you are motivated by the words and messages I send. I believe in hope, I believe in a higher power, I believe in my own reality. They say the most successful people are the ones who best project their own reality. Be successful. Don't ever be afraid to have hope, and stand up for yourself.
Before I go to bed tonight, I'm going to develop a new to do list. Who to call, where to search, where to go, what to do. What would be on your list? If you don't have anything to be hopeful for this week, then make new goals and work hard for them. Hope is fleeting, and hope alone won't get you where you want to be, but I know that without it, life is not as bright.
Be hopeful. Find new opportunities. Be confident in yourself. Learn to stand up for that confidence. Live in your own reality.
Thanks for reading, follow me on twitter @travisponton. Off to the gym.
--TP
I have not been to church on a Sunday in 28 months, and that's always bugged me. To be honest, I haven't been to my church, Immanuel Baptist, since my grandmother passed away in 2011. It was such a great feeling to be able to go and see familiar faces, a real breath of fresh air. It wasn't a return to faith or anything, because if you know me, I believe you are a Christian whether you make it to church or not. Serving and accepting Jesus Christ is a 24/7 job. But, it was just something I had missed. And of course, my grandma and grandpa were on my mind, because it's the first time I'd worshiped there without either of them there as well. Going to see my grandma sing in the choir on Sundays was very special for me.
Anyway, as fate would have it, of course there was a sermon tonight that spoke to me, and I left with good news---- hope. I am so thankful to have so much hope now, hope for something better on the horizon. In my last post, I discussed how I was thankful for the past, and excited, hopeful for the future.
It's no coincidence that highly self-motivated people enjoy each others' company, and enjoy reading, hearing, and sharing each others' ideas and stories. This is why I've always enjoyed my faith, because there's so much in the Bible that speaks to me. I have always believed faith and basketball have gone hand in hand. One of the reasons I'm so trusting, upbeat, and confident all the time is because of my faith and beliefs, that I'm living out a plan God laid for me years before. I trust and confide that what happens in 5 minutes, 5 years, etc. was meant to happen, and I'm just living out the story God wrote for me.
I am where I am right now, writing this post, because it's His will. I know God has bigger and better plans for me, and as He turns the page on my next chapter, I am ready, willing, and hopeful to start. I hope that when you read this blog, you are motivated by the words and messages I send. I believe in hope, I believe in a higher power, I believe in my own reality. They say the most successful people are the ones who best project their own reality. Be successful. Don't ever be afraid to have hope, and stand up for yourself.
Before I go to bed tonight, I'm going to develop a new to do list. Who to call, where to search, where to go, what to do. What would be on your list? If you don't have anything to be hopeful for this week, then make new goals and work hard for them. Hope is fleeting, and hope alone won't get you where you want to be, but I know that without it, life is not as bright.
Be hopeful. Find new opportunities. Be confident in yourself. Learn to stand up for that confidence. Live in your own reality.
Thanks for reading, follow me on twitter @travisponton. Off to the gym.
--TP
Friday, July 13, 2012
Leave the brass, seek the gold
Well, it's safe to say this will be a Friday the 13th to remember.
I think I can best sum it up by saying... I'm thankful for the past and excited for the future.
That's the way you move forward in life. You appreciate the experiences, good and bad, and all the people you meet along the way. You trust in your work ethic and work through the challenges. You meet people and build relationships. You win some, and you lose some. But you're grateful for all of it. All of it.
At times like this, I tend to take my own advice and remember that I live in my own reality. The future really is bright, you just have to make it there. Some days, you don't make a lot of shots, but you wake up the next morning, get in the gym and you keep shooting. You have a short memory, because yesterday's misses are through, you can't shoot them over. You are a better player because you put up the shots, whether you made them or missed them.
Now I have a chance to go do something else! There have been a lot of new opportunities coming my way for a while, and yet I held on to a few brass rings for too long. Brass sucks. It's made to look like gold, but it's not, and I need to find the gold rings and take them for myself. I used to not settle for brass, I used to walk away from it in search of the gold. It's good to remember that in life you can't settle for less than you deserve. My good friend Bomani Mintz always reminds me that if you keep accepting peanuts, they will keep feeding you peanuts. Go get something better, don't put up with the nonsense.
I'm so excited to enjoy an actual weekend. What a great feeling this is going to be. I really can't wait to do something as simple as go to church on Sunday morning, for the first time in over two years!!! That's going to be a great feeling, to be free.
As always, thanks for reading. Remember, live in your own reality and keep working hard today. It's easy to settle for brass in life, but keep reaching for the actual gold. It's good to be free.
-Travis
I think I can best sum it up by saying... I'm thankful for the past and excited for the future.
That's the way you move forward in life. You appreciate the experiences, good and bad, and all the people you meet along the way. You trust in your work ethic and work through the challenges. You meet people and build relationships. You win some, and you lose some. But you're grateful for all of it. All of it.
At times like this, I tend to take my own advice and remember that I live in my own reality. The future really is bright, you just have to make it there. Some days, you don't make a lot of shots, but you wake up the next morning, get in the gym and you keep shooting. You have a short memory, because yesterday's misses are through, you can't shoot them over. You are a better player because you put up the shots, whether you made them or missed them.
Now I have a chance to go do something else! There have been a lot of new opportunities coming my way for a while, and yet I held on to a few brass rings for too long. Brass sucks. It's made to look like gold, but it's not, and I need to find the gold rings and take them for myself. I used to not settle for brass, I used to walk away from it in search of the gold. It's good to remember that in life you can't settle for less than you deserve. My good friend Bomani Mintz always reminds me that if you keep accepting peanuts, they will keep feeding you peanuts. Go get something better, don't put up with the nonsense.
I'm so excited to enjoy an actual weekend. What a great feeling this is going to be. I really can't wait to do something as simple as go to church on Sunday morning, for the first time in over two years!!! That's going to be a great feeling, to be free.
As always, thanks for reading. Remember, live in your own reality and keep working hard today. It's easy to settle for brass in life, but keep reaching for the actual gold. It's good to be free.
-Travis
Monday, July 9, 2012
Thomas Paine
"What we obtain cheap, we esteem too lightly."
These were words written in a pamphlet entitled American Crisis way back in 1776 by a man named Thomas Paine.
Thomas Paine... a man considered by many to be one of the lowest profile of our founding fathers, a true American Patriot and one the greatest early American ideologists and writers. Thomas Paine inspired this post tonight. It's funny that I can convey my idea over this medium, an online blog, and yet for Thomas Payne in the 18th Century, they were using moveable type printing presses that took hours and hours of hard labor.
My writings will likely never have the impact of Thomas Paine's, and yet that inspires me. How did he reach tens of thousands of Americans and British during the American Revolution, and inspire so many, and yet I can only reach hundreds online? If he can do it, so can I.
And yet, almost 250 years later, his words still ring true. They spoke to me when I heard them. What we obtain cheap, we esteem too lightly. The literal interpretation is that we, as human beings, value to some degree expensive items. We all have our prized possessions that we secure, because so many of us do live in excess.
But Paine wasn't being literal with his theology. He was speaking to the American colonists, struggling through a cold winter, losing their war for Independence, close to the edge of giving up. His message was that if it was easy or "cheap" for us to get what we were after, what we wanted, we wouldn't savor it and value it as much. Fighting for something, overcoming the challenges, winning despite a superior opponent, paying the highest prices, these things give value to success.
We don't all always succeed. But I believe it's through the little failures that we learn to appreciate our victories. In modern day culture, we reference these same ideals. The game hasn't changed. Chris Brown has lyrics, "Work your own way to the top, because if they put you on a pedestal they can take you off." That's amazing to me, that these concepts transcend the ages. They keys to success are as old as time, it's amazing.
So, I hope that Thomas Paine's words speak to you as much as they speak to me. Life can be a struggle. But keep paying the price everyday. Fight, scrape, claw, prove yourself, sacrifice, promote your cause, stand up, sweat, bleed, cry, invest. It's not cheap. But for me, the thought of one day getting there makes it all worth it. I will always look back and appreciate the struggle.
No short shots tonight, but as always, thanks for reading. Share this post with your friends and family. Remember to wake up tomorrow and live in your own reality. Work to get better tomorrow. Keep fighting, keep climbing the hill.
- TP
P.S.- follow me on twitter if you don't already
These were words written in a pamphlet entitled American Crisis way back in 1776 by a man named Thomas Paine.
Thomas Paine... a man considered by many to be one of the lowest profile of our founding fathers, a true American Patriot and one the greatest early American ideologists and writers. Thomas Paine inspired this post tonight. It's funny that I can convey my idea over this medium, an online blog, and yet for Thomas Payne in the 18th Century, they were using moveable type printing presses that took hours and hours of hard labor.
My writings will likely never have the impact of Thomas Paine's, and yet that inspires me. How did he reach tens of thousands of Americans and British during the American Revolution, and inspire so many, and yet I can only reach hundreds online? If he can do it, so can I.
And yet, almost 250 years later, his words still ring true. They spoke to me when I heard them. What we obtain cheap, we esteem too lightly. The literal interpretation is that we, as human beings, value to some degree expensive items. We all have our prized possessions that we secure, because so many of us do live in excess.
But Paine wasn't being literal with his theology. He was speaking to the American colonists, struggling through a cold winter, losing their war for Independence, close to the edge of giving up. His message was that if it was easy or "cheap" for us to get what we were after, what we wanted, we wouldn't savor it and value it as much. Fighting for something, overcoming the challenges, winning despite a superior opponent, paying the highest prices, these things give value to success.
We don't all always succeed. But I believe it's through the little failures that we learn to appreciate our victories. In modern day culture, we reference these same ideals. The game hasn't changed. Chris Brown has lyrics, "Work your own way to the top, because if they put you on a pedestal they can take you off." That's amazing to me, that these concepts transcend the ages. They keys to success are as old as time, it's amazing.
So, I hope that Thomas Paine's words speak to you as much as they speak to me. Life can be a struggle. But keep paying the price everyday. Fight, scrape, claw, prove yourself, sacrifice, promote your cause, stand up, sweat, bleed, cry, invest. It's not cheap. But for me, the thought of one day getting there makes it all worth it. I will always look back and appreciate the struggle.
No short shots tonight, but as always, thanks for reading. Share this post with your friends and family. Remember to wake up tomorrow and live in your own reality. Work to get better tomorrow. Keep fighting, keep climbing the hill.
- TP
P.S.- follow me on twitter if you don't already
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Insanity...
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.
Keep that in mind as you read this.
I'm sick and tired of hearing the same old complaints of disappointments and incompetence from the same people. Why complain about people who continue to mess up even the most basic of work-related tasks when, come tomorrow, they will walk right back in to their same position, a position that's above the ones of people like me, who deliver every single time. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
But you don't. Heck, they will probably get a raise. They deserve it. Since you're insane, I'll go ahead and say, they DON'T deserve it.
If you're in a place like this, and we all are here at one time or another. If you're like me, you live in your own reality. You strive to be great every day. You look at the top and strive to work harder than that individual, because that's where you want to be. That's where you belong. Expect nothing less than the top spot.
I don't make these senseless mistakes. Why? Oh I don't know, because I actually care. I don't EVER just show up and dial it in. I WANT TO BE GREAT TODAY, and I WANT TO BE GREATER TOMORROW. Greatness doesn't come easy. It's earned. You fight for it. You sweat for it. You bleed for it. You cry for it.
I'm not great. I can only hope to one day be there. But I do deliver. I bring it every time out, and I want to be the best. I trust my ability and work ethic, because I invest the time into it.
It's okay to be frustrated. It's healthy. Even more so, it's fine to voice that. No sense in keeping it in. That's not going to get you anywhere. If you know you can do it better, then make a guarantee and back it up. After all, if you aren't willing to be part of the solution, you just add to the problem.
Work hard. Live in your own reality. Break the cycle of insanity.
-- TP
Keep that in mind as you read this.
I'm sick and tired of hearing the same old complaints of disappointments and incompetence from the same people. Why complain about people who continue to mess up even the most basic of work-related tasks when, come tomorrow, they will walk right back in to their same position, a position that's above the ones of people like me, who deliver every single time. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
But you don't. Heck, they will probably get a raise. They deserve it. Since you're insane, I'll go ahead and say, they DON'T deserve it.
If you're in a place like this, and we all are here at one time or another. If you're like me, you live in your own reality. You strive to be great every day. You look at the top and strive to work harder than that individual, because that's where you want to be. That's where you belong. Expect nothing less than the top spot.
I don't make these senseless mistakes. Why? Oh I don't know, because I actually care. I don't EVER just show up and dial it in. I WANT TO BE GREAT TODAY, and I WANT TO BE GREATER TOMORROW. Greatness doesn't come easy. It's earned. You fight for it. You sweat for it. You bleed for it. You cry for it.
I'm not great. I can only hope to one day be there. But I do deliver. I bring it every time out, and I want to be the best. I trust my ability and work ethic, because I invest the time into it.
It's okay to be frustrated. It's healthy. Even more so, it's fine to voice that. No sense in keeping it in. That's not going to get you anywhere. If you know you can do it better, then make a guarantee and back it up. After all, if you aren't willing to be part of the solution, you just add to the problem.
Work hard. Live in your own reality. Break the cycle of insanity.
-- TP
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