09MAR16 2047

09MAR16 2047

So I didn't PT this morning and that SHOULD be the first thing I do, other than brush my teeth, but the teeth got that work. My body did not. Went to a job fair. Trying to get on while here in Texas, but it's a process. So. I just gotta work the process. I applied to several places and I got a call back from once place I interviewed last week. Still holding out though. Not sure if I want to "settle".

I called back the people at FanPrint. They're really cool. I'm still trying to get these hoodies in their store but it's going to take a lot of work to do that. I'm not scared of work though. So they will be hearing from me a lot...Lol.

Did some social media marketing. Thinking about uploading more videos online instead of just Snaps. I can't front though, I love SnapChat. You should follow me by the way. Because I'm really funny. @kinghenryII.

I was excited to know that all of my Helmet Hoody deliveries made it to their destinations on time today. Everyone was stoked with them. So if you're happy, I'm happy. I'm just that simple.

Spoke with my oldest nephew today and he suggested I contact Kennie Long from the show "Friday Night Tykes". So I did. Cool thing was, he hit me up almost instantly. I sent him an email about the company and our products and hopefully we can make a deal. The least I'm working for is to get onto his radio show. So that's another avenue.

Still waiting to hear back from Shark Tank. I know it's coming, I'm just impatient. Sidenote, impatience is one of the WORST attributes to have as a DB. Thank God for "makeup" speed...

Went to Whataburger with my cousin E tonight. That shit is sitting in my stomach like a cinder block.

Anywho, I'm heading over to a garment printing event in Fort Worth tomorrow. Looking to get some insight on the process so I can make all my products inhouse to increase turnover time and reduce overhead. Thanks for listening. Peace.

John Harris
CEO - H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC

07MAR16 - 2055

07MAR16 2055

Today started out crazy. Kind of overslept being that I went to bed at like 0400. It was really weird. I just got into one of the modes where I'm reading and just can't stop. So I kept reading. Then I had this crazy dream which to me translated into, "keeping your mouth shut at times can be beneficial." Yeah, still working on that one.

Anyway, I woke up to an email about setting up a meeting with a potential mentor here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which was really cool. This company does business with the NFL and over 150 college teams. So....

By 0900 my orders for Helmet Hoodies finally came in. Let me tell you. China can really put it to you at times. The dude I work with seems cool, but once I get that investment to do everything inhouse, I'm ghost. I'm tired of longass deliver times. Peace. I can get them jawns out in 2-3 days doing it inhouse, I just need that bread to do it.

So I have 10 orders I have to ship. Sidenote for anyone planning on shipping. If you buy your own boxes, and make sure they're the right size, you'll save a ton of money shipping that way instead of with the Priority or Express boxes at the Post Office. So I get these orders out and put in a handwritten thank you note to each customer. It's the least I can do. I mean, without them I'm just a dude with a hoody. So...

The rest of my day was spent looking for a job while I grind on the business side. I mean, I'm not eating off of H.E.A.R.T Athletics just yet. I don't want to have a business and live under a bridge. Kind of defeats the purpose. Moving on. I drove down to Dallas for a networking event. The concept was cool but the people were really cliquish, so I stayed as long as I could before I dipped.

Now I'm back at the crib. Bout to fire off some emails, read the Bible for a bit then hit the sack. Planning on getting up at 0600 for a run. That's the plan anyway. Oh, and a haircut. It's been almost 4 weeks since my last cut and I officially have no hairline. It's just a gaggle of hairs adhering to no official set boundary...

John Harris
#PlayWithHEART

Who do you believe in...?

We're told by most coaches that, sports are metaphors for life.  Every lesson you learn in sports can be translated into the adult world. 

I believe this to be true, but my issue is why then are parents encouraging their kids to aspire to be someone else?

When we see someone imitating another individual, our comments tend to be anything less than reassuring. 

If this is the case, why would you encourage your kids to look up to someone else when they can be taught at an early age (and its a great life lesson) that eventually, at some point, they will only have themselves to lean on.

Any sport I played, I KNEW that my favorite player wasn't able to help me...at all!  In all honesty my favorite player could have been a dirtbag.

Stop enabling your athlete and start building them up to be self reliant and efficient...

Seriously, think about that.

3 Life Lessons I Learned Playing Football

In my life I've been fortunate to have plenty of teachers who left me with knowledge that I previously did not have.  Some have been family members, some friends, teammates and PLENTY of haters.  But the one teacher that left a definite imprint has been sports.  Without a doubt, Football has reinforced most of the lessons that may have fallen to the wayside that the aforementioned may have tried to hammer home.  So...since my head is so thick, it only made sense that constantly knocking it against others while trying to win a "meaningless" game would only clarity those lessons while giving them relevance.  Here are 3 of the lessons that I learnt.

1. There is ALWAYS someone bigger, badder and tougher than you....ALWAYS.

My Pops used to tell me this...constantly.  When I moved to MD from NJ, I most definitely kept my Lawnside swagger.  He would tell me to tone it done, but I wasn't having it.  This was when I was 15, 16 years old, let's fast forward to when I was a Sophomore in college.  The last college game I played in I had to cover a DIII All-American.  I talked shit all week, but my best friend Tim Gavin knew what time it was (he knew I was nervous because I talked in my sleep).  Well, long story short, I got beat for about 7 catches, 120 yards and 1 TD.
Lesson Learned: Keep your mouth shut, or someone will shut it for you.

2. Don't look for someone to save you.  If you do, you'll be waiting a REALLY long time.

I started playing football when I was in 3rd grade.  I rode the bench until I got to High School (and believe me, it sucked).  I knew I was good but never really got a shot to play.  When I went to High School I said to myself, "there is NO WAY I'm riding the bench ever again".  I decided that a concussion was a better way of going out than sitting for another 4 years.  I watched Pro's and collegiate players, studied how they played and changed my strategy.  My offensive model was Eric Bieniemy and defensive one was Eric Allen, with a splash of Dick "Night Train" Lane. Ever since my Freshman year of High and ALL through college, I started every game (yes, even as a walk-on Freshman at a Division 1-AA college).
Lesson Learned: If you want it bad enough, grab your sack, pull down your skirt and take it.

3. Tough times don't last, tough people do.

My first year of playing Varsity Football (Sophomore Year) my team was really young and inexperienced.  We went 1-8 and barely won that one game 14-7 (against another bad team, Haddon TWP).  But I loved football and didn't care if we lost EVERY game, I just wanted to compete and play.  Some guys quit during the season and some quit on the team even though they continued to play.  All that mattered to me was going out and gettin' it in (that's slang for "doing work").  Shit is going to get shoveled on you in life, just as in sports and you have to decide right then and there if you're a going to eat it or use that manure to plant something for next year.  I was fortunate enough to plant that manure and it grew into a State Champion at Linganore High School.  I never forgot how bad the taste of losing felt and vowed to NEVER taste it again.
Lesson Learned: Even a blind squirrel can find a nut (you keep trying and something good will happen).

Well, these are just a few of my lessons that I learned that were cemented through sports that I try to express through my company H.E.A.R.T Athletics.  I hope you guys enjoyed this post and feel free to share it with your friends and family members.

John H. Harris II