Do You Dare to Mix It Up?
Ever noticed that Accountants seem to know a lot of other Accountants and Artists tend to hang out with other Artists?
It is easy to fall into this trap and stay within your comfort zone. Meeting the same people (or similar type) all the time will result in a less effective professional network. This is also true online. Connecting with like-minded people is great, but can lead to tunnel vision.
Meeting interesting people outside of your own profession is a powerful way to strengthen your business and make life more interesting!
How to make it happen? Read about subjects and attend events beyond your immediate areas of interest and outside your zip code. Think twice before you “unfriend ” someone that doesn’t share your opinions or political views. Reach out to connect with people from all walks of life via social networks. Check Meetup.com to find interesting gatherings to attend or try a local Tweetup?
How will you Mix it Up?
Filed under Adventure, Entrepreneurship | Comment (0)
Go Study Abroad- A Postcard from Provence
Dear Aunt B,
It was a pleasure to spend time with your eldest daughter while on holiday in the South of France this week. Congratulations to you for supporting her decision to study abroad. I am also happy to report that your financial contribution appears to be a sound investment. (No, she did not ask me to have you send money!)
Scrolling through her Facebook updates and photos might lead you to believe she has been on a continuous 5 month vacation, but the life lessons she is learning are unique and not on offer at her University in rural Missouri!
Having lived in Europe for the past 10 years, I am obviously biased in favour of the experience of going abroad. Observing her in her foreign environment, inspired me to list below the reasons everyone should study abroad.
While I do not share your belief that it is a coincidence she and and her long-time boyfriend chose the same small city in the South of France, I will tell you that we find him to be delightful! Her choice shows good judgement and more than any of the points mentioned below, is a positive indicator of her future happiness.
Je t’embrace,
Suzy
P.S. Here is the list of 7 big benefits of studying abroad:
1. Mastering or at least Improving your language skills is bound to happen!
2. Cultural Immersion is the best way to truly acknowledge that cultural differences exist. Learning how to identify, accept, communicate and thrive in a multicultural environment is a valuable career skill.
3. Broaden your horizons. Being away from the environment in which you were raised, creates the distance and perspective to make choices about your future. Not just choosing between A and B, but understanding what it is about a city or a culture that inspires you.
4.Humility in appreciating the generosity of a host family; acknowledging that a few peers may have lucked out in their placements; but there are always some less fortunate.
5. Finding your own way outside the bubble, that is an American University Campus, is a challenge. Budgeting daily expenses as well as planning and financing cross-border travel may push your resourcefulness to the limit!
6. Your expectations will shift as you see people operating differently in their daily lives and using resources, especially space much differently (public transportation and American McMansions are a few examples)
7. Even if you hate living abroad, you will have learned something about yourself and you will have great stories and memories that hopefully you will laugh about someday, when you get over the trauma.
Filed under Adventure, Just Life | Comment (0)
The Guru and the Groupie- I saw Seth Godin in London!
My Pilates Trainer flashed a look of disapproval when I told her I was going to London to meet my Guru. No, I wouldn’t miss any workouts; she took offense to my use of the sacred term, Guru, in reference to someone in the Business World; even worse Marketing!
But in the sense that a Guru is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses these abilities to guide others; Seth Godin is my Guru.
He is the expert I turn to every day seeking enlightenment, and somehow he always manages to deliver. Every day(sometimes twice a day) he posts a thought provoking idea, concept or story on his blog. If this is starting to sound like hero worship, I am only getting started!
When Seth Godin announced that he would be in London, I instinctively knew I had to act fast. Immediately, I called my business partner and booked two tickets. Sure enough, the “London Session” was a sold out event , no advertising required. Luckily, the organizer invited us to a “Meet and Greet” with Seth, which resulted in a front row seat for the day.
Why were we so excited to see Seth Live? First of all, in Seth’s own words, “The real world still matters,”. Reading his blog, his 10 best selling books, and communicating via e-mail are not the same as looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and seeing how they interact with people in real life. Throughout the day, Seth made himself completely accessible; no signs of ego or diva- like behavior. From the front row, I could imagine why a guy might want to shave his head and start acting like Seth; his character is worth emulating.
What would the other members of Seth’s tribe be like in person? I was curious to meet them too. The crowd of 400+ came from all walks of life; from a major music label to indie musicians, big companies like Shell, Microsoft and IBM to plenty of online marketing types. The non-profit sector was also represented, my favorite was a young Vicar in the Church of England, a testament to the fact that we are all in the business of trying to make our story heard!
More than anything, I wanted to see Seth think; and he did not disappoint. He has a very special gift for quickly turning individual questions into answers that interest and appeal to a broader audience. To illustrate how much Seth values authentic conversation over monologue, he spent 75% of his time with us answering questions and only 25% presenting. (This is an admirable goal for any speaker!)
The intensity of his stage presence combined with the never ending flow of provocative ideas, left us all with a headache. Mission accomplished, Seth! We were on our own in London to recover from Information Overload Hangovers. Luckily there is already a support group for people like us! Have you met your Guru lately?
Escape from Samaria Gorge
The Samaria Gorge is 16 km long and 500 meters deep and runs from the White Mountains to the Southern Coast of Crete. Our trek into the Samaria Gorge began with realistic expectations. According to the website (my husband checked) the hike was not difficult and would take three hours, four hours with frequent stops and six hours for the slowest people on earth, so 4 hours was our target. The same source said 3.000 people hike the Samaria Gorge on the busiest days of the summer, so it sounded more like a superhighway than a challenge. Continue reading »
