T-M-I from T-I-M

The Story of My Life

No...this is not an homage to Social Distortion's catchy tune.

 But rather I was featured in a profile for a cool site called Story of My Life.  They took me through a process that was fairly revealing for me regarding the journey of the work that I do that motivates me most, working with entrepreneurs.

Here's the story.

It was a fun process and I am really grateful for the opportunity to share it.  There are some wonderful stories on there and now I guess I'm one of them!

Great Carl Sagan Quote

Sometimes, the right quote at the right time makes a lot of stuff make sense.  In the words of Carl Sagan:

In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.

Personal Transparency vs. Personal Brand

I wonder, when writing my blog how transparent I really should be.  When I first started, frankly, I didn't care and, not too surprisingly, it was a lot of fun.  However, it seems like the stakes get higher when I feel like I have to filter my thoughts for personal branding. 

Maybe the issue is that some level of consideration of personal branding leaves me open for misinterpretation of what I write and that's a little frustrating.  I suppose when I just let it fly I was more comfortable in knowing exactly what I wanted to say and how I said it and if it was misinterpreted so be it.  But when I consider shaping it in some way and it still is misunderstood, oy!

But I wonder whether personal transparency brings us closer together than personal brand building.  (Candidly, I don't 100% understand the concept of personal brand building but I've met some people who have done it really well.) 

When connecting to a personal brand do you connect to that person or their brand or maybe both?

I think brand building feels less emotionally revealing and that in some way less risky.  Maybe that's a good thing, I'm just not sure that it's a skill I'm interested in learning.  It doesn't feel quite as fun.

But I could be wrong.

Why do homeless people keep living?

I've been thinking lately about why homeless people continue to live.  To be clear, I'm not talking about someone who is perhaps down on their luck, maybe even for a few years.  In that case, I guess there is some clear hope that he or she can get back to it.

I'm wondering about the people who go say 5+ years and seem to either go deeper into the hole or stay where they are with no upturn in site.  I've seen people like this around my neighborhood, there never seems to be hope.  Somehow, they wake up every morning with nothing and often nobody but they keep going.

I wonder what keeps them going.  My presumption is that they are not particularly happy and unlikely to be happy in the near future.  So, it's a life of sadness that perpetuates itself. 

There's got to be something inside that keeps them going because it appears that there is no great reward outside for them.  Who knows maybe they really are happy? (although I doubt it)

An interesting possibility may be that it doesn't matter whether they are happy or sad, that life is not necessarily meant to be a vectored journey towards happiness.  That's certainly a challenging point of view and would make the issue make some level of sense.

One thing's for sure, a meaningful % of us that have something want to try to get those who don't out of it.  Then again, we don't really care do we?  If we really did, I feel like it would be solved on a larger scale than it is now.

What is it?  What keeps them going?

What I think America values most

I was wondering this morning what I think America values most.  Freedom?  Power?  Diversity?  (HA...just kidding, I didn't think that)

I think America values wealth more than anything else.

It drives much of our business and political global strategies, agendas and day to day decision making.  It drives much of our personal lives and relationships.

And it's so illusory.  I'm not saying that money is bad.  It's an energy like anything else.  And having it is great!  I'm suggesting that it's temporary.  I also think that it plays a role in why we fear death so much. 

Fundamentally we have backed ourselves into such a corner regarding wealth as a means to establish our relative worth in our society that considering an afterlife where it means nothing is downright scary.  It also makes the thirst for money unquenchable because you can seemingly never have enough.

I'm not judging the fact that we value money, just sharing my opinion.  I wonder if the very pursuit of money as the ultimate objective in our country is what makes us such a global powerhouse.  For some reason when I've traveled abroad I've found that tons of countries who apparently don't like us have tons of citizens who want to live here. 

Well, maybe not the French in my experience, but even then there are lots of French folks here.

I wonder what our country would be like if we put our best constructive skills (being entrepreneurial, dreaming big, challenging the status quo, driving to excel and others) collectively to something other than money as the #1 goal.

Now if you've read much of my blog in the past you'll know where I'd like to see those energies put into:  love.

Can you imagine how great this country would be if our #1 goal at all times was love?  Then I think we could almost defensibly claim that we are the greatest country in the world, of course we'd never say it because we'd finally be humble!

My favorite July 4th's

On the one hand, I am continually perplexed by the idea of commemorating winning a war with booming fireworks which almost certainly give any veteran a tough night of sleep.

On the other, I was talking with a friend today about what our all time favorite fireworks displays were.  I've seen an overwhelming display of them in the past in St. Louis at the VP fair.  Hundreds of thousands of people and about an hour of fireworks if I remember correctly (and btw, I don't remember much from that little jaunt...).  The fireworks were tremendous and gi-normous as they say.

However, my favorite fireworks were the ones that I would see every year at the Country Club we belonged to when we were kids.  Granted it was an exclusive place with no blacks or jews and there was a place called the "Men's Grill" where women weren't allowed (or kids except after hours when we would "steal cokes").

The women had a place of their own....a tiny bathroom just off the side of the grill.

Anyhoo, every year they would have a fairly short fireworks display for all of the families as we sat on the grassy hill in front of the 10th tee.  I remember as dusk approached the kids would fire off bottle rockets or ladyfingers or roman candles (usually to applause!).

I remember having very few cares.  I remember how much I loved the whole day.  Watermelon, swimming, games (we hunted for pennies in the pool, we had sweatshirt races in the pool), being with many of my friends as well as my family.

I remember how much I used to like to be on the blanket with my family (and usually one of two other families that we hung out with).  It felt safe and loving.

I also remember that the last thing we would see was the United States Flag lit up on a grid and I distinctly remember waiting until every single flame went out before we would leave.  (I also remember coming home to a stressed out beagle every year...).

The thing is the fireworks were minor in comparison to the VP Fair or most displays that you see.  I think it was the experience that I loved so much.

I can't even tell you why exactly, but tears are forming in my eyes as I type this.  There's something so pure, so innocent and so beautiful about that moment. 

Perhaps that's why they were always my favorite July 4th's.

Drivers' 10 Commandments

And ye, Cardinal Martino didst travel far and long to thou mighty local AAA. 

And upon entering in to the local office did he nearly smite the dozens of heathen non-members standing in the line which woundeth many times in thy glory.

The line's distance was nearly 20 cubits before one turn begat another turn before he spake to the attendant, who had not yet learned the difference between a tithe and tie.

And lo, did Cardinal Martino cry out "Abba...oh Abba why do you beseech me?" when the holy overhead speaker trumpeted a long forgotten psalm "Dancing Queen".

Lo, though it was nearly 3 hours Cardinal Martino wandered in the barren line did he not yet see an end to it all.

And suddenly, these holy 10 commandments were delivered to him on his blackberry screen that he carried underneath robe.  When he reached for it, he revealed his comely feet and got on his knees when he saw the miracle.

And these were the 10 commandments that the Vatican just published for driving, you gotta love it!!!  (full story here):

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

Did I call it or what?

Paris Hilton appears to already be working the redemption angle.  I suggested she may do so last week.  Who knows what her intention is but I do know that a publicity hound is barking up a pretty desirable tree.

According to her:

"Now, I would like to make a difference. ... God has given me this new chance."

Being someone who knows a bit about second chances, I get it.  At the same time, it is a great pr ploy at the same time....

Paris Hilton's trail of tears

I saw this afternoon that Paris Hilton has been ordered back to jail.  She was in tears and based on the article a little hysterical about going to jail.  I know almost nothing as to why she is so popular or important she doesn't do anything.....sort of like Ann Coulter with a looser sphincter (insert joke here).

If I had to bet, I bet she does drugs every day and a big reason she's losing it is because she's freaked because she won't be able to keep doing them.  Come on Paris, haven't you ever seen Oz or Shawshank or hell, even Arrested Development?

If I had to double down my bet, I would bet she becomes a redemption story (strangely enough from what I don't really know because she's sort of like a riches to hangin' with her bitches to riches in orange britches to riches story which doesn't really feel like a big seller but who knows?).

If I still had money to bet after the first two bets, I would bet that being called Paris doesn't, like, help in an all women's prison.

And If I had even just a few nickels left (or maybe a good $100k after cleaning up!) after all these bets, I would bet that our "friends" in France hate us just a little bit more today.  I can understand.  Today, our Paris is definitely uglier than theirs.

Azia Kim, time to go BIG!!!!!

I wrote earlier about the fake Stanford student and since then I've talked to a Stanford student who was a part of the orientation program at Stanford who isn't surprised by what happened.  He told me that he met someone who with her parents showed up the first day of classes looking for a dorm assignment that she should have gotten in the mail.

Turns out, she had no dorm assignment and no acceptance to Stanford, pretty trippy, eh?

A few things that I've thought about since reading about this fascinating story:

1. If she doesn't have an agent she should get one IMMEDIATELY.  She's got a window to monetize this and do it big in my mind.  Azia, if by some trippy co-incidence you read this, my suggestion is that you write EVERYTHING down as quickly as possible and start doing it EVERY DAY!!!  Don't let those memories get too old.
2. Seems to me she knows plenty to be employable by a variety of firms, including Stanford University if they had a lick of sense.
3. If SHE has a lick of sense, she'll realize that school may not be worth her time.
4. If you're Azia's folks, I know this might feel like losing face, but believe me your daughter has a chance to go BIG right now and have a great time doing it.  Maybe she'll live her dreams instead of someone else's (and given she lied about going to Stanford, she's probably doing it for someone else...).

What a great story.  Of course, who knows what will be truth coming out of her mouth at this point but I guess it's part of the tale to be told.