It’s been a while since I checked in here. That’s because of an insane work schedule that usually consists of no less than 60 hours per week, and sometimes upwards of 90.

I’m obviously not really posting much baseball/sports content on this site anymore. You can find plenty of that at 1500ESPN.com. Sometimes I’ll double post on PhilMackey.com, just for kicks.

I’ve had a lot of people ask, “How’s the new show going? Do you like working with Reusse? Is he as grouchy as he seems?”

In short, the show is going really well. And it’s been a blast working with Patrick, Cory Roufs, and Tom Pelissero every day. They’re all great dudes, and they’re all very talented and awesome at what they do. And yes, Reusse is grouchy sometimes, but in a teddy bear sort of way.

From a poker standpoint, we’ve generated over $500,000 in prize pools since December in the first four Minnesota State Poker Tour events. As a whole, the poker business is way down these days, especially in Minnesota. But we’re still doing well and will continue plowing forward, because the tide will turn as soon as online poker is regulated once and for all.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound too preachy, but I wanted to share a few items that I’ve either learned and/or been working on recently. After all, it’s my website, and I can write about whatever I want.

Thinking out loud:

- Nobody is stopping you from getting whatever you want. I think this one is hard for most people to wrap their heads around. (And I’m talking about life, careers, etc. — not crimes, where police officers obviously CAN and DO stop people from doing things…).

I shake my head when I hear folks complaining about external factors that seemingly prevent them from getting what they want at their job, or in life, or in any big picture scenario. Those are all irrelevant, limiting beliefs.

People who get what they want in life — think specifically about the people we put on pedestals, and the people we envy — almost always share two main traits:

1.) They generally work harder than their peers at whatever it is they are trying to accomplish

2.) They usually develop a game plan of some sort and stick to it, despite the inevitable bumps in the road.

A lot of times we put celebrities, business people, famous people, and other successful figures on pedestals and live vicariously through them. For many people, it never clicks in their head that they TOO can achieve the same things — or, at the very least, can achieve more than they think. Instead of living vicariously through others, why not create a cool life for ourselves?

Of course, a lot of people are content just chilling, and that’s cool too.

- Don’t worry. Be happy. So many people think in terms of, ‘Once I get that new promotion, then I will be happy.’ Or, ‘As soon as I’m caught up with these bills and this pile of work, then I will be happy.’ Or any other similar example you can think of.

It’s all B.S.

There will always be another pile of work, or a new rung to climb in our careers, or another obstacle for us to overcome. It never ends. The way to be happy, I’ve found, is to accept the current moment as it is (good or bad) and focus on the process. I’m fairly certain happiness isn’t something we find. It’s something we already have.

If you are a good person who provides value to the people around you, and if you live life productively, generously, and optimistically (while also providing some sarcastic and cynical tweets for the greater good, and for entertainment purposes) — call it a personal Code of Conduct — the “process” will likely be the most fulfilling part.

Better to latch onto the process than the results, because results can always fluctuate.

- Expanding comfort zones. Fear nothing. This is hard, but totally worth it — something I work on and battle constantly. I’m not talking about going skydiving tomorrow or anything like that (although, that would be interesting…).

Just pushing the limits socially, through business, taking risks, etc.

- It doesn’t matter what people think. Another tough one, because we are socially conditioned to always worry about what people think, at least to some degree. Now, that doesn’t mean we should all go around slandering and insulting each other, using, ‘I don’t care what you think,’ as an excuse.

I’m saying that if you know you are an awesome person, and if you KNOW you are good at what you do, then what significance do others’ transitory opinions have?

Conversely, if we constantly worry about how others perceive us, how is it possible to REACH full potential? It’s almost impossible.

- Sing loudly. Or just don’t sing at all. And mix in a couple dumb dance moves once in a while.

I, for some reason, made an appearance on the Twin Cities Live Man Panel, in front of an audience — and two other panelists — who are nowhere near my target demographic.

As you can see, the 15-hour workdays and lack of shaving have caught up…

After working at KFAN radio for more than five years, I am making a major change.

Beginning March 23, I will be teaming up daily with Patrick Reusse from noon-2 on the soon-to-be ESPN Radio 1500. I’ll also have a heavy web presence as well, covering the Twins and Vikings.

I leave KFAN with absolutely zero ill feelings. ESPN 1500 simply offered me an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I have built a ton of awesome friendships at The FAN since beginning an internship in January, 2005, and if it wasn’t for the experience and exposure I gained, I probably wouldn’t have been able to play a part in launching the Minnesota State Poker Tour, Minnesota Poker Magazine, or show my unshaven mug on SportsCenter every once in a while.

I won’t go through a list of names, because it would suck to forget somebody, but I definitely want to thank all my friends and co-workers at KFAN for everything over the last five years. It was a good run.

Now, the next challenge is to explain to Patrick Reusse what OPS is…

This isn’t really a sports-related post (other than the fact that I surround myself with sports for a living, and I’m the one posting this blog, and you are reading it), but because we’ve turned the page to a new year and a new decade, and because I’m pumped about how 2009 turned out, I feel inspired to post a few thoughts.

I don’t really believe in the concept of a New Year’s Resolution. I think everybody should constantly strive toward becoming better people, and setting a “start date” of January 1st only gives permission to be lazy during the second half of the year. If you want to make a positive change, why not just do it?

That said, at some point in late 2008, I decided I was going to devote the rest of ’08 and all of 2009 to advancing my career. I didn’t want to wind up in my mid-30’s someday, wondering “what the hell am I doing here?”

(No offense to anybody in their mid-30’s who may be wondering “what the hell am I doing here?”…)

As a result, my 2009 checklist contained only one item. And I accomplished it.

Drinks on me.

2009 Checklist – one item

♠ Advance Career

The motto, thanks to Covino and Rich, was “Taking What’s Mine in 2009.”

I started off 2009 by developing a baseball projection website that went hand-in-hand with a projection system I was in the process of creating. It was pretty intense, and I spent many days working 15-20 hours trying to perfect things. I even had the opportunity to meet with some high-level MLB people to discuss the possibilities and capabilities of what I was working on. Some teams are implementing similar ideas, some teams aren’t.

But because I wasn’t likely to see an increased role at KFAN (ClearChannel was hit hard by the economy… or something like that…), and because I didn’t know if my baseball work would see any immediate payoffs, I turned my attention in late-spring of ’09 to the poker industry.

Bryan Mileski and I (and previously Craig Dirkes… thanks to Craig for all his hard work during the launch of the magazine) created Minnesota Poker Magazine last June specifically to help promote poker in one of the most underrated poker hotbeds in the country. We originally wanted to let the magazine gain credibility for a year or so before launching the Minnesota State Poker Tour, but we sensed some serious interest after only two or three months.

One thing led to another, and we eventually held our first MSPT event at Canterbury Park in December. It was amazing, and I can’t say enough about the staff at Canterbury and the players who played throughout the week. 130 players showed up for the $1,100 buy-in Main Event, and 20-year-old John Dragich won nearly $35,000.

So, for the people who tilt their head and ask, “So… how’s that magazine working?” in a condescending, “how-can-you-possibly-make-money-off-that?” sort of way, fear not. Business is good, and it will only get better.

(knock on wood)

2010 Checklist – multiple items

Career
♣ Don’t drive Minnesota Poker Magazine & The Minnesota State Poker Tour into the ground

After launching these two entities, I have an entirely new appreciation for business owners, small or large. It’s a ton of work, and there’s a lot to learn on the fly.

I’m looking forward to growing both products in 2010, and we’ll start with a MSPT event at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in February.

I’ve always cringed at the thought of working a 9-5 job, or having a boss that always tells me what to do. One of my main goals from long ago was to make sure I cleared my own path. So, regardless of what happens with MNPokerMag and the MSPT, at least I tried at an early age.

♣ Try to be on KFAN Radio more than like 2 hours per week

Even with the magazine and poker tour, I will remain at KFAN in a semi-limited capacity as long as possible. It’s been a blast covering the Vikings beat since 2007, and I love everyone I work with at The FAN.

But let’s face it. I’m not really sure what my role will be at KFAN in 2010. After Twins Weekly went off the air, my only on air timeslots are Wednesdays 10-11am with Paul Allen, and 90 minutes before kickoff on the Vikings pregame show. You can also find my Vikings musings at KFAN.com.

For starters, I still plan to maintain a high baseball and Vikings presence. Twitter has helped me communicate with people about baseball-related stuff even when I’m not regularly blogging or talking about it on the radio.

If you would have asked me a year ago today, co-owing a poker magazine and a poker tour wouldn’t have even appeared on my radar. Funny how things work. I’ve busted my ass for almost six years in the radio business, making next to nothing, and I was hell-bent for so long to make it a full-time career.

At the same time, regardless of how long I work in radio, I know that those first six years of grinding earned me invaluable experience and networking connections.

Radio used to be an optimal career choice, but now I think it’s probably better suited as a platform to promote other ventures.

Or maybe it’s just the economy…

♣ Work Ethic

Some people feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to pursuing dreams or a career. I probably felt that way to a certain extent when I was younger, but I now understand the amount of hard work it takes to reach goals.

Some people sit around bitching about why their situation sucks. Others simply make things happen and get things done. I know what type of person I want to be.

Personal

♣ Don’t Be A Fat Ass

At this time last year, I was in the best physical condition of my life. I hired a personal trainer in August, 2008, and I was running 3-4 days per week while eating hardly any junk food. As 2009 progressed, however, my life was entirely consumed with Minnesota Poker Magazine, the Minnesota State Poker Tour, Brett Favre’s arrival to the Vikings, etc.

Not to mention, I was logging 20-30 hours per week playing online poker. With my entire existence wrapped up in career-related stuff, I slowly stopped working out. I just didn’t make time for it anymore.

And with running a poker business comes loads of casino food and buffets. Don’t get me wrong. I love food, especially buffets. For nearly five straight weeks during September and November, we covered tournaments at Running Aces Harness Park and Canterbury Park, which meant eating buffets almost every day.

Back at the KFAN ranch, media members are fed pizza every Wednesday and Sunday.

I’ve found it’s all about simply not eating 20 pieces of pizza when given the opportunity. I usually pick one day (sometimes two) during the week to eat whatever I want, within reason. I’ll cheat a couple times too. But beyond that, I try to eat a hearty, healthy breakfast, followed by more meager meals for lunch and dinner. I also limit carbs as much as possible after 6pm.

It might take a few months, but I fully intend on getting back into awesome shape. No more poker player’s body.

♣ Stop Neglecting Friends/Family/Girls

As happy as I am with career-related accomplishments from 2009, I did a horseshit job of keeping up with family and especially friends. Even so, I’m not sure I would change anything in retrospect. I did what I had to do and worked the hours I had to work in order to advance my career situation during a bad economy.

But what’s the point of having a successful career if you don’t have a ton of awesome friends to chill with at the end of the day? While looking out for myself in ’09, I generally failed to maintain friendships. Luckily, most of them tolerated my flakiness.

- Instead of going out for drinks on Friday and Saturday night, I stayed in to work, and/or go to bed early for work-related stuff the next morning.

- I didn’t initiate phone calls and/or text messages nearly as often as my friends did. I was also often late to respond.

- I would meet cool girls, hang out with them once, and not call, text, or return messages. I was, in essence, “too busy” to spend time with awesome girls (if that’s even possible). If any of them read this blog, you probably know who you are.

And I’m an asshole. So call me.

♣ On a serious, spiritual note…

I grew up Catholic, but I’m not really a religious dude anymore. I read a lot of Eckhart Tolle-related stuff though, and it’s better than any religious teachings could ever be.

This is more of a longterm goal that began in 2007 for me, but I want to continue to internalize the following:

- Be self aware. Take responsibility. Look in the mirror.

- Live every moment of life with enthusiasm, acceptance, and/or enjoyment. If you aren’t in one of those three states, it’s likely that you are creating suffering for yourself or the people around you.

- More often than not, it’s the resistance to a situation that causes bad emotions. Almost all bad emotions you experience are because of resistance to a situation, not the situation itself.

- Diet Dr. Pepper really does taste a lot like regular Dr. Pepper. For that, rejoice.

Conclusions

Thanks to all who have tweeted, emailed, commented, called in during a radio show, etc. I love interacting with everyone, and I can’t thank you enough for actually giving a crap about what I have to say. Or at least for faking it.

~ PMac