If my friends were to describe me they would most likely use the following adjectives: highly motivated, passionate, extremely humorous & entertaining, and likewise deeply driven and competitive - almost to a fault. I’m single (for now), in the best physical shape of my life, and go about each day with a sense of purpose and destiny, but likewise with laughter and a constant comical smile on my face (and really, what other way is there to live?). Being born in New England, I will always have the northeast in my blood, though both the Florida Keys and Caribbean hold a special place in my heart.

While I lead a very active lifestyle, I make time for everything else important in my fairly balanced life, such as being the proverbial educational programming fan and bookworm as well. My trade is in biomedical engineering, so being analytical comes with the territory, but my personality is still very much that of a people person. This career path has led me to meeting some key people in life, not to mention taken me on many interesting and beneficial adventures.

I love almost all sports, especially football and baseball. Whether it’s watching Tom Brady pass for 350+ yards, seeing Jacoby Ellsbury steal three bases in a game, or marveling at Kevin Garnett make several blocked shots in a row during the key moments of a game – I become totally absorbed in the euphoria. I believe that it’s in my competitive spirit.

To me, getting along great with just about everyone seems to come naturally, and my personality seems to be contagious (or is it just me?), and brings high spirits to those around my presence. I always look forward to meeting and speaking with new people from diverse backgrounds, and often find myself entertained and fascinated by the varying degrees of individual psychology associated with human behavior (in short, I sometimes enjoy “people watching”).

Love to cook, fish, pump iron, play sports, relax with a good book, or spend the day in recharging my batteries when necessary by allowing myself sufficient down time. I believe in striving for personal greatness, with daily personal evaluation and fulfillment, but also in karma of the mind and body. IMO, some ‘me time’ is essential for this, as are adequate breaks in your own personal space for doing absolutely nothing for a change. As T.S. Elliot once stated: “Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time”.

I could go on, as there is so much more. But the rest you’ll just have to find out for yourself.

A better question would be what am I NOT doing with my life. But let me shed some light on this subject for a moment…

From day to day, hour to hour, I could be: Performing interior design and renovation, playing a game of full court basketball, fishing for stripers from the surf, performing various aspects of home repair and improvement, window shopping or bargain hunting, reading up on the latest subject matter of interest, relaxing and catching the Sox game on the tube or radio, enjoying a homemade meal, pumping iron at the gym, hitting the beach or the olympic size pool for some laps, or simply taking a scenic hike or walk in the pleasant outdoors. There is much more, but you get the idea (so much to do, so little time - so very true).

Basically, I’m all about creating specific short and long term goals for myself, and following through. There usually must be a concrete goal or objective (business, personal or otherwise) towards personal satisfaction, progress and/or self improvement.

Wow, is this a real setup question!

To be blunt and honest, and eliminate the obvious, my main passion and joy – which is the reason that I’m good at these things – lie in the simplest of pleasures. I love to sportfish, and equally enjoy preparing the fresh catch for the dinner table for friends, family and guests. Don't mean to toot my own horn here, but I happen to be a very good cook. (Ah, the hell with it: "Toot, toot!")

Likewise, I love the beach and ocean. IMO, a beautiful day spent on the water doing NOTHING can be the most therapeutic and productive time on earth for self-meditation, awareness and relaxation. Especially by the clear and warm waters on the southside of Cape Cod, day or night. To me, it’s an eatirrly different universe from where most people live.

Being physically fit also helps the mind tremendously, so I am very methodical about my workouts. It could be hitting th weights, swimming, jumping rope, shooting hoops, swinging away in the batting cage, or simply taking a lengthy walk on a trail or by the coastline. It’s all good, and all beneficial.

As you can see, I don’t have any detrimental, negative or otherwise “bad” habits. Everything is constructive and fullfilling, as my biggest vice is probably gourmet coffee and tea. (Love them.) I am quite a connoisseur when it comes to exceptional gourmet beverages.

My unique personality and sense of humor. (Outside of work, I’m just not a very serious guy, and am all about playing hard and comic relief…which, if you’re lucky, you’ll find out about soon enough!)

My last favorite book that I read was "In Harm's Way", which is the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. I liked it because it reminded me of how fortunate I am to be born when I was, in a time of globalization and endless possibilities, instead of being born during a time of war and conflict. If you haven’t read it, get it today. You’ll enjoy it and fully appreciate it whether you enjoy reading history, fiction, adventure or anything else.

Before that book, my second favorite book was “Tangled Ropes: The Story of Superstar Billy Graham”, which illustrates the life of the well known pioneer and trend setter Wayne Coleman, a true pro wrestling icon (known in the industry as “Superstar Billy Graham”). Even if you’re not into the theatrical world of pro wrestling (as I’m not either), this is an incredible story with an absolutely amazing writing style. As your are reading the book, you are taken into a world or cinematic illusion, drug abuse, unusual and eccentric personalities and a make believe world of deception, betrayal and deceit. But the tone is very much of exhiliration, personal destruction, awareness and self enlightenment, as the central character does a full circle before returning from the dark side to the righteous world, and making ammends to all those he wronged along the way.

As for food, my favorite will always be seafood. I was raised on fresh fish, and it will always be my favorite table fare. However, I do enjoy various local and ethnic dishes, and love pasta, grains and produce. I am very big on vegetables and fruit, and enjoy them raw as well as cooked.

I have a varied taste in music, and have listened to just about anything at one point or anather. My latest listening choice is Nightwish, and they definitely have a feel and sound that’s all their own and quite unique.

Last but not least, my favorite movie is Jaws. I saw it at a drive-thru when I was only four (not the original release, mind you), and have viewed it countlesss time ever since. Other great flicks would include Goodfellas, Indiana Jones and The Naked Gun series, to name a few.

My family, gym membership, wardrobe, fishing gear, close friends and my sense of humor & positive attitude. It’s as simple as that, as the rest is all secondary or inconsequential.

Self improvement, from various different angles.

I guess a good way of explaining this one (from a simple and practical standpoint) is that, for each individual, you would have ask yourself two very important questions. The first is “What do I really want to accomplish in life, personally and professionally?” and the second is “Is what I’m presently doing taking me one step closer or step backwards from this goal?”.

Those are not easy questions to answer for anyone, but in a nutshell, answering those two honestly is the foundation of achieving your goals and dreams. Sermon over now!

Usually doing one of two things: Enjoying a great read and Venti Americano at Borders or Barnes & Nobles, or (maybe afterwards) getting myself into a bit of trouble and mischief trying the things that I just read about (you can read more about that in the next section).

If the weather is warm, then I need to be outside if at all possible. Maybe dining at a seaside restaurant (with the invigorating salt air), sitting in the backyard enjoying a drink and listening to the crickets and evening sounds, or taking in a game at Fenway. (FYI: Notice the next time you’re there for a night game how the field and skyline change in the twilight hours, usually between 8:00-9:00 PM. Magic.) No matter the selection, it would definitely be about savoring the moment of the occasion, whatever that may be. And of course, depending on my present company as well – if any at the time.

I am very artistic and creative, and certain skills and talents just seem to come naturally to me. As a result, I am surprisingly good at certain things right out of the gate (smiley face and such).

But mostly, I enjoy being really into something that I’m really interested in at that moment – or at least trying it temporarily – with incredible focus, determination and sheer obsession. Even if I happen to suck at it. Some things just feed that hunger in me.

For example, have you ever passed by a certain book on the shelf, that may have caught the corner of your eye, and simply had to pick it up and look into the content? Then, for one reason or another, it simply captivated your imagination. It may have been a book on shipbuilding, and it sparked your curiosity, even though you may not be a boater or shipbuilder persay. Nevertheless, it captures your fancy, to the point where now you have the urge to actually build a ship – maybe not a gallion, but something small, like a dinghy (for starters, anyway).

So the next day, you go to Lowes to buy some material, and you start to build your first boat. And it starts to take shape. You make mistakes, and then you fix them. So you read more, and talk to people who know more than you do about the subject. Then you build a rudder for your boat, and then an entire steering mechanism. And then you detail, finish and paint your newly constructed boat. Lastly, you even give it a name. And all because you took that shortcut to the bathroom, and glanced at that certain book on the shelf. (Wow, you rebel you.)

And then you finally decide to sail that bad boy, and it actually ends up lisping, capsizing and going to the bottom of your favorite quarry. So all of your time, effort and money is gone…but you learned something about ship building, even though you may never build another one again. But what the hell; at the very least, the whole experience makes for some great future story telling. As an added plus, maybe your little adventure was quite enriching and beneficial towards pursuing some other nonrelated goal in the future.

Yeah, I’m that guy!

My take home point is that I’m a strong believer in that you learn most through failure, as success sometimes merely reinforces superstition.

Or, to put it more bluntly (and in the famous words of Author Jones):

“Good judgement usually comes from experience, and experience usually comes from bad judgement.”

Note: Being Greek, I can be real philosophical sometimes. :)

You love playing hard as much as working hard, are open minded, have a positive and care free persona, and an appetite for playing outside the typical “rules of the game”. (Your serve.)