Flat Track Today

October 19, 2009

Hello Monday.. So happy you are here. Last week’s weekly thought was dedicated to my personal friend originally from Skaneateles then moved to New Orleans and suffered through Hurricane Katrina. If you have voted for his mission, I personally thank you. This week’s weekly thought will be all over the place but hopefully a good read with your coffee this morning! Thanks for reading.

I am so happy to see that those racers are getting their resumes done early and that they are electronic, think about all those trees we are saving!! GREAT!! Remember you are doing your part. Also the resumes I have seen are actually focusing on value over “me. Me me” well done. You understand that potential sponsors want to know how you are going to market them and bring customers that will buy their products or services. The industry as a whole is huge and budgets are more conservative then ever these days. Start early!!

The password protected page for your resumes on Flat Track Today is growing in hits. It is with my intention to keep this page as password protected forever and that only qualified potential sponsors will get access.

I talked with my silent partner this month about offering advertisements in banners on the website, however, for now we will continue to be free of that until we meet about it again.

Today in Florida it is quite chilly so I am lucky enough to where my hoodie from Screamin’ Eagle. I think I shall wear it all week to bring some good vibes to Kenny Coolbeth. Coolbeth, a long time friend and a client of mine has a big race approaching in Pomona. I wish him all my best as always; I also am sending out good vibes for safe travels and luck to the rest of the field.

This weekend was interesting… Tuesday I went window shopping for cars. My #67 license plate needed a new home. So my BFF and I went searching. We looked at Cadillac first and while some of those models were nice, they certainly didn’t do a thing for me. We then landed at Buick; I have never been to a Buick dealership and thought I must be getting old. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see many 40ish people in the lot. And there she was… The Lacrosse. The black one was nice, the interior not as nice. So I decided to get a quote based on my needs and wants… The wait time was 8 weeks. That sounded alright. I was to go home and count my piggy bank. Wednesday the call came from Buick, One came in with more bells and whistles then I wanted but everything else the same. I took Corey who was less then willing of my even looking at an “old mans car” but none the less he was very impressed. Sharp, sleek, made well and rode like a beauty. I have never had a car with leather seats and I was just in awe. I went back home to punch numbers; this one was out of my price range. Buick is really what you see is what you get, not like the old days when you can negotiate… It is what it is. I did qualify for a few incentives I think about $1500 worth but still was over budget. I searched the internet to find something that would tell me no; didn’t find anything! So, Friday I took possession of the 2010 CXL Lacrosse. She is now supporting the #67 license plate, and she is beautiful. After downloading my itunes and pairing my iphone I quickly understood the capabilities of this machine and was a chatter box all weekend about it. This model is not the old mans car and I don’t feel old in it at all, but rather refined.. I am in fact pushing 41 at a high rate of speed. I was really concerned that she wasn’t Hacker blue like the old one, but the number 67 found it’s home. That night driving out to celebrate I had that moment. The entire interior lit up in “Hacker Blue“; it was then I realized “All is good”.

The weekend was more like 1999. A girl with a new car and her BFF’s wanting to celebrate. I felt like I was 21 again but with a brain. We went out both Friday and Saturday nights and averaged a get home time at 2am… I drove of course, needed to show her off so I was the responsible one and by Sunday I was exhausted and spent the day cleaning and reading the manual.

Now it’s Monday, many are preparing for the seasons finale, I will wear a Coolbeth shirt under the sweatshirt in hopes for good things. My stars must be aligned as I am way ahead of schedule for racing and work is settling down.. Could this actually mean I do have a silly season? Is this my silly season…? I am pretty sure it won’t last long and that’s ok…

She Loves Racing has filled her client list for 2010. We are still offering resume services up until December 1^st.

Enjoy your week, step out of your comfort zone but remember to regroup and refocus for better productivity.

Till next time…

Jennifer ( Go #1)

October 5, 2009

On time with the new weekly thought, I will however not lie and tell you that this weeks message only came to me a short while ago. So.. I finally figured out why my parents insisted that I clean my room all those years ago… I now know it had really nothing to do with being responsible and having chores to get an allowance; but rather something that ran so true today just a few hours ago.

I have had the last few weeks just as busy as one could be. My monthly, weekly and daily lists had got to the point to mapping out an hourly list and scheduling in bed time, showers etc.

During the last few weeks, things had suffered greatly in my home life. I simply forgot the laundry, dishes, grocery shopping. My house wouldn’t pass any inspection whatsoever. With everything around me in one big mess ; it directly effected my creativity and while I sat at the computer to nail down the important to do list, my brain froze and I sat like an artist with no inspiration.

This morning I got up and wondered if the laundry fairy had while I was sleeping; unfortunately, she hadn’t; neither did the Grocery queen or the dish princess and I was faced with.. “ what do I do now:. I really tried to block it all out and made my way to the computer to get Monday’s work completed. I sat for awhile and produced very little. I became nervous and irritated and decided to focus on cleaning up the house and doing the laundry. When I was seeing the sparkle come back into the kitchen and my house returning back to normal I had my “Ah Ha” moment. I didn’t want to lose my momentum and I didn’t want to work all night either.. So I hurried on the computer and started writing.

For the next several hours I was very productive, crossing out items in my to do list and right on top of things. Now it occurred to me…

Cleaning my room as a teenager really wasn’t about anything that my parents had told me it was but rather helping me as a person feel accomplished. Knowing that the place around me that is dirty, cluttered and messy effects how my day will actually flow. When things are in order and presentable ; my day will be as good as my surroundings.

Right before Daytona, I joke around with the riders and tell them I will be inspecting their pits, I am not doing this to rat them out later, but rather help them understand that an inviting well organized pit will help mentally out on the track. When things are where they should be; there are no worries or frustrations. Full speed ahead!

During the off season coming up. I would hope you would get organized, get things into place and clean up your ongoing mess and then enjoy what lies ahead.

Til next time

Jennifer

September 28, 2009

How do you measure time?

Prehistoric man, by simple observation of the stars, changes in the seasons, day and night began to come up with very primitive methods of measuring time. This was necessary for planning nomadic activity, farming, sacred feasts, etc..

The earliest time measurement devices before clocks and watches were the sundial, hourglass and water clock.

The forerunners to the sundial were poles and sticks as well as larger objects such as pyramids and other tall structures. Later the more formal sundial was invented. It is generally a round disk marked with the hours like a clock. It has an upright structure that casts a shadow on the disk - this is how time is measured with the sundial.

The hourglass was also used in ancient times. It was made up of two rounded glass bulbs connected by a narrow neck of glass between them. When the hourglass is turned upside down, a measured amount of sand particles stream through from the top to bottom bulb of glass. Today's egg timers are modern versions of the hourglass.

Another ancient time measurer was the water clock or clepsydra. It was a evenly marked container with a spout in which water dripped out. As the water dripped out of the container one could note by the water level against the markings what time it was.

As our ways of measuring time has evolved, perception of time has also evolved. We now feel more rushed than we have before. As technology develops more people are find themselves taking more of their work home with them. Work time rolls over into personal time and no longer do we feel like we have as much leisure time as before. We find ourselves answering the phone discussing about work during our own personal time. When something goes wrong at work, we are immediately called in to fix it. The fine line between work and leisure has been thinned. The increase in technology has caused us to be unable to distinct between work time and leisure time.

I often find myself having little time for friends and my home life. My time is usually measured by my career week which extends upwards of 40 hours a week and mainly weekends utilized for the upcoming week. I also find that race season takes up the time that is left over on the weekends to update, explore and review.

Measuring time and the perception of time equals out to effective time management. This management is required for everyone who is wanting a successful racing career.

I have a printable calendar that sits on my desk that I utilize for a monthly review, a weekly and a daily to do list. These tools are specifically used for She Loves Racing and Flat Track Today. I forecast a month a head of time and pencil in a few days for “what ever comes up” events. It is usually a smooth process for me however may not work for those who can not extend past a weekly or daily to do list. There are those that cannot adhere to a schedule or deadline.

Most commonly those that are not formed to a schedule often get a bit crazy during silly season, missing out on deadlines for sponsorship and wondering “what will I do now”.

I have preached for way to long concerning a budget and plan when it comes to your racing programs. Your plan involves time. Time to do your budgets, time to do a resume, time to research and time to follow up and call.

Sponsorships will not fall into your lap, your phone will not be ringing off the hook unless you spend your time wisely and efficient.

Don’t waste peoples time by submitting or emailing a sponsor who has already outlined what is needed. Remember their own time is as valuable as yours.

I used to laugh back then when Mike Hacker would call me at 10:30 pm to discuss racing stuff for his program. It actually was a good time for both of us. He worked all day on the phone with his sponsor list, developed a list of to do’s and called me with his list. Things happened, we were in sync and it worked. However, after two years of that, my husband thought it interfered with” his time with me”. It probably did and we have then adjusted accordingly.

So going forward, let’s take an active approach on managing our time, keeping in mind that you must still have a life outside of your career or racing. If you write down what needs to be done on a monthly basis you can be more mindful of how much time you need to dedicate to your racing program. For those who simply do not know where to start…. Here is my suggestion…

Hopefully, you get the picture.

To conclude.. Time well spent equals success, memories and happiness. Time wasted is just that. One of my favorite all time groups the Eagles on

And the hours go by like minutes
and the shadows come to stay
So you take a little something
to make them go away
And I could have done so many things, baby
If I could only stop my mind from wonderin' what
I left behind and from worrying 'bout this wasted time

Til Next time…

Jennifer Sierzega