Badassery

“Badassery”… it’s the stuff that hero’s are made of.

It’s true! I believe in being a show off! I believe in knowing how to do something so well that you can entertain others with your magnificence. There’s something magical about the confidence that each one of us has around those things we know how to do well. Others are awestruck at the mere sight of our performance.

Most folks know me simply as the guy that hosted that HGTV or DIY Network show “Yard Crashers”.

What you’d also know, if you’re truly familiar with the show, is that once I was removed and replaced as host, the show never quite appealed to people in the same vein. This is because of one simple fact that the network nor the production company ever took into account. Yard Crashers was not a “gardening” show, and it was hardly a show to teach people about landscaping. It was a show about Outdoor Living and Badassery!

It was a show that brought millions of viewers the latest and greatest on backyard bling. It was also a show where I worked with various other badasses in order for us to collaborate, and create some of the most impressive backyards that the average man or woman could ever imagine. My team and I get to take the credit for these Outdoor creations. This was not simply Ahmed designing and installing each one these fabulous, flamboyant yards. Before we went to work on crashing the yards,  I would work with my young, dynamic, and ambitious producers; Tiffany Cascio and Kristel Devries, in order to develop our plan of what we simply thought would be cool, different, and most appealing to the homeowners, viewers, and ourselves. We also had a pretty dynamic dude that worked as program director for Scripps Networks by the name of Ross Babbit. Ross was the final shot caller for all intents and purposes. He would send us love notes letting us know what he/the network liked or disliked. In other words, what they wanted more of or less of.

When I was hired as a TV host for DIY Network, what the network liked most about me was that I was a real, and authentic, landscape professional. This was what the network was all about; having real life professionals, not just a pretty face TV host. Of course, having a pretty face can only help.

What the network also appreciated about me was my vein of arrogance. I have been doing outside work in landscaping most of my life. The only other thing I’ve been doing as long as landscaping is roller skating as many of you know. Roller skating and landscaping are my 2 favorite hobbies.

I want you to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a show off. We should actually aspire to being a little more pride filled in all of the things that we do. Taking pride in how we carry ourselves is what I learned from growing up, and being exposed to the Nation of Islam as a child. I was taught etiquette, to speak properly and carry myself in such a manner of respect and royalty, so that others would learn to treat me with respect in turn.

This is somewhat of a social psychological game where a person creates a socially acceptable way in which they are perceived in order to manipulate another person so that they respond to you according to the perception of your choosing. There are of course times to play the humble and meek roles like both the Buddhist and Christian philosophies teach, but there’s also a time and place in which we must stand tall and lead by example. In order to get people’s attention we must do this in an impressive way.

The reason I share this information with you is because yesterday I posted and utilized the word Badass all day long. I actually put out a call to my fellow Badasses and invited you all to unite with me around the plight of sweet little Daniella Collazo.

She is a 2 yr old little girl living with stage IV Neuroblastoma. Daniella was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma when she was just a baby. She is living a life that is already challenged beyond any sort of what we might call fairness. Cancer isn’t fair. The survival rate for children living with Stage IV Neuroblastoma is 30%. Life isn’t fair. Neither is Neuroblastoma. It merely is what it is, a degenerative disease that attacks the immune system and literally takes lives. Now I’m not trying to save the world and cure all of it’s problems, yet I am seeking to stand tall and lead by example. I strive to not just be “the best”. I want to do my personal best. In order to do that I’ve gotta dig my heels in, clarify my internal self talk and create, then maintain a sense of urgency and determination like an Olympic athlete.

Badassery is the name of the game folks. It’s time we all focus a bit more on our Badassness and do it for the most noble of causes. Be a hero for positive change like the people pictured here…. Stand firm and be committed to creating a beauty filled life for yourself and those around you. Be a conscious warrior for our generation and leave your mark as all good Badasses do. I thank you for your time and contemplation in doing so.

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