Find your ZONE

[source]

As we close out the month of July, some of you may be sad that we're more than half way through 2015, while others of us (me!) are ready to welcome August with open arms. Many things happen in August for student-athletes.. specifically football players. Fall starts... School starts... and of course... CAMP STARTS! For those of you who are not familiar with camp life for football players (and coaches!), let me just say that these guys are busy from sun up to sun down 6 out of 7 days of the week for the entire month up until the season begins! Whether you (or someone close to you) are a college student-athlete or a young man who's getting ready for youth football to begin, this may sound familiar to you!

From practices, to workouts, to meetings, to team building... these fellas will be in their ZONE during camp and well after. But what about their, or even YOUR, personal zone? In other words, how can you ensure you take care of your mental health and well-being while you're putting your all into showing up on the field or in the weight room (or maybe at work or school)?

Here are some tips on how to focus in on your personal zone as we soon approach August:

// Set GOALS
New Years isn't the only time to start anew and create new goals for yourself... I encourage you to develop short-term and long-term goals throughout the year! Aim at what you strive to accomplish quarterly, monthly and/or weekly! This can totally help you stay focused during your daily tasks at hand, ensuring you are taking steps to attaining your personal goals.

// Take time for some positive SELF-REFLECTION
It's hard for some to celebrate or appreciate the quick wins in life. Did you run your fastest? Squeeze in one more rep than the norm? Check something off your to-do list? It's imperative to reflect on what you accomplished and acknowledge it! There's nothing wrong with a dose of positive reinforcement!

// BREATHE
This is one of the best gifts you can give yourself to stay in the moment... by focusing on your breath for 2-3 minutes at a time. Close your eyes, and pay attention to how your air comes through your nose and out of your mouth. The minute you focus in on your breath is when you clear your thoughts and mind! This can be very useful when you're stressed or have too much going on in that head of yours.

Embracing your personal zone looks different for each of us... maybe your personal zone brings you peace by singing, surfing, hiking, spending time with your family. I know in Southern Cali, this image below captures MANY of our personal zones!

Hermosa Beach Strand

As you embark a new month and even new week, think about these 3 tips that can help you stay in your personal zone, as well as your athletic/ work/ school zone!

How will you ensure you stay in a good and healthy personal zone?

Character is Everything

How many times have you heard someone (or yourself) say things such as, "Don't ruin your reputation" or "Reputation is everything"? I can't lie if I said I've never spoke of reputation or jeopardizing it in some sort of fashion. But, in hindsight, CHARACTER just speaks volumes of yourself in comparison. Character refers to qualities based on an individual basis. It is unique to you and defines what you are, and how you portray yourself.

As I prepare to embark on the chapter of motherhood, I can't help but think about character... how I will honestly be as a mother - opposed to what others think of me. I strive to be compassionate, patient, loving, understanding yet disciplinary. It's not so much about what other mothers or family might think of me as a mother, but rather what I actually am doing to raise my sweet boy. As nervous as I am on this 6 week countdown, I do know that character means more to me now than it ever did before.

When you look back at your life, what's more important to you... who you truly are or what others think of you?

Baby Shower

Last weekend, my family hosted the most UHHHHH-MAZING baby shower celebrating the beginning of my sweet boy's life! Every detail from the food, to dessert, to entertainment, to the party favors... everything was absolutely stunning and so up my alley. I tell you... my family is more than I can ever ask for and continues to surpass my expectations. I am blessed with the BEST! One of my cousins even flabbergasted me by his free-hand drawing on the chalkboard (pictured above). How adorbs is that?!?!

I wanted to share some of the stunning decor that was hand made in it's most intricate details. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did. If you want to see all 200+ of them, follow me on Flickr and check out Baby Philipp's Shower album. You'll even get a peek at our son's name (which you may need some pronunciation assistance with). It was important for my hubs and I to keep it a cultural name. I'll share the background story with you all one day!

WARNING: Picture-Cuteness Overload in this post!

 

You can say we (my son in my womb, and I) enjoyed this special day, especially the love that filled the atmosphere. Cheers to 34 weeks this week, with 6 more to go (EEEEEK!).

TIPS on Managing Time

I made it home this past week and I was oh so excited to be back in L.A.!! My time back home just flew right past me... actually time flies in L.A. no matter if you live here or are just visiting. I'm not sure why that is. Is it because we sit in traffic at all times of the day? Or maybe it's because there's so many options to partake in that you lose track of time? Or maybe times flies because it's so over-populated in Southern California?

Whatever the case may be, lately I've been concerned with enjoying the moment and living in the present. I haven't perfected this motto, but I've certainly gotten better at it!

I wanted to share some tips that might help you manage your time, including tips particularly if you're a student athlete!

// PRIORITIZE your day
Look ahead of schedule to see what you have during the week, and plan each day accordingly. Take care of things that are scheduled (classes, workouts, practice...) and fill in the rest of your day with what MUST be done in order for you to be a successful student-athlete.

// Allocate time for EMAILS (and maybe even social media!)
Set aside a specified time to check your emails and respond to them. I suggest to even spend less time on your social media accounts, as this fills up your free time more than you even know! Perhaps you can commit yourself to spending one hour less on your social media per day.

// Use your CALENDAR on your iPhone (or smartphone)
This tool is SO underutilized in my humble opinion, yet extremely helpful! Enter your meetings, classes, assignments, etc. into your daily calendar and utilize your location to help you remember street addresses!

// Turn OFF your phone during study table (or during meetings)
Think about when you have to fly... and how nice it is to be disconnected from reality for the duration of the flight. You can have a similar feeling when you shut OFF your phone during your study table time. Dedicate your study hour to focus solely on your scholastic work! Trust me... your friends and family will live if you text them back an hour later!

// Utilize your WEEKENDS
I know it might seem like the only time you have to see your friends and family, but it's also important to take care of yourself, physically and mentally. Take a day (or two) of the weekend to sleep in, relax, read, watch movies... whatever it is that puts your mind at ease.

These are just a few things you can start to do in order to manage your time more effeciently. After all, can you believe we're more than halfway through 2015??

Countdown

Remember those paper chain links you used to make in grade school to help count down towards Christmas time? I was a sucker for those!! Just because I found great pleasure in ripping a chain link each and every day. Nowadays, I'm all about a countdown like I was back then, but no more construction paper needed! Nothing wrong with a good ol' virtual countdown! Here's a few things that I am ecstatic about counting down for!

Can you believe it?! I sure can't!! We're just 52 days out from football season starting in our neck of the woods... which is really short of 2 months away. Luckily, we get a sneak peak into pre-season with good ol' Pac-12 football starting even a few days sooner on September 3rd (WOOOOOOP!).

This just kills me to know that 3 days later than our first game day, we will be welcoming our sweet baby boy into this world! I can't wait to share the passion for football season while changing diapers, feeding, and playing my loving son.

This is a countdown I can smell since it's right around the corner. This week, I'll be flying home to L.A. to visit with my family before the baby arrives. And how lucky am I that they'll be throwing me a shower this weekend!! I can't wait to celebrate the gift of life with none other than my closest people in all of this universe!

What are you counting down towards?

Sports in Numbers

I'm not the type of person to memorize numbers or stats when speaking on any topic. BUT there are some numbers that are just mind-boggling when I do read about them. Even further, it's astonishing to interpret the stats into an actual real life stories, some in which I want to share with you all today:

FOOTBALL
Did you know...
     There are +1 million high school football players?
     Of these high school players, only 6.5% will play in college?
     Of these college players, less than 2% are drafted by the NFL?

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Did you know...
     There are +430,000 high school basketball players?
     Only 3.8% of these high school players will play in college?
     Less than 1% of these college players will be drafted in the WNBA?

BASEBALL
Did you know...
     There are +480,000 high school baseball players?
     Only 6.9% of these high school players will play in college?
     8.6% of these college players will be drafted by the MLB?

Ultimately, this means that majority of our kids that are playing the game from high school (some even earlier on) through college are NOT going to make it to the pros to play ball (which is no surprise based on this post). The call to action here is simple... we need to put more focus on preparing our student-athletes as best as we can to rely on their education and networking resources to pursue another type of career!

This can mean... sprucing up the resume  //  creating or updating a LinkedIn profile  //  being productive during the summer breaks  //  benefit from some professional coaching (more to come on this offering soon!)  //  conducting informational interviews with professionals and/or coaches.

If you're a student-athlete yourself, or are a parent to a student-athlete (or any parent!.. you never know what sport your little one may be playing), or maybe a coach or a friend or a relative... don't wait until after graduation to address these concerns. There are so many resources to take advantage of during school and even in preparation for college. You're always more than welcome to email me if you're interested in learning more about these offerings!

*Stats cited from NCAA website

One-on-One: M. Philipp

One thing that I find fascinating with this blog is the ability to share some storytelling with you all (at least, for all those who have been reading J&BT thus far!). I want to take it beyond my storytelling, and actually hear from others and their life perspectives. On J&BT, I'll call these storytelling sessions (aka interviews) One-on-Ones. Get it? Football analogy... gotta love it!

Anyhoot, I thought who best to kick off these series than the one and only, my fave coach of all time, the Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Cornhuskers... my HUBS!

Name: MARK PHILIPP

Career: HEAD STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH, UNL

Sport Played: FOOTBALL

Q // While you were in high school and college, did you ever imagine that you would be a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach?

Never in my wildest dreams! I thought I was going to be a football coach, but not in the Strength and Conditioning department. There were some complications and life situations that changed up my path in life. I ended up going back home, and felt a bit lost. I worked in construction and eventually started coaching my brother's team in high school. I started participating in the weight training activities with their after school workouts, and during PE period, which I really enjoyed. In hindsight, when I played ball in high school, I think there was a trend in joining the after school programs just so we can lift weights. I guess I've always been interested in weight lifting, but didn't explore it until the opportunity arose.

Q // How did you get started?

Coaching high school football lead me to meet up with one of my old strength coaches in college who was working at Oregon State University at the time. He asked if I would be interested in an internship opportunity and of course I took him up on that offer. I guess you can say it's good karma… from there I interned at OSU and tried to learn from everyone there… I just jumped into it ASAP. I wasn't scared to be vocal or ask and learn about anything or try something new.

From there, I was fortunate to land a full-time Assistant Strength Coach position at OSU, then moved back home to LA where I soon became an Assistant Strength Coach at USC. Which lead me to my current career as the Head Strength Coach for Husker Nation!

Q // Is there any other profession that you would be interested in?

One day, I would like to be an Athletic Director in the future. I'd like to see things ADs do to help the kids out, and seeing things work from the ground level and what's needed on a daily basis.

Q // What's the secret recipe to being a good coach?

Building relationships with the student athletes…. Not just about football or training. I want to know how they're doing on a daily basis, how their classwork is going, get their input on the program and be an advocate for them. Building trust is important for me so they're not afraid to voice opinions. I want them to feel empowered and confident in what they do and have them realize that we're doing this together.

Q // What's the ONE thing you would recommend for college graduates to find their passion after playing ball?

I always recommend coaching to everyone.. not just with football. These kids have always been a role model, always been through adversity… and I think if they pursue a career where they can influence people is a great thing. They've been playing since pop-warner through high school and college. There's always someone looking up to you as a football player, and you always have to set a good example, which ultimately can be done through coaching.

Hope you enjoyed this one-on-one session as much as I did (I may be biased!). 

Finding My Determination

This is one of my favorite quotes by FAR! How many times do we compare ourselves to our teammates? Our friends? Our colleagues? It's not the person next to you that you should be comparing yourself to. God created each of us distinctively different. Biologically, no 2 of us are made exactly the same, which is such a blessing! Can you imagine a world of duplicates?? We'd be like soldiers from I Robot... which I have NO interest in!

I recently went through a huge life change in regards to my career that I have yet to digest. Our University just went through a $10 million cut in salary, which completely affected our department. The entire pillar that I was a part of was dismantled and our time has come to an end. When I was told this news a few months ago, I panicked! Here I have a baby on the way, my move to Nebraska was stabilized because I had the opportunity of a lifetime to work from home, and with the news I was feeling a bit lost. Along the way, my colleagues were applying for prestigious jobs which I was very excited for... but I still was feeling some type of way as if I were "stuck" waiting for my sweet baby boy to arrive. Although I was super excited for them, I can't lie if I say I wasn't envious of my colleagues applying and landing some MAJOR jobs. I began to think, "what if I don't find a job soon after the baby is born?"... "how long will it be?"... "will I ever be marketable again?" Thoughts that arose because of those negative internal voices.

BUT after long days of thinking, meditating at yoga classes, confiding in my colleagues, family and of course my hubs, I'm starting to feel at peace with where I'm at in life. I'm preparing for a MAJOR job of my own, and that's to enter the world of motherhood. What comes after, I have yet to find out, but I trust that God has my back and His plan will be nothing short of amazing like the rest of His plans have been.

Instead of envying someone for something you don't have, be grateful for what you do have. I get that it's easier said than done... especially when you have moments you are feeling like you can't get a break. But we can learn from each other, lean on one another, and trust ourselves whenever we need a boost of that determination!

Baby Ramblings

If you follow me on Intagram or have seen my About page, you're probably well aware that my Hubs and I will soon be parents to an amazing precious little baby... in only 10 weeks away! I can't believe that these past 30 weeks have just flown by so quickly. I've heard his heartbeat... I've seen his adorable little body... and I feel him every single day inside of me breakdancing around... patiently awaiting to join us here on earth to be loved more than he'll ever know.

I must say though... I've been thinking tons lately about more than just the nursery, the labor, the adjustments we will be making in our sleep. I've been thinking about what kind of man he will grow up to be...

     :: Will he be a smarty-pants and love school so much he decides to pursue his doctorate?

     :: ... Or will he hate school so much, and decide to pursue work at an early age?
     :: Will he be a ride or die football player or coach like his Daddy?

     :: ... Or will he be the next up and coming ballet dancer?
     :: Will he play ball from school to the league?

     :: ... Or will he need the guidance and coaching that the majority of our college-athletes need once they graduate from college and don't make the NFL?
     :: Will he be artistic?

     :: ... Or an aspiring actor?

     :: ... Or just maybe a professional football player? (can you tell I'm excited for football to be in his life?)

So many thoughts I daydream about, that it's hard at times to snap back into reality and realize that I have some work to do in these next 10 weeks of preparing his sweet little arrival. All I can say is that I pray he will be a gentleman; To his parents, his family, his friends, and everyone else he will encounter in life.

Blue Bow Tie Gender Reveal

Let Freedom Ring

As we approach the long holiday weekend, I can't help but reflect on the true meaning of Independence Day. It was only over 400 years ago that our country became independent and gained our freedom.

This year, I am happy to celebrate FREEDOM...

     - Freedom of speech (particularly through starting up the J&BT blog). I now have a platform to talk about some of the passion I have in life through the eyes of sports and the professional world.

     - Freedom of prosperity. Why should I wait any longer to live happily ever after? For me, it's always been a waiting game. These are some of the infamous lines I tell myself: "After I graduate from school" or "Once I find a good job" or "Starting on Monday!" Being mindful and present has helped me find the good in TODAY and in the now!

     - Freedom to live life to the fullest. "What makes your heart sing?" (Talk Like Ted). Asking myself this question has really opened up my eyes to discover new things about myself that just tickle me pink!

     - Freedom of worry. This one is something I have to work at constantly and repetitively. Without practice, I would never know how to approach being worry-less. But, when I'm able to remind myself  every day that WORRYING IS AN UNPAID JOB, things look much brighter, and I tend to not think about things I don't have any control over in the moment. This has got to be one of my faves this past year as the Hubs and I quickly approach parenthood (*yikes*)!

Ask yourself this question as you celebrate this weekend with tons of fireworks, good eats and swell family and friends... What does freedom mean to you?

Summah... Summah... Summah TIME

I absolutely LOVE the summer time! It's my most favorite time of the year to enjoy myself and the heat … while the sun is shining bright… beaches are full of crashing waves… and the days last much longer than in the winter time! But what's most important for me during the summer time is to recharge and reboot!

This may be the same for you, especially if you work in higher education and you actually reserve the summer months OR you might be a college student yourself who is able to take the summer off.

If you're a student athlete, you're bound to continue working hard at perfecting your craft during the summer time… most of the time in the weight room since you have a month or two off from the game of football. Before fall camp starts and you are CONSUMED for the rest of the season, my suggestion is to utilize the summer time to STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES. Enjoy the calm before the storm and work on things that you normally wouldn't have the time to work on during season. This can range from things to improve your well-being… to preparing for an internship-search, or perhaps a job hunt if you're in your senior year.

Here are a few ideas that might be worth exploring this summer:

     - Take a trip back home to visit the family! --> Spending time with the fam can replenish your soul and help reset your mind before fall camp begins

     - Go on a weekend (or week) adventure with some of your close buds --> Spending time with your teammates can help build your friendships off the field... if you go with your friends that are not on your team, then enjoy the bonding time with your pals you hardly get to see during season

     - Work on your resume [see tips here] --> Set yourself up for the fall semester or what's to come after by preparing your resume and incorporate aspects of your sports career 

     - Volunteer working somewhere you might be interested in pursuing for a career --> This might be prime time to get into a workplace to start developing your professional skills. [Back in the day (not too far back!), when I was in college and graduate school, I totally used it to my advantage while introducing myself to random people. It would go something like, "Hi! My name is Beverly and I'm a grad student who is looking to volunteer and gain some work experience." You have a free pass while you're in college in that you can introduce yourself to whomever you wish to and ask to be taken under their wing!]

Other things that can help you STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES during the summer might be as simple as reading a book... watching a TV series on Netflix... having breakfast with your roomies/friends... enjoying a day at the beach... and much more! I encourage you to use this time to be as present as you can in the moment before the crazy hectic schedule begins [yet again!].