If you Don't Shape Your Dream Life, it will Never Happen

 The thrill of the Aussie Open for me took a huge hit last night when Grigor Dimitrov couldn't defeat Russian Qualifier Aslam Karatsev.

I love what I do in the world and try to strive for always being better. I consider myself to be a freelancing blogger and Entrepreneur on the side. I apologize for the lack of effort on this blog asof late, I am not someone that will ever give up on goals that I put out front of myself.

My dream was to be a professional sports better and investor. One is easier than the other but the two together is kinda fun. 

I've learned that not everyday is going to be a positive day. I need to ride the wave. 

Here are some of my goals from years ago:

   Sports Camps for kids with disabilities

      Public Speaking

             Get bapitzed

Be apart of a church

Have a video blog

Have a website

       TRU cares

Start a ESL school in an third world country

Have a YouTube channel

Coach basketball

Mock draft parties

Start Youth Center

Study Abroad

Co-op

Sports Tours

 

A few never really transpired but some are still possible as I try to be a better person each and everyday. 

 

Updates on the progress of a few of these things are coming in the near future.  

Which National Team is More Desperate: Basketball or Soccer ?

 This is a critical time to for both the Canadian Men's soccer program and Canadian Men's basketball as World Cup qualifying is right around the corner for soccer and basketball still has the back door tournament to compete for.  The Coronavirus has halted momentum for both programs with a qualify or bust approach should be the attitude for 2021. 

For me, not making the Octagon would be a huge failure. The team is loaded with talent and the competition in front of Canada is considerably a lot weaker from what Canada has had to go to the Hex

in previous years that I feel like I'm just waiting for this team to screw up some how. 

As for Men's basketball, there is a lot to consider. What was going to be a home tournament is not a for sure thing. Dr. Bonnie Henry didn't make an exception for the NHL bubble last summer and I can't see her making an exception for the FIBA OQT that is supposed to take place in late June early July but I'll be surprised if she lets five other teams from five different countries into the provincial capital seems like a long shot.

If Victoria is a no go than San Juan Porto Rico is the next safest bet. If that happens, don't expect the other five teams to bring their top teams. For one, the NBA playoffs might not be finished by June 29th so don't except the Greek Freak to be coming. More importantly, if any of these players have to spend any sort of time in quarantine than I doubt we get any NBA players coming. 

For things to get back to normal from a sporting accountability standpoint, restrictions have to be lifted at some point. Qualifying will be bittersweet in a empty arena. More so for Soccer but if one of the teams had a better chance at qualifying it would be the soccer team. 

We will see what happens in the build up to both but these two teams are very interesting when you try to compare them. Both face massive chances with competitive rosters. If history repeats itself than both will fall short of their desired goals. 

TSN 1040 Cancelled In Unprofessional Way

 The fact that TSN 1040 has now disappeared is a tough pill to swallow to say the least. When I think of TSN 1040 I automatically think of the Canucks memorable 2011 Stanley Cup Finals run that spring. Despite the bitter ending, the memories of staying up late to listen to the postgame show that regularly went to 1 or 2 in the morning. 

The writing was on the wall unfortunately, like newspapers I believe sports radio is a dying industry. It hit its peak between 2007-2012 and I guess Bell had to make some cuts. Radio is a very fun industry but it is hard to find a radio these days. We have adapted to getting our favourite radio station on apps which means we are not limited to our local radio shows and instead we can listen to our favourite station around the world. 

As someone who used to dream about being a radio show host, this hits home quite a bit. Hoping that Jeff Paterson finds a job somewhere. Hopefully with the Canucks where he belongs. 

The other thing that hurts is that in this day in age almost everyone can start a radio show and post it to Youtube. I will one day but right now I struggle to write on this blog consistently. 

What also crosses my mind about Bell choosing TSN 1040 to cut expenses is how pro Toronto Bell and Rogers is for that matter. Rogers Sportsnet Pacific used to have their own sportscentre and now it is a National feed with Toronto sports at the priority. 

Right now, it feels like the Titanic is sinking. The main disappointment in Vancouver is not the Canucks and on the bright side, I feel blessed to have this blog to make me feel like I'm part of the Vancouver sports world. 

Things will feel brighter eventually but right now I feel sick for my idols who worked at TSN 1040. Bell Media handled this so unprofessionally. 

Greg's Journey - January 19th 2021

 I am overcome by joy that I have been able to relax and reflect on the last few years. It hasn't been easy. At first I struggled to get where I wanted to be. From 2016-2018 I was desperate for a change of paste that I never got for various reasons, I plugged away through drinking a lot of Coke and Pepsi. 

Sports was what got me through the tough times. In fact, in 2017 I started my first sports betting account and by putting $100 in the account every month I decided that this was my way of investing. 

By 2018 I upped that amount to $200. Some months I would put more and other months I would put nothing in at all. I told myself if I ever got to $5,000 I would take it all out and move. Somewhere I could be happy with no distractions. 

It never got to that point. I didn't want help from my parents because something didn't seem right about that. At the same time, I didn't want the pressure of a 9-5 job and all that comes with it. There are pros and cons to both sides. 

Life on here is temporary and when your single, money is looked at differently than when you have a wife and two kids. For me it is even more different. I am on disability so getting a free 1,200 every month is important to me. 

This is where I always had trouble accepting what direction I wanted to go in life. I have so many options that at times it felt overwhelming. This is where the phrase the grass is always greener on the other side comes into play. A lot of people would have loved to have the life I have but for me it felt like I was living a life of unfulfilled potential.  

I can fully say that I have reached where I want to be in life. The turning point was Covid for sure as I now realize how good I had things a few years ago. I am going to try my hardest to give you a daily update on here as much as possible. I love my friends on here and I'm hopeful I can never get upset about little things again. 

Where Do The Canucks Fit in With the Canadian Division?

 Well, I don't remember that much from our win last night. I had five drinks yesterday but enjoyed the win. Today, I watched by myself and felt frustrated throughout most of the game. 

I'm trying my best to not over react but it is worrisome that we don't have a point target that we think will get us into the playoffs. In an 82 game season, that number is 93. 

Let's do the math, 93 X 56 / 82 = 63.5. If my math is correct, the Canucks have to go 31-23-2 to make the playoffs.

We are 1-1 right now but these early games never sit well with me. I mean it sucks to start the year off 2-5 or 3-4 for that matter. I really like how this team is assembled but we didn't play well against Canadian teams last year going 4-10. 

This is the real process of rebuilding a team. We made the playoffs last year which snapped a four year absence. Making the playoffs last year for me gives me some wiggle room as this team continues to progress. Having a playoffs or bust type attitude is an unhealthy fanbase in my opinion which is what we had from 2010 - 2014. 

Canucks fans need some patience. I want to win a Stanley Cup just as much as the other guy but it won't happen over night. When the Sedin twins were 22 years old we relished at the opportunity to win a division title. 2003 was a very exciting year for me as a fan. This organization now is in a very good place and I don't want that to go away.  Enjoy the process! 

Here is what the standings might look like this year:

Toronto        32-20-4

Montreal     30-20-6

Edmonton    30-20-6

Vancouver   28-24-4

Calgary      27-25-4

Winnipeg    26-26-4

Ottawa       23-31-2

Here is how I think the final standings will end. 500. hockey will likely not make the playoffs unless the top two teams run away with the division. Also it is hard to say what the records will be because of how many three point games their will be. 

Four games over 500 should be good enough because 57% of the division will make the playoffs. 

Four games over 500. is very doable for a team that has this much talent on it. 

Suns Are Not a Fluke

 The Phoenix Suns will be gunning for a 7-2 start tomorrow when they play the Detroit Pistons who are going in a completely different direction. 

James Jones the General Manager of the Suns has made the job look extremely easy in his year and a bit on the job. The team is assembled very nicely and don't expect their to be a slow down in the performance. They have beaten projected playoff teams and their seems to be a change in the balance of power in the Western Conference since the Suns 20+ win seasons a few years back. 

For one, Golden State is a 500. team without Klay Thompson. That is one team that the Suns can finish ahead of. Memphis while they have improved, aren't better than the Suns. Minnesota, will be fun to watch but not a playoff team. 

That brings the Suns into the Top 12. OKC is completely rebuilding and will not be a playoff team. The Kings have an unbelievable offense but as we saw in the early season, they struggle defensively and to top it all off, the Houston Rockets are imploding off the court with the James Harden saga. 

That would bring the Suns into the Top nine. From there, the rest of the teams are really good. Out of the other nine, the Suns just have to have a better record than one of them. They have already beat a handful of those teams. Dallas, Utah and Denver all have playoff aspirations. The other part of that is the schedule has been a tough one so far with Phoenix passing with flying colors. 

This front office has finally got it right. Chris Paul isn't the long term answer but he is the ideal Point Guard this year. We shoot well from beyond the arc. 

The NBA's talent gap between the Top four teams and the next tier is so big I can't imagine the roster being any stronger without acquiring a Top 5 player. 

I think Suns fans need to get used to winning. It is here to stay for awhile. 

How Much is the Minimum Someone could Live on?

 So what happened if you turned 19 and you had 5,000 in your savings account. How would you structure your life. The reason I choose 5,000 because it is a number that could be less or could be more depending on your family situation. 

When I was 16, I thought adult life was going to be hard. Yes, life is hard in some ways but I thought it was going to be a different kind of hard. Like, I was going to go to work and come home fried and not feel like I have any free time or I would work so hard that I would never be able to sleep in once I graduated high school. 

The reality is, the first year out of high school you almost have too much free time. Or at least that's how I found it. If you can set up your life the right way, life doesn't have to be such a burden. 

The reason for this is passive income and government money. For someone like me that has Cerebal Palsy, I get 1,183 from the province every month. That isn't much to build on but it will pay for basic needs like rent and a bit of food. You can find a place to live for 700 around BC. It won't be a great place but it will do until you find a better job. 483 dollars is left for the other expenses for the month. 483/31 is 16 dollars a day. 

In this example a phone is not a must because we don't know if we can afford it yet. People get in trouble financially when we spend stuff that we think are but are really wants. 

What I would do in this situation is live a month and observe what you desire in life. If you can't live within 1,183 than get a job. Writing a letter that lets people know that disability rates need to be increased is not the answer. 

The reason you wait a month is because when you have a job you naturally spend more money. If you have to go to school and get a job than use the resources that are available to go to school the right way. 

There are plenty of college courses that are not in the morning and you can still sleep in or have a job at the same time if living in the 1,183 is not doable. 

If a job isn't in order than starting a passive income project might be beneficial. Passive income is anything from investments to a small business on the side. 

Don't ever stress, I'm here to tell you that there are resources available to help for everything. Sometimes there are long waits because our government programs love dragging their feet. The most important thing is that you don't go into debt. 

Also it is important to remember that if anyone judges you for going your own path that is on them. A bad day without work is better than a good day at work. 

My organization is here to help. I would love to hear from you and we can set up an appointment with you that will always be free. My number is 604-825-0532.