I keep nodding my head like “yeah” as I’m reading updates from people like Chris, that are referencing a great quote to remember:

“Do or do not. There is no try.”
- Yoda

I’m a sucker for great quotes. And sometimes it’s the simplest of quotes that resonate the most. The simple things, often overlooked, are the most important.

Tonight, I am emotionally bloated.

So, naturally, as a blogger at heart, I figure the best way to relieve myself is to write and share 2 things with you that have jarred my mental senses.

During the holiday break- I was able to knock-out several items from my official “things I’ve been meaning to do but life is too crazy to do it now so I’ll just get to it later” list (i’m not lying, this is a real list, I have an inbox folder + a dedicated Google Doc for this). On the list was 1 Movie and 1 YouTube video to see. After watching both, I was swiftly hit over the head with the same message, “remember this dude- you can learn from it.” Hence, this blog post is my release to share with you what I learned from both…

1.) “The Movie”
I watched the movie “Up in the Air”, starring George Clooney. Without ruining the movie, I can tell you it’s a story about a man who spends most of his time traveling in airplanes and basks in detachment. He has no close ties to other people, including his family, holds few possessions and makes good money. Movie synopsis aside, it had some powerful underlying life lessons. There were two easy takeaways from the flick I interpreted:

• Your family is a big darn deal- don’t ever forget that- put them first no matter how crazy your life gets.




• Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans (John Lennon). Don’t let it slip by because you’re trying to “organize it” perfectly.

As good as those two are, my favorite souvenir from the movie can be summarized by a recent quote my friend Sam blogged:

• “Everyone needs something to do, something to look forward to and something to love.*”

You might have missed it while reading it, but I placed an “*asterisk” at the end of the quote because I think it requires some elaboration. While all those things are true, I would add this must be genuine and come from your heart. I also acknowledge, this might require some soul searching, experiments, risks and failing [gasp, yes- I said it]. All which take persistence, patience and time.

2.) “The YouTube video”
Ask any geek, anything that comes from the mouth of the living-prophet-on-earth a.k.a. Steve Jobs is almost always brilliant (or at least in our minds it is). Recently, I watched YouTube video of a commencement speech Steve Jobs gave at Standford University back in 2005 (written transcript here). His delivery wasn’t exactly polished, but the message was definitely received. He shares 3 very intimate stories about his own personal life that paints the message, “…pursue your dreams and see the opportunities even when life seems to set you back.”

It’s a 15-minute speech. Watch it. When you have time on your lunch break or you can play it in the background while you’re doing other things. It’s worth your time. There is one quote that resonated above all others:

“Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Watching and listening to the Steve Jobs YouTube video + “Up in the Air” the movie certainly got the juices flowing for my learning’s from 2009 and thinking about my goals for 2010. Both great motivational food for the soul and a potent dose of inspiration. (big thank to Lynds for the title of the bpost)
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This week, while out to dinner eating pizza with my roommates, we talked about the importance of setting goals and having a mindset with measurable achievements (ok, truth be told- that was the gist of the conversation, we didn’t phrase it exactly like that- with all the fancy corporate buzzwords ).

Anyways, ever since that conversation, I’ve been thinking about what my goals are going to be for 2010. Which in turn has reminded me of a quote I recently posted to Twitter (follow me if you want).

The life hack advice embedded in this quote is important. In my opinion, you should extend yourself by setting goals and having dreams and aspirations in life. However, having confidence in yourself and who you are NOT makes all the difference in the world. This quote is a great reminder of that.
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While sitting in a Starbucks I noticed this great quote in a book for sale. This quote reiterates a simple truth- have the right attitude and maintain a positive mindset.

I’m often intrigued by successful people and individuals who are affecting greater change in the world. A common thread with all these individuals, is they’ve always persevered through the odds, critics, their own failures and difficult circumstances. More importantly, their passion in life is so great- it drives them to have a seemingly unreachable goals or a dreams that challenge the status quo.

This quote encapsulates to me an important point- set goals outside of the bounds of what a realist would do. You have to extend yourself to do this even if you’re a linear thinker who requires rationale for everything. If you don’t- you’re going through life operating with nothing to reach for. Everyone has dreams, no matter the stage in life you’re in (young and old).

Dream and dream big. Have the patience to piece together “the ladder” in what it takes to get you there. Use your passion to follow through with doing what it takes to accomplish that dream.
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I took the following picture with my iPhone (above) tonight while at Allen Fieldhouse, it was the second Kansas Jayhawks basketball game of the season (my alma mater). While the picture quality isn’t great, it also can’t express the emotions I felt …going back to Allen Fieldhouse to watch a game gave me chills (hey, stick with me, this blog post isn’t about sports- I promise).

You almost feel like a kid again with the stimulating emotions that flow through you when you walk into Allen Fieldhouse. Looking around, gazing, taking the rich old history of the arena (you can almost smell it), soaking it up for everything it’s worth. And nothing can replace the excitement you get of the pre-game traditions and in-game cheers ‘n chants you yell along with the entire band + student section.

As a loyal KU grad, the experience certainly takes me back and I bask in the moment every time I’m lucky enough to attend a game. Going to tonight’s basketball game reminded me of a great quote I love to share because it rings so true:

“Experiences satisfy the soul”.

This quote can be interpreted into several meanings -but what it encapsulates, is what we all long for…

…in this world of smartphones, iPhones, g-chat, crackberrys, the Internet, HDTVs, Facebook, iPods, Wii’s …there’s a lot of “virtual” technology out there that certainly keeps us entertained. Everything is moving so fast and screaming for your attention with alerts and asking you to multi-task just to get it all done. However, with all of these electronics and virtual entertainment that exist, they can’t replace the compelling and moving experience of a great- authentic- real life experience. For me, I know going to a KU game is one way I “satisfy the soul” with an experience that I cherish.

I’ve realized on any given day the things I choose to do (work or play), for the most part, are all very carefully calculated choices. Everything has rationale, justification and is prioritized accordingly. However, I make sure to never lose sight of the fact a great experience is worth a lot. Living in the moment- devoting your full attention to things that matter most- enjoying the experience …it makes all the difference.

It’s the experience that you remember and walk away with. So regardless if you are the one providing the experience OR you’re just there to take it in yourself- just remember the weight in which it’s worth. It can mean the world to someone.
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I’m not supportive on throwing out and using ubiquitous buzzwords too often, but I thought I’d share what I thought was a fairly well cited explanation of the phrase “Web 3.0″ (this is from an article about the website Twine)

[ Web 3.0, a "semantic Web" where sites can understand the quirks and relationships in the data they mine, much in the way that humans differentiate between cheesy nachos and cheesy pickup lines. ]

Those who know me well know I’m big on inspiration. Inspiration makes all the difference. Each dose of inspiration fades, but once you figure out how to continual reignite that spark — it’s addictive… in a GREAT way. I came across a great quote that reiterates that principle:

“The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something.”
-Seth Godin

I believe you can never be to busy to search for inspiration. Your elementary teachers and mom & dad had it right when they told you, having the right attitude is essential.  Make sure you are not only inspired, but inspired frequently.

I’m in Boston this week (visiting a client) and I came across a great quote in a magazine:

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
-Winston Churchill

I think this quote can take on several meanings. I don’t think it just refers to charitable giving, but it also applies to the act of “creating” as well. Short and powerful. I love it.

I went to the grocery store tonight and was extremely close to scratching the chicken breast from my list of things to buy for dinner — it was hard to crave chicken when this delicious treat was staring me right in the face. Look how HUGE this cupcake is! Glorious.

Things like this, while it may seem silly to get excited about — they remind me of a quote that’s actually the tag line for a co-worker’s mommy blog:

“…it’s all about the little things in life that make it good.”

I believe happiness in life is a moment which can take many forms; sometimes even as a delicious small cupcake

Today I found myself re-thinking a quote that I heard last week about social media, one that sparked my interest.

“…still amazed that a few 20-year-olds built things that people twice their age are now experts on.”

A powerful thought. One that deserves some thought of it’s own. Is it fair to consider that the older people being recognized as experts in social media are even qualified when you factor in the measurement of time? Why should we consider people like Chris Brogan, Steve Rubel, Shel Israel and Robert Scoble to be experts? None of which are digital natives.

Webster dictionary (i know, i played the ‘the definition card’) defines that an expert is, “Having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience.”

This begs one to think — how do you even measure training or sufficient experience in social media? It’s such a dynamic space that has taken many shapes and forms as different tools have been created or enhanced over the years.

Speaking of years — my own independent research on social networking websites shows that back in ‘ol 1997, www.sixdegrees.com was the first significant social networking website. From there, the next major blip on the radar was in Friendster in 2002, MySpace in 2003 and Facebook making a splash on a national scale in 2004. What I’m getting at – is that it isn’t so long ago that these social networks were all just getting started. It’s been around barely over 10 years. And the mass adoption of social networks into mainstream usage is even shorter than that.

• If the word “expert” requires that either experience or training must be displayed — have the people who consider themselves experts done that? Have they completed enough of either to quantify them as experts?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not skeptical on either social media or the influencers I’ve listed above. However, I am skeptical if anyone actually has no proof of ‘how’ they’ve done it themselves — and executed it well. The influencers I’ve listed (above) are of value in my opinion and it’s not fair to bucket them as ’self claimed’ experts (without proof). But the more important point, was that this quote makes me question if anyone is an expert at this stuff at all? Aren’t the best people out there still learning even 10+ years into their careers? (I sure hope so, or else I’m going to get bored doing my job).

This quote is from a conversation with Neal Sharma and is one I consider a powerful lesson. An “expert” is too strong of a word for anyone in the social media industry. These people who are viewed as valued sources of opinion might be better categorized as just “pundits”. The bottom line is they are great communicators and story tellers. In fact, they may be more of an expert in communication than anything else. I’m more curious to see us millennials and digital natives who have social media woven into our blood, what will we do? How will we evolve social media in the coming years?
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I’ve ran across this quote from a great advertising consultant thinker, Sam Meers.

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
– General George Patton

Sam continues by writing, “When was the last time someone challenged your thinking?” In a corporate environment, it’s easy to fall subject to groupthink (just ask “the bobs”). This quote really hits at the concept that while you shouldn’t challenge everything just for the sake of it — make sure you are thinking from all perspectives and asking the right questions (even if it is just to yourself). If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking. Don’t let that person be you.

While I was DJ’ing my friend’s wedding this weekend — I read this great quote on the sign-in book. This quote is pretty powerful. In my opinion, fate only takes you so far. It’s up to you to make something of the opportunities you get in life …and sometimes they only happen once.
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I’m down in freezing sunny Florida right now visiting my mom — we’ve been shuffling around town having fun and I couldn’t help but LOL when I came across this t-shirt:

“OMG it’s a t-shirt!”

It’s amazing to think that someone anyone has the power to create, publish and distribute all through a free medium — the Internet. Furthermore, this example proves you have the ability to affect mainstream culture with JUST the Internet, so much so that you can create product offerings around them! The OMG SHOES video has over 21 MILLION views to date. Insane.

If you want see what this silly viral video craze is/was all about — here’s the original YouTube video:

This photo is in my friend’s room and I really think it’s telling of such an inspirational mindset. To me — this means the following;

Have the passion and patience to dream and dream big. Have the patience to piece together “the ladder” in what it takes to get you there. Have the passion to follow through with doing what it takes to accomplish that dream.