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Will You Be Missed?: Icarus Deception Book Review

December 31, 2012 in Book Review, Connecting, Raves with 5 Comments

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have a few authors, some alive and some long gone, that have greatly influenced my life and work. One of them is Seth Godin. While all his books have resonated with me there are a few that have just stopped me in my tracks. Linchpin was one. I think I have given nearly 20 or more copies away to people all over the world . I changed my whole career after reading a sentence in his book Tribes. I refer back to Purple Cow every time I ship something new from a video game to a non-profit fundraising campaign.

So when Godin launched his Kickstarter to publish his latest book, The Icarus Deception, I partly thought “there is no way he could top what he has already written.” I was wrong. Very wrong. As a backer I received Icarus earlier in December.

I was pleasantly surprised by the main theme of the book. Seth outlines a major shift that is happening right now. We are experiencing a time in history where the connection economy is replacing the industrial economy. Connections trump all other influence.  Icarus, describes this new world where artists thrive and those willing to be vulnerable and share, change the world. Truly I could write a long review here but, I would suggest watching the official trailer instead, Brent Underwood shared with me. What you see in it gives you an accurate preview of what you will find within its binding.

As I have given these copies away I have noticed something remarkable. Each recipient has expressed what I can only describe as epiphany. They are photographers, filmmakers, non-profit evangelists, writers and other world changers. Beyond that I am excited to see where those epiphanies take them next.

If you are near Portland, Oregon I also want to invite you to the first Icarus Session Jan 2nd at 2pm. I chose to start my own in the burbs (Newberg, OR) since the Portland one has grown pretty large. You can find the details here on the meetup site.

Busy with my own world domination

July 9, 2012 in Book Review, Connecting, Raves, Reads with 4 Comments

This weekend I kept seeing friends post from Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit here in Portland. While I felt a bit regretful for not going I had to remind myself that I really did not have the time or space right now. I am busy executing my own world changing plans as well as making new ones.  I really enjoyed seeing some of the biggest change agents today that I personally know tell their stories. What excites me the most is hearing some for probably the first time decide to step out of their comfort zones and make their own world changing plans.

So here is a shout out to good friends already out there and an even bigger one to the friends just showing up on the scene. Go make it happen. Find someone who will disrupt you daily and keep you on track. I have only come this far because of friends like that.

And if you have not read Guillebeau’s The Art of Non-Conformity, I highly recommend it. It made me mad the first time I read it, mainly because it exposed dreams I did not feel were possible. I am now doing those exact things.

Here is C.C. Chapman’s Flickr Slideshow I have been enjoying as the weekend rolled by.

 

A study in the love of women through Shakespeare

April 23, 2012 in Raves, Video with 3 Comments

Watching a production of Romeo and Juliet as a ballet around 1990 was the first time I realized how much Shakespeare’s work impacted how I viewed and appreciated women.

All the works from The Taming of the Shrew to Much Ado About Nothing, helped shape my appreciation, respect and ultimately love for what I believe is the embodiment of God’s characteristics of beauty, power, compassion and gentleness; women.

As I have stated before, my favorite of the bard’s work is Henry V. And you would probably think it odd that I would mention it when speaking of the feminine half of humanity. But in the play I remember being captivated by the character of princess Catherine of Valois. Here we have royalty being thrown together in the midst of such turmoil. Their countries are at war. But in the end as the play portrays and reflects historical truth, they both being of tempered and stubborn stock, ultimately fall in love. Henry died two years later from sickness on the battlefield but his captured heart is forever accurately portrayed in the treaty signing scene when he asks to be alone with her.

“If thou would have such a one,
take me;
and take me, take a soldier;
take a soldier, take a king.”

At forty two I find myself deeply in love with a woman. And I love all her characteristics from feistiness to gentle femininity. I recognize them because of Shakespeare’s words and those years hoping that one day I would find my own true love.

I am not a fan of country music but there is one song by Rascal Flats that gets me every-time and reminds me of all I have learned along the way.

“I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you
That every long lost dream lead me to where you are”

And so as I look at my beautiful daughter and her lovely mom, I see how through tragedies, romances, comedies and yes histories, I marvel how Shakespeare’s work has taught much of what I know and love about women.

Here is to that continued education on his birthday. Join me in celebrating with others at: http://happybirthdayshakespeare.com/

Authors Engaged Online Wednesday December 21st: Chris Brogan on Experts

December 21, 2011 in Authors Engaged Online, Connecting, Raves with 0 Comments

Last week I announce a new way to highlight Authors who engage with their readers. I have had a twitter list of them for a while.  I have become disatisfied with how that list is randomly highlighted via paper.li.  So I ceased those updates altogether.  Instead I wil post daily something one of those authors is saying or posting (I may miss a few days here and there).

Here is the first installment:

Chris brogan is a great writer and thinker. He has continually added value to my business life.  Today he popped up on my radar with a really good post about experts and trying new things called We’re No Experts.  I hope you check it out.

Here is a list of Chris’s books.  I hand out copies of Trust Agents all the time.  If you have not read it, you should. It will revolutionize how you connect with others. Chris’ new book is all about Google Plus.

Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to Develop Your Business Online

 

 

Talking to taxi drivers

April 4, 2011 in Connecting, General, Raves with 10 Comments

This Twitter post by my friend Carissa left curious.

@CarissaO Fascinating conversation with my cab driver about the entrepreneurial spirit and the power of social media. #austinrocks #SXSWi

Was the driver moonlighting as a guru or VC. Regardless it reminded me of all the great conversations I have had with taxi drivers.

This isn’t about taxi drivers though. Really it is about being present enough to your surroundings to engage in conversations with everyone you come in contact with. I think we miss so many opportunities to learn from others by just ignoring people throughout our day.

My stepdad Glen, who I count as one of the most influential people in my life, led by example in many ways but this was one that I love to practice. He would engage with the grocery clerk, gas station attendant, janitor and anyone else that came across his path. What stood out to me were the people who could not possibly benefit him as a salesman. And a good salesman he was. Better yet though he valued people. Over time all of these people came to know his name. So when I would travel with him it seemed he knew every one in the world. Now I do know this. He always got the best service wherever he went because he had invested in people that served him.

Now back to taxi cab drivers. It is very easy to ignore them. When I get into a cab, no matter what my first impression is, I strike up a conversation and usually try to learn a bit about the driver. It has been rare that I have been disappointed. There have been times that I have been disturbed by the cab driver. One in Vegas stuck with me. He gave my business partners and I a history (his own sordid version) of the decline of the city since the mob lost control. Oh the good ole days. I was hoping not to see a shovel in the trunk when I went to get my bag. Yeah. Mostly the drivers are great.

So next time you take a cab surprise yourself with an opportunity to connect. Try to learn a little something about the person pumping your gas (we can’t pump our own where I live). When the check out clerk asks you how your days was, reply and then honestly inquire about theirs.

Share some of your cab stories (both great and crazy) or how you have connected with people you encounter throughout your day. I would love to hear them.

Why I switched to Standard Theme 2

March 16, 2011 in Raves, Tools with 7 Comments

Do you use a professional theme for your site? In the three years this blog has been up I have gone through four WordPress themes. Each of them have been great for the publishing needs I have had up until now. Those needs have changed. I realized I was spending too much time on site maintenance and not enough writing. I needed a theme that offered three things: SEO and connection tools built right in, a clean design and most of all clean code that simply worked. I was having to tweak plugins or edit a theme’s code to make it work best. Updates would often break key functions. After a conversation with Justin Lukasavige I decided to buy and install Standard Theme 2 from 8bit. I have been a fan of other bloggers that use Standard Theme for a while. To say the least I am very pleased. I had the new configuration up and running including all the new setting changed in just under two hours. Standard I think will be my theme of choice for a while. If you do go Standard, spend the extra investment and get the forum and tech support. The bundle is well worth the price.

So consider a professional them like Standard and get back to writing. Isn’t that why you started blogging in the first place.

One last note. Before you pay for a theme ask around. Many have minimal support and sloppy code. The research will pay off.

How and why I use location-based tools

January 26, 2011 in Connecting, General, Marketing, Raves, Social Networking, Tools with 7 Comments

People ask me two questions regarding location-based tools like Gowalla, Foursquare, Whrrl or Yelp. The first question is: why use them? The second is: how do you choose which one to use?

The answer to the first question has three parts…

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Dailies, Flipboard, Alltop…: consumption vs engagement

January 19, 2011 in Connecting, General, Publishing, Raves, Reads, Social Networking, Tools, Twitter with 6 Comments

I have written a couple times about the usefulness of tools like Paper.li, Flipboard and Alltop. They help me stay engaged and informed. (You can read about this process here. I update the blog post as the way I get my news changes.) When Flipboad came out for the iPad, I added my favorite public lists to it and used it for a while. I used Alltop to get my news. I don’t anymore. Now I only use my Facebook friends updates and four lists on Twitter. As you can see, this is a process. And like any process, there will be bumps and misfires along the way to finding something that works well.

I believe we need two things to be successful today. We……

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Editorial Calendar: from sporadic to consistent blogging

January 5, 2011 in General, Publishing, Raves, Tools, Video with 7 Comments

I first found this great WordPress plugin tool via Chris Brogan’s post. But the cool part is, Editorial Calendar changed my blogging habits completely. I went from posting sporadically, which is too common for most bloggers, to posting consistently three times a week. Today I asked my friend Justin Lukasavige to do a quick video showing how he uses it. Thanks Justin!

One last note: I use the tool on the fly every-time I get a post idea. I get them in the middle of conversations, while travelling, watching a movie, you name it. Instead of making a note on my iPad, sending myself an email writing it on my hand, I now open up the Editorial Calendar, …..

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Win a free Kindle with Eric Alexander’s The Summit included

December 23, 2010 in Book Review, General, Publishing, Raves, Video with 100 Comments

There is really so much I want to say about Eric Alexander’s Book “The Summit”. It is one of those books that you want to read slowly over a few weeks and a short blog post seems out of place. For me it was more of a devotional, and actually a book I will probably keep by my bed and process slowly again. Eric’s writing is unpolished and authentic. I felt as if he was sitting there telling each story in person. Eric has led many expeditions, over his career as a climber and outdoor guide, including several with people of various physical disabilities. However, after reading his accounts about these people, the word hero seems more appropriate than the word disabled.

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