Interview # 1 - Jose Velazquez

Jose Velazquez- professional journalist. Self-Help blogger since 2009.

On Being http://jvsport2006.blogspot.com/

Jose Velazquez is a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts; a small industrial era city just north of Boston, Massachusetts. He is a 21 year veteran of the U.S. Army where he serves as a senior public affairs professional for the Department of Defense. A trained broadcast journalist, Jose has spent most of his career writing, shooting, editing, producing and directing broadcast and print products for the military.

A lifelong student of self-help gurus Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and Napoleon Hill, Jose has written off-and-on about positive attitudes and creative ways for a successful career and life for many years. In 2009, Jose began harnessing the power of the blogosphere to help him share his thoughts on a more consistent basis with anyone willing to listen. Jose’s posts deal with a myriad of topics which affect us all and most importantly, no-nonsense actionable advice readers can use to cope with challenges they may encounter.

1. Where do you usually write?

 I usually write at my kitchen table

2. Do you watch tv or listen to music when you write?

 I need complete silence. I am horrible at multi-tasking. I talk to myself while I write and read things aloud to see if they make sense so watching tv or listening to music would overwhelm me.

3. How do you deal with writer’s block. Please give me some suggestions?

 I regularly have two or three blog posts in the works. If I am sitting there trying to get over writer’s block I just move to another blog post. Usually just moving from one topic to another will jar my brain out of “stuck” and then the juices really start flowing. Some of my best posts came after having writer’s block on another post and moving to another one.

4. What is the most rewarding thing writing? The most frustrating?

 The most rewarding thing I get in writing is the ability to share my thoughts with a group of people and receiving feedback that my words helped someone else. The most frustrating thing about writing really isn’t the writing itself. It is usually the topic of my discussions. Knowing there is so much negativity in our lives drives me batty.

5. How do you fit writing into your day? Do you set aside time or just wing it?

 I write when the mood strikes me. I would make a terrible deadline writer. Well I’ve actually been a deadline journalist most of my life and I guess I’m not terrible at it, but it sure gets in the way of what I really want to write about. So when I write for leisure, I only write when the mood strikes. Once I get the feeling to write, I can go on for hours and hours.

6. What is your favorite blog(s)? Can you give me a short list?

 I don’t know that I can really choose my favorite blog post. I think the most well received ones tend to be about “change” for the positive. I believe people want to hear a positive message if only someone will write it. There is way too much negativity out there.

7. Who or what inspires your writing?

 My family inspires my writing the most as they are the reason I try to be the best person I can be each day. My thoughts tend to follow predominately Christian, Buddhist, and just good ole American self-help philosophies. I’ve found there are no secrets to making the most out of your life and that most religions and self-help philosophies really all speak of the same ideas and techniques even if they use different language for it. I try to combine the ideas into plain “people talk” in hopes of helping people help themselves. I believe people are full of potential and all they really need is a nudge in the right direction.

 Fill in the blanks-

Writing makes me feel special.

Support for Anger, Hate and Divisiveness are a topics I would never write about.

Reading anything far-left-wing  makes me see red!

Reading stories of happiness and success give me great pleasure and satisfaction.

My favorite writers/journalists are: Since I am a broadcast journalist at heart and a storyteller before journalist, my greatest professional inspiration and favorite journalist is Charles Kuralt. His stories were decades ahead of their time. Very few people have the gift he had to tell the everyday man’s and woman’s story like he did.

Hershey’s Kisses are my guilty pleasure.

I am often staring at the wall when I should be writing.