Watching the UH men's basketball team shoot fouls has been painful. Missed free throws has already cost them games and the Bows nearly lost another one this weekend when they only made 16 of 31 from the so-called "charity line." The Wahine hoopsters might have beaten Alabama this weekend, had they sunk a couple more foul shots too. Since it's a given they probably take hundreds of shots in practice, what's the problem?

I think it's mostly mental. Studies have shown that positive visualization in sports can lead to improved performance. "See" the proper tennis stroke or golf putt in your mind, and brainwaves show the same activity as if the person was doing it for real. Perhaps, seeing other players miss shots in pressure situations becomes contagious because the next guy to shoot is subconsciously altering his own mechanics to avoid putting up a brick. Throughout the young season thus far, the Bows have gone through patches where no one seems to be able to get the ball to fall through the rim... it's like a magic shield goes up around the basket. Fans begin to expect them to miss, and you can hear the groans in the arena when the contagion causes them to blow wide open shots and easy lay-ups.

A few years back, Riley Wallace used to have two sports psychologists work with his teams. I don't know if they ever employed hypnotherapy or visualization techniques, but Coach Arnold should consider giving it a shot (pun intended). Hypnotherapy isn't hocus pocus -- it's even used in medicine to treat pain these days, according to Mindy Ash, who we featured on Career Changers TV in July. Here's the link to that segment. Give her a call, Gib! Heck, when a Division I team barely makes 50 percent of their free throws, trying something new can't hurt.

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On a related sports note, former UH football great Ashley Lelie is getting married today. I got that news firsthand while I was filming a new segment for CCTV sponsor, Argosy University at their Downtown campus on Bishop Street. He was there with fiancee Noza Yusufbekova, an Argosy grad student in their clinical psychology program, who we first interviewed in this segment. Noza is smart, charming, and very attractive, to state the obvious. And I have to say Ashley is a genuinely humble guy. Congrats to both of them! One thing is for sure: it will be much easier for me to spell Noza's last name in the lower third graphics that go on screen.

Our January episode features new pieces on architects, the fashion biz, art and more. The 2013 kick-off show premieres Saturday at 8:30 pm on OC16. For daily viewing times throughout the week, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV. You can also watch segments from past and current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Happy New Years!

Somewhat related to my last post on Good PR/Bad PR, is the idea of using social media for public relations and marketing. Two years ago, when I first started producing the Career Changers TV show for OC16, it was the hot new thing -- you just had to try Twitter and get on the Facebook bandwagon! Seminars were springing up all over the place to guide old fogies like me through the Brave New World of social media, with consultants showing how your business could Tweet its way to success. Blogging was so yesterday.

At first, I was interested in Twitter's potential. I could see how people and businesses might use it to build audiences or reward followers with special offers without having to spend a lot of money on traditional advertising. Facebook was more of a place to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances I had lost touch with long ago. It was almost surreal hearing from people I vaguely knew in high school or college, who now wanted to be "friends" even though we had little in common. Yet I was curious to read what others were up to, and would check my FB page throughout the day... at first, that is.

Eventually, I stopped checking Facebook and my Twitter feed. Some Tweeters would suddenly fill the page with a torrent of Tweets, usually about nothing much, before disappearing back into the void. Many just re-Tweeted postings from wittier people or shared oddball stuff. There were some useful links to blogs and articles that I did want to read, but it was getting to be a chore sifting through the twaddle. Ironically, the more people I "connected" with via social media, the less I cared about their daily doings and thoughts. The world became smaller, less mysterious. Instant access = instant distance from the "real" physical place we live and work in, paradoxically making me feel more disconnected as I scroll through Tweets and Facebook status updates.

Apparently, I'm not alone in that sentiment. Surveys show "Facebook fatigue" is spreading, with one in three saying they've gotten bored with social media. Here's the link to that article, which doesn't really say much... in fact, it's the sort of thing bloggers would have had a field day with back when blogging was in vogue. Have you noticed a lot of your old bookmarked blogs are defunct now, or posts have become more infrequent? The truth is very few who blog actually make any money from their efforts, so it becomes a slog after awhile to keep providing fresh content for readers who don't want to pay for content. Me, I do it primarily to promote my TV show. It's free advertising, in other words.

As for following me on Twitter or Facebook, eh, not really worth it. I rarely feel I have anything to add that is going to change anyone's mind about the Big Issues of the day. If anything, social media merely enforces what one already believes by connecting you to like-minded people, who "unfriend" those who don't think the same way... heck, I do it too rather than get in pointless online arguments with people I haven't seen in 20-30 years.

Perhaps, the best thing about Facebook is it makes me appreciate my life here more. The grass really is greener on this side of the ocean, and affirms what we all know: lucky you live Hawaii.

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The new September episode premiere last Saturday night got bumped due to high school football, but you can still see it on other days and nights! Viewing times are listed on www.CareerChangers.TV and segments from past episodes are posted on the CCTV YouTube Channel. If you ask me, YouTube has been the biggest game changer for new marketing/advertising strategies.

On our April CCTV show, we decided to test the local waters with an infomercial about a new ocean rescue device that was developed by Hawaii Kai inventor, Dr. Rob Yonover. It's an inflatable paddle board type life raft, which folds into a carry-on bag that weighs just 15 pounds, and takes up very little space on boats.

For you boaters and fishermen, I have a question: What do you think of the $350 price, which includes Dr. Yonover's patented RescueStreamer® as well? The streamer is a signaling device that unrolls to a length of 40-feet, and has plastic struts to keep it from twisting up when deployed in the water or on land. Here's the link for the Life/Float order page, which includes videos for that and the streamer (at bottom of page).

According to Dr. Yonover, most boats in Hawaii don't carry standard life rafts because they cost upwards of $3,000 and take up room. The rigid life rafts must also be serviced regularly... so $350 for the Life/Float and streamer combo seemed like a good offer to us. But is that too pricey to sell on TV or through the internet? Would you be more inclined to buy it at a retail store or boating show, where you could see it up close?

Your opinion is important to us because we're considering doing a 1 or 2 minute version that can air on the Mainland in other markets where there are lots of boaters. You can tell us what you think in the comments below or by emailing me at richfigel@gmail.com. Mahalo!

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Do you click on the Honolulu Pulse pictures links on the Star-Advertiser front page? If so, you may have seen the photos from the Venetian Masked Ball at the ArtZone. A few months ago, we did a feature on Kurt Kaminaka -- the owner of the ArtZone house -- and it's really a pretty interesting story. You can view the video on the CCTV YouTube Channel by clicking here. I hear KK has plans to create a new ArtZone house project, but am not sure if he sold the first one yet, which was his plan.

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Speaking of remodeling projects, one of our sponsors has moved into new office space that used to be occupied by the bookstore at the corner of Bishop Street and Hotel Street. Over the past two years, Argosy University has seen enrollment grow to the point where they needed to expand their facilities. Their admissions and administrative staff are now at the new location, and the old offices were converted to additional classrooms on the fourth floor of the American Savings Tower at Bishop Square. You can see that segment on the current show or click here for the video. They also have regular open houses, which usually are tied to academic programs they offer. To find out more, you can call them at 536-5555. Tell them Career Changers sent you!

For daily viewing times on OC16 and other useful links, please visit our website. You can also watch videos from past and current shows on our CCTV YouTube Channel.

I wanted to write something positive to promote the new Career Changers TV episode that premiers Thurs., 8:30 PM on OC16, but I feel like I have to get this off my chest: Are local companies purposely trying to lose business? Over the past few weeks, my wife and I have been getting price quotes for new windows, carpeting, air conditioning and bathroom remodeling projects. Here's some of the things we've encountered...

• Companies that take days to get back to us with price estimates or other information we requested. Some didn't respond until we followed up a week later. And this was for things that would cost anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000. Those were lost sales that went to competitors who were eager to provide answers.

• Inaccurate information. In one case, we were told windows we ordered would arrive in 4-6 weeks. We made it clear that timing was important because of other work that was scheduled to be done. After 6 weeks had passed, I had to call and ask what the status was. The sales guy was defensive and made excuses before he even checked. "It normally takes 6 to 8 weeks," he said, contradicting what he told us earlier. Then he looked it up and said the windows wouldn't be arriving for another 3 weeks. I'll never do business with them again.

• Confusing price quotes. Instead of breaking out costs by items and labor, some contractors just lump everything together. When we asked for specifics, it became apparent they were including high end products or marking up certain items. We told them we were on a budget, and yet they didn't offer different options that were more affordable.

• Stores that closed at 5 pm on weekdays or weren't open on weekends. Um, if you're selling tile, carpet, or home furnishings, why would you limit your hours to times when most people are working? We even took a weekday off to go to some of those places... guess what? They were pretty empty because potential customers were at work. Sheesh.

• Speaking of empty, have you been to the Gentry Pacific Design Center lately? Lots of vacant space. That was supposed to be a place where you could get remodeling help from concept to completion. But it seemed like they were all competing for the upscale, luxury projects... and there's only so many of those to go around. Did any of them consider going after the middle class market, and offering more affordable designs for budget-minded home owners?

• Companies with name or image problems. This may sound trivial, but when you're trying to Google a company or find their website, it helps to have a name that's easy to remember. Not so good: having a name with "Sewer" in it, when they're advertising upscale bathroom remodeling services. That may be fine for plumbing work, but no one wants to tell friends or family that Joe's Sewer Cleaners did their bathroom redesign.

The one bright spot: found a good handyman in Kailua who offers very reasonable hourly rates, and always does his best to try and save us money. If you want his name and phone number, drop me an email.

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Program Alert - The April CCTV episode that starts running 4/7 will feature a first for us: we're taking the leap into selling products through our show. The first items are unique life-saving devices developed by local inventor Dr. Rob Yonover, which we believe every boater and fisherman in Hawaii should have on board when they go out to sea. To find out more, please visit our website for daily viewing times or check out our CCTV YouTube Channel to watch video segments.

Shortly after I hit "publish" on my last post about the lack of creativity in this year's political ads, new campaign commercials rolled out... and all I can say is the only thing worse than boring advertising is negative advertising. In the short term, nasty ads might score points. But in the end, it only drags everyone down. It's a lose-lose situation.

That's why I think it's important to question the lack of imagination in our candidates these days. In fact, a recent Newsweek article says there is tangible evidence of a "creativity crisis" in this country based on declining scores in tests designed to measure that quality. Those tests showed a strong correlation between creativity in children and their future achievements. Kids who came up with more good ideas went on to become inventors, entrepreneurs, artists and successful leaders. These "dreamers" become game-changers who make a real difference. They have a vision of the world that is positive, not cynical and mean-spirited. It's the difference between having a can-do and no-can attitude towards life.

The Torrance tests have been tracking results for over 50 years. Up until 1990, creativity scores were going up... and have been inching downward ever since. The decline has been most significant in kindergarten to sixth grade children. So what happened? The authors of the article point to TV, video games and the education system itself: creativity isn't being nurtured in classrooms as part of the curriculum. Could that be a result of the increased emphasis being placed on standardized testing? Even countries like China are now shifting to "problem-based" learning approaches, the article says.

On our current Career Changers TV show we have a segment about inventor Dr. Rob Yonover. At the end, he talks briefly about his plans to create a TV series for kids that would encourage them to use nothing but their brains, a pencil and piece of paper to solve problems. No computers, no cell phones or electronic games around to distract them. Make them use their imagination. I think it's a great idea -- but will advertisers sponsor a TV program that encourages parents and children to ween themselves off our insatiable media appetite?

And that's the paradox: there's great educational stuff on the internet and TV -- information and ideas that can spur creativity and imaginative solutions to problems we're faced with. But at the same time, it's so easy to get distracted by trivia and time-wasters, or negative online arguments that just take us in circles... like the current rash of negative campaign ads that fail to inspire voters to choose a candidate based on their ideas and plans. Where's the beef or soy-based alternative?

I was going to write about effective advertising such as the clever use of factoids on AMC's Mad Men series, but that will have to wait until another post. (They're also running commercials that are made to look like brainstorming sessions at a 60s ad agency -- the Mad Men milieu -- that fooled me into hitting the rewind button on my DVR remote.) Creative ads and TV commercials make you stop, look and listen. But when I saw Djou's "scary" Hanabusa Halloween-theme negative commercial, I just wanted to laugh and ask if he had hired Mufi's ad team. And we know how well going negative worked out for him, right?

Here's the link to the Newsweek piece on "The Creativity Crisis" and the sidebar on "Forget Brainstorming" which suggests ways to boost the creative process. Every parent, business manager and entrepreneur should read those articles... politicians too.

To find daily show times for our show or view segments on our YouTube Channel, please visit www.CareerChangers.tv!