Perfection

Have you ever found yourself busier than you can ever imagine, aimlessly wading through a sea of work, school, family, friends, relationships, extra curricular activities, and finally our free time. I can't speak for everyone one but sometimes I just feel like I'm on auto pilot. Most of the time, I strive for perfection though. Who wouldn't want to be the person that pulls of everything with ease? 20 page paper due by Friday? Spending an entire weekend of un-interupted time with family, friends and others? Learn a new skill over a long weekend?

It all sounds amazing and something that I think all of of think about from time to time. Anymore, our lives have become less about what we get out of things and more about how many things we can CRAM in.

For some I think the reason that we do are we are looking to fulfill or prove ourselves. A person whom is busy and accomplishes a lot can feel that sense of accomplishment because they have a list of tasks that they can point too. Another reason could be competition. We want to prove that we can do as much if not more than someone else. There's a third party that kind of melds the two and these people are the weirdest of all; those who simply like being busy. I fall into this category. I enjoy the rush of always having something to do and sometimes I measure myself against others that way. What does this have to do with perfection you might ask?

When you do all the things you do, you naturally strive for perfection. You want to do everything right. Here's the issue though. Aside from a few rare group of individuals, we can't get everything right. Somethings will fall through the cracks. Yet we will tear ourselves up over trying to get everything right. We are afraid of failing in anyway.

The sad thing is, that the harder we try some times, the more we go backward. I'll admit it, I'm a perfectionist. I want things to go perfect everytime, say the perfect thing and so forth. I learned a valuable lesson this past weekend. You can't make everything perfect. That perfect time, response, place or setting. In every day life, we may get that moment once in a life time. In movies in happens all the time. The group in a disaster movie is spared at the last moment, the drama movie has that perfect line and who can forget the couple where one opens the door after a fight and the other has come back, its raining and they make up? See, we are conditioned to believe that life can lived this way and we try amazing hard to do so. But you can't, you just have to live life. You can drive people, opportunities and real life away by this pursuit of perfection. I did.

Hero's

Hero's are something most of us have. They are the people that we look up too because of the things they have done or the way they live their life. Its something strong enough that we want to emulate it. When we're little our heroes are usually people like our parents, astronauts, super hero's and the like. Some of those stay the same as we grow up but some pop up in the field that we're interested in. Since I figured out that I wanted to be a broadcaster, there have been 4 guys I have looked up too. Each one has taught me about a different aspect of the business that is key. Ironically, it's four major things; 1.Gravitas. 2. Choice of words. 3. Painting a picture and 4. Always ready.

Here are my heroes and what they taught me.


1. Gravitas: Ken Squire





Yeah the video is kinda kitchy but the voice of Squire lends credibility and a certain sense of history to the video. The voice is unlike any other. For many years, Squire was the voice of NASCAR. He called the first race that was broadcast live, flag to flag. It was the 1979 Daytona 500, the race made famous by the last lap brawl. Ever since then, he has been a part of several memorable moments on and off the track. Its the tone and pitch of the voice that always catches me and still does to this day. It makes you sit up and listen


2. Choice of words: Mike Joy





There are moments that are itched in your mind that last forever. I was 9 years old, watching my first Daytona 500 when the magical moment happened. After 20 years of trying, Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500. I remember many things about that day but I remember Mike Joy's words more than anything. It was the perfect way to describe what was happening. It still gives me chill's to this day just watching it. I know for many other fans, those words are also extremely memorable.


3. Painting a picture: Mitch Holthus



One of my first memories as a kid was listening to Mitch Holthus, the "Voice of the Chiefs," describing the "Sea of Red at Arrowhead." We used to listen to a lot of the Chiefs games on the radio and one thing that I always remembered was the way Holthus painted a great mental image. He describes everything and makes sure that all the folks listening on the radio feel connected. In radio, I've learned that the most important job is painting that great mental image to help the audience feel apart of what you are doing on the radio.



4. Always Ready: David Crawford



The last lesson I learned was from someone who actually gave me my start in radio. David Crawford really helped me learn the ropes and ways of radiobut the one thing I always admired about him was his ability to just pick up a microphone and go. He's an absolute pro at it. He's always ready with something to say and has a rare ability to work a crowd. It's not easy but its like a switch flips on inside of him and he just goes at it and has tremendous success with it.

So these are my heroes and this is what they have taught me. Now its time for some interaction. Comment back on your heroes and what they have taught/done for you.