Talk to me, Goose. / Art of Improvement.
A quick recap of my day...
I own a 2014 Moto X, and it lets you set an activation phrase for its touchless controls. I settled on "Talk to me, Goose," and it makes me happy every time I say it.
Relaxed hard. Stayed in bed for much of the day, because downtime is always good.
Ordered Insanity Max :30. Now...about this. I did the original Insanity, and it was brutal. Loved every moment of it. Saw an article on Shaun T in Men's Health, so I decided to go ahead and give it a go.
Shopped for jeans. Not ordering right away, but got my eyes on probably the only pair that will ever fit me: the Levis 541 Athletic Fit. I'm a man with a large butt (I've lived with it for 23 years due to genetics + squats), so nothing fits. I can either have it fit in the waist/thigh and basically wear bellbottoms (nope) or I can make the futile attempt to have something fit my lower legs (not an option). Already own one pair, and will probably order 1 or 2 more. Giving it a week before I decide. Tailoring is an option...may explore that in the future.
My alma mater enlisted me to review some student work. This was kind of awesome—it's no secret that I love my university and would gladly do anything to help it be the best it can be.
Reviewing some of our newscasts to really get a feel for and understand the graphics package for styling purposes. Rookie still has much to learn.
Speaking of...
This is an industry where criticism is everywhere. You have to learn to separate what's necessary, what isn't, and how to accurately critique yourself. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and with being scrutinized.
You'll have those who are out to really see you succeed, and to make you the best version of yourself. You need humility and an open mind at all times...and to genuinely listen. Experiment, yes, but realize that the people in your industry know what constitutes success. Listen and absorb what they have to say, because the only thing that can happen is that you improve yourself. If you never stop learning, you never become stagnant, and you'll never stall and enter free-fall when you should still be ascending.
By the very nature of working in television, you absolutely will run into opinions that differ from your own. Viewers may not care for you, or they may love you. Even if you think you shouldn't bother with them because they don't work in television, pay attention. At worst, at least you know people are watching. At best, you'll have valuable feedback from an audience that is constantly exposed to you.
You can take all of that under consideration, but you also must be willing to look critically at yourself. If you can observe yourself as another would, it becomes possible—easy, even—to sharpen yourself. Naturally, we are hardest on ourselves, so you'll need to manage your expectation and trust in your development. You'll know what can be immediately fixed, and what takes conscious effort to correct.
If you can watch someone else, you can aggregate your opinions on their product, and apply it to yourself. Note what you like, and maybe emulate it. Note what you don't like, and see if you do the same thing (and how to possibly avoid it).
Some music on my speakers today:
- I See Monstas: "Messiah"
- Seven Lions vs. Mion & Shane 54: "Strangers"
- TNGHT: "Higher Ground"
- Flo Rida & Sia: "Wild Ones"
- Armin Van Buuren & Lauren Evans: "Alone"
- Santana, Wyclef Jean, Alexandre Pires & Avicii: "Dar Um Jeito (We Will FInd A Way)"
- Deorro & Adrian Delgado: "All I Need Is Your Love"
- Daddy Yankee: "Limbo"