-Matt P

-Matt P

STOP!!!!!  Put that burger down! Take one second and open your eyes and look down.  Can you see your own feet?  Don’t cheat and lift your legs up.  Stand up straight and see if you can see your own feet.  If not, you are unfortunately like many other Americans and are contributing to the rise in obesity in our country yet again.  When will people wake up and realize that you only get one chance in life, and why not make it a healthy one?  I’m not saying you have to eat lettuce and carrots every day, but good lord, skip the fast food burger joints, the 4,000 calorie fried chicken meals and the six scoop ice cream sundae desserts.  Everyone loves junk food, but it does not mean you have to eat it for every meal or even include it every day in your diet.  What is really scary about rising obesity rates in our country, yet again, is the fact that America’s children are fatter than ever.  People call this one of the biggest “challenges” our country faces when it comes to our youth and it’s health.  I have to agree, but I also would like to think that all these kids are not making all of these unhealthy choices on their own.

When I was in elementary school my parents either provided me with a lunch or they gave me money to buy lunch from the school.  Parents, stop buying cheese balls, soda, energy drinks, pizza, chicken nuggets and other unhealthy foods for your kids.  Instead of giving them a slice or two of pizza, make them a peanut butter sandwich with a side of a serving or two of flavored rice cakes (which are extremely delicious by the way).  Instead of a large bag of chips, provide them with a piece of fruit!  Let them buy lunch once a week, because you do not know if the money you are giving them really is going toward the food you think it is.  When you can control, the best you can, what your children are eating on a daily basis, you are already one large step ahead of the game.

There is only one way to help stop this pathetic growth of our nation, and that is actually taking responsibility into our own hands.  I was 203 pounds a couple months ago, starting eating healthy and working out consistently and I have lost over 14 pounds.  And I am finally starting to see my abs for the first time in my life.  Eating healthy and sticking with it takes some discipline, but just like getting addicted to junk food, you can get easily hooked on eating the right things just as easily.

-Matt P

Being a freelance videographer, or freelance anything for that matter, is a lot like being a rogue warrior with no sense of direction, but a will and drive to find and complete new missions.  There is almost never a set schedule, no constant income most of the time, but yet somehow, the bills get paid and you still have time to grab a beer or two with friends and talk about how you were able to sleep in until 10:00 am while everyone else was already awake for a few hours.  Sure you might not be the guy in your group of friends with the nicest car, the biggest house or largest paycheck, but having a sense of entrepreneurship and accomplishment is something that no one can ever challenge or take away.

While being a freelance artist there are highs and lows, like most jobs I have held in my young career.  But one aspect of being a freelancer that most other positions cannot provide is a true test of character.  Yes, many careers paths may take you on a journey and test your patience, talent and even mental strength, but nothing truly compares to the life of a freelancer, in my humble opinion.  Now do not get me wrong, I believe most people work very hard for their living and would never take that away from them, but when put into a position where you must create your own income to provide for your family or self, there is no other feeling like it.  It is a bit more than just getting up and going to the same cubical day in and day out.

In a profession like video production where it is viewed, and rightly so, as a luxury and not a necessity, it is difficult to demonstrate ones talents consistently in order to constantly be adding clients.  There are just as many times when a potential client has come to me asking about video as there are instances where I have contacted or provided examples to companies as to why they should hire me.  Many of them enjoy and fantasize the idea of having a video of their company, popular Youtube channels or flash animations for their website, but when it comes down to finalizing your contract, that is where it all starts to crumble in front of your eyes.  You start to feel like the kid on the playground that is picked last to play baseball, or worse yet, not picked at all.  And this is where, as a self employed “struggling artist”,  your heart, motivation and drive truly get tested.

As many things in life though, with every downside and struggle, there is usually a flip side to it all.  A sunny side.  A happy side. A client impressing, money making machine side.  And when you least expect it, it will smack you in the face, take you on the best roller coaster ride of your life and leave you looking back pondering to yourself, “Did that just happen?”  Luckily I have been a recipient of this side just as much, if not a little bit more, than the dark side of freelancing.  My opportunities have taken me to work alongside famous fitness trainers, UFC Heavyweight champions and editing footage from around the world including the likes of Kenya, Canada and Fiji.  This is where freelancing truly shines.  The diverse catalog of clients and projects that has taken me on a fun and exciting trip over the years never seems to get old.  Even building and managing my own Youtube channel has turned into an exciting aspect of my life and career, which is now a successful Partner channel with Youtube.

As much fun as it can be, the fact of the matter is that it is still a job and just like all other jobs, it needs to be taken seriously if you want to be successful.  And sorry to burst and bubbles or dreams here, though I should not be repeating anything that most people do not already know.  Your talents can take you far in life, but sometimes who you know and how you carry yourself can get you further.  And I do not mean go out and kiss everyone’s butt out in the world just to make connections, though sometimes it may help, I mean that you need to surround yourself with the right people.  And not only in your field, but in life.  Having a supportive family and group of friends is always a huge added bonus and giant boost in personal morale.  And the best thing about friends is that you can always find new ones if they do not support you!  Finding a new family might be a tougher task.

If you are reading this as someone who always wanted to be their own boss and venture into the world of freelancing, I hope this article shed a little light on the subject and has pointed you in the right direction.  And if you are currently a fellow freelancer feel free to share any comments on your own personal experiences.

-Matt P

Still DOMINATING my healthy diet, I am finally seeing a little bit of results.  It’s hard to believe how fast I am actually losing weight and mainly just by eating a lot healthier, the right amount of food and doing just a little bit more cardio!  I have never really thought that eating healthier could have SUCH a dramatic effect.  I have always had a great metabolism and now that I eat 6 times a day it’s even better!  Check out the video below and please leave some comments.  I appreciate everyone following on Youtube and the motivation everyone has been giving me!  My trainer is kicking my ass but also helping me get my ass into shape!

Visit my trainers Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/functionalfitnessko

-Matt P

Something seems a little fishy about this story but if it is true then we have found the worlds worst parents.  Video has surfaced of a supposedly two year old kid smoking cigarettes and he reportedly has a 2 pack a day habit.  It will be interesting to see what happens when he graduates to bigger and better things, if he makes it past age 7.  Some quick thoughts on the matter…

1. As terrible as this is I cannot stop laughing.

2. Look how well he handles the lung dart in his hands!

3. He does look way cooler than other 2 year old kids.

4. He already has a beer gut to go along with the smoking habit. Oh wait, that is still baby fat because he is TWO YEARS OLD!

I have friends that I love to watch just smoke or consume other tobacco products and really laugh at the apparent joy they get out of it, but this is crossing the line.

-Matt P

Try not to be too harsh.  Not only do YOU not have the balls to put yourself online for people to judge and comment, but let’s face it, you do not have the balls to go through with this off camera either.  So before you start commenting harshly, let me counter your comments with a preemptive strike of a counter…wait, does that make sense?  Anyway, please comment with some motivation because I need it!  It’s actually not as hard as I really thought it would be, but I am missing burgers, pizza and beer.  I really enjoy the finer things in life, like those three and well, if I want to reach my goal of a six pack by August 1, then I need to put them aside for a while.  Here is part 2…the dreaded weigh in!

-Matt P

Here is part 1 of the series:

More videos and blog posts tracking my progress to come!

http://www.youtube.com/raosproductions

http://www.youtube.com/functionalfitnessKO

-Matt P

I’m back mofo’s.  Hopefully I won’t be a jerk and say good bye like that again.  I first wanted to share with everyone that my girl friend, who is a certified personal trainer, has gotten me to get my act together and get my butt into real good shape.  In return for her awesome services I will be producing videos for her, as well as making videos following my progress.  Keep an eye open for updated videos!  Along with the video I am going to use this blog to update as much as I can about my status, my feelings about what I am eating and how good or bad I am doing!  Giving up beer…not the coolest idea!  I already have some rants about that building up.  So within the next couple of days I should be updating this blog a couple times a week as the journey begins!!!  If you’re on Youtube subscribe to http://www.youtube.com/raosproductions to follow my progress!

LOOK OUT BELLY!  YOU’RE GOING BYE BYE!

PS – all these blog updates will be filed under “Matt’s 6-pack Journey”

-Matt P

PS – Don’t give up when you see Top Gun, its gets much better after that.

- PHIL