Old Enough to Know Better; Young Enough Not to Care

I went to Maine this weekend with my cousin Sara and my Aunt Dee. We went up there because my other cousin, Mikey aka Carlton, was graduating from high school. Mikey is heading into the Army so it was nice to be able to see him in case I don't get the chance too before he leaves. It's funny because if you ask me what my favorite memory with Mikey is, it would be the fact that when he was younger, my friend and I wrapped him in a laundry basket with a blanket and stuck him under the Christmas tree with a note starting off "Dear Finders, I am the baby Jesus...". Needless to say, he slept there all night until my Dad and Aunt came home and found him under there. I was never asked to watch him again after that. Probably a good idea on their part. Goes to show that I was still a creative genius back then and nothing has changed.

On the positive side, I weighed myself again on Friday. Down -31 pounds. I have about 12 more to go til I am at my goal weight of 160. I am really excited about that because I am working hard to each much better and try to live a healthier lifestyle. Doing a lot more walking and exercising when I can to help fight the fat. I am tired of looking at pictures of myself and not being happy with what I look like. I have a goal set in my mind and so far, I am on my way to achieving it. I just need to believe that I can do it and I will one day get there. Hopefully sooner than later, but I will get there knowing that I can because I believe in me.

This weekend got me thinking me. I am at that age where sometimes I know what the right thing to do is and what isn't. Usually, it's go home after a long night with my friends because I know I have work the next morning. I am not really a morning person when I haven't slept much. I'm more of a grouch and don't want to be bothered all day. I had a knack of just getting up and going to sleep when I was in high school/college when I was ready. There could still be people sitting on my couch watching tv and I would just up and go. Such a graceful host I am. No wonder why everyone really likes me. I guess it may be the summer though because I stil want to have my fun. I want to go out and party til all hours of the morning and make memories I'll never remember with friends I'll never forget. I guess that is the wild side in me just wanting to escape and be free. I yearn for the days I can be an active social butterfuly in NYC or some other major city networking and being so in love with my life. Just me and the open road ahead onto new adventures.

I think that I am working up to that part of life. I am putting in my time now so that in the future I can make those kinds of fantasies actual realities and when I look back on my life, I won't be mad at the decisions I've made. I'll be glad that I took the chances I did and that I did the fun things that really matter most in life. Money only goes so far. It doesn't buy happiness and it doesn't make you any better of a person. I think that's why I love taking pictures. So that I have something to look back on and to hold on. To know that I am a party boy at heart and I love the nightlife and myself. Maybe a little too much sometimes, but hey, I need to treat myself once in a while.So the angel on my right side is old enough to know better, but the devil on my left, is young enough not to care...

A Healthy Self-Obsession

For those of you who don't know me, I am midly self-obsessed. I have a lot of self-confidence because I have a great job, great friends, I'm looking better, and I am good at mostly everything I do. That may sound conceited, but there is a lot behind it that people don't realize.

To start off, I am a director of public relations and branding for my company. That is a higly prestigious title and the fact that I'm only twenty seven, well that's pretty good. But it doesn't come without a price. I worked my butt off to get to that position. My original position at WorkplaceDiversity.com was just a part-time internet marketing associate. I worked hard to pave my own path and get to where I am today. I have my interns and now we are making our company hit new levels that we haven't hit before. Our SEO has reached a new level and I was so proud of everyone today for their hard work. I work a lot of hours too to help make my position what it is. Whether I am in the office, working off my phone, weekends or holidays, public relations never takes a break. So sometimes, I look self-obsessed on my phone playing on facebook or twitter, but really, I'm making my company money.

I have the best friends in the world. They understand my self-obsession and working hard to get to where I want to be in my personal and professional life. They understand that I sometimes have to break commitments to get my work done and they are cool with it. Mainly because I make up for it by taking them to some crazy concert in Atlantic City or partying at a club in NYC til 5am. I like being that group of people that everyone is jealous of. We have a good time and we aren't afraid to show it when we go out.

I am becoming obsessed with working out. I constantly want to be in the gym and working hard to get in shape. I've lost a decent amount of weight so far and I am really seeing it. I see it in my face the most, as my face isn't round anymore. My arms and legs are really starting to tone up and define themselves which is making me thrilled. My stomach is the problem area right now and I am working hard to get that into shape. I just need to work on eating better. Food is my enemy. If the food is terrible and awful for you, I love it and vise-versa. So to fight that, I am trying to make one or two better choices a day to help fight that. I figure eventually, I will be making the right choices because I want too, not because I have too.

Being good at mostly everything I do takes a lot of work. I am not great at one thing. There are many things that I am good at. And I work hard to constantly get better at them. I self-obsess a little bit over them so that I can be better at it the next time I do it. Whether it's sports, music or anything else, I want to be the best at everything. It's the competitive side of me. I constantly want to be better and work that much harder to achieve it.

I do work hard to be the best at everything I can. Whether it be professional or my personal life, I like being awesome. So maybe a little bit of self-obsession isn't a bad thing. It keeps me on my toes and how I can strive to be better. I'm not gonna lie though, being the center of attention at a party or a bar isn't the worst feeling in the world.

PR, Branding & SMM ...Oh My!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Brandergy.com, About.Me, LinkedIn, Google+ and the list goes on. There are so many social media sites out there that sometimes my head begins to spin thinking about it. For anyone that isn't involved in social media, you are missing one big market for advertising, public relations, and marketing. I mean, a brand new term called "social media marketing" or SMM for short was created for it. I noticed this today when I was helping an older gentleman aka my dad, learn how to use his new iPhone. He has come into the twenty first century and he is having a blast with it. Things that seem so simple to me like downloading music, finding free apps and just using the internet are second nature to me and it's interesting to see how different it is for him.

For those of you that don't know me, I am a public relations and branding director for an online advertising agency. We help diverse candidates connect with job employers and gain employment. We do a lot with diversity inclusion and focus on all aspects of diversity. We deal with military veterans, handicapped, and the black/latino/asian communities, respectively. My company is called WorkplaceDiversity.com and we are ranked in the top ten diversity inclusion companies in the United States.

My job is all about getting the word out there. What's the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get your name out there? Social media. So when it comes to all the websites I listed above, I am on all of them. Making new friends, "liking" people's Facebook status, tweeting, circling and +1-ing all content that I find informative. I write press releases, I've been interviewed, I create backlinking, write blog postings (kind of like this one) and find new ways to get my companies name in everyones mouth. It is a lot of work and a lot of creative thinking to do what I do but I can tell you one thing, I absolutely love it! Since college, this is the first job that I found myself loving. I don't hate myself every morning for having to get up and go to work. I enjoy my time there and I really receive great gratification in doing the work I do. My right my main focus in on veterans coming from from Afghanistan and Iraq and helping them re assimilate back into the workplace society.

The one thing that I always tell veterans that are looking for jobs is that you have to keep up on your networking and branding skills. Your resume needs to highlight all of your qualifications in civilan's terms. Not all employers understand military jargon and that is one of the adjustments that veterans need to make when coming back into the workforce. Learn how to maximize the skills you've learned in the military to be the best team leader for your next job. Explain to your interviewer that you are quick on your feet, you are focused on the task at hand, you work well in groups and always mention that you work well under pressure.

I also tell veterans that social media is one of the best ways to stay involved and find jobs. There are so many groups in all of these social media hotspots that are veteran related. Keep an ongoing twitter and follow different companies that are in the field you are looking to get into. Introduce yourself on LinkedIn but don't always go right in for the kill. Talk a little bit about the company with them. Maybe something interesting that the company has done that you find impressive. Sweet talk them and build a relationship, then find out about job opportunities. Like a bunch of campaigns on Facebook that are relatable to your field and find out all the information you can.

The information I provided above isn't just good for military veterans but for any job seeker really. No one is going to hire you if they don't know anything about you. If you are on a bunch of social media sites actively engaging with people, companies and in groups, you are more likely to find an employer who wants to do business with you. Don't give up all of your information though. No one wants to pay for the milk when they can get it for free. Leave a lasting impression that makes employers want to want you. Social media can really help with that.

Helping Veterans

On Tuesday, I was able to go to PNC Bank Arts Center for the Hire-A-Vet career fair in Holmdel, NJ. While I was there I was able to speak with a lot of veterans with all diverse backgrounds. I was even asked to do a radio spot for MilitaryVetJobs.com as well. It was a great day and I was even able to bring my good friend Ashley with me on it. We met a lot of great companies and people and she did an awesome job as my assistant for the day.

Today, I was asked to write a blog post about my time at PNC. I figured that I should cross-post it with a post from my personal blog. So here it is:

"I went to the Hire-A-Vet career fair at PNC Bank Art Centeron Tuesday. I was able to meet a diverse group of military veterans and talk tothem about re assimilating back into the workplace. Most of them had neverheard of MilitaryVetJobs.com. The ones that did though, had much praise for oursite. The vets mentioned that our site was a great resource for them to helpthem find jobs. I explained to the veterans who had never heard of us that wework with companies that are looking for the technical skill and leadershipqualities that military vets receive while serving our country.  I was able to show them our mobile site and tosee how easy it was to connect with top name employers looking to hire militaryvets and their families. 

Listening to the veterans’ stories, it really made me feelfor them.  I was able to learn abouttheir backgrounds in the military and how it turned them into the outstandingmen and women that stood before that day. I really felt great about talking tothem because I knew that we had dedicated, qualified candidates who would beperfect for some of the careers we have on our site. The veterans were verythankful for our site and all that we do to help them. I assured them that theyhave done more for my freedom then I could ever do and wanted to give back fortheir dedication and perseverance.  Ithink that these vets will be able to find work in a short amount of time andbe great leaders in their roles."

Speaking of helping veterans, I will also be doing an interview with Military Mom, Sandra Beck's, talk radio show on Monday, the 30th at 5PM (EST). If you aren't busy, you should listen is as there will be a lot of information about the company I work for and how everyone can help veterans.

While at work, just now, I got a call from a group in Cleveland, Ohio about a career fair. Maybe that will be my next stop if I can get my boss to approve it! Would love to do some traveling for the company. Have I mentioned that I love my job? And that fact that I start my promotion on Monday doesn't hurt either!

Maybe Becoming A Writer?

Before I get into anything about me lately, I would like to offer a blessing and much love to my friend Nicole. Her little monkey is having surgery right now and she is the cutest thing in the world. Little MaKayla is the greatest gift her mother has ever received and I know Nicole since we were children. So just sending a lot of love her way and to let her know that the monkey will be fine and she will be better off afterwards. Love you sis.

For those of you who don't know, I have a job as a branding/public relations director for a great company called WorkplaceDiversity.com. We help people of all diversity find jobs. We have sites for military veterans, Hispanic, Black, Asian, physically handicapped, etc. It's really a great site and I am working hard to really make a difference in this company. I really stand behind what they do and I love it. I think that I have finally found a career and not just a job. It's been very hard with the economy to do this so I am really glad that I found this company. Besides, the people I work with are awesome as well! That doesn't hurt when you see them more then you see your own family. We make jokes and we all pick on each other. It's a good atmosphere to be in. I have been in bad office settings and that is not fun. 

I do a lot of content writing and branding for the site as well. I am always coming up with catchy slogans and writing copy for our sites. This got me thinking, and no I didn't hurt myself, that maybe I should be a writer. I write in this blog, another blog and at my job. I have always been told that I have an exceptional knack for getting my points across on paper and when I speak. Since I do need another job, I am thinking that maybe becoming an online blogger/writer would be the best thing for me. If I am already doing what the companies want of me, why not get paid to do it? I can work remotely and write articles for different groups. This would make my writing style even better and could really help me in the money department. We all could use some extra cash in this economy.

I applied for a few jobs this morning that were looking for bloggers. I think that the idea that I could work from home and work on my own schedule, around Workplace, would be great. I would be able to do this when I'm up late at night or early in the morning. I would have the comfort of my own home and even when I went away for a weekend, I could still blog. This would mean investing in a new laptop, which I need anyways. 

I have a lot of friends online so I know that my posts would be read by many and who knows where that could lead too. I am always looking towards the future because I need to get myself financially set and start worrying about things like my 401k, retirement and so on. I also need to work on being a twenty seven year old and still having fun. I live an hour from the shore, I need to go more often this summer and just enjoy myself. If I can enjoy myself on the beach while working, I would think that the only other thing I would need is a drink in my hand and I would be set.

It's Been A While

Wow it's been a while since I have time to write in this blog. I miss the escape and just being able to let back everything that I am feeling. A lot has changed in the past few weeks since I've updated this. Here we go...

The biggest change is probably physical at this point. I am down 23 pounds and I am feeling great. I am working out 5x a week and I am starting to see a noticeable difference in my clothes. I am really happy about that. I am starting to play more softball and I am even trying to run a half marathon in May! I know I can do it, I just hope my body knows I can do it!

I was promoted at my job. I am now the "Director of Public Relations and Marketing." Fancy right? Right. I even have business cards with my name on it that say that. I feel very privileged to be working for such a great company and really helping out veterans. I am receiving a lot of mail, phone calls, and facebook/twitter requests from different veterans thanking me for what I do. It feels really good to know that people appreciate you.

I'm thinking about having eye surgery. I wear contacts and I have been for the last 11 years. I think for the ease of not having to wake up every morning and immediately put them in, it would be worth the money. Plus the cost of contacts/glasses, solution, and all that other stuff would add up too. I have been given a good reference for a place and I have had a few friends get their eyes fixed there so I am going to look into it and see from there.

The weather is starting to be beautiful again. Not that I can complain b/c this winter was so tame compared to the blizzards and other things we normally have. I am happy about that. I have been on the ball field a few times and it's nice to be back and playing hard.

Was in Morristown this weekend. Had a great time at the St. Patrick's day parade. My friends Kait and Tom had a party and we just went to town. It was great to see them and just get out for a day. And what a day it was. But that is probably left best for the other blog...

I'll be back with more great updates when some fun things start happening...

Bring It All Back

So it's been a while since I've written on here. A lot has happened though that has caused me to neglect this for a while.

To start off. I got a job! Hooray! I am an internet marketing specialist for a company. I get to do all the social media marketing including facebook, twitter, google plus, windows live, etc. It's very interesting because I get to search the news, post articles for discussion, and really get to talk to people about different topics. Right now, I'm working on a Veterans campaign so I am really getting to know about what people went through during active duty and stuff like that. I really like this job because its perfect for me. The people I work with are really nice and we are a small company inside of a bigger one, so there is plenty of room for growth and advancement.

I have been keeping up with the getting in shape plan. I am down 16.5 pounds and am finally into the 180's. Thank god for that. I started at 203 and I am glad to be able to see it working. My clothes are fitting better, I am looking healthier, and I feel great! It's been a lot of hard work physically in the gym but mostly it's changing your diet and just eating better. I'm not claiming to eat great everyday, because face it, I don't. I am making better decisions though. Just little things to help cut the calories. My goal is to lose about another 15 or so and I should be okay. We will see though how I feel when I reach that goal. One step at a time.

Spring is coming and I am ready for softball. I joined a couple different leagues this year and hopefully I will have a great team and have a lot of fun! I'm so ready to get out there and run around and play. I need a stress reliever in my life and taking my anger out on the ball usually helps.

For my birthday, 7 friends and I went to go see David Guetta at the Borgata in Atlantic City. It was the greatest time I've ever had. I've seen him twice prior to that and this time was just over the top. We danced our faces off, drank like fish, and just went crazy We laughed so hard all night and just had one great weekend. I'm really thankful for everyone that came and really glad to have such great friends. 

Other than that, life has been good and I have no complaints. I'll be back to write some more soon.