Be As You Are

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I am sending this email from international waters in Costa Rica, so please excuse any grammatical errors that were failed to be picked up!

I will also be celebrating MDW the only way an American should…

By attending Kenny Chesney at The Sphere (yes, I know, wild week).

Next week’s Diary will be a full recap on that + some ridiculous pictures on the new construction that is taking over the world.

So, stay tuned, but for now let’s stay focused on the task at hand. Non-boring thought leadership…

One Big (Authentic) Thing

Why is being authentic so hard?

I feel like it’s hard to come by these days. A real person.

Maybe it’s more so my world because I work in media, and social platforms are sometimes encouraging you to not be your true self.

You need to pretend you are someone you’re not on Instagram or TikTok in order to fit in.

BUT the most real people are the most successful, especially in media.

Novel concept, I know.

I’ve written about Dave Portnoy before, but he is the prime example. I just listened to him being interviewed on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast and it was a reminder for me.

Be you.

Right after the interview, I threw on Kenny Chesney on my iPod Mini (JK I don’t have an iPod) and one of the first songs was “Be As You Are”.

So yeah, next natural step was to pull out my laptop on this flight to Costa Rica and bang out a Diary post about it.

People see right through the BS. It’s unsettling to watch a person you know, try too hard to put on a performance that isn’t truly “them”.

I get it, sometimes it takes time to “find your true self”, again, especially in media.

But an easy way to find yourself is try something that you genuinely love and when something feels off or uncomfortable, cross that off the list and move on.

This isn’t just for media. My dad, someone I’ve written about a lot in here, is another perfect example.

Despite looking and acting like a true modern pirate that could have his own reality TV show, he made a successful career building a manufacturing company that produced radar absorbing materials mainly used by the US Military.

Throughout his entire professional journey, my father remained true to himself.

He never acted out of line from his personal character. And that got him a very long way in the way he treated employees, customers and the economics of important business deals.

If he tried to be this big bad CEO that thinks he’s mightier than everyone else, things would have gone south.

If he didn’t stick to his gut in situations, he wouldn’t have had as great an outcome as he did in business.

He’s now opening a marina in our hometown. A dream of his. A dream of any true pirate.

Originally it was called “The Marina at Amesbury Point”. BORING.

He got some pressure from people around him to go with that name and felt it was the more “professional” and would attract more people to bring their boat there and attend the restaurant on location.

Well, if anyone knows my dad, you know his nickname is “Durty”. A nickname that came from his grandmother “Durty Nellie”.

He embodies this name “Durty”. Whatever image you have in your head to fit the description of “Durty”, I’m sure you’re not far off from the exact description.

Does “Durty” sound like the name of a button up professional? No, it sounds like the name of a pirate. Because that’s exactly who he is.

So, me and my buddies were hounding him the last few years to change the name to “Durty’s Marina” to have a more authentic feel.

Honestly not sure what was the ultimate move that made him cave, but he happily calls the place “Durty’s Marina” now.

He feels more comfortable with the name, with the vibe. Because it’s truly who he is.

And I guarantee the customers in our small little town that know him well will respond better to the name and show out in more support.

If you’re a pirate at heart, then go be a f***ing pirate.

If you’re a buttoned-up professional at heart, go be a button up professional.

But at the very least, be as you are.

So, I really hope Kenny plays “Be As You Are” Saturday night at The Sphere in Vegas when I’m 47 Landsharks deep screaming my heart to the lyrics. I’ll be with my dad aboard Kenny’s crazy pirate ship surrounded by a legendary fan base that calls themselves “No Shoes Nation”. A group of people that aren’t afraid to be themselves

Photos to follow next week.

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💰 Betting Corner

The betting corner is coming off another W, so let’s keep the good times rolling.

Lock of the week: OVER 223.5 total points in tonight’s Knicks vs Pacers Game 1