My content is mostly talking basketball, technology and a little bit of the business elements of both, so if that interests you at all, go ahead and circle me over at my profile page on Google+.

Good, that is the way it should be.

Have so much on your plate that you are starting to become overwhlemed is exactly the position you should strive to be in.  Why?  Because having too much to do enables (forces) you to to prioritize your work and (hopefully) get you focused on the projects and tasks that really matter.

It is still easy to try and tackle the low-hanging fruit when there is too much to get done, and that can be okay too, as long as you remember what the main things are that are going to continue to push your business and career forward.  In other words, like Mark Zuckerburg's motto states: "Stay focused & keep shipping".

Of course there have been ups and down, struggles and regrets, but at the end of the day, it is technology and programming that has crafted the way I think, innovate and create.  Here are the joys of creating and implementing technology-based solutions and programs...

The pure joy of making things

No matter what it is: a software program, blog post, website, etc., there is something to be said for just creating something.  Anything.  And while I have often complained about never having made anything "tangible", I am happy to have gotten the chance to be a part of teams that created unbelievable things in the digital space.  The reach of a digital product is what makes it so powerful and fun.  While all digital products are made of the same 1's and 0's, it is the concept and creativity of a team that bring digital products to life.

The pure joy of making things that are useful to others

Making something is one thing, but making something that others use is another thing all by itself!  Recently I helped a former colleague out with a spreadsheet he was having problems with.  He was tracking a simple set of numbers on a sheet, but his numbers were off.  Come to find out, he was using a calculator on his desk and plugging the numbers into the sheet manually, causing human-error.  In just a couple of minutes, I reorganized his spreadsheet and put formulas in the cells to auto-calculate the results.  He uses the spreadsheet everyday, so I can't describe how good it feels to create even a simple formula to help him do his job easier.  That is one very small example, but I have been lucky enough to have been a part of big and small projects that changed how people worked.

Fascination with complex systems

Ever look at a plane and wonder how the heck a machine like that can fly? I am amazed by how far civilization has come - even in the past 20 years.  Heck, 10 years for that matter!  Technology is both simple and complex.  One line of code can be simple to write, but when that one line of code is part of 25,000 other lines of complex code, that one line of code can bring the whole system down.  And "lines of code" run many of the things we rely on in our every day lives: computers, mobile phones, airplanes, traffic control lights, etc., etc.  When you sit back and look at how amazing and complex our world is, you have a greater appreciation for technology.

You never stop learning

If there is one industry where you need to always be on your toes, it is technology.  Hardware, software, processes and methodologies change so fast that you cannot afford not to always be learning.  This is going to sound really preachy, but it is the truth, so take note newly appointed college graduates: Be willing to change your habits if you want to be successful...

• Sure, I would rather listen to music on my drive home, but I listen to industry podcasts
• Sure, I would rather read fiction novels, but instead I read books by thought leaders
• Sure, I would rather watch countless hours of reality TV, but instead I watch TED Talks on YouTube

That is not to say that I don't have fun, because I do. I watch worthless TV shows every now and then, go golfing, and flip through the latest issue of ESPN Magazine, but the point I am making is that you have to find ways to continuing learning.  After school ends, you are no longer "required" to learn, but you are going to have to motivate yourself to do it anyways.  The technology industry forces you to do it, but I enjoy it, so that is why technology is for me.

Like a magician, you can create things from nothing

Like a magician who pulls a rabbit out of a hat, a programmer can create anything out of nothing.  Give a programmer a text editor and web server access and he/she can create software programs that do just about anything.  Tell a programmer or technologist what your business problem is, and mostly likely they can solve it.  I love technology because it is very similar to basketball - you don't need much to play.  In hockey, you need to buy hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars worth of equipment, not to mention ice to skate on.  With basketball, all you need is a hoop and a ball, and there are tons of publicly-accessible hoops out there!  With technology, you just need a computer to sit down at, and you can get that for free at any public library (which just happens to have tons of reading materials on how to program too!).  Anyone with a love for technology can create something out of nothing.

I love the technology game and all that it has taught me...

An artist concept of a renovated Target CenterWhile the Vikings are not my favorite team in Minnesota, I do hope they stick around for the long run.  It would be weird not having a football team in Minnesota, given the long history of the franchise.  But now there is another reason this stadium bill interests me... the Target Center renovation is directly tied to it.  And as a new member of the Minnesota Timberwolves "Pack", the stadium bill passing is important to our organization as well.  And it doesn't just come down to new, fancier stadiums - it also means job creation and a revitalized downtown area, which brings business and energy to the State of Minnesota.  You can get all the information about the bill and how it relates to the Target Center Renovation by clicking here.

Getting involved in the government system is incredibly important, so no matter what your stance is on the stadium bill, it is important to make sure your voice is heard.  I hope you support the stadium bill, not only to keep the Vikings here, but also to support the Timberwolves, job creation and re-energizing downtown Minneapolis.

The stadium bill hits the Minnesota House floor on Monday.  To contact your representative, simply go to: http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/. Search for your House rep and drop them an email stating your stance on the stadium bill - or better yet, give them a call.

Supporting the stadium bill provides a sensible solution for Minnesota.  Thanks for your support!

Having a blog or website is like owning your own little piece of property on the web.  In my belief, it is the most powerful personal branding and marketing tool you can have.  While blogs can take a lot of work to feed and care for, having control over the experience you provide is something Facebook, Twitter and Google+ can't give you.  Those social sites are great ways to feed your blog, but in the end, should never replace your blog.

Interactive Designer - Minnesota Timberwolves (Minneapolis, MN)

Social Media Coordinator - Minnesota Timberwolves (Minneapolis, MN)

If you are interested in one of these positions, or know someone who would be, please apply using the links at the bottom of each job description.  I am looking forward to being a part of the Wolves/Lynx organization and getting to help select the next great team members who are going to transform the digital fan experience!

I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx basketball organization.  Effective on April 30, 2012, I will assume the role of Director of Interactive Services for the Wolves and Lynx, with the mission to take the organization's digital strategy to new and innovative heights.  My main responsibilities will be to oversee all of the the Timberwolves and Lynx digital properties, including timberwolves.com, lynxbasketball.com, WolvesNation.com and all of the social media properties.  From design to development to deployment, my team will be focusing on delivering the best digital content and web experience to basketball fans from all over the world.

For those of you who know me well, and know my love for basketball, you can only imagine my excitement to get the opportunity to "Run with the Wolves" professionally.  If there is a place where you can combine my love for digital/marketing/social and basketball, then I may have found it!  In all seriousness, this truly is a opportunity were all of my interests came together at just the right time.  I am just grateful I was standing at that intersection at that perfect time.

I will be wasting no time getting my feet wet in my new position.  One of my first responsibilities when I start on April 30th will be to fill two positions on my team to help support interactive design needs and social media coordination.  I love the progressive approach the Timberwolves/Lynx organization is taking on boosting their digital presence, and I am certainly excited to be a part of leading that charge!

It is difficult to leave Life Time Fitness after nearly three years of building a piece of their digital brand from scratch.  However, this is a natural step forward for my career - giving me the opportunity to continually challenge myself and provide me with a chance to experience another professional environment.

To everyone who helped me achieve this new goal and advance my career to the next level, I truly appreciate everything.  I hope you all will continue to follow my journey here on my blog, and perhaps we can learn a thing or two together.

Today I gave notice to Life Time Fitness that I would be ending my employment at the $1 billion Healthy Way of Life Company.  A company that when I joined back in May of 2009, was just starting to rebuild itself from a difficult economic climate the previous six months.  I came in as part of an Interactive team that was changing the landscape of the Life Time website - creating an experience where members could connect and engage with each other.  My position was to foster those communications, and build Life Time's social community from the ground-up.

Like a lot of things in life, not everything went as planned.  The community platform gave us some struggles in the beginning, and to this day, work continues on building the next generation of the Life Time web experience.  I was eventually moved off of that project, and shifted to the Corporate Communications team to oversee all of Life Time's social media efforts.

It has been a successful ride since then, one I would not trade for anything in the world.  I have learned so much about passion, committment and the power of teamwork.  When the main project I was on initially was struggling, it was the people who came together and supported each other.  We got through a lot of difficult days, and I was fortunate enough to build some extremely strong friendships these past three years.

The Life Time culture is one like I have never experienced before.  I have often said to friends and family that I never have worked at a company where you could witness true passion for sports, exercise, nutrition and overall health.  Getting paid to participate in meetings where the best yogis, personal trainers, and group fitness instructors get to talk their trade was something I never thought I would get to do.  I often sat back in my chair, amazed at the depth of knowledge each of these individuals had in their craft.

And the best part, these individuals I had the opportunity to sit next too day in and day out where changing lives.  Seriously changing lives.  I don't know if I will ever get a chance to witness human transformations like the ones I saw first-hand in the almost three years I was a part of the Life Time team.  This alone was an amazing experience.

There are so many great things I had the opportunity to do while with Life Time...

• I got to visit Leadville, Colorado to work at the most epic ultra-distance mountain bike race in the world
• I attended club grand opening events in Lenexa, Kansas and Beachwood, Ohio
• I spent a week in Phoenix, Arizona visiting all the Life Time clubs and interacting with members
• I traveled to Chicago twice, once to attend AdTech:Chicago and once to witness the Chicago Triathlon
• I helped build the second version of myLT.com
• I helped develop the concept for and administer "myStory" - the user generated content portal for all member success stories
• Helped launch my three-year vision of an official company blog, "The Healthy Way of Life Blog"
• Built a social media presence in three years that included over 175 properties, 150,000 followers and generated hundreds of millions of impressions
• And so much more that I can't even remember some of it, and those that I can remember are too long to list here... 

I have no doubt that Life Time will continue to grow and now I will be experiencing everything they have to offer from a different side... the member side!  There are still challenges ahead for Life Time - both online and offline - but I hope that I helped build the digital base that the existing staff can add on too, specifically on the social media side.

To those who are considering joining Life Time as an employee, all I can say is that I have no regrets about my time there.  It was an awesome place to call "home".

To those team members who I now call friends, it has been an unbelievable pleasure to work alongside some of the smartest individuals I have ever met.  Let's please stay in touch!

Now onto bigger and even better things as I move onto my next position with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx...