Ichiro May Be a Yankee, But the Sun Still Shines in Seattle

Yesterday my husband approached me in the kitchen with a look of shock on his face. He  looked down at his phone and back up at me. After a moment he sputtered- “Do you want to hear some crazy news?”

I drew a sharp breath in- “What is it?!”

“You won’t believe it!” His head shaking side-to-side in dismay. The tension was mounting. Nails were being bitten. He took one final pause for a dramatic climax before lowering the boom- “Ichiro was traded to the Yankees.”

Deadpan expression. Hmm.

Should I fake surprise? Conjure up some bewilderment? Squirt some tears? It was sad, after all, truly it was. (Besides the Ichiroll at Safeco is delicious and I just don’t think it will taste the same if its called the Hernandez roll. )

I wondered, did this mean anything to me? And if so, does it mean anything for the average woman who loves baseball for the garlic fries? As I waited for some kind of emotional response a message began pounding out a rhythm in my heart. The response I was having didn’t have anything to do with the nature of the Ichiro trade- it had everything to do with the address.

What I realized is that David and Goliath were at it again. It was one of those moments that makes you wonder if the underdog will always be- well, under.

I don’t care where Ichiro plays. Ichiro deserves to finish his career wherever he wants. He put in a good 12 seasons ( don’t quote me die-hards), so he deserves to win a few games. So Suzuki aside, here is where I get on my Moneyball soapbox.

The New York Yankees are to baseball what a spoiled little rich girl is to her pony- excessive. I am not one of those crazy sports fans that paint themselves blue on a balmy 46 degree day, (I preserve my paint for Pinterest crafts) but I can draw a chalk line between success and superfluousness.

We live in a nation where we are always told we need to be wherever we aren’t. That we never have enough. That the grass isn’t green enough- so go look for neon knolls.

To me, The Yankees are a metaphor for America’s gluttonous nature and the danger or being a discontent woman. Its hard not to notice that some of “The Yankees” in our life, (a.k.a the Evil Empire) have great successes. And when this happens it is difficult to deal with these type of successes gracefully.

Rule of thumb, don’t look at what they have in lieu of what you don’t. Look at what they have as something you can aspire to.

To go further down the rabbit hole of  living well, let’s try to focus on being quick to forgive instead of holding a grudge. Let’s pick up the check instead of looking for a free meal. Let’s give our kids hope instead of instilling in them fear of being a failure. Don’t be afraid to cheer from the stands instead of trying to be center-stage every now and then.

Whether you are a small business owner, an employee, a stay-at-home mother, or a student looking to land your dream job- it is a mistake to get tangled up in the dollars and cents solely for the prestige. Yes, we all need to look for the best deal to further our dreams- but sometimes you have to take the smaller paycheck to find the bigger purpose.

This isn’t about Ichiro, obviously. It is about learning to be happy right where we are.

We are not major league baseball players, so we can’t understand the indubitable pull of playing for the Yankees. But what we can understand is the shiny allure of someplace or something that will make us feel like we have arrived. The truth? No matter where you live, what you do, who pays you, or what that amount is- contentment is a choice.

Maybe you’ve recently lost your spot on the roster because someone out-pitched you or threw you a nasty curve-ball. Or maybe you are looking to turn in your number for a bigger spot on the field of life. No matter where you find yourself, keep your eye on the ball. Someday your pitch will come. (I bat .400 when it comes to baseball cliches.)

Oh, and in the meantime order the Ichiroll. I have a feeling it won’t be here long.

Image courtesy  of The New York Daily News
Article courtesy of Girl Power Hour 

Fear is NOT a Factor for You...Or Is It?

Since Girl Power Hour is in the middle of their 3rd Annual Mind-Body Challenge  I thought tackling the large phantom force of fear would be very appropriate.

Fear takes different forms for each of us. Some of us pretend we are not afraid of anything and others can’t make a move without finding something that scares them. I, perhaps like you, am somewhere in-between.

I came to this conclusion after seeing a commercial for the new season of Fear Factor a few months back. Fear Factor has always been a show that I have a hard time watching. And despite it’s reappearance on NBC this year, I still have yet to watch a single episode.

Bear in mind, this has nothing to do with Joe Rogan. How could it? He is a stand-up comedian, UFC host, and co-producer of the documentary, DMT: The Spirit Molecule (which highlights the potent psychedelic compound found in nearly every living organism); Who is this guy?! Obviously, not a scaredy-cat.

Unlike me, I can’t watch the show mainly because it’s scary. Yes, I am afraid of Fear Factor. In light of that confession, it is obvious that I could never eat a snake while underwater with my ankles tied to an eel-infested shark tank.

But do you know what scares me more than snake tartar in an eel-laden pool?  Letting people down.

OK, I know. This may sound like one of the biggest mistakes in the nice-girl handbook (especially in mine) How can we expect to get anywhere successfully if we care what other people think about us? But, this isn’t about being a pushover or wanting to impress others, instead it is about learning the importance of saying what’s on our minds when we have the chance to say it. Missing moments to do so can result in a whole underworld of misunderstanding.

I recently missed a moment of truth that led to a misunderstanding between a friend. This experience left me wondering what is worse? Being disliked or being unlikable?

While that may sound a little bit like the ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ ideology, here is what I mean. Being disliked is unavoidable- there are always going to be people that won’t like you regardless of what you have or haven’t done. Becoming unlikable happens when you change who you are or what you know to be right in order to avoid a conflict. Being intentional about every word we say (or don’t say) is a big part of becoming better women.

Fear of man (or woman) fuels a propensity to become chameleons. And while that skill is wonderful for Joe Rogan and many other names on the Hollywood walk of fame- it doesn’t serve us well in the reality of interpersonal one-on-one relationships. Stick to one skin- the one you are in.

Never fear being disliked- only fear making yourself unlikable by withholding the whole truth. Being true to you always outweighsbeing someone else for appearances.

Whether it is your health, your body, or your mind- don’t be afraid of becoming the absolute best version of you possible. Keep in mind that you may need to go through a few revisions to get it right. You 2.0? Totally legit.

PS- In my estimation, it is OK to fear snakes, eels and sharks (or a combo of all 3) That’s just common sense.

What Nice Girls Can Stand to Learn from NFL's Bad Boy Michael Vick

Yes, my fellow nice girls. You read that right. Believe it or not, I've been thinking about the connection between Michael Vick and the success of nice girls worldwide for a few weeks now. What's the correlation? Well, it has something to do with mountains, money, and morals.

Whether you follow sports or not, the roller-coaster ride that is Michael Vick’s career has been falling and rising since he hit the Atlanta Falcons field early in his career.

The most jolting aspect of his rise to notoriety? Just two years ago he was released from jail on dog-fighting charges, and now he just signed a $100 million dollar 6-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles- $40 million of which is guaranteed.

So what does this have to do with today’s woman? Well, it poses a question that seems to contradict my methodology for life: do nice girls/guys finish last? While, the concept isn’t new, it is something that seems to radiate throughout the ages- especially in the wake of seemingly corrupt individuals succeeding.

As women in today’s professional climate we have several choices to make on a daily basis. Aside from multitasking, climbing corporate ladders, and somehow carving out some time for ourselves to relax- we are faced with moral and ethical decisions every day. Depending on where you benchmark your success, either dollar signs or peace signs- the nice girl is sometimes left in the stiletto dust of her more outspoken and less ethical counterpart. Does this make her any less successful? And if so, is the finish line the most important destination- or perhaps could the mile markers in-between be the real measures of her success?

Mt. Kilimanjaro may be where we find the answer.

Kilimanjaro is the world’s tallest free-standing mountain at 19,340 feet. There is not one way up this mountain. Like most climbs, there are many different routes depending on what suits your climbing style best. When climbing Kilimanjaro you have 6 different routes to choose from. The Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Guide describes each like this:

The Marangu Route: the only Kilimanjaro climb route that offers hut accommodation.

The Machame Route: the most popular climbing route up Kilimanjaro.

The Rongai Route: the easiest climb route on Kilimanjaro.

The Shira Route: this Kilimanjaro route catapults you to some serious altitude on the first day.

The Lemosho Route: hands down the most beautiful Kilimanjaro climb route, but expensive.

The Umbwe Route: the most difficult and demanding climb route on Kilimanjaro, and the most spectacular.

I don’t claim to be a climber, but what stands out most to me in these route descriptions is that the easiest and the most popular routes are simply known for being so. The most comfortable route offer huts for rest and and the most uncomfortable offers the highest first-day altitude. The most beautiful and the most spectacular routes are also the most expensive and the most demanding.

My point is this. We all choose which route we take in this life. And whatever route we choose will dictate the quality of our climb.

For some, like Vick, we are choosing to rely on talent to get us to the heights we want to go. Vick wanted to get where he was going quickly despite the poor choices he would ultimately make in his haste to get to the top. The same is true of us as women navigating our careers. When trying to manage our own personal climbs we need to be intentional about the routes we go.

Don’t choose the easiest or the most popular- you will be bored. Don’t choose the most comfortable or quickest way- you will miss out on the precious middle moments. Instead, consider taking those routes that are the hardest to take but offer you the most personal reward at the end.

If there is one thing we can learn from Vick it should be that success shouldn’t be measured in dollar signs- although our culture tells us differently. Personal integrity, moral conviction, and selfless love are such rare and valuable assets to have. And when the sun sets on your final play, you will have so much more than money to show for yourself. You will have immeasurable value.

Talk about a breathtaking view from the top.

Sources:

Business Insider

Mount Kilimanjaro Guide.com