Finding My Own oomph!

I just started to read a very smart motivational book called “The Genius in All of Us” by David Shenk. I picked this book up to give myself a much needed boost for my work as a website publisher for oomphTV.com.

By looking at his background on the back of the book cover, David Shenk is not your typical motivation writer. He has been a correspondent for The Atlantic, National Geographic, The New York Times and The New Yorker. He is also the author of five other books.

Motivational gurus from Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins, and most recently preacher/motivator Joel Osteen have promised to find access to hidden stores of genius within us all (and sometimes additional help from a higher power). Now here comes David Shenk with “The Genius in All of Us,” which argues that we have before us not a “talent scarcity” but a “ latent talent abundance.” Our problem “isn’t our inadequate genetic assets,” but “our inability, so far, to tap into what we already have.”

One of the main themes in this book (I have not finished the book yet), is simply practice, practice, practice. (and oh God, I can relate to this!) Whatever you wish to do well, Shenk writes, you must do over and over again.

Shenk describes the work of the psychologist Anders Ericsson, who states, “repeated attempts to reach beyond one’s current level,” often results in “frequent failures.” This is known as “deliberate practice,” and over time it can actually produce changes in the brain, making new heights of achievement possible.

Shenk is vague about how, exactly, this happens, but to his credit he doesn’t make it sound easy. “You have to want it and want it so bad you will never give up. You also have to want it so bad that you are ready to sacrifice time, money, sleep, friendships, even your reputation,” he writes. “You will have to adopt a particular lifestyle of ambition, not just for a few weeks or months but for years and years. You have to want it so bad that you are not only ready to fail, but you actually want to experience failure: revel in it, learn from it.”

I don’t agree with the part where he talks about sacrificing friendships and reputation (those are too important to me), but I get what he means here…work hard for your own genius, or as I would like to say, for your own oomph! (Am I over doing the oomph thing here?) I do agree with the part about experiencing failure, and to learn from it, and then pick your self up and move forward.

I can certainly relate to this concept, in regards to oomphTV. My talented and gifted partner Tammy 0’ Connor and I have worked a few years now on trying to get this project fueled, financed, and lifted off the ground.

oomph! has taken on different lives. First we worked to get oomph! off the ground as a TV series (along with another great gifted and talented partner Grady Candler) for PBS. After a few close corporate financing possibilities came and went, oomph! the public television series morphed into oomphTV.com. The concept and content remained basically the same. The difference is that we finally now have a home. And this new internet home might be the perfect fit due to the social engagement opportunities you can have on the internet that you can’t have with television.

Have we found our own “Genius?” I don’t know, but what I do know is working on this project has been a great deal of hard work and we have yet to find financing (except my own) On the other hand, we are starting to find a small, but engaged audience (finally) and that is success.

I have also been given the opportunity to work with the very best partners one could ever hope for. This project has also been a wonderful creative outlet. In addition, I have been given the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life, due to the webisodes we have been producing. I am grateful for this project in more ways than one. I can say the process has been fruitful in many personal and creative ways.

Will we find the fuel and financing needed to take oomphTV to the next level? Oh yes, but, I’m sure, with more stumbles, failures, help from a higher power, and plain old hard work.

Inspired by a Local Weight Loss Program

My partner, Tammy 0’ Connor, read about a local long-distance run in our home town of Glendale California and wanted to cover this event for oomphTV. This will be the third annual 5K (3.1 miles) Glendale Downtown Dash taking place on March 14. Nearly 70 runners and walkers started preparing two weeks ago as part of an eight week training program designed to shape up the participants before the Dash.

The Glendale Downtown Merchants Assn. will host the Dash, which raises money for the Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s stroke services.  The event has raised nearly $100,000 for the hospital’s stroke services.

In addition to the Dash, participants were also asked to take part in the “Lose a Ton in 10” community weight loss challenge. This challenge urges residents to set weight-loss goals and pledge money for each pound lost. The funds raised will benefit Glendale Healthy Kids, a non-profit organization that provides health-care services to uninsured children. And the hospital will donate $1 – up to $2,000 – for every pound lost by residents.

Co-owners Elaine Miller and Narina Minassian, from a local gym called All About You Wellness Boot Camp, coordinate the work-outs. They aim to train local participants in the Dash and help them lose weight.

There are countless events and challenges across American like this one.  Tammy and I wanted to see the kinds of people that participate and help organize this kind of positive community experience. Raising money for those in need and getting yourself more healthy? This seems like a win, win for everyone.

After spending the first cold Sunday morning with the participants and the organizers, I can tell you it was worth effort. First of all, Elaine and Narina, the owners of the gym, were filled with great enthusiasm and designed a well thought out and easy to follow work out routine. The local participants were eager to join in and seemed ready to dive into the eight-week training program.

After the first workout program was completed, there was a weigh in for the “Lose a Ton in 10.” We then announced to the participants that we would be interested in interviewing and keeping track of a few participants progress during the eight week program. Tammy and I thought maybe one or two people might volunteer. We were shocked when nine participants stepped forward to be interviewed on the first day.

After interviewing the nine participants we found out that what got them active in “Lose a Ton in 10” was their deep desire to lose weight and get control of their own health. Pasadena resident Phyllis Cremer just turned 50, and is hoping to improve her health for the next 50 years.  We found out that another woman was also turning 50 this year and wanted to see her grandchildren grow up. She told us heart disease runs in her family and felt this year she was going to be the time to take action and make some positive lifestyle changes.

Tammy and I came away from this event very surprised by how much we were inspired by the energized owners of the gym and by the residents of our home town. We plan to continue to follow some of these residents and get back to you with their personal oomph! stories.