I had a chance to do some incredible things in the last few months of 2019.  There were great things happening at the beginning of the year, but things are moving too fast!  I was awarded the team member of the month of December 2019 by Kettering Executive Network.  It is a powerful organization focused on helping executives find their next adventure and paying it forward to others.  I also spent some time with the awesome students at Kennesaw State University's EMBA program.  There were several of us on a fantastic panel helping students prepare for their MBA journey.  They dug me so much, I had a chance to go back and share my new and improved effectiveness framework. Finally back in October, I had a chance to host the first every Creativity Cocktail Live for Rising Tides Charity.  I was able to do this at the amazing Atlanta Black Theatre Festival. It was an amazing year.  I am so thankful for the chance to contribute some to so many groups and individuals.  Life is a blast! 

     I have had a chance to talk about this topic at several events recently and I believe it is starting to forge it's own path in my life.  Look for me to dig deeper on this on the Creativity Cocktail podcast.  It is becoming one of my life's mission to help others with being effective and focused.  I will leave you with this question, what roles do you play in your life?  How does these roles effect your productivity one way or another?   Looking forward to your feedback and connect with me on all platforms so you don't miss anything.  

Kettering Spotlight: Winston Wilson - Up Close & PersonalBy sharing your personal knowledge and experience, you, our members, make Kettering as unique, diverse and interesting as we are. Each month, we seek to highlight a deeper human connection to our members. For this issue, we caught up with Winston Wilson. Here is what we learned...
Kettering: Winston, your personal and professional life is so fascinating. Tell us in your own words who Winston Wilson is?
WW: I have become focused on service to others as my guiding leadership principle. My career has told me that having positive “in the black” relationships has helped me navigate roles, transitions, and business opportunities. I get genuine energy by helping others find their path. This has led me to a variety of moments focused on a wide spectrum of organizations. 
Kettering: What is one of the most memorable events that changed you as a person? 
WW: When I was in my first transition (yes), I thought about how I could take all that I have learned to step outside of my lane and learn about myself. I wrote, directed, and produced a stage play (twice) that I had been cultivating for many years. It was memorable because of what it meant to all the individuals involved. I felt so fulfilled to help actors, assistants, tech, patrons to all be involved in the production and experience. Many of them have gone onto amazing opportunities.
Kettering: You speak about leadership and intelligence; can you name a leader who inspired your perspective on leadership?  
WW: Her name was Kim Fitzsimmons. She was the first leader that I worked with that authentically thought about relationships with coworkers that have as much value as EBITDA or earnings per share. At the time her organization was close to one thousand colleagues and she accomplished this with aplomb. 
Kettering:  As a non-profit leader, what are you most proud of?
WW: I was asked to take over a twenty-year-old organization with an amazing entrenchment in the Atlanta Community. We changed our outlook on fundraising and executed on multiple signature events over a couple of years. Those resources helped us execute on our mission to help over a hundred young people each year through our program.  
Kettering: What inspired you to join Kettering?
WW: When I was introduced to Kettering through being invited as a guest, I felt true kinship and alignment. I am a big believer in the power of a shared experience. That shared experience (e.g. leadership, transition) is one of the things that I love about being a member.
Kettering: Winston, what does ‘paying it forward’ mean to you?
WW: Giving first with a understanding that we may have to give more.  I believe that the energy and currency we generate by giving to anyone that needs help in career or life, is what truly makes us wealthy. 
Kettering: ...and one final question, what advice would you give to new Kettering members?
WW: Slow down and ensure your connections are reinforced. Don’t ask someone “What do you do?” Ask them questions to help you learn about them. Examples are “Tell me about yourself?” or “What is exciting to you these days”. Our relationships at Kettering are part of our personal “wealth”. 
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Winston, it was such a joy to get to know you personally. Thank you for your time and this genuine chat. We’re so appreciative that you’re a part of our volunteer-driven community. Thanks for being so supportive of Kettering and continuing to share your knowledge and inspiration with our members, partners and the community at large.
Cheers!

​

Download or View Caesar Wilson's Week 3 NFL Picks here.   Here is an excerpt from this week's Thursday night match.  
​Titans 1-1 vs Jaguars 0-2 (+2)
 
The yearly tradition of Titans vs Jags Thursday Night Football continues in 2019. Both of these teams are coming off of losses to division rivals (Colts, Texans) and are looking to bounce back. Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey requested a trade on Monday after a dispute with Head Coach Doug Marrone. Dealing with this situation on a short week could hurt them, but I think that Quarterback Gardner Minshew is finding a rhythm with the offense, plus the homefield advantage will help as the Jags win a close one.
 
Jaguars 20, Titans 16/ Low Confidence 

   Welcome to Caesar’s Picks everyone! This will be a weekly project where I pick every game from the NFL
schedule. I’ll offer my quick thoughts, some stats and predictions for each game. I’ll give a final score for
each game as well as a confidence scale. My confidence scale is based not on the winner of the game,
but the spread of the game from the Hilton in Las Vegas. The scale simply ranges from low, to medium,
to High confidence. Now, it’s time to dive into this weeks slate of games.

Buccaneers 0-1 vs Panthers 0-1 (-7)
This NFC South matchup sees two teams looking to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Both Jamies Winston
and Cam Newton struggled in week 1, but I trust Cam Newton to bounce back with the help of his star
RB Christian McCaffery, and a Bucs defense that is still adjusting to the 4-3 scheme by Todd Bowles .
Panthers 27, Buccaneers 17/ Medium Confidence

49ers 1-0 vs Bengals 0-1 (-2)
In Zac Taylor’s first game as a Head Coach, he churned out one of Andy Dalton’s best career
performances on the road in a raucous Seattle crowd. While they walked away with a 1 point loss, they showed potential for the offense to be special in 2019. The 49ers did win their week 1 game, however Jimmy Garoppolo struggled at points in the game, and the niners still can’t find their identity. I like the Bengals to win their home opener this week.
Bengals 30, 49ers 24/ High Confidence

Bills 1-0 vs Giants 0-1 (+1.5)
The Bills started week 1 with an impressive 16 point comeback against the division rival Jets. This week they return to play in the same stadium against the NFC New York team, the Giants. The G-Men lost decisively to the Cowboys last week, as their lack of talent on defense reared its ugly head with 4 Dak Prescott touchdowns. While the bills played a sloppy game last week, they showed that they can play tough when their backs are against the wall. Combined with their advantage in talent and scheme on
defense, I got the bills going 2-0 to start the season.
Bills 21, Giants 17/ Low confidence

Cardinals 0-0-1 vs Ravens 1-0 (-13.5)
The Ravens play their home opener against a Cardinals team who were very close to a victory in week 1, but settled for a tie (gross).For the Ravens, Lamar Jackson had his best game by far as a pro against a lackluster dolphins team, scoring 6 touchdowns, with 3 of them going to rookie Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. While the Cardinals are in a rebuilding phase like the dolphins, they showed last week that they’re not giving away free wins this season. Kyler Murray showed his playmaking ability and moxie in the second half last week, and I believe he’ll have more of those moments this week. I like the Ravens to win this game, but if I were a betting man (which I’m not), I would take the Cardinals in this spread.
Ravens 26, Cardinals 20/ Medium confidence

Chargers 1-0 vs Lions 0-0-1 (+2.5)
All it took was one week for the Chargers to forget about Melvin Gordon, as Austin Ekeler produced over 150 scrimmage yards with 3 touchdowns, including a game winner in overtime against the Colts. Now they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions team that tied with the Cardinals. While the Lions have some issues to address (poor clock management!), the offense looked great for three quarters. Rookie Tight
End T.J Hockenson had over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns, helping Matt Stafford find his big security
target. This is a solid game that I’m interested in seeing, and I’m going to pick the upset this week and
give the Lions their first win on the early season.
Lions 27, Chargers 24/ Low Confidence

Colts 0-1 vs Titans 1-0 (-3)
While most of the sports world is sad from the Andrew Luck Retirement, one team that may be relieved that they don’t have to play him twice a year anymore are the Titans. Luck was a perfect 12-0 against the Titans in his career, but now Jacoby Brissett is the QB, coming off a solid week 1 performance. He’ll match up against a Titans defense that caught 3 interceptions in the 4 th quarter against Baker Mayfield, leading to a 43-13 blowout. This one is extremely difficult to pick, but I think the Colts need this game a little more than the Titans, so I got the Colts squeaking one out the road.
Colts 24, Titans 23/ Low Confidence

Cowboys 1-0 vs Redskins 0-1 (+5.5)
The cowboys offense showed out last week with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. They have to continue that momentum against a solid front 7 in the Redskins. Case Keenum played surprisingly well in week 1 against an Eagles team that looked sluggish in the first half. I don’t believe Dallas will come out slow like the eagles did, and the offense will continue its success with Dak Prescott still playing for a contract. I really like Dallas in this game.
Cowboys 31, Redskins 21/ High Confidence

Jaguars 0-1 vs Texans 0-1 (-9)
One week into the NFL season saw Philadelphia Hero and now Jaguars Quarterback Nick Foles break his collarbone . With Foles out for the foreseeable future, enter former Washington State Quarterback Gardner Minshew. Minshew has already gained a following on social media from basically being a real life version of Uncle Rico, but now it’s time to throw the football over the mountain that is Texans pass rush featuring JJ Watt and Whitney Mercileus. Deshaun Watson also looks to be in mid season form after a 4 touchdown performance against the saints. As long as the Texans o-Line can keep Watson on his feet and not his back, I see the Texans covering this spread. 
Texans 34, Jaguars 20/ Medium Confidence

Patriots 1-0 vs Dolphins 0-1 (+18.5)
Nothing says tanking like being an 18.5 point underdog at your home-field. I don’t however blame the oddsmakers after the pitiful effort the Dolphins put out against Baltimore, and now have to play the defending champs, as well as this years super bowl favorite in the Patriots. As lopsided as this matchup is on paper, history is on the Dolphins side. The Pats are a surprising 1-5 when playing Miami on the road the last 6 years. Bill Belichick also lost to two of his former protégés last year (Matt Patricia, Mike Vrabel), with Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores as the linebacker coach for the Pats last year. Will that help the Dolphins win? Well, no, but I have a tough time taking a point spread as big as 18.5 for a
divisional matchup. I’ll consider that a win for the dolphins.
Patriots 31, Dolphins 16/ Medium confidence

Seahawks 1-0 vs Steelers 0-1 (-4)
The Steelers are coming off a week where they were completely shut down offensively against the Patriots. As embarrassing as that game was, there’s still a lot of games left this season, and there’s nowhere to go but up for the Steelers who have a great o-line and future hall of famer Ben Roethlisberger. They play a Seahawks team coming off a close win against the Bengals. West coast teams always have a difficult time traveling to the east Coast for games, and after a tough win, Seattle may not play with that same energy we’re used to seeing. Russell Wilson will keep Seattle in the mix, but I expect the Steelers to win this game and avoid an 0-2 start.
Steelers 28, Seahawks 21/ medium Confidence

Vikings 1-0 vs Packers 1-0 (-3)
In an stacked early game lineup, this could be the best matchup in the group. Two rivals in the Vikings and Packers are coming off big week 1 victories. The Vikings dominated the Falcons at all three levels of football, while the Packers shut down the Bears offense to 3 points in the game. The Packers secondary will have to matchup with two great receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefan Diggs, as well as keep running back Dalvin Cook in check after his big week 1 performance. The Packers offense struggled on third down against the ferocious bears defense, and the Vikings have a pass rush that can re-create those problems in this game. The big difference this week is the Packers homefield advantage, which will keep Rodgers comfortable to make adjustments in those situations. This is a close contest, but I’ll take the
Packers by a field goal to take the early division lead.
Packers 27, Vikings 24/ Low Confidence

Chiefs 1-0 vs Raiders 1-0 (+7)
The Chiefs continued their tradition of early season success under Andy Reid by dropping a 40 burger on a good Jacksonville defense. Their next stop is against the Raiders who won their first game in their last season in Oakland.  Rookie Josh Jacobs found his way into the end zone twice against the broncos for Oakland, and will be a key part in keeping the Chiefs offense off the field. For the chiefs, Tyreek Hill is out with a collarbone injury for 4 to 6 weeks, meaning receivers Sammy Watkins, and Rookie from Georgia, Mecole Hardman will have to step up to the plate . Watkins already went for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns last week, and with Andy Reid’s creative mind, expect more success with these receivers at the helm. Also, reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes is the Quarterback. I’m very comfortable with the Chiefs
on this spread.
Chiefs 38, Raiders 27/ High Confidence

Bears 0-1 vs Broncos 0-1 (+2.5)
This is a classic trap game scenario for the Bears. They travel from Chicago to Denver, playing in a high altitude that’s uncomfortable for visiting players, in a loud stadium, against a dangerous pass rush with young stud Bradley Chubb and All-Pro level player Von Miller, coached up by former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. This after the Bears put together a 3 point performance in the season opener. All that and yet I still can’t pick this Broncos team because of how inept their offense is. They played a bottom tier defense from a year ago in the Raiders and only came away with 16 points. Now Joe Flacco and company have to play against the best pass rusher in the game today in Khalil Mack, while avoiding
throwing the football to the side of Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Jackson roaming over the top. As long as Head Coach Matt Nagy remembers that running the football is an option, I like the Bears to bounce back with a win.
Bears 20, Broncos 10/ High Confidence

Saints 1-0 vs Rams 1-0 (-2)
The revenge game is here for the Saints as they have waited all offseason to play the Rams again. After the controversial NFC Championship Game in January, the Saints had to show that they’re not in the dumps after a heartbreaking loss, and last week showed that they are still in it with a great drive from Drew Brees that led to a game winning field goal against the Texans. The Rams are coming off a win as well against the Panthers on the road. A few concerns are still there for the Rams however as Jared Goff struggled and seems to have slowly regress since around November last season. The same could be said for Todd Gurley as that has more to do with arthritis in his knee. He ran well in the opportunity given,
but wasn’t a bell cow back as Malcolm Brown got more run in the 2 nd half. This game will be close just like the last encounter, however the Saints thirst for revenge will help them make a few more plays on defense for a W.
Saints 30, Rams 26/ Medium Confidence

Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 vs Atlanta Falcons 0-1 (+1.5)
If you bother betting on a Falcons game, do yourself a favor and don’t. The Falcons only covered a spread 5 times last year, and last week looked abysmal in all phases against the Vikings. The Problems that were there last year for this team reappeared against Minnesota, but this time there was no injury excuse. The Falcons suffered from being too small on the offensive and defensive line, so of course they play the biggest o-line/d-line combo this week in the Eagles. The eagles had there first half jitters and Washington, and the secondary is still shaky, but by the second half they were comfortable on both
sides of the football and were back to regular form. A bad matchup for the Falcons against a favorable spread equals me taking the Eagles on this one.
Eagles 28, Falcons 20/ High Confidence

Browns 0-1 vs Jets 0-1 (+6.5)
Both of these squads suffered crushing losses in different ways in week 1. The Browns were blown out at home after months of hype , with some believing a super bowl run is in the cards for them. The Jets gave up a 16 point lead after months of being dubbed as the sleeper team to watch out for in the AFC. Both need a victory to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. That will tougher for the Jets however as Sam Darnold is out with Mono (yes the kissing disease), meaning former Broncos Quarterback Trevor Siemien will start on Monday night. Not only that, but Le’Veon Bell’s status for Monday is uncertain with an elbow injury. Two big injures for the Jets will leave Cleveland an opportunity to capitalize and pick up the victory.
Browns 28, Jets 17 /High Confidence

We are thrilled to have Caesar's pick each week.  His is a voice you want to follow.  
twitter: @CaesarWilson

​    I have lived my life profoundly affected and crippled by fear.  It is one of the most powerful emotions responsible for most of the poor and impulse decisions that I have made to date.  I have tried to create complex personal smokescreens to mask that fear wasn’t a factor in decisions or in my behavior.   I have proclaimed proudly statements like “That is what is I’m supposed to do”. Or I have dropped the “This is realistic” distraction of a smoke bomb.  It has made me a barely functional survivor from personal risk or anxiety, but not part of potential or possibilities that can come from this life.  I’m sharing this because maybe you have felt some of these emotions, we will discuss over the next few posts.  I share in this post my feelings on this and how it has affected me.  The second part will be some of the tools, that have helped me with the fight against fear.  I say fight because it is an ever-present demon for me.  It does not fully vanish or really diminish in frequency.  The third part will be thoughts on combatting the fear that is all around us. I believe the external world uses fear from everything in politics, consumerism, religion, and relationships. The tools will range from inner tools, to systems, and reference points. I will add some video snippets to this topic on IG, YouTube, and on this site so follow me on these platforms.   
    I have always tried to find an origin or cause for my fear.  At some point, I just resigned that I own it and the courage to overcome it.   Sometimes I can get a view into where it comes from, especially when I see things from the past.  I hear voices from my youth and early life attempting to put me in a variety of boxes.  I realize now, that I have been crafting my own stories about these messages.  In some cases, the stories evolved to traumas. It is and has been terribly paralyzing.  When it comes about, it can overtake any other emotion and the reaction to it dominates all thoughts for long stretches.  
    I put all of this the context that I understand where I am and my personal concept of fear.  I don’t have killer drones overhead ready to reign terror on me.  My water is good (I think).  I live in a country that is not being attacked by its neighbors (at least not with weapons).  Despite this hierarchy of perspectives, I still feel it and my heart pounds when it enters my thoughts.  My first reaction when I feel it (I think this is a product of where I grew up) is an unbridled raging anger.  I surmise that this anger is inward, but I know it fully projects outward.  That outward anger is manifested not just in words, but in demeanor and action. Then there is the cycle of cynicism, sarcasm, withdrawal, and indifference that become the suite of emotions that join the dance.  I am proud that now, I know my cycle and it can help me deploy the cycle of remediation. That process is faster, but it still exists, and I feel the poignant stings of each marker in the process.   I will talk more about this in the next post and you won’t have to wait long for that.  Thanks, and I really appreciate you reading this.   Fight your fear and live your full life.  

​     I know, I know, I feel like a fanboy right now. I have watched endgame twice in one weekend.  I genuinely love being a fanboy and experiencing the visceral feeling of seeing what I love becoming the biggest and best movie ever.  There were two moments in this movie, that I felt my lip quiver.  I don’t know what I was feeling exactly.  It might have been excitement.  Maybe it was sadness.  I don’t know what it was.  I can’t describe it.  I had to go back to see if I would feel it again.  I did feel it even more sharply than the first time.  Maybe one day I will fully understand it.  
   The first viewing was early in the morning, to avoid the possibity of seeing spoilers somewhere.  I can’t avoid social media (I actually carve out a few minutes a day for it.  I have a timer) for an entire day.  That first time was in Dolby Cinema, which I think is superior to IMAX.  The three hour runtime went by almost effortlessly.  I did not feel the call of my bladder throughout the entire movie.   The second time I saw it in a standard theater with pretty good sound.  However this crowd was super excited and clapped, laughed, and cheered at every moment that evoked that particular emotion.  There were at least several dozen of those powerful moments.
    Like all movies about what they are trying to accomplish (They even make reference to those movies with a similar premise.), there were weird gaps.   You will probably not notice them, but it is one of the curses of seeing a movie a second time.   It can become confusing, especially towards the third act.  There were some parts of the ending that were trying to promote closure but for me, upended many bits of Marvel canon.  
    I am not sure how many times I will watch this in my life.  I do know that it will be more than these two (I may actually purchase it).  This movie really creates an almost insurmountable bar for super hero films in the future.  I am really looking forward to the attempt by someone and what this will mean for cinema. Whew!  I think I need a nap.