Racism, Athletics, Ignorance...

I am an avid sports fan.  While working from home or driving to and from appointments around town, I tend to listen to sports talk radio more than anything else.  The last couple of days have been difficult as the news of the LA Clippers NBA Basketball team owner Donald Sterling's racist comments overtook the airways.  It is so unfortunate that such ignorance still exists in our society.  I struggle to understand how a person can have such disdain for another human being of another race, and to feel so strongly about these racist views so as to allow them to control and impact their life and behaviors as they have for Mr Sterling.  It baffles me that an owner of a professional sports franchise (or anyone for that matter) can be so blind, ignorant, and narrow-minded. 

While I am well aware of how racism has reared its ugly head in our country and around the world since the beginning of recorded history, I suppose I myself am somewhat ignorant as to why it exists and why it is still so prevalent around the world.  I suppose human beings can perhaps be uncomfortable with others that are not similar or the same and for some reason makes us think that one or the other is better than the other?  I have not experienced racism first hand as I am not a minority, but I think all of us have felt excluded at some point in time or another throughout our lives, whether it was on the playground at school when we were young, or at a party in college, or in a work-place environment as adults.  We as human beings tend to want to be accepted by those around us...and when we are not, simply put, it feels terrible.  I can only begin to understand what it must feel like to be discriminated against on a regular basis, day in and day out.  

I do believe though, that we as a society are becoming wiser and more accepting of other human beings.  I do believe we as a society have grown and matured and have realized that racism is hatred and such hatred is a poison that serves no good purpose whatsoever.  I hope that this trend of intelligence and acceptance continues to grow and that some day, racism ceases to exist and we ALL realize that we are all equal.....equal but different...and that we embrace the differences between us all and embrace one another towards the greater good thereby creating a greater society.  This indeed is my wish.  Perhaps the events of the last few days in the sports world, while painful, is a step in that direction.  Once again, bringing to the forefront societal failures that will ultimately make us wiser and give us a better understanding of what not to do, how not to act, what not to believe in, and ultimately help us grow and succeed. 

Positive Attitude and its Effect upon Your Life

I am not a Doctor, nor was I ever trained in psychology or counseling of any type.  I am educated, have a college degree, am an entrepreneur, and own my own business.

As I have made my way thru life, I have learned a few things about the power of the human mind and the influence our outlook and thinking has upon our daily lives.  Some of this was learned from people that I have encountered and things that I have read over the years, but much of it is something that I was blessed to be born with - a generally happy disposition and a positive attitude.  Perhaps some of my capability to look at the bright side of things most of the time was developed environmentally, but I believe that some of it is just simply God-given.

I wanted to qualify all of that first before sharing my thoughts on the matter.  I am just an average 'joe', not some highly trained psychological professional.  The ability to have a positive outlook has had dramatic and amazing affects upon my life.  I know for some of us it is easier to be more positive than it is for others.  Frankly I know some people that are way more positive than I am and I truly strive to be moreso each day.  I understand as well that there are some genetic factors that we have limited to no control over that affect our ability to think in certain ways.  BUT, like I mentioned, the brain is a very powerful thing that can be trained.  We all have the ability to train our minds to think a certain way.  It's like anything else I suppose, to become good at something, it takes effort.

Like each one of us, I too have been thru some very difficult times in my life.  It's those times that really and truly taught me the most about myself.  It's those times that forced me to manage my thoughts and attitudes and come up with ways to get thru those situations and continue on with each and every day and become better as a result.

A good friend and mentor shared with me a thought about 20 years ago that has been the foundation of my attitude about life and circumstances.  I was going thru a difficult period and he said to me:  'Everything happens for a reason, and the reason is always good.'  I heard what he had to say, and in the face of nothing else to get me thru what I was dealing with, I considered what he had shared.  After some time, I decided that I was going to adopt that philosophy.  I had heard many times the phrase 'everything happens for a reason....'  It was the second part of that which really stuck with me....'that the reason is always good.' 

As time went on, I learned that if I believed in that philosophy day-in and day-out, my outlook and attitude would change.  Sure enough, the good in everything began to shine thru regularly.  As the years passed I started to preach that same phrase or philosophy to those around me when they were going thru difficult times.  What I had learned as well in addition to that philosophy is something I always followed up with - that yes 'Everything happens for a reason, and the reason is always good,' but understand that it may not be apparent that what is happening today is happening for a good reason.  Frankly it may be very difficult to believe so at the moment.  You just have to believe and some day down the road, maybe next week, next month, or next year, if you truly adopt that philosophy, that you will in fact see what good has come out of what previously occurred that caused you to adopt that belief.  It works, if you can train your mind and your thoughts to believe.  What happens is that it becomes your truth, and it is astounding the positive impact that it can have upon your life.

Draft Day with Kevin Costner Movie Review

Movie reviews will not be a common topic for my blog as I rarely go to movie theaters and I rarely watch films.  This film however, was greatly anticipated by myself the football fan and my son the fan and athlete.  So, we carved out a few hours on a Friday night for dinner and a movie together...quality time.  :)

Now, to the film itself.  Very well done.  It was interesting, insightful, suspenseful, and all around entertaining.  Kevin Costner, as we all know, is an amazing actor.  I have many favorite films with him as the lead.  I would even dare to say that even the non-sports fan will enjoy this film as there are several complex storylines going on throughout the film that have nothing to do with football.  Jennifer Garner is good, not great.  The rest of the supporting cast also did well.

The nuts and bolts of the film are this...Kevin Costner plays the General Manager of the struggling (so true) franchise of the Cleveland Browns.  The story basically takes place on the first day of the NFL draft and entails approximately 12-14 hours of that actual day.  For me personally, having grown up in Cleveland as a Browns fan, seeing some of the neighborhoods that I knew in the film was very cool.  In one scene, Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner), is driving down Lorain Ave just up the street from the West Side Market at 25th & Lorain, an iconic Cleveland location.  That market, and that street, are right up the road from where I attended high school at St Ignatius.  As far as I can tell from the film, Sonny lives in or around the Flats of downtown Cleveland. 

Without giving too much away....The movie goes thru the draft process for the Browns, negotiations occur with other teams, there are confrontations with the coaching staff, all the while an underlying romantic story occurs, along with some family struggles thrown in as well.  Like I said, several complex storylines occurring all at once.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars - I loved it!  Go see it!  Below is the link to watch trailers if you like doing that - I prefer to see films without knowing too much about them myself, but the below website is also helpful in locating movie theaters, show times and purchasing tickets online as well.

http://draftdaythemovie.com/

5 Best Restaurants in the Scottsdale/Phoenix Area

I, like most of us, LOVE food.  I grew up in a European household where meals were the centerpiece of the day, particularly dinner.  My late grandfather was apparently quite famous in Hungary as a chef, restauranteur, and cooking school owner and teacher.  He passed when my mother was only 3 years old, but left his recipes to be handed down.  I was the fortunate recipient of all of those amazing and delicious recipes as my grandmother and mother cooked often.

I enjoy cooking, however I don't do much of it.  I find my time to be better spent doing other things, like working and being a dad, etc.  Therefore, I find myself eating out more than I probably should.  As a result, I have had the 'opportunity' to try many restaurants around the valley, primarily in the Scottsdale area and some in Phoenix, namely the Arcadia and Biltmore area's.

Here are my top 5 in no particular order in terms of preference, price or cuisine:

1.  Mastro's Ocean Club - Keirland Commons/Scottsdale
     www.mastrosrestaurants.com
2.  Houston's/Hillstone - Mcdonald/Scottsdale Rd/Scottsdale or in the Biltmore
     area/Camelback Rd/Phoenix  www.hillstone.com
3.  LGO (La Grande Orange) - Arcadia/Phoenix  www.lagrandeorangepizzeria.com
4.  Olive & Ivy - Old Town (Downtown) Scottsdale - www.foxrc.com
5.  Cowboy Ciao - Old Town (Downtown) Scottsdale - www.cowboyciao.com

Each of these vary greatly in terms of price, atmosphere and menu.  I provided the web addresses of each so that you can get a better idea of what they offer.  No matter which you chose, however, you cannot go wrong.

Check back again as I will provide new favorite dining options as I discover them.

Perspective

per·spec·tive

pərˈspektiv/

noun

noun: perspective

a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

"most guidebook history is written from the editor's perspective"

synonyms:

outlook, view, viewpoint, point of view, POV, standpoint, position, stand, stance, angle, slant, attitude, frame of mind, frame of reference, approach, way of looking, interpretation More "her perspective on things had changed"

• true understanding of the relative importance of things; a sense of proportion.

"we must keep a sense of perspective about what he's done"

  

Having 'perspective' is very important to living life correctly and with understanding, intelligence and fairness.  We need perspective to assist us in attempting to understand the many nuances of daily life as well as in basic decision making.

I recently created a business partnership with a Realtor friend of mine that I have worked with in the past.  We work very well together and bring unique and special skills to the table.  We both have extensive real estate backgrounds and have many varied experiences from which to draw which benefits us greatly when dealing with our client's real estate transactions.  

We named our new partnership 'The Best Perspective Team' because it defines very well who we are and what we offer our clients.  

I'll let my partner brag about her background in her own blog that I am helping her start tomorrow as a matter of fact.

As for myself, I have worked in so many different area's of real estate over the course of my career.  I started in Property Management, then Project Management, Corporate Relocation, Real Estate Development, Financial Services, and Appraisal.  All the while, I have been involved in the sales transaction business as a Realtor.  I very much enjoy the 'deal' if you will as well as helping my clients buy or sell their home.  Although I don't want difficult transactions, I have found that I excel at solving problems, making things happen, getting all parties together, and getting deals closed.  

From a market standpoint, being a Certified Residential Appraiser gives me incredible insight (perspective) on a day to day basis, of what is happening in the local marketplace.  I have my finger on the pulse of the residential real estate market which translates into understanding 'value' thereby transitioning this understanding to providing my real estate clients with unparalleled 'service' and 'knowledge' which, simply put, gives them a level of comfort that they are in-fact getting the most for their money and/or are getting the best deal.  This goes for buyers as well as sellers.  Knowledge (and perspective) is power. 

Hence, The Best Perspective Team.

I love what I do so I intend to share, from time to time, on this blog, some of my professional experiences, so please check back often to read some of my stories.

Andrew Ament, Realtor, Certified Residential Appraiser

www.thescottsdalerealestateguy.com

www.thebestperspectiveteam.com

www.censeovaluation.com

480.540.5151

andrewament@cox.net