Understanding The Latest Internet Craze - 2

This being Part 2 on a rather unique topic, I might suggest that "Understanding The Latest Internet Craze - 1" was written for those who aren't all that familiar with either podcasting or Internet radio.  This entry, on the other hand, is especially directed towards those who are already into running their own online shows. 

Why speak directly to those who should already know all there is to know about digital audio?  It's because, I think, they know more about podcasting than they do the Internet radio side of things.

With that, what I feel the need to emphasize is the way I'd previously distinguished podcasts from online radio.

If you'll recall from that earlier piece, listening to our favorite podcast can be awesome.  If you'll also recall, though, that can be a bit of a hassle, too.

Yes, if there's a problem, a podcast generally stands alone, it plays from beginning to end, and then that's it.  

I'm not talking about quality here, or the fact that some listeners might choose to replay a given episode again, and maybe even again.  Sooner or later, however, that is it, and the listener -- and even the hardcore fan -- has to move on.

Does the listener move on to another episode, or to another site hosted by a different podcaster?  I'm not sure that matters in the context of what I'm going to suggest, but I'll instead state that the amount of time a listen hangs around is probably only once through the recording.

Yet another question that comes to mind has to do with the number of times a podcaster's advertisement will play on the visitor's ears.  Hmmmm...      

Still another question -- and perhaps the one that I want to emphasize here -- has to do with luck.  I mean, a podcaster can promote and promote, but that's a lot of work -- for what?  Oh, I know that being in a number of podcasting search engines is important and helpful.  However, how much help is it really?  In other words, is a podcaster going to be found because of subject matter?  Of course, although that probably means it'll be buried among a kzillion other programs of the same type.  Is a program going to be found because of its name or its host's name?  Sure, but then listeners are probably going to find that program anyway, in any number of ways.

Enter the single themed Internet radio station.  For a start, the station is likely to be listed in all the right search groups.  Far better yet, though, and using my Internet radio station as an example, here's where improved luck comes in...

I know for a fact that a lot of folks come to Hockey Talk Radio purely because of their interest in my sport.

Almost hourly throughout the daytime hours, I'm promoting one or another educational prodcast, and during the nighttime I'm pushing a different NHL fan based show.  Each of those posts go to about 16,000 contacts in social media -- that's 16-thousand, which means that a lot of hockey folks are ultimately going to recognize the names of the shows I promote.

That's not the half of it, however.  For, the luck I've been getting at goes something like this...  A listener tunes in because he or she knows the show host I just mentioned, or listeners are initially attracted to the station because they're interested in something like skill development, goaltending, nutrition, mental or physical training, or talk about the NHL.

It doesn't matter what attracted them, but it surely does matter the way all the podcasters on my station luck into being heard by folks who initially tuned in to hear someone else.  Actually, a number of folks have told me it works exactly like that. 

Then, one more thing...  I'm a numbers guy, and I see something that others seem to be split over.  What I'm getting at is that one show promoting to maybe a thousand connections is one thing, and it's quite another if I promote our station with close to 20,000 followers, and then about 15 show hosts do the same with their 1,000-ish contacts.

In other words, take your pick... One show promotes by itself to about a thousand connections, or everyone works together to bring something like 30,000 or so followers to one Internet radio station.  To me, it's a no-brainer, that spells the difference between great popularity and working in a virtual closet.

Ya, the things I've outlined above just seems to make sense to me, but I'd surely like to hear from others who run their own Internet radio stations.  As Part 1 should have convinced readers, this whole online radio thing is new, and I suspect it's going to evolve as each of us station producers keep experimenting and learning.  Sharing ideas along the way would surely help further what is right now just the start of an Internet craze.

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Considering that we all live and learn, and considering that we're all human, I'm going to suggest a sports analogy when it comes to a program's involvement with a station.  Or, as I've mentioned sometimes to the shows I work with, there's a need for everyone involved with our station to work as "team players".  I notice that comes naturally to some, and not so to others.

As for the human part, guess what an old hockey coach does as he looks to spread those hourly promos...  It's human nature, I think, that I promote more often those earlier described team players, and often skip over those who tend not to help the other shows.  

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Something most individual podcasters can't do...  As I've been able to pull off over recent weeks, my station's feed can now be placed on any welcoming hockey website in the form of a Hockey Talk Radio player. 

Actually, both the player down below and the one over in the right sidebar can be clicked so that you can listen to the station in progress.  In any case, the popup window can be moved out of the way or minimized, so that a visitor can move around the site, browse and listen to the station.    

Understanding The Latest Internet Craze - 1

The more I read, the more I find I'm once again faaaaar ahead of the proverbial curve.

Ya, Internet radio is becoming more and more accepted, or it's being discovered by more and more fans of traditional radio.  But, if I'm ahead on something else, I'm also going to suggest that the biggest problem producers like me face today is a lack of understanding on the parts of potential listeners.

Here's what I mean...

Number One, although I'm sure most folks now have a sense of what a podcast is, I hear from some friends who don't understand how a bunch of podcasts can be strung together -- or placed back to back -- to make a full day and night of online programming.  

Secondly, while I often like surfing the Net for podcasts of my liking, I'm usually done on the host website when the program I selected is over.  From there, then, I have to either load another program from that site, or conduct another search for a new host site.  And, while that might be fairly easy to do on my laptop, it's not so convenient to pull off on my smartphone.

Thirdly, I'll suggest that a lot of folks don't realize how much can be accomplished online nowadays.  I mean, the radio station I now run can be listened to on a computer from my website.  Better yet, it can be accessed by way of a simple and free app that can be downloaded from either type of smartphone store.

Fourth, sports fans ought to recall that some traditional AM radio stations were told they'd never make it by switching to all-sports talk programming.  Ya, I can remember that happening in Boston some time ago, but that station took off like gang busters.  And today, biggies like ESPN have their own around-the-clock sports stations.

Part of the reason I'm writing this is because of a Facebook post I saw from an old teammate of mine back in Massachusetts.  Like me, he's into old rock music.  So, he was wishing aloud for a station that played everything from his teen years.  I countered with the fact that I'd actually built something like that a few months ago, as a way of practicing for the new Hockey Talk Radio station I had on the drawingboard.

That old rock station was actually awesome -- and it was super-easy to put together.  But it died a slow death, mainly because I was preoccupied with building the hockey station, and not able to promote it enough.

Again, though, it was easy as pie to put such a station online, and the friends who listened to it -- most of them being in my age bracket -- seemed to love the music.  The reason it was so easy, is because I was able to pretty quickly gather several hundred songs from about 1955 to 1965, place them in seven different orders, and then program each of those 24-hour collections into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so forth.  From there, things ran smoothly, without much cause for me to change anything.  Oh, I'd have done a lot of things differently, if I was going to keep that station going.  But, since all that work was really just to get myself familiar with the required software and programming methods, I let it go after just a few weeks.

As I said, all that was purely practice for my planned "around-the-clock, all hockey talk" station.  And that, of course, was going to be quite different, and a whole lot harder to pull off.  Unlike a music station -- where the songs never really get old -- as long as they're not over-played, talk shows lose their newness pretty quickly.  So, such a station as Hockey Talk Radio requires constant attention, and a constant change to newer podcast episodes.

If the reader doesn't know, I've been an ice hockey coach for over 40-years.  So, I was especially excited about gathering a bunch of podcasters who like to teach, or who like to share their particular areas of expertise -- like in hockey skill development and coaching, nutrition, mental training and goaltending.  Those shows rotate through the daytime and so-called drive-time hours, while I had something different in mind for the late-night and overnight hours.  That's when a number of entertaining NHL, fan-based shows air, from about 9pm through the wee hours.  Mixed in between all the different shows is some truly upbeat "bumper music" and short advertisements.

Now, I hope I didn't bore anyone by explaining all that.  I did, however, want to give you a sense of the way an online radio station might go together and operate.  In other words, if you understand the rough workings of what I've done behind the scenes, it might make the final outcome -- an online radio station -- more understandable.

As I mentioned earlier, it's pretty likely you can find a ton of awesome podcasts online.  They're everywhere, and they're available in every topic imaginable.  As I also mentioned, though, it can be a hassle to play more than one episode at a time.  That's where an online radio station comes in handy, so long as it's playing the type of music or other content you really want to hear.    

Personally, I work an awful lot on my laptop, writing for this blog and my CoachChic.com site, promoting a lot in social media, and a whole lot more.  During those times, I have Hockey Talk Radio playing from my desktop.  I just lost my faithful little pooch, Raggs, but I long ago loaded a free app on my Android smartphone, so I could listen to my station as we walked the neighborhood during all hours of the day and night.  Better yet (LOL), I take my phone with me when Brenda drags my butt to places I'm not crazy about going, so I can listen to my station and keep smiling.

More recently, I found a way for my radio player to be installed on any hockey related blog or website.  It's getting out and around already, and I can envision the day when it will bring my station's hockey programming to hundreds of sites around the world.  

I happen to use a special service called Radionomy to host Hockey Talk Radio.  And, while my station can be listened to directly from there, I've done what most other broadcasters do, and also host the station from a pretty nice website.  There, I can have a page for each podcaster, so listeners get the chance to put some faces and background information with the voices they hear on the air.  I can also provide news there, as well as highlight a top "Show of the Week".

Now, there's a popular expression I've been known to use pretty often, mainly because I dare to dabble with things far in advance of others.  That expression:  "If you want to know the innovator, he's the one with arrows in his back."  Okay, it's not as bad as all that, but I have been knocked for some of my hockey inventions and drill ideas that later became mainstream, and I've also taken plenty of abuse for claiming something that didn't ultimately become accepted until 5- or 10-years later. 

In the case of Internet radio, I'm betting it's going to be a biggie fairly soon.  It's way too easy to listen to -- on a computer, walking or puttering around the yard, driving, wherever.  So, while I'm sure I'll take a few arrows in the back over this one, I sense it'll be like most of my other strays from the norm, and prove me right in the end.

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I've just added an Understanding The Latest Internet Craze - Part 2, and I've geared that more to folks who run their own podcasts.

The Meaning of Happiness

Hmmmmmm...  The Meaning of Happiness... 

I kinda like Wikipedia's definition, as in it being "a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy."  And it goes on to suggest that, "A variety of biological, psychological, religious and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources."

Every time we take on this line of thinking, though, doesn't happiness ultimately boil down to the last part of that statement?  I mean, the biggest challenge -- for you and for me -- seems to have so much to do with identifying the sources of happiness, or discovering exactly what makes us happy.

My guess is that a lot of folks are already thinking about money -- or the lack there of -- as one major cause of being either happy or unhappy.  Yet, a quick Internet search will find all sorts of wild tales about people who came into riches and quickly lost it all -- see "21 lottery winners who blew it all" and "Lottery Horror Stories That Will Make You Think Twice About Buying That Ticket" as examples of what I'm getting at. 

Closer to my kind of thinking...  Years ago, a friend asked me to stop at a convenience store in a not-so-nice part of a city back in Massachusetts.  As I waited in my car, I watched a pantomime starring a bedraggled young lady sitting on a curb and scratching lottery ticket after lottery ticket.  Oh, I might have felt badly for the young lady -- she truly was a mess, but I told my friend as she got into the car, "See that girl over there?  Even if she does hit big on one of those tickets, she'll be broke in no time, mainly because I can almost tell she doesn't have the skill-set or mentality to live smartly and make that money last."  

Honestly, I don't want to come off meanly on this topic, but please do consider what I'm trying to suggest.  Anyway, let me come back to the issue of money a little later.

Now, I'm an older guy, and I've seen and experienced plenty in my time on this planet.  My soulmate, Brenda, is 20-years younger than I, but she'll be the first to tell you that she's an "old soul".  In fact, we'd both been through a lot -- I mean a REAL lot -- before meeting, and I sense that has brought us to pretty close to the same feelings when it comes to happiness.

What do I think are the feelings we share on this topic?  I believe it's to put a premium on a combination of relatively good physical and mental health.  Oh, God and genetics will in a way determine those.  But so can Brenda and I influence both.  In fact, I don't think many folks will argue with the probability that our mental status will have a huge bearing on our physical health.  Ya, keeping a rosy attitude -- something that seems to come naturally to both Brenda and me -- seems the first step in our striving for happiness.

With my mom aging and ailing, we're now living with and caring for her in a nice retirement community in Central Florida.  If there's a problem, that puts us smack dab in the middle of a lot of sickness.  I mean, as many of my mom's neighbors drive walkers and wheelchairs as automobiles.  Making matters worse, such surroundings make it difficult for us to avoid talk about this ache, that pain, this illness and the person in apartment #___ who just passed away.  

Then, here's something interesting from my 40+ years in hockey coaching...  More times than not, I discovered that an oft injured or oft sick player was the son of a nurse or doctor.  I'm not kidding about that.  I great defenseman, who always seemed dinged in one limb or another, turned out to be the son of a top sports medicine doctor.  And the talented young forward, who was always quoting the Latin terms for the muscles that hurt him, was also the son of a doctor.  It didn't end there, either, because there were as many kids belonging to nurses who similarly limped on a regular basis, and weren't sure if they'd be able to participate in the next shift or the next game.  My thinking was/is that medical issues were a constant topic of conversation around their households.  And, while I'm not blaming anyone, I am pointing to the probability that thinking and constantly talking about unhealthy things leads one to, sooner or later, take on those very symptoms.

If I could add one more element to happiness -- beyond good mental and physical health, I'd have to suggest that happy people mostly do things they love.  Actually, I covered this pretty intently in an early post called "Performing Within Your Areas of Brilliance".  Case in point...  I spent a number of miserable years in a job others picked for me, and one that would sound pretty good from a distance.  Thank God I dared walk away from that job, to submerge myself in a sport and lifestyle I absolutely love.  Or, as that past article explains, I've been able to feel successful doing things I'm usually pretty good at.

Of course, the above has a lot to do with what we choose as a career.  At the same time, I have to suggest that it also involves what we do with our spare time.  

I can recall old friends telling me they got their relaxation from things like a hot bath, reading a good book, or taking a brisk walk.  If there was something wrong with those examples, my friends seemed just as tense and unhappy after doing what they said relaxed them.  ???   

Am I suggesting we shouldn't lie to ourselves about what does or what doesn't make us happier?  Ya, you bet.   

Summing things up to this point, I'll suggest that happiness can be found in 1) having an extremely positive attitude or mindset, 2) being reasonably physically healthy, and 3) spending the bulk of our time on things we truly love.
 
Personalizing all this...

I built what I believe is an awesome post around a video by my Internet marketing friend, Sean D'Souza.  The article is called "Three Obstacles To Happiness", and it gave me the opportunity to describe two things Brenda and I have found contributing to our good health and positive states of mind.  I'm talking about taking nighttime walks together right after dinner, and spending some time each afternoon at the swimming pool.  And, while it's by no means a scientific study, I truly believe I've felt worse during times when life got in the way, and we were unable to do those two very simple things.

When it comes to money, don't let any of what I said above sound like I don't like it or want it.  To the contrary, I've been both fairly well off and not so well off, and you can just imagine which I'd choose.  All I tried to convey earlier is that the green stuff isn't the end all to be all, and it isn't going to help us if we're not mentally and physically well, and mostly doing things we enjoy doing.

Then, one other thing about money...  

In Internet marketing circles, a lot is made about the negatives of trading time for money.  In other words, we punch a clock at 9am, punch out a 5pm, and only get paid on days when we do just that -- trading our 40-hours of labor for the weekly paycheck.  I'm not knocking all those who perform traditional jobs, and keep our economy and our American way of life going.  I'm only suggesting that there is also another -- maybe better -- way.

Ya, that other way is through what's referred to as "residual income".  That mode of making a living has been around for years, but it's even more prevalent today owing to the Internet.  In its most basic sense, digital and other products can now be offered online, and the sales can be carried out online without the seller's personal attention.

Understand that earning a residual income isn't necessarily easier, it's just different from a traditional job.  For example, I busted my buns to write the two books offered over in the right margin, and I can guarantee you that I spent more than 40-hours putting everything together.  What's different, though, is that I don't have to keep rewriting that book -- or keep producing one of my videos -- each time I record a sale.  As a matter of fact, I'm hoping my heirs keep reaping the benefits of those products long after I'm gone.  

Almost in the residual income category is my CoachChic.com membership website -- which takes an awful lot of behind the scenes work, and my new Hockey Talk Radio station.  

The similarity in all those projects is that -- while I have to work some long and hard hours for each, I'm able to choose the hours I wish to work.  In other words, if Brenda and I want to take a break and get some exercise in the pool, I can take time to do that.  If Brenda wants me to join her for a run to the store, I can do that.  And, if I want to take Brenda out for lunch or dinner, I can fit that into my schedule, too.

On the negative side, here's a big LOL I joke about often...  What I'm getting at is that I can't call in sick for a week, nor is anyone else going to do my work if I'm not able to.  Yet, if that's the worst of it, I'll take it

As a wrap up, I'd love to hear others' opinion on that all-elusive experience known as happiness.  Have I nailed it, or have I missed something?  Again, I'm saying that my version of happiness includes a relatively positive attitude, having reasonably good physical health, spending a bulk of our time doing things we really enjoy, and maybe having a job that permits relatively flexible hours.

Personally, I believe money is important to our happiness, and an adequate amount should mean that we worry less than those who toss and turn due to overwhelming bills.  Of course, "enough money" seems relative to me, because I know some with a lot of money who still worry about paying their bills, and I know as many with far less money having their financial life well under control.

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As a PS to all the above, I'm getting the feeling that this might just be the first post in a new blog site.  Ya, over recent days, Brenda and I have become involved in something new and exciting, and something we might want to tell our friends about.  To me, that new venture has a lot to do with nurturing a more positive mindset, in improving our physical health, in having the chance to do something very enjoyable for a living, in having flexible work hours, and in improving our financial status to about any degree we wish.

Why You Have To Podcast

Now, while the article that sparked this post was released on January 27, 2016 -- only days ago, I have news for the author of that piece:  I put my very first podcast online on a Wednesday night, October 31, 2007  In fact, "My Hockey Secrets" aired online once per week until I had to close my Whitman, MA studio to move south three years ago.  Even that chaotic move didn't stall my belief in podcasting, though, because I eventually began a Florida-based version dubbed "Dennis Chighisola's Hockey Secrets Podcast" on Sunday, November 23, 2014.

Okay, so suddenly -- in early 2016, an article appears in an online sports mag announcing:

"The Podcast Era For Athletes Has Started And..."

:)  Better late than never?  No, not really.  I understand what the author was trying to say, because pro athletes aren't exactly Internet marketing gurus -- who have been podcasting for a lot longer than I, they're not business people (in the way we usually define business people), and they're not even advice-sharers (perhaps like this old hockey coach).

Getting closer to what was meant, that article began with, "While sites like Players’ Tribune and Uninterrupted look to create a player’s voice in the printed word or the visual, the spoken word in the form of podcast may be taking hold as well as a medium for regular expression, and even news."  And that piece went on to explain how "... L.A. Clippers veteran guard J.J. Redick would become the first NBA player (and only the second active pro athlete, joining A.J. Hawk) to take on a podcast during the regular season."

Except for following my boyhood favorites, the Boston Celtics (along with other Boston or New England-based sports teams), I'm not that much into b-ball.  None of us have to be, however, in order to get the gist of that article, in that podcasting can be super-helpful to anyone who wants to become better known or better understood by a broader audience.

A couple of interesting asides my readers might not have considered to date...

Ever awake on a Saturday or Sunday morning to your favorite radio station broadcasting shows featuring either a local lawyer, a local gardener, a local estate planner or a local auto repair shop?  I know those shows' hosts share a lot of valuable information with their listeners, but I'm also going to suggest that they border on being pure infomercials.  Trying to put a nicer spin on this, though, let's just say that they do share a lot of useful info, while at the same time hoping you'll have learned to like them, and hoping you might even call them the first time you have a related problem.

How about tuning in to your favorite radio or TV talk show, and hearing or seeing a favorite celebrity interviewed?  Actually, that's also a two-way street, in that the celebrities and hosts entertain us a ton as they interact, while the celebrity gets to hype his or her latest book, movie, CD or what have you.  (If you think about it, neither a radio or TV show could afford to pay for a famous actor to visit, for a pop idol to sing a song, or for a politician to make an appearance; but those types surely will go on a popular show -- for free, based on what's really at stake.) 

If you get my drift here, such shows -- be they on radio or television -- are aiming to suit a bunch of needs -- from their own to their advertisers' to their guests' to those of their listeners.

Now, tooting my own horn here for a few secs, new readers should know that I recently created the first ever online radio station that's basically all hockey talk.  I say "basically", because Hockey Talk Radio mixes in some awesome rock music during show breaks, and it also includes a number of instructional podcasts that aren't specifically about hockey -- like shows on diet or nutrition, exercise, mental training and more.

I tell you all this to also let you know that it hasn't been all that easy to fill 24-hours per day with quality shows.  Oh, I've managed, and I do have some awesome shows involved.  But what surprised me was how few people there are out there who are podcasting meaningful stuff.

For example, I thought it might be an unbelievable idea to have a hockey equipment specialist do something like a 15-minute segment per week -- on gear selection, on skate sharpening, and anything else the typical hockey family wrestles with on a regular basis.  And, although I belong to a Facebook group that includes hundreds of hockey pro shop specialists, I've yet to get one taker to run a podcast. 

You might think it would be easier for me to find guys or gals to share tips on hockey skills and coaching, but that hasn't been the case, either.  No, to date, only Jeremy Weiss and I do that (although I have been fortunate to feature a couple of great goalie coaches in Mike McCarthy, Justin Johnson and Chris Dyson.)

And, while I think we have one of the best motivators when it comes to physical training -- in one Gino Arcaro, I can't believe I haven't yet found someone to advise our listeners on specific exercises for hockey, training methods and such.

Smiling to myself a bit, I'm recalling about a decade ago, back in the Boston-area, when a local radio station dared switch to an all-sports-talk format.  They got bashed pretty good in the beginning, and the popular opinion was that such a format would never fly.  LOL!  Go through the AM radio listings today, however, and you'll find them all over the dial and all over North America.  My point -- and the point of that cited article, is that podcasts are here to stay.  And, let me add that, so is online radio.

Then, the article that got me going had something else I found interesting, and very much worthy of sharing.  For, "... podcasting as a medium is not new but it is certainly fast-growing across all genres. Podcasts like 'Serial' garner thousands of downloads and a cult following while Bill Simmons’ podcast quickly became a must-listen on any device for fans of sports and pop culture. With an audience now growing accustomed to listening as part of storytelling, it’s an easy one on commuting, walking, going to gym; audio is becoming big business."

Ya, "With an audience now growing accustomed to listening as part of storytelling, it’s an easy one on commuting, walking, going to gym; audio is becoming big business."  (I listen to Hockey Talk Radio on my laptop as I work, and then I use a free app to listen on my phone as I'm out and about.)  So, while I'll take the arrows in the back that come with being an innovator, I'm kind proud of the fact that I've created another first in an around-the-clock, all-hockey talk, online radio station.

Lastly, as most of the above suggests, there are still plenty of voids to be filled in a brand new field.  The online world is waiting for more knowledgeable people to share what they know, to stake claim to some notoriety, and to truly help advance their area of expertise.  And, if it has to do with hockey, I'll be here to help however I can.

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PS:  I was actually lured to Florida to be the GM and head coach of a new Junior team in a newly proposed Junior league.  How that all fell apart is an entertaining story, to say the least.  Still, what I discovered from Day One on the job was that the biggest challenge to building such a program is in recruiting good players.  Of course, making sure your program or league is well known around the hockey world is a step in the right direction, which has organizations going to great lengths -- and great expense -- to accomplish just that.  So, you can imagine how I smiled when someone from one North American Junior league recently contacted me about maybe doing a weekly show highlighting their players and teams.  "Oh, man," I thought, "wouldn't I have loved to have put my planned team on the map with such ease!"      

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Want to read the cited article?  Just click here:   "The Podcast Era For Athletes Has Started And J.J. Redick Is First To Create A Louder Voice"

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Many friends have been asking lately about adding a Hockey Talk Radio player to their hockey blogs and sites, and I tell them it's easy and powerful.  I just provide the code, the player looks just like the following one, and anyone visiting the site can hear the station -- 24/7 -- just by clicking the arrow...

Procrastination: It's Killing Me (And You)!

Ugh...  Procrastination.  Whether it's in the front of our minds or not, I think it's always there, at least often -- and to some degree -- affecting all of us.

Up front, you ought to know that I wasn't looking for help in that area when a link to a lifehacker article arrived in my inbox yesterday.  Actually, it wasn't the "Procrastination" part of its title that jumped out at me, but instead the hidden reference to Aristotle -- as in "The Akrasia Effect" -- that did.

Ya, Akrasia...  As the article states, "... ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle developed a word to describe this type of behavior: Akrasia."  And the author went on to describe it as "the state of acting against your better judgment.  It is when you do one thing even though you know you should do something else."  Mr Clear goes on to say that, "Loosely translated, you could say that akrasia is procrastination or a lack of self-control." 

What caused me to read even further was the author's suggestion that, "Akrasia is what prevents you from following through on what you set out to do."

Who me -- not following through? 

Ya, me, and you, too...

In what proved to be a well written, easy-to-read piece, James Clear goes on to explain that it's really not our fault, but more a matter of how the human mind works.  On the one hand, we picture some well intended long range plans, with every intention of attaining them.  On the other hand, Clear says that our brains -- kinda in the now -- prefer instant rewards rather than long-term payoffs.  If we're talking diet here, we might envision a slim, trim body, while our brain at the moment is craving a triple-decker sandwich.  Our long-term reasoning might also dream about the benefits of finishing a profitable project as soon as possible, while our thinking in the now undermines that with the urge to spend the next few hours on a computer game.

Does that resonate with you?  I know it describes my way of procrastination to a "T"!

All is not lost, though, because Clear offers an antidote to Akrasia, with 3 Ways to Beat Procrastination (which I'll paraphrase below)...

Strategy 1: Design Your Future Actions

In a way, I think this should have been titled "How To Undermine Your Underminers" -- :) .  In other words, if those huge sandwiches are your downfall, the wise thing might be to undermine such an urge by having only healthy foods available.  If you know that computer games are your undoing, delete them from your computer (hey, you can always bring them back as a reward for getting the most important work completed).

For sure, your aims and underminers might be different than I've mentioned, but they can be attacked in similar ways.  The main idea is to short-circuit the things you know hurt you, and to give them less opportunities to get in your way.

Strategy 2: Reduce the Friction of Starting

Clear begins this section by quoting Eliezer Yudkowsky, as in, “On a moment-to-moment basis, being in the middle of doing the work is usually less painful than being in the middle of procrastinating.”

Hmmmmmm...  Were truer words ever spoken?  I think not!

Of course, what Clear and Yudkowsky are both getting at is that the work isn't usually all that hard, but the getting started is.

With that, I'm going to refer to something I've written quite a bit on during my years in hockey coaching...  For, I tell other coaches that my springs and summers each year -- or my hockey off-seasons -- were all about retreating to my "bunker" to design the next season's coaching plans.

Interestingly, that's one area of my work where I instinctively knew the work was a blast, but getting started could be a headache.  So I purposely put everything I needed for that work in a shoulder bag that could be grabbed instantly, and toted to a place where my creative juices could ultimately really get flowing.  I went one better on the latter, too, knowing from experience that atmosphere was everything.  Some of my best coaching ideas came about while walking a beach, driving through mountains, lolling at poolside, or soaking in a hot tub.  Back home in Massachusetts, the everyday or every night bunker was a neat area I built in my backyard, while down here in Florida I prefer poolside or a quiet lanai.

My point, though:  Find a comfortable place to work if you can, and have an easy way to get to work almost immediately. 

Clear ends this segment by suggesting, "Put all of your effort and energy into building a ritual and make it as easy as possible to get started.  Don’t worry about the results until you’ve mastered the art of showing up.:    

Strategy 3: Utilize Implementation Intentions

Clear says that, "There are hundreds of successful studies showing how implementation intentions positively impact everything from exercise habits to flu shots.  In the flu shot study, researchers looked at a group of 3,272 employees at a Midwestern company and found that employees who wrote down the specific date and time they planned to get their flu shot were significantly more likely to follow through weeks later."

So, what he's suggesting is that we set things like a specific date, place and time to implement our future plans.   And he finishes with, "... implementation intentions can make you 2x to 3x more likely to perform an action in the future."

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Then, four things in closing...

1) I'm going to add one more strategy to those outlined by James Clear -- call it:

Strategy 4: Tell Someone Else About Your Intentions. 

Beginning this January 1st, I decided to do something unique for the first time ever, this having to do with my so-called New Years resolutions.  Ya, what I've done is post something like the nearby photo every single day (that's not the specific new home I'm seeking, so I rotate several pics).  If you get what I'm really doing, I'm telling my 16,000+ social media friends what I'm shooting for, and I know I'll be rather embarrassed if I don't attain that portion of my dreams sometime during 2016.  You might not want to blast your aims all over the Internet, but even telling a friend or two could bring about the same effect.

2) Because all of our long-term goals are different, the above strategies obviously have to be adjusted to meet our own needs.  So will you have to analyzing your failings, or those things you know are delaying you from getting to work.  There definitely isn't a one-size-fits-all with the above process, but it doesn't seem all that difficult to adjust.

3) Interestingly, I think, is that just reading that article seems to have changed me quite a bit.  I mean, knowing what's happening in my brain -- or knowing that it's a human problem -- eases my conscience more than a little.  I especially feel helped by understanding my need to get over the typical delays and just get to it.

4) I'm re-introducing one of my favorite Internet gurus here -- Sean D'Souza was the feature of an earlier post having to do with attaining "happiness".  Below you'll find a link to an awesome audio about procrastination by Sean.  What I love about this one is mentioned in the title, "The 70% Principle..."  For, what he's suggesting is that, "If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing 70% right."  :)  That's right, because it's our search for perfectionism that's killing us a lot of the time, and it's also one of the reasons we put off starting -- as if we're not quite ready to do it perfectly yet.

Here's a link to Sean D'Souza's audio -- give a listen when you get a chance (it's worth it):   "The 70% Principle: Why It Knocks Procrastination Out of the Ball Park".

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If you'd like to read James Clear's article in its entirety, just click here:  "The Akrasia Effect: Why We Make Plans but Don't Follow Through"

Listen to Hockey Talk Radio

As a convenience to my many Hockey Diary visitors, I've placed a player here so that you might listen to Hockey Talk Radio.  All you need to do is click on the arrow on the player down below to hear that station in progress -- with lots of advice packed shows and fan-based NHL podcasts.
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-- Dennis Chighisola

Listen to Hockey Talk Radio

Again, this page has been created to give members and passersby a chance to listen to Hockey Talk Radio. For sure, you can always come here if it suits your needs -- you get to hear the station exactly like it airs from our dedicate site. However, I highly recommend two other methods.

- Many of our fans listen to Hockey Talk Radio from a special site at hockeytalkradio.us. There can be found profiles for all our hockey podcasters, a special area for Hockey Talk Radio NEWS, a highlighted "Show of the Week" -- which includes a sample show, and much, much more.

- Still, I'm sure a great many listeners access Hockey Talk Radio on-the-go, or with their smartphones.  I do that often, myself, as I walk my little cockerpoo several times per day and night.  Using the Radionomy app is really easy, and -- using the instructions on a special page about that, it's also easy to download and install on any kind of phone.

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Again, the Hockey Talk Radio website contains a ton of information and help, and it also provides ways listeners can become actively involved with the station. You can ask questions or add comments at the bottom of each show host's page, you can suggest to me ways I might improve the station, and there's even quite a bit of information about creating your own podcast and joining our all-star podcast lineup.

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So, please listen to Hockey Talk Radio any way you'd like -- either from the main website, from your phone, or by pressing the arrow down below.  And, enjoy...

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You Can Learn Anything

I just finished a post written exclusively for my CoachChic.com coaches and parents.  In that post, called "Why Some Kids Try Harder", I quote (to members-only) some research that includes not only the whys of that question, but also some suggestions to help their kids develop the right kind of mindset.

As it so happens, the research I quoted the most from included an awesome video I thought I'd share with my friends here.  So, have a look and listen, and I'll meet you on the other side...




I guess to some, that video represents a minute and a half of ho-hum.  However, to anyone who knows even a little about teaching principles -- and especially about modern day teaching principles, that's 90-seconds of extremely powerful information.  For, it truly does matter if we all understand that video's theme:  you can learn anything.

Actually, this subject is very much connected to a number of messages I've conveyed to both my Hockey Diary followers and my CoachChic.com members. 

When it comes to the former, I've included an article here titled "Nature versus Nurture", which explains that video info in even more depth.

As for the latter, I've related to my members-only how the idea behind genetics has been updated considerably, in a new science called epigenetics.

With all that, let me comment specifically on the above video, and make some suggestions my followers might actually use...

First, it's important to let your youngster know that his or her success isn't totally God-given, but more a matter of effort.  (That's also the gist of that nature vs nurture thing.)

Keep that kind of dialogue going with your youngster -- that you can learn anything, and keep it going from as early as he or she can understand to as long as possible.

To be honest, I think a lot of great qualities come from the kind of mentality this approach develops, including a bit of mental toughness for when some bumps appear in the road.

Finally, please think about the title of that article I just posted over on my other site:  "Why Some Kids Try Harder", because it also deals with "why some kids don't".  That, I believe, is the ultimate difference between a happy or not-so-happy youngster.  And I think it also makes a huge difference in how a youngster is perceived by others -- like teachers, coaches and friends.

A Thank You to My Dad

I've gotten to like Facebook's new flashback feature, or the feature that shows things I was doing a year ago, two years ago, and going back to my earliest days on that social media site.  

As it turns out, I posted a link to the following story back on August 6, 2011, that link pointing to my long ago abandoned Hockey Diary site.

It was not sparked by Father's Day (as mentioned in the post), but instead I attributed it to receiving a "Like" from my Facebook friend Stevan Meek.  For, it was my remembering that Stevan was originally from Orange, Massachusetts, which reminded me of a Diary entry I did awhile back....  

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It's ironic I thought of this story early today...

I really wasn't thinking in the realm of Father's Day at all. Instead, my grandson had just given me the latest news from around the sports world (he likes doing that), and it caused me to think of the way I was as a kid.

Hmmmmmm, though... Where DID that fascination with the latest sports news come from, anyway?

Aaaaah... Flash-back to a summer day when I was about 10-years old. Our family was packed into the classic sedan, winding our way through the hilly country of Central Massachusetts, and on our way to what had become a traditional summer vacation in those days. Come to think of it, I can pretty closely fix the date, because we always headed to my uncle's farm up in Vermont for the two weeks surrounding the July 4th holiday.

If there was anything unusual about that vacation, it's that we were delayed a bit when the car broke down in a quaint little town (Orange, MA, I believe). Darn, that place was beautiful. But, more on that a little later.

One thing you ought to know is that most folks who lived in farm country back in those days could do most of their own auto repairs (and so could I by the time I was a teen). I suppose it was a necessity for many, although it was also possible back then -- before the auto industry complicated matters. (Ya, I look under a hood nowadays and I can't find or see half of what makes the car run; a lot of years ago, the space under a hood was almost empty, with nearly every part pretty easy to find and access.)

Anyway, we were probably fortunate to have the family car falter close to town. And, with that, dad managed to find a service station that promised to repair things -- within the day. Yup, just imagine... Mom, dad and us kids (although I can't remember how many of the five ultimate Chighisola kids were born by then and on that trip).

Thankfully, it was a beautiful sunny day. Still, what was a family to do to kill almost an entire day, and in a strange town to boot?

Well, when dad returned from the service station, he and mom announced that we were going to spend the day having a picnic in the town park. (All right!)

Did I say we were fortunate to get plunked in that tiny burg? You bet! For, everything -- I mean, absolutely everything we needed -- was within easy walking distance. I recall that mom (and some younger ones) headed to a small grocery store located just across from the park, while dad and I browsed through the magazine racks at the nearby newsstand.

Okay, so here's where that getting-hooked-on-sports-news thing comes into play... While I recall dad grabbing a newspaper or two for himself, he also asked if I'd like to buy something to read. Ha. I didn't have a clue, really. But, I ultimately settled for a thick baseball magazine that promised to help kill plenty of hours.

Shortly later, mom spread a blanket (she'd remembered to grab from the car), and then she began making sandwiches, these accompanied by chips, sodas, and even a few after lunch sweets. Darn, could it get any better for a 10-year old?

Oh, I can still remember the scene today... We're laying there on that blanket in the park, and from there one could see the rustic downtown to one side, plus a river and a mountain to the other side. And, to top it all off, I had a very, very interesting baseball magazine to peruse.

Ya, that magazine... I wonder to this day if it was just fate that had me grab a mag that gave a breakdown on every single Major League team, and every single Major League baseball player. Man, I devoured that thing (maybe more than once). And, by the end of the day, I knew every player in baseball, including the guys who sat on the bench.

It's possible that the above doesn't really click with a lot of my readers. I don't blame you if it doesn't. But, you may have had a similar experience -- with one special book, one special movie, one special whatever. In other words, something that really hooked you, or really changed your life (either in a big or small way).

I'm sure mom and dad were relieved that we were finally able to resume our journey to Townsend, VT by early evening. Nor was I disappointed to ultimately get to my uncle's farm. Ya, when you're 10-years old, it's a pretty big deal to help milk cows, watch deer come down from the mountain near dusk, to splash and chase fish in a frigid mountain stream, to watch the loggers work in Uncle John's woods, to see his team of horses pull a plow, to...

Still, after all these years, why is it I haven't forgotten that sunny day in Central Mass? Hmmmmm...

This aside... Dad passed away from Parkinson's Disease about a year and a half ago. I'm still able to call my mom every few days, though, since she's down in Florida where she and dad had ultimately settled.

Stories like the one I've just shared with you make her sad, however (darn). They only remind her of how much she misses dad, while I keep on trying to convince her that we have memories a lot of others don't. (Oh, I could go on about the family cookouts, camping trips, Whiffle Ball games or games of Home Run Derby in the backyard, Christmas Eve at mom's and dad's house -- even when I was older.)

Okay, so you're wondering why this story is really about dad. After all, he didn't pick the town we'd be marooned in, nor did he pick the magazine that would at least slightly hook me on sport (and maybe even on someday being a coach?).

Naw, what I'd like anyone who passes by here to appreciate is that different human beings could have reacted very differently to that kind of setback. Ya, can't you just hear someone you know swearing bloody blue murder, because fate screwed-up their vacation?

Nope, not my dad. It never crossed my mind that day that anything was all that wrong. He just kept smiling and making the most of things.

Oh, as a grown-up myself now, my guess is that the whole scenario was eating at his insides. But, he wasn't about to let-on; nor was he about to let something like that affect his family in any way. Again, he just kept smiling and making the most of things.

Lastly, my mom was certainly a party to all I've described. But, I'll bet she'd also feel that my dad was the one who could make the most of a bad situation. In a way, that was HIM.

So, on this special day -- especially since I'm not able to get to visit his faraway grave, I want to say, "Thanks, Dad. I can only hope a little of you has rubbed-off on me."

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A very Happy Father's Day to all of my friends.

A 7-part Hockey Video Series

Over a few years of penning this Hockey Diary (and other site posts), I'm sure I've mentioned my long ago studies in the old Soviet Union quite a few times.  Ya, it kinda formed the basis for a lot of what I've done in the years since, and the way I still view hockey training today.  It was THAT awe-inspiring.

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Then, while readers probably never noticed it nearly as much, one of my college courses has affected my work at least as much of those studies in Mosow.  That course was called "Principles of Motor Learning".

Yes, motor learning...  That line of study calls a ton of things into play, but the main idea of that course was to know how best to teach a given skill.  It's about reading the athlete or group of athletes, how to practice a given skill, about the right pacing of drills, about the lead up skills, determining whether a coach should teach the whole skill or break the skill into component parts, it's about matching practice conditions with those in which the motor skill is going to be used, the rate of skill progressions, and so much more. 

To be honest, you're not going to find any of that stuff on YouTube -- meaning either the science I learned from the Soviets, or the unique teaching principles I learned from my favorite college course.  

With that, I've been promising for some time to share those ideas with others, and I'm doing it in a 7-part video series available through the link down below.  Of course, I'm a hockey guy, and I'm talking about hockey in most of those videos.  Still, a youth baseball, football, basketball or soccer coach would gain plenty from the ideas I'll be sharing.  (And, while some of the information I provide is rather high level, one of my best skills as a teacher is to explain things like that in rather simple terms.)

If you'll click on the image below, you'll be taken to an opt-in form.  All you'll need to enter is your email address and name, and you'll start receiving those videos.  I promise you'll like them...

The Freedom to Change

This discussion actually began amid some Facebook comment exchanges with a long time UK friend.  Actually, it started innocently enough, with my friend offering something to the effect that, "A guy from Russia sent me a message saying they had beat the US, and now Canada is next."  Hmmmmm...

Just so readers know, I don't get riled by the rah-rah or flag waving stuff, but my blood does start to boil when I think I see wrong things happening within a given sport (especially if it's MY sport).  So, my immediate reply was that, "I figured it's only a matter of time before the Russians start dominating again..."  Between the lines, I meant that The Wall coming down had an unbelievably negative impact on Soviet sports for a time, and that it would take the new Russian program time to rebound, especially economically.  They would do it, though, sooner or later.

With that, my friend kinda added to my boil, noting, "The Japanese, Koreans and China all are making their way through the ranks.  By the next Olympics they will have made headway.  Now they are putting some money into the game and paying for the best coaches."

If I had to take issue with any of that, I might just have to qualify things a bit...  I mean, the old Soviets didn't do what they did with money -- or, at least with the kind of money many other hockey playing nations had.  And, although I'm all in for paying coaches well, I will suggest that it's "the right coaches" -- or those with the right mentality -- that will make the greatest impact on their countries.

Can the Japanese do it?  Can the Koreans or Chinese?  Well, I think those questions are partly answered in the previous paragraph.  As a matter of fact, I'll suggest that there might even be some other countries out there hiding in the weeds, and working their way toward worldclass hockey acceptance.

What really got me going is the probability that the two North American federations are sitting ducks because, as I told him, "I sense that the US and Canada are too trapped in their ways, and they can't easily break from them."  Top-heavy or bloated might be better ways to describe them, or they're like a train trying to catch a chicken.  Hence, too, my title, "The Freedom to Change", because some organizations have that ability, while some clearly don't.

That theory is talked about often in business circles...  Yes, the Fortune 500 companies might be able to bowl-over some smaller firms, but it's the smaller firms that have the ability to change course on a dime -- or chicken-like.  

I know I might be a bit hard on Hockey Canada here, and I think that country is ahead of the US in numerous ways (beyond the obvious).  All I've seen AHAUS and USA Hockey do over most of my 40-ish years in the game is copy Canada (and some other nations).  Maybe Lou Vairo got to lead for awhile long ago, and maybe Herb Brooks was left alone to lead for a couple of years.  For the rest of the time, though, it seems to me that our top-heavy federation has had trouble getting out of its own way, and basically just copied what someone else was doing.

Can any reader identify a playing style that might define hockey in the US?  For the most part, I think not.    

Then, remember this old saying:  "Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it"?  Ya, well... 

When the old Soviets decided to create a hockey program, and compete at an international level, they placed a man in charge who had never before seen a hockey game.  What they must have known, however, was that Anatoli Tarasov was a 24/7 kind of worker, a truly passionate guy, and also a very creative sort.  Make no mistake about it, that Tarasov and his new hockey program were under great pressure, because USSR leaders saw success in their sports programs as translating into worldwide propaganda for the Communist system and its way of life.  Snooze, you lose, and maybe you'll find yourself on the next train to Siberia.

I think it's well documented that "The Father of Soviet Hockey" studied the Canadians and Czechs, because they were the world powers when he took charge in Moscow.  Yet, Tarasov knew darn well that, "To follow someone else is to be only second best."  (Oh, if only someone in the USA Hockey hierarchy would tattoo that last statement on his or her forehead.)  Again, he wasn't encumbered, and he had the freedom to change, if and whenever he saw that need.

No, Tarasov didn't borrow his team's style or training methods from others, but instead he developed different methods that would cause some of the best coaches in the world many sleepless nights.  Virtually overnight, he built teams that could out-skate others, out-stickhandle others, out-pass others, and attack the net differently than anyone else. And, he ultimately developed tactics and strategies that other countries would eventually borrow from him.

A little later in that Facebook conversation, I mentioned to my UK friend about almost landing a job to oversee the development of a different old Eastern Bloc country.  I wasn't saying that to claim I'm the second coming of Tarasov, but I will say that I am an incessant worker -- when I'm into something I'm passionate about, and I'm as creative at what I do as anyone in the business.  Perhaps as importantly, I'm a student of history, and I try to learn from what has and hasn't worked.

Oh, ya, I'd take all the money a federation would throw my way.  Yet, I know I'd have achieved the necessary results, no matter what resources were available.  The right equipment gets a job done, but its shininess doesn't matter.  (Someday, I'll have to tell my readers about my long ago studies in the old USSR, and how that particular theory came to me.)  The right kind of training also matters, and that's why I suggested earlier to my UK friend that, it would take the right kind of coaches to truly get the job done.

Before closing, I have a couple more impressions concerning hockey development...

For the most part, Canada is loaded with players, and their system allows for those players to beat heck out of each other until some truly outstanding young guys emerge in the end.  Just think about it:  thousands and thousand of players climbing their hockey ladder, and only a handful being needed in the end.

Maybe USA Hockey would like to do the same, but their numbers aren't nearly as deep, and their system isn't nearly as effective (which is why I draw a comparison to the way Tarasov did things).  It's also been said often by others that, "USA Hockey is a glorified insurance company," and I've waited in vain for our federation to prove them wrong.  I think private coaches and gyms do more for American kids' development through their early years, with USA Hockey capturing those kids later on for National Teams, as if they're their own home grown pride and joy.  I may not live to tell anyone "I told you so," but my guess is that the bottom could fall out for US hockey when the current crop of cross-ice and small area games trained kids reach their teens and twenties.

Again, the old Soviet system wasn't nearly as haphazard as current day North American federations.  No, Tarasov and company arrived at a plan for developing thousands upon thousands of young players -- from beginner to The Big Red Machine, with plenty of science being employed along the way.  (I'd actually seen the likes of over-speed training and plyometrics back in Moscow some 15-ish years before such things would become common knowledge in North America.)

One other thing...  I don't think the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese and most other countries are driven crazy with political correctness, so their sports programs can just go about training their athletes.  At the same time, PC Police are everywhere in North America, and trying to destroy the very foundations of our sports programs.

Lastly, as I've intimated throughout this piece, I don't think we're going to see everything happen in a hurry.  The Russians may or may not win this year's World Juniors, but the arrow is likely pointing up for them, as well as for a lot of other countries.  Which way is it pointing for the North American programs?  You be the judge.  As for me, I think the freedom to change whenever necessary -- and not blindly following others -- will make the biggest difference in the end.