Got my mojo working

The NBA playoffs are in full swing.

I don't really pay much attention to basketball unless my beloved Syracuse Orangemen are playing --not very well of late -- or until the playoffs kick in. Truth is, as my brother often points out, you can skip the first three quarters of any game and just tune in to the fourth-and-decisive quarter and still come away satisfied.

But, with so much tsuris emanating form Precedent Shitgibbon and his band of conniving half-wits, the playoff games provides much needed relief.

One thing, even obvious to the casual observer, is how a shooter can get on a streak. A 3 pointer from downtown...a jumper from top of the key...floats a teardrop...another 3 pointer from beyond the arch.

It's a matter of rhythm and confidence. It's how success breeds success.

It's not a phenomena exclusive to 6' 4" point guards from Baltimore or Detroit. Ad people can find it too.

Lately, a lot more of my work is coming directly from clients. Meaning I'm put in the unenviable position of talking with people. That's not always easy for a misanthrope like myself.

And as many agency people will tell you, in my younger days I was not the kind of person you wanted to trot out in front of clients. Opinionated and stubborn and lacking in personal hygiene is not a winning formula, they might have added.

It's different now.

I've learned to put some distance between myself and the work. I know I can't control the outcome of any situation. And so I don't try. I simply put what I consider my best foot forward and offer up my honest opinion. Not in a hard-headed obstinate way, like I might have done in the past. But in a pared-down straightforward manner that is devoid of any agenda.

In recent weeks, I have found myself saying, with a new found quiet confidence,

"You (Mr. or Ms. Client) have to do your homework."

"I understand where you are coming from, but I wouldn't do it that way."

"I know I'm shortchanging myself out of money, but here is the way I would approach that."

Even more surprising, this shit works.

It's almost as if the less I care, the more persuasive I become. This is an incredible revelation to be learning so late in my career.

Other observations, I have made.

The NBA halftime show with Charles Barkley, Kenny the Jet, Ernie and Shaquile O'Neal is the one of the funniest on all of television.

Tina Fey, while funny on SNL and a talented writer, has no business doing those AmEx commercials.

None.