Love what you do!

A tip to be happy is, love what you do. There are many jobs out there that are high paying, but money can't buy happiness. It is important to love what you do because you will have a positive attitude about it. I have a Business Management Degree and a minor in Marketing and Sports Management. I am not the type of person to sit behind a desk and do the same thing each day. I love meeting new people and getting to know them. I am the type of person to do sales, marketing, promotions, events etc. My love is in music and I hope one day that will be my source of income but I am realistic about it and I know that I need to put in a lot of hard work and deal with rejection along the way until hopefully one day I get my big break in the music business. If you do something just to do it then there will be no satisfaction for you.
" If you do something you love, then it won't seem like work." -Brandon Zornado

Life is a Journey!

Growing up I always thought that I was going to be a professional Baseball player. I played baseball ever since I was 5 years old, and it was my favorite thing to do. I went to college and played baseball at Clackamas Community College and then transferred my junior year to Western Oregon University. I started the year off great and then I injured my right arm which ended my baseball career. Life throws you curve balls and it is your turn to hit the ball in another direction when that happens. After I was injured I started playing my guitar and really fell in love with country music. There are a lot of things that have inspired me throughout my life and I know that I am meant to be a writer. I love to write so much and I have taken a lot of my time this last year to really learn how writing is developed and how it is structured in songs. I am recently engaged and I am the luckiest guy ever. My fiance is beautiful inside and out and she is without a doubt in my mind, the perfect girl for me. We have dated for over 4 and a half years and it has been such an amazing journey. We will be getting married Oct 1 2010. We just recently went on vacation to Nashville TN where I hope to move later this fall to pursue my music career as a songwriter. I was amazed when I went to Nashville TN and I fell in love with the people, the buildings, the houses, the little towns, and the atmosphere. It is a perfect place to live and start the journey of marriage. I have a lot of inspiring things to write about in my songs, such as friends, my parents, sports, and everything in life but one of the main things is my fiance. I love her so much and I am so excited to get married and share the rest of my life with her. Moving to Nashville would be a huge step for us and it would be an amazing experience that we would share together. Something new is always something exciting and she will be finishing up at the Art Institute of Portland this summer. She is a very talented girl and I support her in everything that she does.I know that it will be different for her at first if we move, but I want her to know that I will always be by her side and love her forever. My dream is not only to make it as a country songwriter, but is to be the best husband that I can be and give my future wife and kids a wonderful life. I will work hard to provide for them and I will always put them first. We are so close to our families and it would be hard to move away because we love them so much, but we would be in contact with them every single day and we would make sure that we came home to visit a lot.
"Life is a journey, so make sure that you experience things when you can and don't hold back." -Brandon Zornado

Be thankful for your job!

I received a 4 year Business Management Degree from Western Oregon University with a minor in Sports Management. After college I got a job as a Fitness Counselor at 24 Hour Fitness. It was a perfect job to gain experience in my field. I learned a lot when I was there and I had a great time as well. After 24 I got an amazing job at a construction supply company called, " Ames." My position was the Regional Sales Associate and I was the assistant to the Regional Manager. I traveled all over the Northwest and covered eleven different stores in the region. I would stay in each location for about a week and I would be flown there and put up in a nice hotel. All of my meals were paid for and I got to see some very cool places. To have that type of position at my age was very lucky but I have had a lot of experience so I was qualified for the position. I loved the hours, pay, benefits, travel , and co-workers. There was not one thing I disliked about my job. The construction industry is hurting badly right now and this last year a lot of employees in the company have been laid off. My position is different and I never thought it would happen to me, but I was laid off on October 9th right after I got back from a work trip in Spokane WA. I would give anything to have my job with Ames back.
The economy is horrible right now and jobs are hard to find. If you have a job, be thankful that you are working. There are so many people out there that are unemployed and can't find any work. I am young and I will be ok, but I feel really bad for the people who have families that they need to support and are struggling. Do not take anything in life for granted, especially your job right now. You don't know what your missing until you no longer have it. Make sure you go to work everyday and be happy that you are there. Show your boss that you are a hard worker and deserve to always have your position.

" Work hard for what you want, don't ever give someone a reason to take something away from you." -Brandon Zornado

Plan ahead!

Most people have a vision of how they would like their future to go. I want to be a country song-writer, in Nashville TN. Just because I want to do that does not mean that I just up and move this second. Nashville TN is the capitol of " Country Music." Most country superstars come from all over the world to make it in Nashville. There are four reasons that people move to Nashville who want to succeed in the industry. 1. Become a singer. 2. Become a songwriter. 3. Become a backup singer or musician. 4. Become involved in the business of the music industry. So many people go to Nashville hoping for a miracle right away and the one's who have a plan before they go have much more success. I love writing and I want to do it because I have a pasion for it. I am going to visit this January for four days to map some things out and maybe get a couple contacts as far as places to live and jobs within the music industry. Everyone has to start somewhere and I am willing to give it my all to make it as a successful song-writer one day.

Whatever your vision is, have a plan of how you want to get there. You will have much higher chances of accomplishment. Start from the bottom and work your way up until you are where you want to be. Nothing is going to be handed to you, so work hard for what you want.

" A plan of attack will set you higher above the one's on the same battlefield." -Brandon Zornado

Chase your dreams!

Dreams are something that everyone should have. Whatever your dream is, do not let anything get in the way of it. Hold onto it forever and cherish it. I believe that anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it. Set your dreams high but be realistic of a time frame to accomplish them. If you set too big of dreams too fast then you can become let down. My dream is to become a country songwriter. It is something I love and writing and music are a passion of mine. I am focusing on playing the guitar right now and learning more each day. I am also reading books and material about songwriting. People need to realize that their dream is not going to happen over night. It is going to take hard work and dedication, but if you believe in it then it can happen. Do not ever get discouraged when you come to a road block. Fight through it and keep yourself motivated. I know that I will not become a successful songwriter right now, but I have a plan. The more time I put into learning the better I will be down the road. I am planning on moving to Nashville TN within a year to pursue my music career. I know what I need to do in order to make it and I am 100% dedicated to getting there. No matter how long it takes me, I will never give up.

Do not be afraid to have big dreams. Everyone deserves to do what they want in their life. Whatever it is that you want to do, find out how to make it happen step by step and work hard to get there. The biggest thing in reaching your dream is your motivation. You will need it the entire way to get to where you want to be.

" Fight for what you want, and you can accomplish anything." -Brandon Zornado