KarliBell33 & Peanut Tillman

On all of my platforms, my handle for everything for my personal brand is KarliBell33. Many people have asked me what the 33 stands for, and there's two reasons as to why I have 33 on the end of my handle: 1) @KarliBell is not available because someone who's never tweeted has that handle (rude) and (2) that number has been a part of my life since I was a kid.

I could just give you the short and sweet answer, but I'm going to explain it in depth. For those who know me know that I played sports at the competitive/organized level ever since I could walk until about my junior year of high school. Basketball was my main love, travelling all over of the region playing that sport.

The first team I was on that was considered competitve was my grade school team in 4th/5th grade. We were allowed to choose our own number. Because I had the ego I did, I chose No. 1. That ego is still here, but it's in check now. In 5th grade, someone ended up taking that number, because we were getting brand new jerseys. At this time, a certain cornerback by the name of Charles "Peanut" Tillman joined the Chicago Bears. He was my absolute favorite player next to Brian Urlacher on the Bears during this time, and he wore No. 33.

At the time, I chose the number solely based on the athletic ability of Peanut and didn't know much about him. As I grew older and became a bigger and bigger fan of the Bears and of football in general, I started reading about what he's done in the community and for his family.

I remember when news was circulating about how his daughter had to go through some pretty rough times with her health. When he was interviewed about this, I remember seeing someone that wasn't just an athlete; he was a very humble, kind, caring human being that was blesssed with athletic talent. He goes through the same struggles as everyone else, but what struck me the most was his humbleness.

Peanut has always been a great football player. His stats can prove that. However, the impact he's made on the communities he's lived in, especially Chicago, are innumberable. The impact that he's made on me personally as an adult is incredible.

Through his actions, he shows how to lead people and how to gain respect. He showed that egos shouldn't get inflated. Take everything you get as a blessing, because it can be taken from you as fast as it was given to you. He is truly an inspiring individual and just a phenomenal image of great character. Even after his career, he gives back to the community and is still horribly influential to people at all ages.

Now, with him being in the broadcast circle, I look up to him even more. He teaches me new things about the game every Sunday. He's so personable through the camera, and I try to copy my own camera presence off of his. He shows pure confidence and swagger on air, and it's a beautiful combination I wish I had.

I did meet him once when I was about 11 years old at the Chicago Bears convention. I have his autograph on my very first Bears hat that sits in the Bears Alley in the basement of my parents' house. I just remember him sitting there, signing autographs for what seemed like for him hours, but he still had a smile on his face and greeted every fan with enthusiasm and happiness. I would love to meet him again as an adult and, God willing, as a professional.

I know No. 34 is for Sweetness, but No. 33 is for Peanut. It always will be. Thank you Tillman for being such an influence in my life in ways I never expected. Thank you for continuing to spread your message to others through your charity and everything you do for the community. You may not punch out pigskins anymore, but you are punching a phenomenal message and mindset to not only myself but to everyone you meet.

Let's Make Social Media Positive Again

So Facebook, back when I was in high school, was a place for us to post terribly editied pictures, study guides for classes, PHENOMENAL memes and links to YouTube videos. That platform, obviously, has changed a lot since 2008, both positively and negatively.

I still get my daily dose of adorable animals and memes, but I also get a daily dose of constant bickering back and forth about the most miniscule things. Politics seem to be the go-to subject for so many people, because political opinions as your Facebook status will obviously fix the issues.

It's also a place of pure negativity, insults and straight awful-ness (yes, I just made up a word. Deal with it). You can post something as simple as a kid busting moves to a bomb beat. You get mostly love from people UNTIL that one person just has to say something negative about the kid. They comment on their clothes, hair, appearance and even race. The amount of just blatantly prejudiced and racist comments that I see now is absurd.

For example, I shared a video of James Corden talking to Andy Samberg and Neil deGrasse Tyson talking about the Tooth Fairy. I swear to God; the Tooth Fairy. It was a comical anecdote about how kids will use rational logic to figure out whether or not the Tooth Fairy is real. Tyson spoke about his own kid, and he made a joke saying, "This is how adults should behave." I laughed my butt off when I heard it. So I shared it to spread positivity and comedy on a platform that has now become the center of political opinions and straight negativity.

The comment string then led into an argument about how parents shouldn't tell their kids about the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa, etc. You catch my drift. What started off as a simple joke then turned into people twisting it into a way to push across their political agenda or their moral/ethical code. WHY.

The point of social media is to connect to people across the world and share moments of your life with them. It's a way to share information. It's a way to see more cute puppy videos (I swear I follow more dog accounts than I do people). It's a way to spread positivity, not your uninvited political spout about the Tooth Fairy.

I've noticed this ACROSS THE BOARD of all social platforms. Twitter is where most people have "keyboard courage." These people can make fake accounts where their name is not attached to it and just start straight bashing of other people for the most ridiculous things. Look at what Beyonce fans do. You tweet one negative thing about Beyonce, and her fan base will come after you with everything they have. WHY. It's an artist. People can have a difference of opinion.

Instagram is just as bad. A celeb can post a picture of just them sitting with their family. Then that one person just has to comment something like "Wow. You're really ugly in this picture. You should delete." SON....SHUT UP. No one asked for your negativity to enter their life. Get it out of here.

The worst types of people are YouTube commenters. The people that actually take the time to write out hateful comments on a sketch video really need to find a better use of their time. These people can turn a video about a Chicago accent into a platform for their own religious beliefs. NO ONE ASKED YOU FOR IT. Just keep it to yourself. Scream it into a pillow if need be. Vent to one of your friends about it. Go on SnapChat rants, which is my personal favorite outlet when I come across stupidity.

I don't remember social media being this negative until these past three to four years. It was never this bad back when I first joined social media. Everyone just loved you for doing what interests you and wanting to share it with others. If people wanted to hear people yell about their political views, they can watch people like Tomi Lahren or Bill Maher. Get both ends of the spectrum at least.

Can we all try to make social media positive again? Instead of seeing political whinings or boastings about what your political party did or did not do, can we just spread love to people? Share a puppy video. Share a video of little kids getting into the arts. Share sports moments with each other. Share memes about the Dallas Cowboys. Let's get rid of this keyboard courage. If you're not strong enough to put your face and name to a comment that you want to make online, should you really be making that comment?

Oh 2016...

The end of the year is nearing which means time for a reflective piece on this past year. Just kidding. You can go and read everyone's Facebook statuses on New Year's Eve for that.

This is the time of year where you need to stop thinking about politics, crime and all the negatives that happened this past year. This is the time where you look to your siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, partners, spouses and think about the impact they made on you this past year.

Think about the great times you spent together. Think about the inside jokes that were created. Think about the time they spent with you and just listened so you could vent. Think about the time when you did the same for them. Think about the time when you celebrated that promotion, engagement, graduation or new job.

Think about the times they were there for you at your lowest point. Think about the times you were there for them. Think about all the drama that you fought through and how you came out stronger. Think about that one phone call. Think about that one text message.

Time is precious and what makes it precious is the people that surround you. Make sure you tell them you love them and that you care about them. Instead of binge-watching Netflix, call them and catch up. Instead of whining about the cold, see if they want to build a snowman. Instead of scrolling through Snapchat, Twitter or Instagram, go and take those pictures with them. Instead of thinking you're alone, know that there is at least one person who cares about you. You never realize how important they are until you don't see them everyday.

That's what this holiday season is about: love, family and friends. Spread it.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.