This is what you can expect. I don't mess around.

* Warning. This blog is text-heavy. I promise it is worth reading, seriously this stuff is gold. And not the kind you find at a "rare stones" shop on vacation in Arizona, but actual legitimate, not fake, completely real, probably in solid bars, gold. But for those of you that are like me and you can't focus on a web page that has no graphics, no need to fear. As the blog goes on, you will see some very great pictures of which were not taken by me, and have absolutely no connection to this blog. But damnit, they will keep you focused. (Example being this adorable dog) I feel you, don't worry. Okay, carrying on now. *

There has been a lot of change in society lately. It is now acceptable to complain about almost anything. This is both a really good thing. And a really bad thing. It has caused people to try to start problems on purpose, and it has caused really bad habits to be fixed. It has caused wars and riots over simple problems, and it has caused peace and communion over old ones. The biggest problem that I see with all of this is what I consider to be the most important question you can ask before you do anything.

Is it worth it?

Having thought about the world we live in, and what people are capable it made me think about a lot of things. It made me think about my own experience and my own life. Am I asking myself that question enough? Am I just full of hot air because I think that I am a relatively good person? I don't know...

I am very happy you feel that way.

It seems like everyone has an opinion on something, and that is a hard thing for lots of people to deal with. It's something that I have a hard time dealing with. Nobody likes to be told that they are wrong, or that somebody else thinks they know better than they do. Nobody. What matters though is how a person deals with that. Do you fight back right away or do you let the person talk and finish and try to understand their side? Do you walk away and avoid hearing what they have to say, or do you stay and argue your position? These are all questions that are really good, but in the end it comes down to "Is it worth it?" Are your thoughts and ideas honestly important enough that you have to argue about it? Are your opinions and feelings truly that strong that you are so worried about what everyone else thinks?

Lately this has all been extremely heightened by the likes of our new presidential candidates. People hate Donald, Bernie, and Hillary, and Kevin from The Office, oh wait sorry, I meant Ted Cruz. Some more than others, but at the end of the day they are all hated by a large amount of people. The problem with this is that the election and the way the media portrays the election has caused everyone and their dog to post their opinions on social media. It is getting to the point that people don't research anything. I saw a post from a "friend" on Facebook the other day that was about the republican party, both Trump and Cruz. They shared an article from the Onion. For those of you that don't know, The Onion is a satirical news sight. RARELY does an article come from their company that has any actual relevance in the world. Facts are just random quotes and funny little anecdotes and the articles are meant as a message, not as news. So instead of reading the post and looking at the source and realizing that it was a joke and a satirical article, they saw the headline and shared it without reading. Some of the comments were good too.

"Oh how dare they attack women! (Not false... but... not the point)"

"They should be thrown in prison for the comments they made! (that's my favorite)"

"Trump has clearly never been in the same room as a woman. (this one is just... bad.)"

Ah screw it, these are all going to be pictures of really cute dogs.

Now, I used to go on those posts and say "check your source". Now I just ignore it and I scroll about half a page down and I see another terribly shared opinion, this time about the democratic party. Something about Hillary's bangin' Bernie or whatever. I really don't care anymore. I used to be so caught up in myself and my opinions that I took it personally when people shared something that was so utterly wrong. I didn't care about their opinion, I cared about the fact that they were making themselves look like an idiot. Seriously, are you really going to post something without actually reading it, and without realizing its from THE ONION.

I had a conversation with a buddy of mine from high school who is very involved in the political world. He loves it. Can't get enough of it. And frankly, he's a perfect guy for it. He has big ideas, he has great opinions on both sides, and he can PROPERLY defend the things he says. I am not saying I agree with everything he says but, he would be a great governor or president or whatever he wants to be. Even he agreed with me that he can't stand to look at his feed because he is dissapointed in the craptastic political education of our country. The fact that people will just read a headline and share without reading. It really is upsetting, because elections at the core are a fantastic thing. But they are so, so, over done. And the media... well... that's a different story.

So the Election Sucks, Cool story bro.

The point that I am trying to make with all this is that more and more people aren't caring about the decisions they make. And this goes far beyond this election. Every single decision that you make is important enough to at least think about what it is worth. If you can find a question or a scenario where asking that question gives absolutely no benefit I would love to hear it.

Some of you know that I am a softball coach. I absolutely love it. On top of that I also give personal lessons, and I love that even more. Some people love it because of the money. Some people love it because of the time. Some people love it because of the connections they make. Some people don't actually love it but they do it anyhow. Some people put more care into it than anyone else, and they don't get rewarded enough. And of course some people do a crappy job and get rewarded too well.

But above all else, I love that moment when I see an athlete get something. I coach softball. I am really glad I do. Because there is so much more emotion in girls than there are in guys. A guy will be like, "Ya cool, I did it." but a girl gets excited. And they get really excited. I have seen a lot of improvement in my athletes this year, and I have seen even more improvement in their mental attitude. Part of that is I always ask them questions about what is going on. Rather than just here's how you do it, I explain WHY for everything. Part of that is because that's how I learn, and part of it is that I see it help them. When I show a girl a new drill they are confused about it 90% of the time. Why would I be doing this if I should be doing this other thing? So I explain it. And it's crazy. I explain WHY they are doing what I asked them to do, and now all of sudden you see this spark in their eyes and they understand. They aren't just doing something to do it, they are understanding it. For me, that's more important than anything else. Understanding. Every time I explain something, it gets better instantly. And every time it gets better, they smile. And that is the greatest feeling in the world.

I have had discussions with most of them, and just last week I asked my team to think about, "Is it worth it?". Is it worth it to dive for that ball, or to keep it in front of you? Is it worth it to throw that pitch? Take that base? Make that play? Try to score that run? Swing at that pitch? There are so many different scenarios in this sport that you always have to constantly ask. Is it worth it? So as a coach, I have to ask the same thing. Worth it to bat her? To pitch her? To steal? To bunt? To swing away? To take? To switch positions? To throw that pitch? To try for that run? There's a million questions.

This dog knows that this post is about to get really good.

I said before that seeing one of my athletes smile is the greatest feeling in the world. And it is. It truly is. Because that smile means that I did something? People ask me all the time, is coaching worth it? Don't you give up a lot of time and not really get much back for it? And I tell them yah, it is a lot of time. It's a completely other commitment. Those girls are my responsibility and I have to be there to make sure that they grow as athletes and as individuals. So when it comes to "Is it worth it?" You're damn right it is.

Why should you care?

Honestly... I don't know and I don't really care if you do. Was reading this blog worth it? I don't know, that's up to you. But was writing it worth it for me? YUP!

My life has changed so much lately, and trust me its a roller coaster. Things seem to go up one day and down the next. I am trying to start a lot of new chapters in my life. I am trying to get through a lot of struggles. But with everything that hits me, I find something that works. Something is going to keep getting better. I look at where I was a year ago, and even though things not be exactly where I want them to be at this moment, I am happy with at least the difference between now and then.

I am better financially. I don't spend as much money on stupid things. I don't but new stuff all the time just because I feel like I can. I actually make money now which is nice, and hopefully increases here very shortly.

I am better physically. I have started to learn to take care of myself more and figure out what I need to do to be in the shape that I want to be in. Part of that has been coaching that helps me, as I like to be very active at practice and at lessons. Part of that is that I have started to golf more and more, and that does a lot more for your health than most people think it does.

I am better as a communicator. I used to be so angry with other people. Like how dare you say something to me? I'm right you're wrong. That's a terrible way to think. I am now more open to people and I really enjoy the process of digesting someone else's thoughts and taking them into my own opinions and life. It's actually been very nice to have conversations with people about things that normally I wouldn't talk about.

Lastly, I am becoming more patient. I had a parent of an athlete come to me and tell me a story. She told me that she was talking to another parent, who I have known for much longer, about 4 years, and she was asking about me. They were friends and she knew that she has known me for a while, so she was just curious. And what she told her was this,

"Jake doesn't do stupid. He will try as hard as he can to help people and to do whatever is needed to make them succeed as a personal and as an athlete. But he doesn't do stupid. If you just refuse to listen, and you refuse to get better, he will move onto somebody who cares."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

You're last dog of the post. Thanks for sticking with me!

I am getting better because I finally stepped back and asked myself, is it worth it? That's it.
Is. It. Worth. It?
This blog became what it is because of that question. Everything I write, I re-read and I ask myself that. Every video I make. Everything I post. Every picture I take. Everything I say. Everything I buy. Everything I do.

Now, I'm not perfect by any stretch of the word. I've still done some dumb things. I've asked the question and my answer has been, "Eh, it can't hurt?" And then $150 later I have a pair of shoes in my hands that don't really fit that well and are non-returnable. But at least I asked. At least I tried. Because every time I ask that question, regardless of the outcome I am learning.

I'm getting better. Or well... I'm trying as hard as I can to. Because its worth it.

to me that is.