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#THEMOSTPOPULARTEAMSINPROFESSIONALSPORTS.

As a writer-turned marketer, I can say that fans are absolutely fascinating. Much like politics, it’s almost impossible to hold a conversation with the extremists.

But who are the fanniest fans of them all?

Check out this list of the top ten sports franchises in the world (via Forbes, which lists the most valuable, and Bleacher Report, which lists their most popular teams here.)

1. Manchester United: The team has 659 million fans, according to the Guardian.

2. Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones has helped make football a religion in Texas.

3. New York Yankees: Other sports refer to their most dominant teams as “The Yankees of _______.” As in “Primorac Kotor are the Yankees of water polo.”

4. Washington Redskins: The team’s owner may be hated, but the team itself is wildly adored.

5. Real Madrid: This soccer club has one of the world’s most popular athletes, Cristiano Ronaldo, so it only makes sense that it would be among the most popular franchises.

6. New England Patriots: Few teams have dominated the NFL in recent years quite like the Pats. The team is also so popular it covers an entire region—New England—rather than just a city.

7. Arsenal F.C.: The soccer club hasn’t been as dominant recently, but it still boasts 13 First Division and Premier League titles.

8. New York Giants: In a city lucky enough to have two NFL teams, the Giants are the perennial favorite (and defending Super Bowl champion).

9. Green Bay Packers: The smallest NFL city boasts one of the world’s most popular and storied franchises.

10. Los Angeles Lakers: This franchise cultivated its popularity in the 1970s and continued to dominate throughout the “Showtime” era of the1980s.

For more on how some of these and other teams perform in the social media space, check out “7 Sports Teams that are Scoring Big with Social Media.” 

#WHYSPORTSMATTERS by Jeff Hwang.

Amidst the drama surrounding last month's takeover bid for Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) , Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSK  ) took some time out to do a little business.
Yesterday, the nation's largest cable operator announced a multi-year deal with the National Basketball Association to carry NBA TV. Starting next month, it will offer the 24-hour channel to its 21 million-plus customers, as well as NBA highlight packages as part of its video-on-demand service.
For Comcast, the benefits are twofold. First, NBA TV will help it compete with satellite providers EchoStar (Nasdaq: DISH  ) and DirecTV, both of which already carry the channel. Second, it adds video-on-demand content as well as HDTV programming. The search for content is a main driver behind Comcast's bid for Disney and ESPN, one of Disney's most valued assets.
Bigger picture, the deal further highlights the role of sports content in television. Just this week, in a dispute with Viacom (NYSE: VIA  ) over rate hikes, EchoStar pulled Viacom stations off the air. Since Viacom owns CBS, EchoStar was effectively threatening to deprive millions of college hoops fans of NCAA's March Madness -- something that benefits neither company (much less their customers).
Bigger picture still is the increasing role sports content plays in the general media. Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI  ) is also turning to sports, hoping that content deals with the NHL and NFL, among others, will help differentiate it from larger and healthier XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR  ) .
Whether any of this pays off in the end remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: If content is king, sports clearly has the ear of the court.

#HOWTOBELIKEABILLIONARE by Brian Richards.

Warren Buffett's philanthropy is well-publicized; the man will end up giving away nearly 99% of his wealth to charity.
As I've written before, Buffett's charitable pledge is larger than the sum total, in inflation-adjusted terms, of the donations made by Carnegie and Rockefeller combined. In a word: Wow.
Millionaires making good
But while Buffett is an extreme example of philanthropy, he's not alone.
The always interesting Conde Nast Portfolio recently published its "Generosity Index," a list of the 50 most generous U.S. philanthropists. The list is like a who's-who of Corporate America success stories. Take a look at some of them:

Donor	Business(es) That Made Them Wealthy
Warren Buffett	Berkshire Hathaway
Bill Gates	Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  )
Eli Broad	KB Home (NYSE: KBH  ) , SunAmerica / AIG (NYSE: AIG  )
Pierre Omidyar	eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY  )
Michael Dell	Dell (Nasdaq: DELL  )
Dan Duncan	Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD  )
Sheldon Adelson	Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  )

Source: The Conde Nast Portfolio Generosity Index, November 2008 issue.

All of these people (1) created lasting businesses, (2) owned substantial portions of those businesses, and (3) donated large sums of their wealth for philanthropic purposes. (The table should also tell you that insider ownership is very, very important in small companies.)
Don't roll your eyes yet
Let me point out the obvious here: Of course these are the most generous donors in America ... they have the most money to give away!
So, to recap: Vast philanthropic donations require vast sums of wealth.
That statement's not as useless as it may seem. In fact, according to a 2007 article featured in Portfolio, "People do give more when they become richer ... but people also grow wealthier when they give more."
Giving money makes you money?
Portfolio chronicled an eye-opening study, the conclusion of which seems counterintuitive: Giving makes you wealthy.
The study, from the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, looked at philanthropic behaviors and household income, factoring in age, religion, education, race, and other such factors.
While a higher income resulted in higher charitable donations, "more giving doesn't just correlate to higher income; it causes higher income." [Emphasis mine.]
The path to prosperity
The brief explanation for why this happens is that giving "stimulates prosperity," but that sounds too vague to be useful. So, let me offer a more detailed armchair hypothesis.
You see, giving is emblematic of other personality traits that allow givers to get ahead. In particular:

1. Givers are smarter with their money than non-givers. Donating to charity demonstrates knowledge and confidence about one's personal financial situation and, more specifically, shows a level of tax smarts. That undoubtedly explains some of why the billionaires in the above list are so generous.
2. Givers tend to be generous in other aspects of their life. It's not a stretch to conclude that generosity would be a trait that employers and colleagues find desirable, and that that could result in higher overall pay and success generally.

What you can do today
Giving makes you wealthy. That's a powerful conclusion, and it's one we're paying close attention to at Foolanthropy, The Motley Fool's philanthropic campaign.
Aligning our charitable efforts with our core philosophy -- that with the right tools and information, every American can take control of their financial destiny and make sound decisions with their money -- Foolanthropy is focused on curing financial illiteracy among the young, the poor, and the needy.
This year we have partnered with a tremendous organization called DonorsChoose. I encourage you to read about our mission to eradicate financial illiteracy, and I also strongly encourage you to donate -- not only will you get the intangible value of having done some good, you'll get a heckuva tax break (no doubt a key motivation for billionaires' generosity).
Who knows -- perhaps giving will even stimulate prosperity in your own life.

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#HOWBILLGATESWANTSTOREADYOURMIND By Jack Uldrich

A computer capable of reading your mind may sound like science fiction, but it's rapidly becoming reality. Researchers at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  ) are now using relatively inexpensive electroencephalography (EEG) caps to measure the brain's electrical activity, then applying sophisticated algorithms to decipher this data into something meaningful enough for a computer to use.
The list of possible applications is almost endless. Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) has already patented a similar application, hoping to provide an enhanced experience for video gamers. I'm sure that Microsoft is interested in doing likewise, to keep future versions of its Xbox competitive with Sony's PlayStation and future iterations of the Nintendo (OTCBB: NTDOY.PK) Wii.
Longer-term, such a technology might be able to simplify our interactions with computers. For example, it's been suggested that by measuring a person's concentration level, a computer could tell whether its user was confused and needed assistance. (Hopefully not from anything so annoying as Microsoft's notorious animated paper clip.)
The technology might also help a variety of household items. For instance, if pressing a button on a TV remote is too taxing for the average citizens of the future, they could merely think their way across the spectrum of channels. I just hope my two kids never get their hands on such technology -- the fights over what they want to watch would be horrendous.
Mind-reading technology could also complement advances in robotics. Researchers at the University of Washington, right in Microsoft's backyard, have already demonstrated that they can rudimentally control a robot by thought alone. Bill Gates has made no secret of his intention to make his company a major player in robotics, and if his software can be used to make iRobot's (Nasdaq: IRBT  ) Roomba (or any other robot, for that matter) more flexible and adaptable to its user's needs, the possibilities could be pretty exciting. If nothing else, this new technology should give Microsoft investors some interesting food for thought.

#HOWTOBECOMEABILLIONAIRE by Tim Hanson.

Every year, Forbes releases its list of the 400 richest Americans. The year's list was particularly notable, because you had to be at least a billionaire to be included.
As you might expect, a significant number of the folks on the list made their fortunes by investing. That subset includes Warren Buffett (worth $50 billion), Carl Icahn (worth $12 billion), and Jim Simons (worth $7 billion).
So here's important lesson No. 1: You can make a lot of money if you learn to manage your portfolio like a pro.
Easier said than done ...
Of course, that collection of billionaire investors offers no clue regarding what strategy is most likely to make you a billionaire. Warren Buffett is a dyed-in-the-wool value investor. That strategy has helped him achieve annual returns greater than 20% for more than 40 years on the back of investments in boring companies with competitive advantages at value prices, such as GEICO and Washington Post. That investment tack continues in his company's portfolio today, with Tyco (NYSE: TYC  ) , Costco (Nasdaq: COST  ) , and CarMax (NYSE: KMX  ) among the company's current holdings.
Jim Simons, though, can point to greater than 34% annualized returns at his Medallion fund since 1982, net of what are believed to be some incredibly stiff fees -- though I've heard rumors that this has been a very tough year for Renaissance. He favors a mechanical strategy based on computer models that are constantly refined by an army of Ph.D.s.
So while there is no best strategy, important lesson No. 2 is obvious: You gotta dance with the one that brung ya.
Say what?
Colloquialisms aside, all of these investors are astoundingly successful because they've figured out how they make money best, stuck with their strategy in good times and bad, and refined their best practices over time.
Buffett was mocked during the technology bubble when companies that he avoided and professed not to understand as well as others, such as eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY  ) , were zooming to the moon. But they've come back to earth, and Buffett's still doing just fine today.
Icahn has a reputation as a corporate raider; he's made a lot of money instituting changes at underperforming companies. Although Icahn's recent efforts at Lear (NYSE: LEA  ) and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB  ) did not end as well as he must have hoped, don't expect him to go soft. He's worth $12 billion. Why mess with success?
And Simons doesn't try to analyze businesses as Buffett does, because that's not where his expertise lies.
Mimic the masters
The secret to successful investing, then, is not found in any single strategy, but rather in picking the strategy that's right for you and executing it faithfully. As lauded NYU finance professor Aswath Damodaran writes in his book Investment Fables, "Each strategy has the potential for success if it matches your risk preferences and time horizon and if you are careful about how you use it."
That's it. That's the secret. Because if you get too cute -- chasing hot sectors, buying high and selling low, and giving yourself only six months or less to master a given investment strategy -- you're simply setting yourself up for failure.

#WARRENBUFFETTTELLSYOUHOWTOTURN$40INTO$10MILLION By Patrick Morris

Warren Buffett is perhaps the greatest investor of all time, and he has a simple solution that could help an individual turn $40 into $10 million.
A few years ago, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) CEO and Chairman Warren Buffett spoke about one of his favorite companies, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), and how after dividends, stock splits, and patient reinvestment, someone who bought just $40 worth of the company's stock when it went public in 1919 would now have more than $5 million.

Yet in April 2012, when the board of directors proposed a stock split of the beloved soft-drink manufacturer, that figure was updated and the company noted that original $40 would now be worth $9.8 million. A little back-of-the-envelope math of the total return of Coke since May 2012 would mean that $9.8 million is now worth about $10.8 million.
The power of patienceI know that $40 in 1919 is very different from $40 today. However, even after factoring for inflation, it turns out to be $540 in today's money. Put differently, would you rather have an Xbox One, or almost $11 million?
But the thing is, it isn't even as though an investment in Coca-Cola was a no-brainer at that point, or in the near century since then. Sugar prices were rising. World War I had just ended a year prior. The Great Depression happened a few years later. World War II resulted in sugar rationing. And there have been countless other things over the past 100 years that would cause someone to question whether their money should be in stocks, much less one of a consumer-goods company like Coca-Cola.
The dangers of timing
Yet as Buffett has noted continually, it's terribly dangerous to attempt to time the market:

"With a wonderful business, you can figure out what will happen; you can't figure out when it will happen. You don't want to focus on when, you want to focus on what. If you're right about what, you don't have to worry about when" 

So often investors are told they must attempt to time the market, and begin investing when the market is on the rise, and sell when the market is falling.
This type of technical analysis of watching stock movements and buying based on how the prices fluctuate over 200-day moving averages or other seemingly arbitrary fluctuations often receives a lot of media attention, but it has been proved to simply be no better than random chance.
Investing for the long termIndividuals need to see that investing is not like placing a wager on the 49ers to cover the spread against the Panthers, but instead it's buying a tangible piece of a business.
It is absolutely important to understand the relative price you are paying for that business, but what isn't important is attempting to understand whether you're buying in at the "right time," as that is so often just an arbitrary imagination.
In Buffett's own words, "if you're right about the business, you'll make a lot of money," so don't bother about attempting to buy stocks based on how their stock charts have looked over the past 200 days. Instead always remember that "it's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price."

How About Three Wonderful Companies?
The Economist compares this disruptive invention to the steam engine and the printing press. Business Insider says it's "the next trillion dollar industry." And everyone from BMW, to Nike, to the U.S. Air Force is already using it every day. Watch The Motley Fool's shocking video presentation today to discover the garage gadget that's putting an end to the Made In China era... and learn the investing strategy we've used to double our money on these 3 stocks. Click here to watch now!

Some bonus investing advice for 2014 
The Economist  compares this disruptive invention to the steam engine and the printing press.  Business Insider  says it's "the next trillion dollar industry." And everyone from BMW, to Nike, to the U.S. Air Force is already using it every day. Watch The Motley Fool's  shocking video presentation  today to discover the garage gadget that's putting an end to the Made In China era... and learn the investing strategy we've used to double our money on these 3 stocks.  Click here  to watch now!

$19 TRILLION INDUSTRY COULD DESTROY INTERNET
It's time to say "goodbye" to your Internet!

One bleeding-edge technology is about to put the World-Wide-Web to bed. And if you act right away, it could make you wildly rich. Experts are calling it the single largest business opportunity in the history of capitalism... The Economist is calling it "transformative"... But you’ll probably just call it "how I made my millions." 

#THELITTLESHOPTHAT'SPUTTINGCHINAOUTOFBUSINESS.

A new store recently opened at 298 Mulberry Street in downtown Manhattan.

And if you walk in the door, you'll see something truly amazing. And I'm not just talking about the characters from Sesame Street.

Because this is something that's about to close down 112,000 Chinese factories...

... And launch a 21st-century industrial revolution right here in the U.S.A.

Jay Leno bought one and put it in his garage (but it's not a car).

So did Nike, BMW, and Disney World. And now that Sesame Street has jumped on board... your kids' dreams could come to life inside this tiny New York storefront.

But since the sticker price has recently plummeted from $100,000 to $799, it won't be long before everyone buys one.

Business Insider says it's "the next trillion dollar industry." The Economist has gone even further, comparing its history-changing impact to the steam engine and the printing press.

Too good to be true? Wall Street thinks so. Meanwhile, technology watchers are whispering that this invention could be "bigger than the internet."

See, the innovators behind the iPod, Google and Amazon.com have been big boosters all along. And you still have time to join them — if you act fast.

Because when the skeptics wise up, the big money will already be off the table.

#JORDANLEBRONKOBESIGNONWITHNEWSPORTSBUSINESS.

Exclusive: Consulting firm Teneo has lured the three biggest basketball stars on the planet, along with golfer Graeme McDowell, to its beefed-up sports arm. Will it usher in a new era?

How do you get Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to join your new sports business?
You bring on board a former Nike NKE 0.29% executive that has close, personal relationships with all three.
The business is Teneo Sports, which has existed since Teneo Inc., a global consulting firm, launched in 2011. The key executive is Charlie Denson, who worked at Nike for 34 years and was brand president from 2001 until last January, when he retired.
That retirement didn’t last long: Fortune has learned that Denson has joined Teneo Sports as its chairman; Jordan, Bryant, James and pro golfer Graeme McDowell are its first four athlete clients.
That’s a star-studded opening lineup that contains the world’s most famous living retired athlete, the NBA’s two biggest stars, and one rising-star golfer with a U.S. Open win under his belt. Two of those men landed in the top ten of our 2014 Fortunate 50 list of athlete earnings, and they compete with each other on the court, which made getting each of them on board particularly challenging. But Denson was the draw for the basketball players. McDowell, meanwhile, already had a sponsorship with Teneo, which meant placement of its name on his sleeve.
Declan Kelly and Paul Keary, both formerly of FTI Consulting, co-founded Teneo (pronounced teh-NAY-oh) in 2011 along with Doug Band, who spent a decade as an advisor to President Bill Clinton. The company provides services such as strategic communications, management consulting, investment banking and financial restructuring to a number of Fortune 100 corporations and CEOs.
Teneo has had a sports business since the beginning, but that business primarily helped cities or organizations make bids for sports events, such as the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010 and in Sochi in 2014, both of which Teneo had a hand in. The company also has existing relationships with NASCAR and the WTA, among others. Teneo did not, previously, work with individual athletes, with the exception of McDowell and retired tennis legend Billie Jean King, who are official partners. Under Denson’s leadership, Teneo Sports will now provide athletes with a one-stop shop for their marketing and branding needs.
This is not a sports agency, though many will likely equate it with one. The athletes joining Teneo are retaining their agents, and those agents are not joining Teneo. Rather, Teneo seeks to let agents continue to manage their clients in the way they traditionally do, while Teneo will provide a wide range of business services for its athlete clients, including wealth management, tax planning, personal branding, business development and strategic partnerships. (This news comes just one month after Teneo brought on former U.S. senator George Mitchell as a senior adviser.)
The notion that is new here (or at least in keeping with current trends) is of the athlete as CEO of his or her own brand. The athlete is the content creator and the face of the brand. The agent’s role remains the same, but Teneo aims to improve on the typical model — where athletes outsource their various business needs to a range of different specialists — by giving the athlete only one call to make for any number of business needs. Teneo has partnered with a few entities for help with these functions, including Wieden and Kennedy for creative, UBS for finance, and DLA Piper, a leading sports law practice, for legal services.
This concept comes at a time when the business of athletes off the field or court is evolving. Endorsement deals are no longer simply about brands paying an athlete a fee to hawk their products (though those still exist, certainly), but more and more are about an athlete getting equity in a promising new business. Take LeBron James and Beats By Dre as the example: James signed on early, appearing in ads and using the product, not for any kind of endorsement fee but for an ownership percentage. That small stake, estimated at only one or two percent, reportedly brought James a windfall of $30 million when Beats sold to Apple last month for $3 billion. It’s what David Wright did a few years ago with Vitamin Water, and it’s what Mark Teixeira has done with Juice Press, and Vernon Davis with D1 Sports. This new model is also, experts say, a way for big brands to hedge better against the possibility of image-damaging athlete scandals.
To be sure, other big sports agencies such as IMG or Octagon — powerhouses that Teneo does not see as its competitors in this new venture — also offer services beyond mere representation, and would likely argue that Teneo is not the first to try something like this. But Teneo believes that Teneo Sports will be a game-changer, and so it will only be seeking athletes matching the caliber of its first four: a level that probably only includes some 100 stars across all the major global sports. In other words, it’s a tall order.
But the agents of at least these four stars, for starters, are fully on board. That includes big names in the representation world such as Rob Pelinka (Bryant’s agent), Rich Paul (James’s) and Colin Morrissey of Horizon (childhood friend and agent of McDowell). Maverick Carter, LeBron’s business manager and partner in LRMR Management, tells Fortune that the appeal of Teneo Sports is an additive one — it doesn’t replace what LRMR has been doing so well for years, but adds to it.
“What Teneo is setting up is what I’ve always set out to do since I started working with him,” says Carter. “It’s exactly what LRMR set out to do. They’re not out to make his next McDonald’s deal and take a fee, like I do as my business, but they’ll just be additional smart, like-minded people in the room to help me think about everything I’m doing.” Carter and James created LRMR in 2004, and in 2007 they bought a stake in Cannondale Bikes; when they sold that a year later for an undisclosed profit, Carter says, “it showed everyone, whoa, this idea really works, it’s real. That wasn’t the way things were done, but it’s the way we want to do things.”
Each of the four stars is joining Teneo Sports for different reasons, and no meeting between them all was necessary, but Carter says he did speak to Bryant directly at one point during the process.
McDowell was interested because he sees a change in the accessibility of pro athletes: they are now touchable, tangible people with whom fans can engage. Due to social media, it’s more difficult for them to hide and to be private. As a result, the athlete brand has to be extremely authentic. McDowell, who has some six to eight endorsements or corporate partnerships already, including with Verizon, MasterCard, and RBC, is looking to further cement what exactly the Graeme McDowell brand stands for.
What the Teneo Sports brand will stand for is a different question. In an age when Jay Z is a bona fide sports agent building Roc Nation Sports into a legitimate player, and an age in which Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr. foregoes a press conference after his debilitating injury and instead posts a video of himself to YouTube, the sports marketing world is open for change. As Maverick Carter puts it, “LeBron is at the size where he does need to be run like a big company, so I’m not afraid to bring more smart people on board to help me do it.”

#THEPOWERFULQUESTIONSTHATWILLCHANGEYOURLIFEFOREVER by James McWhinney

Information is not knowledge.” ~Einstein
A few years ago I was lost. Frustrated. Scared. Unsure. Anxious. Trapped. Unfulfilled. Stuck in a dead-end job. Smothered by society’s expectations. Didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life.
I cared for myself enough to change my life, but I didn’t have the slightest clue where to start. I spent my days wishing that things would change—that I could escape a life that my soul could no longer bear.
The worst part of all, I was living the life that society had always told me to live. “Find a secure job, work hard,” they would say. “Get a solid job and work your way up the ladder.”
I don’t know about you, but it turns out that for me, the “right thing to do” sucked the joy out of life.
Imagine feeling trapped in an unsatisying existence. Wasting your precious time doing things that you really don’t want to be doing. Being afraid to express your uniqueness. Having fun on the weekends then dreading the upcoming week. Maybe you don’t have to imagine it; maybe your life is just like mine was, few moments of satisfaction drowned out by a constant grind of work that doesn’t fulfill you.
Then something hit me. It was a proverbial hammer to my head. I’d heard it before, but it had never sunk in. Then, as if out of nowhere, a voice in my head spoke loudly and clearly.
“Discover who you truly are and fully give every aspect of your uniqueness to the world. This is your path to an extraordinary life.”
I followed this wisdom as if my life depended on it. And I can tell you that my life has changed for the better since I followed this guidance.
I can tell you without any doubt that the greatest piece of wisdom that I’ve discovered in my life thus far is this:
If you want to live an extraordinary life it is imperative that you know who you truly are, and to do so you must explore who you truly are. 
These 6 questions changed my life forever. They will also change your life forever by allowing you to find your true self, and in doing so, discover why you’ve been born into this great world.
I’m not talking about the “self’” that others demand you to be or the self that acts a certain way to fit in and conform with what society accepts. I’m talking about the true you—the you who wants to authentically express your special and unique qualities to the world.
By answering these questions you will discover your unique passions, strengths, values, desires, and motivations, which are all yearning for your expression.
You have a unique purpose. Discovering the answers to these questions will allow you to align yourself with that purpose and bring real magic into your life.
Self-knowledge is the greatest knowledge that you will ever acquire. Why? Because your ability to fulfill your unique internal drive will determine your ability to fulfill your potential, which in turn determines the quality of your life.
The questions below are designed to help to know yourself deeply and find what is truly important to you. We all have an unexpressed potential; the exercises are specifically designed to help you find yours.

1. What do I absolutely love in life?

List anything that you love about the world and the people in your life. Think about any activities that get you excited and enthusiastic and make you feel most alive. This can be absolutely anything: music, sports, cooking, teaching others, learning, watching movies—anything. Within your love for these things lies deep passion.

2. What are my greatest accomplishments in life so far?

List all of the moments that you are proud of as well as the times that you’ve succeeded. To have accomplished these, you would have used some of your key strengths. See if you can identify why you succeeded. Also, list any activities, hobbies, or anything else that you do that you complete with ease. Within these lie greatest strengths.

3. What would I stand for if I knew no one would judge me?

List everything that you would do if you weren’t afraid, even your wildest dreams. This will help you discover your greatest values.

4. If my life had absolutely no limits and I could have it all and do whatever I wanted, what would I choose to have and what would I choose to do?

Describe your ideal lifestyle. List what you would do throughout the day if you knew that you were bound to be successful, what kind of person you would be, how much money you would earn, and where you would live.
This question allows you to realize who you would truly want to be if there were no limits. By aligning with this you can begin working towards the life that you truly want to create. Know that you wouldn’t have a desire if you didn’t also have the ability to fulfil it.

5. What would I do if I had one billion dollars?

List everything that you would really love to do if you had all the money in the world. Okay, so you would probably travel the world, buy a house or two, and give some money to your family. Then what would you do with your time?
This question helps you to think without limitations. When we are able to remove limitations and boundaries, we can discover what we really want to do.

6. Who do I admire most in the world?

List your greatest inspirations and the qualities that you admire about these people. Think about what really inspires you in this world. What you admire about others is also a quality that is in you. Know that you admire someone because they have similar qualities to you.
Taking the time to answer these question will change your life. The more that you can implement your passions, strengths, values, desires, and motivations into your days, the happier your life will become!
You can study to become a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or anything else, but this knowledge will only take you so far. Meanwhile, discovering the deep wisdom of self-knowledge will ensure that your life is far more meaningful and fulfilling. I’ve got a feeling that is what Einstein meant when he said “Information is not knowledge.”
The most valuable knowledge that you will ever discover is, and always will be, within.

#GERMANY'SNATIONALSOCCERTEAM #DAMAGEDTHEWORLDTROPHYATANAFTERTHEPARTY.

According to FOX Soccer,  the German national soccer team damaged the World Cup trophy at an after party in Rio.

“At one spot a small piece was chipped off, but don’t worry. We have specialists who can fix it,” FB president Wolfgang Niersbach told German news magazine Spiegel.

They weren’t able to find out how the trophy got damaged, but the good news is that it’s actually not the original World Cup trophy since FIFA took it back right after the match in order to keep it safe.

#MIAMIHEATNATIONMEDIA: #MARIONCHALMERSSPEAKOUTABOUTLEBRONJAMES by Bradford J. Ahn

Many people in the sports world are clamoring over the decision of LeBron James and how the move from Miami to Cleveland was the right choice to make, in the end. Many people, except Mario Chalmers. Chalmers and LeBron have had a history of mouthing off at each other both on and off the court and it seems like the verbal feuding between the two has not come to an end, even with LeBron over 1,000 miles away.

A subtle shot at his supposedly “big brother?” Chalmers insists that no love is lost between the two, however, who knows if Chalmers is merely trying to keep a politically correct face in the media.

Whatever the case may be, when LeBron first joined his band of brothers in Miami he felt the entire roster to be family, including Mario Chalmers. Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated reported this statement by LeBron immediately following the decision part two,

“I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that’s exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys.”

Chalmers resigned with the Heat on a two-year contract and is expected to reclaim his starting duties on the Heat roster.

#LEBRONJAMESJTEXTMESSAGEDHISHIGHSCHOOLCOACH, #WANTSTORETURNTOTHECAVALIERS.

After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 Finals, LeBron James had opted out of his Miami Heat contract. By exercising his early termination option, James instantly caused another massive media storm by becoming a NBA free agent. Where will James go? Will he play for a third team? Once LeBron James opted out, both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided to follow suit by opting out of their contracts as well. At the time, this plan was for one major reason. For the Miami Heat to be able to restructure the contracts of the ‘Big Three’ and hopefully attract additional talent so that the team could once again contend for the NBA championship. However, as each day passes by in free agency, LeBron James’ NBA future seems to be parting farther and farther away from the plans of the Miami Heat. Per Joshua Teplitz, it was said that after losing the 2014 Finals, LeBron James already had his sights on returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James apparently texted his high school coach Dru Joyce II informing that the ‘King‘ plans to head back to Cleveland.

#AFRICANAMERICANINCIVILWARMEDICINEEXHIBIT.

The Medical Center Library & Archives is pleased to announce that we will host "Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine," a six-banner traveling exhibition developed and produced by the Exhibition Program at the National Library of Medicine with research assistance from The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. The exhibit will be on display from June 9th - July 19th on Level 2R of the Medical Center Library & Archives.
This exhibit will feature African-American men and women who served as surgeons and nurses during the American Civil War and how their service as medical providers challenged the prescribed notions of race and gender, pushing the boundaries of the role of African Americans in America. Many histories have been written about medical care during the Civil War, but the participation and contributions of African Americans as nurses, surgeons, and hospital workers has often been overlooked.

#ESPNSPORTNATIONTAKESASHOTATCARMELOANTHONY FOR #TAKINGMAXDEAL.

NBA star free agent Carmelo Anthony might’ve stayed with New York, but still has been receiving a lot of negative views from fans. ESPN’s SportNation decided to put Carmelo Anthony on the spot by clarifying the REAL reason why ‘Melo’ stayed with the Knicks. 

Prior to the huge contract signing, ‘Melo’ had always been clear about winning and sacrificing in order to bring a great team to the Knicks, however then turns around and inks a five-year deal worth $129 million (max figure). Per Phil Jackson, Carmelo Anthony did decide to take less than the maximum to assist with the Knicks’ flexibility in cap space, however ‘Melo’ only took around $7 million less to help ($122-$123 million/5-years). We doubt the Knicks could bring in a wave of stars to the ‘Garden’ with an additional $7 million. Listen… if money is Carmelo’s thing, own to it, but ‘Melo‘ kills his credibility if he keeps on saying that he’s all about ‘sacrifice and winning.’ Clearly, Anthony is not, especially when money is on the line. 

#LEBRONJAMES- #IAMCOMINGHOME

We can’t wait until the next NBA season begins! With LeBron James deciding to leave Miami and return to Cleveland, it’s going to be like a movie. 

#ROBERHORRYTALKSBOSHPARSONSROCKETS.

Robert Horry will always have a special place in Rockets' fans hearts.
Just two years after Houston picked him 11th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft, the forward helped the Rockets to the first of their only two NBA championships. That's when he started laying the foundation for his reputation as "Big Shot Bob" for hitting clutch shots in big moments throughout his 16 years in the NBA. In addition to the Rockets, Horry also won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs, joining John Salley as the only players to win NBA titles with three different teams.
Horry still lives in Houston and keeps tab on the Rockets and he briefly spoke with CSN Houston on Wednesday about the team's recent offseason moves.
On Chris Bosh:
"I thought it would be hard to lure him away from Miami. It's hard once you get settled and make the money."
On Chandler Parsons: 
"You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but I understand especially since you’re already paying (James) Harden and (Dwight) Howard. I’ve been involved with Rockets when something like this has happened. You have to realize it’s a business."
On the Rockets:
"If they’re smart they’ll go after (Carlos) Boozer. They need another power forward -- someone with the strength he can provide." (Note: On Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls used the amnesty clause to remove Boozer from their roster, so he can now sign with the team that bids the highest for his services and one that has the requisite salary cap space. Multiple reports on Thursday say the Lakers have won the bidding process.)
"(Trevor) Ariza's stats are about the same as Parsons' but I think Ariza is a better defender. I still see them as basically the same team as they were last year -- the No. 4 team in the West. They're still a great team, especially with a great player, defender and shot blocker like Dwight Howard." 

#PHILJACKSONSAYSDWIGHTHOWARDLEFTLAKERSBECAUSEOFKOBEBRYANT.

This may not be ground-breaking news anymore as most people pegged this to be the reason for Dwight Howard’s departure from the Los Angeles Lakers, but Phil Jackson cleared up any gray area there might have been. The Zen Master, in his new book, states that Howard had no interest coming back to the Lakers once Kobe told him he planned on playing a few more years.
Via New York Daily News:

The Lakers invited Kobe and Steve to the final pitch meeting to help persuade Dwight to come on board. It sounded like a good idea. Steve sent out an amusing tweet before the meeting: “Dwight Howard we’re coming for you. You’re going to love the statue we build for you outside Staples in 20yrs!” And Kobe made a moving speech during the pitch, promising to teach Dwight the secret of winning championships that he’d learned from the best in the game.

If the meeting had ended there, it might have worked. But after the presentation, Dwight asked Kobe what he was planning to do after he recovered from his Achilles injury. Was this going to be his last year? “No,” replied Kobe. “I’m planning to be around for three or four more years.”

At that point, according to others in the room, Dwight’s eyes went blank and he drifted away. In his mind, the game was over.

Kobe Bryant will have his name mentioned among the greats someday and surely of this era, but the fact remains that many players were never fond of playing with him. From the Shaquille O’Neal feud to the Karl Malone incident, Kobe went through the 2000s with drama attached to his name.
Even the Zen Master himself apparently wanted to trade Kobe going so far to say he was “uncoachable.” And, of course, more recently, Kobe Bryant had a “beef” with little-known guard Smush Parker. Kobe Bryant may end as the most polarizing superstar in any generation. But that doesn’t mean everyone has liked him over the years. We can add D12 to that list.

#THETHINGSTOKNOWABOUTHAVINGASOCIALMEDIACAREER.by Megan Brown

You can't eat a meal without Instagramming it. You're the Foursquare mayor of every room in your apartment. Once—a day you will remember forever—@shaq retweeted you.
Yep, you're pretty much addicted to social media. Wouldn't it be great if you not only got to use social media endlessly but also had the opportunity to design and implement creative campaigns and strategies—and get paid to do it?
It doesn't hurt that "social media" is a buzzword in, well, pretty much every industry. That means the job market is full of companies looking to hire someone for their social media. It could be you. However, there are a few things you need to know first.
As the social media strategist at iAcquire, I'm going to dish some inside information on what you need to know about having a career in social media.
1. Understand different facets of social media careers.
Working in social media isn't just writing clever tweets. It's a lot more than that, and there are different facets to these kinds of jobs. Some of these positions are separate, but often if you're working at a smaller company, you'll fill several of these roles:
Community manager: Community managers both internally and externally build a reputation for the company and extend its reach online. This includes creating a Twitter chat for your industry or company to lead, organizing offline networking events, moderating and participating in a forum your organization runs, and more. Most community managers are excellent at emulating the company voice as well as efficiently and calmly handling any complaints or issues that may arise.
Social strategist: As a social strategist, you'll create social campaigns and strategies to meet certain goals for your organization (or, if you work at an agency, your organization's clients). You will need to know how to track success on social media and target social messaging for audiences. Social strategists should be able to take advantage of tools that improve audience engagement, know how to use and interpret analytics tools, and be able to think innovatively when using social media to promote goals.
You can also look into other social media roles such as content programmers, bloggers, social networking analysts and social media developers to decide which is the best fit for you.
2. Getting a job in social media requires more than just an impressive résumé.
A great résumé helps, but when you're interviewing for a social media position, you need to bring your A-game. Companies are looking for someone who can not only speak to a community online, but who are also personable and social offline, because you may be meeting with clients and attending conferences or events.
You'll also want to display your creativity; doing so in your cover letter or elsewhere in your application can boost you to the top of the interview list. (Here's a good example of how one Brazen Careerist contributor used her creativity to land a social media manager position.) Use good judgment, and be natural. Don't be too out there. Trying too hard or appearing insane will turn off potential employers.
Be prepared to answer questions on the spot as to what you would do for that company to improve their social presence. The best candidates already come with suggestions as to how to boost a company's social success.
3. Expect to be on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week—but get major perks.
Social media doesn't sleep. This doesn't mean you don't get any shut-eye, but it does mean that you should be prepared to handle whatever comes at you, even if you're not in the office.
Crisis situations and customer complaints should be dealt with in a timely and efficient manner. Don't jump the gun on resolving what could be a volatile situation—if necessary, call your boss. It might be the weekend, but he will appreciate that you asked for his input before making a rash decision.
However, not everything you handle in your off hours will be negative. Your company hired you to work in social media, so they want you to be social. You might get to travel to attend social media conferences and networking events to meet and learn from others in your industry. Also, if your company is hosting an event, you will be the eyes and ears for those unable to attend.
4. Harness the power to innovate and inspire others in your industry.
Although you may be learning from other social media professionals when you get started, don't mistake this communication as one-sided. Because the industry is ever changing, you will discover new ways to innovate the social space; your company, as well as the connections you've made, will give you the platform to share your insights. Social media is a field in which you not only get to participate and create, but also shape the future.
What attracts you to a social media career? What other questions do you have about the job or field?

#HOWBADGRAMMARMAYBEDAMAGINGYOURBRAND by Kevin Allen

Your brand, it seems, might be in danger as well.

It’s easy to blame the Internet’s hyper-speed culture for creating some super annoying shorthand, but for some of us, grammar is still valued.

Writing for Forbes, Jason DeMers asks an important question: Is bad grammar killing your brand? He writes:

For business owners, advertisers, and marketers, the effect of the internet on grammar and spelling reaches further than many expect. It goes beyond personal communications and being slightly irked at random typos and errors that one may come across while perusing the web; how a brand communicates and connects online is a reflection of the company itself, and that includes using certain types of languages on various social and digital platforms.

When developing a brand voice, there’s always the question of how conversational you should be in what you say and how you say it. It’s a delicate balance—and one that can make or break a brand’s image.

The need to be “authentic” is often mistaken as the need to sound like your audience. Sound too much like your audience, though, and you can end up coming across as just as roughly as they do.

How do you strike a balance?