Author: Kevscott1

I love the Las Vegas (nee Oakland, nee Los Angeles, nee Oakland again) Raiders. I have followed them for years.

Cable did not televise the Raiders game last week in northern New Jersey. I followed the score on my iPhone. It seemed like they could easily win the game as they recovered a fumble close to their end zone with less than 5 minutes left in the game. They did not score a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal. They also left a lot of time on the clock for the other team to score a touchdown. A few minutes later, the opposing team scored a touchdown as time ran out. The game was over and it seemed that the Raiders had lost. However, the touchdown was reviewed and the replay official overturned the other team’s touchdown. I have looked at the final play numerous times. I think the other team scored the winning touchdown and the Raiders should have lost.

The Raiders should never have been in the position to lose the game. They did not make the most of their opportunities. They recovered a fumbled punt, close to their end zone, with less than 5 minutes remaining and they could only get a field goal. They had two opportunities. The first was to score a touchdown. The second was to run down the clock so the other team had very little time to score the winning touchdown. When they gave the other team the ball back after their field goal, the Raiders allowed them to march down the field. It seemed that the Raiders refused to tackle their opponents when they had the chance. Time after time, they had the opportunity to end the opposing team’s drive and win the game. But they could/would not. Instead, they relinquished control of the game and they relied on an official to save their season. 

I love the Raiders, but I demand more excellence. Step up and win the game on your own. Take advantage of every opportunity. Do not get into the position that you have to rely on others to get the job done. Never waste a chance to win.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

In athletics, I was always taught to accept the loss without making excuses. I was taught that there was no one else to blame. I was trained to learn from my mistakes and work hard to improve upon them. When we lost, we lost as a team. Never because of one mistake or by one person. Together, we admitted the loss. 

I still use the lessons learned through losses to make me a better person. I do not blame others. I admit when I am bested. I learn from my mistakes and I move forward. This is how I lead.

Clearly, there are too many leaders who never played sports.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

My oldest son is learning to drive. Even though he is doing a great job, it is harrowing for my wife and me to give up control of a vehicle to a teenager, even if he is our teenager. It took him a few times to realize that driving is not as easy as learning how to play a video game. He has good instincts; he just needs more “reps” before he is ready for his driver’s test.

Today is Halloween. Since it is Saturday, the four of us get take-out food from a restaurant for our family dinner. My son drove us to pick up our food. As we returned to our development, many kids were running around on the sidewalk, going from house to house to get their Halloween treats. None of the kids and none of the accompanying adults were wearing a mask. It was interesting to note that the kids were on the sidewalk, and the parents were in the middle of the road. 

My son saw this and slowed down. Most of the parents moved towards either side of the road. However, one decided to leave her side of the road, turn her back to our car, and walk back into the middle of the road while having a conversation with her unmasked friends. My son stopped the car, and still, the lady almost walked into our car.  My son was upset and I was angry. We remained calm. Neither of us showed our emotions. I got even angrier when the lady sent us an unsupportive hand gesture. 

My son slowly drove off, making sure that he did not hit anyone who thought walking on the road without masks in the middle of the road backward during a pandemic was a good idea. When we got home, we were still in shock that this misguided, backward-walking role model for her children was angry at us. My son did everything right. He slowed down when he saw a bunch of children running around. He stopped when an adult did not pay attention and look both ways while crossing the street. He did not respond to her hand gesture. He even wore his mask in public.

No one owns the road. You never know who is driving. For all you know, it may be someone who is learning how to drive. This lady just got lucky that my son had enough “reps” that he knew what to do.

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.

Regardless of your idealogy, it is hard to ignore that some of our leaders on both sides of the aisle are not practicing what they preach. When asked about the contradictions between their recent decisions and their previous actions, they skirt the question. I am still looking for a journalist courageous enough to press them on their contradictions until one leader admits the truth.

I am looking for leaders who are strong in character. I am more inclined to vote for a leader who just tells the truth. This is the type of leader that I want to lead me. This is the type of leader who is going to help me grow.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

Today is a busy day. 

I feel that I have too many things to accomplish today. However, my feelings are not accurate in my current situation. I have a lot on my plate, but it is the stuff that I can get done. I will need to stay at work later than expected, but I can handle it.

In a moment of feeling sorry for myself, I started to hope that one of my meetings would get canceled to free up a little of my day. I woke up from my small pity party and decided that I would be disappointed in myself if I let that meeting get canceled. I realized that I needed to direct my thoughts towards being who I want to be, a (hu)man who can get the job done without any needless anxiety. I needed to be in the present and not focused on my future schedule.

To change my attitude, I had to consider a few things. First, I scheduled the meeting. I gave my word that I would be there and that I would do a great job. Second, the purpose of the meeting was to help someone get better. Helping others is my core philosophy. Third, if I did not conduct the session, I would lose the income generated from that meeting. If I canceled the session, I might also affect future earnings with this client. Looking at all of these reasons, it was clear to me that I would not get ahead by canceling the meeting. Besides, I make my schedule, and I need to take ownership of my situation.

Even when things are tough, avoid the pity party and stay focused on the present. Avoid thinking about all of the other things that you have to do.

Every day is an interview.

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.

The most troublesome aspect of COVID-19 is that there is no vaccine. If you are to get it, it is up to your body’s defenses to save your life. Sadly, many have succumbed to the disease. In the absence of a vaccine, the following is a list of things that each of us can do to help bolster our immune system and hopefully defeat the disease if we get it.

1. Stay Hydrated
2. Run, Bike, Swim, lift something, anything. 
3. Sleep Well. 
   1. Stop drinking an hour before bed. As I am getting a little older each day, it is important that I do not drink too close to bedtime. Otherwise, I will wake up in the middle of the night to relieve my bladder. This kills my sleep. If I am drinking water consistently throughout the day, I do not need anything an hour before I go to bed. At 9 pm, I stop drinking my water. When I wake up, I drink water right away. Notice that I keep saying water. I do not drink soda, I do not like the taste of soda. If I do drink soda, it is either ginger ale or ginger beer (I also use the latter in my mixed drinks. I do enjoy an occasional beverage or two on the weekends) to calm my stomach or seltzer. I drink coffee in the morning after I have drunk at least 16 oz of water. I may drink a cup of coffee in the afternoon right before a lifting session. If I get that mid-day bonk, I usually have more water. Water does a better job of waking me up than coffee does. Any more than two cups of coffee per day if I am lifting, or one if I am not, will make me jittery.
4. Eat Well. Please stay away from the COVID 15 (See earlier blog). 
5. Practice social distancing… it works. 
6. Wear Masks… it works, especially when practiced with social distancing
7. Wash your hands. The Coronavirus can last for a few hours to a few days on a surface. You should wash your hands with soap and water, which is preferred over hand sanitizer. In fact, the FDA has recently recalled over 75 hand sanitizers as they were made with methyl alcohol, which is deadly (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-consumers-should-not-use)
8. Clean, then disinfect (only if needed) Clean commonly used surfaces regularly.
9. Avoid public water

This is not a Be-All End-All list. I hope it gives you a good start as you plan your COVID defenses for the upcoming fall (allergy in Northern NJ) season.  Please feel free to send me any additions I should make to the list.

       Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.

I apologize for being away for a while. I have been working on a series of blogs with Dr. Ken Roy, Ph.D. that details how schools should close for the year and how they should open in the fall. These blogs are meant to guide others as they seek ways to safely bring students back to school. 

Closing

Opening

The blogs were interesting to research and write. The message is clear, follow the protocols that are set before you by the CDC and your local government; practice social distancing and wear a face mask in public.

This leads me to today’s topic, wearing masks.

When I wear a mask, it is not protecting me from you as much as it is protecting you from me. The spreading of COVID-19 is mainly due to airborne particles that are emitted from an infected person when they talk, sing, sneeze, cough, spit, etc. Yes, the masks can prevent these particles from entering my mouth, but more importantly, they prevent these particles from leaving my mouth and traveling towards your mouth or nose. 

Gross, I know, but these are the facts.

Here is another fact, we do not have a vaccine. If you get it, it is up to your body to do the dirty work. I will give you tips to help you build your defense systems in the next blog.

People need to wear their masks when they are in public. It’s one’s duty to protect others when in public places. Wearing masks and practicing social distancing are two of the best  methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19, besides staying home.

My wife went to church today and was appalled by the way others wore their masks. Most of the congregants had their noses exposed. The nose is an easy entry way for the COVID-19 germs to enter the mouth. Some lowered their masks so that they could sing. This is one of the best ways to spread the virus, if you have it.

People also need to realize that they can have COVID-19 for up to two weeks before they show symptoms. Most of the germs are spread in public prior to one demonstrating symptoms. Others are asymptomatic and are spreading the germs without even realizing it.  The best thing anyone can do, when they are out in public, is to wear their mask. Otherwise, you may be spreading the Corona virus to others

Stay Healthy, Stay Safe

For more information on the symptoms and what you should do, see below from the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html (Read June 7, 2020)):

The symptoms that you should be looking for include the following:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Again, if you have any of these symptoms, do not go out in public, isolate yourself and call your doctor right away

If you have any of the following symptoms, contact 911 right away and get yourself to the emergency room:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

I usually end my emails with “Thank you. Have a great day.” If it is a Friday, I may change day to weekend. Either way, Ilike it because it is not too formal and not too casual. A balance of politeness with good intentions.

These days, I didn’t feel that the my email ending was true to my feelings. I do want people to have a great day or weekend, but times are difficult. Instead, I wanted to give them a message that has been true to me over the last seven weeks of the Corona Virus Lockdown.

Since we have been on lockdown, I have worked hard to eat better and to dial in my workouts. I believe in health and I believe in strength. No matter what the circumstances, it is important that we work on both. I will continue to use “Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.” as my email ending until I find the need to better align my words to our circumstances.

Use your words well. Just because something has worked over the years does not mean that we have to keep using it. I have used “Every Day is an Interview.” for a few years and just switched to “Just Be Better.” Sometimes, something better does come along. Make sure your words are aligned with your thoughts and feelings.

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.