Mastery Center

Last Man Summer

2012-02-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

I was a guilty-pleasure fan of Home Improvement back in the day and many of the films my son watched when he was young had the talented Tim Allen in them. So I watched the pilot of ABC's new hit LAST MAN STANDING created by Jack Burditt. The writing is crisp and the stories inventive. Plus, it includes the talents of one of my favorite young actresses, Kaitlyn Dever, who plays the youngest daughter on the show, Eve, and can also be seen on FX's JUSTIFIED. It's also nice to see Nancy Travis on a weekly basis.

A few weeks into the show I had an opportunity to see a taping with my son and we had a blast. Not long after, he and I were playing catch and we came up with this:

Click here to open a PDF copy of the script

Title: "Endless Summer"
Show: LAST MAN STANDING
Synopsis: Mike wins his family a dream vacation while Kyle is planning to propose to Kristin (for real this time) and Vanessa is worried about Eve's orientation.

I hope you'll enjoy this script. It was a lot of fun to write and some great moments came out of telling jokes back and forth with my son.

I am taking the next couple of weeks to work on an original project, so I won't be posting any specs for a little while. I'm excited about this new project. If you'd like to check out the logline, throw me an e-mail or put a note in the comment box and I'll send it your way. My goal is to complete a treatment, pilot (and possibly a bible) inside two weeks.

The New Bad

2012-02-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of the show BREAKING BAD. Probably not the biggest, but I have loved every episode I've seen. It was a challenge to take on writing this spec for several reasons.

The show is pretty smart. There's an unpredictable nature to each episode that lies at the heart of the characters and the paths they've chosen. I think the desert they live in and the modern era it is set in also make it a unique piece for television that isn't like anything I've seen on the medium before.

Additionally, Vince Gilligan writes scripts in a way that is unfamiliar to me. One of the tasks of a screenwriter when completing a spec, is to emulate the writing style of the creator as much as possible. With Vince Gilligan, this is not easy. Most scripts are functional in nature where scene direction (much like stage direction in plays) shows rather than describes what a character is thinking. Mr. Gilligan's writing is some of the most colorful, flowery, descriptive writing I've ever tried to emulate. So, this script was a challenge for me, and the product is a departure from work of mine you may have read before.

Stretching to accomplish this has made me look closely at the latitude given effective showrunners and creators who clearly demonstrate they have the ability to deliver shows that keep people watching. If you are really curious about Vince Gilligan's style, look up some of his scripts to see what I mean. They are amazing!

Click here to open a PDF copy of the script

Title: "New Dawn"
Show: BREAKING BAD
Synopsis: Jesse and Andrea bring Brock home from the hospital thinking they'll settle down. Hank is back on the case and asks Walter for help. Skyler gets some interesting news about Ted's death, and Junior doesn't like what she hears.

I'm fortunate in writing this episode at this time. The show is on a break between its fourth and final season (16 episodes, split into two seasons of 8) which begin airing on AMC in a few months. So, I got some time to play with the loose threads at the end of Season 4 and see where they led me.

My main goal was to capture the universe of the show, the essence of the characters, and the style of Vince Gilligan's writing. I'm told by some readers that I accomplished that goal. I know fans of the show are exceptionally detail-oriented and I invite anyone who wishes to point out anything I missed (or places I succeeded).

I also had the opportunity to invent a couple new characters, see if you can tell who they are.

I'm switching gears for my next spec. I'm tackling a family sit-com that airs on ABC. It'll be up in a week or two. And then, I'm taking a few weeks off of working on other people's shows to finish up a new project of my own.

What are some shows you'd like to see me tackle next? What are you watching that you love?

Thanks for all the eyeballs. Even when you don't leave comments, I can see when you read and it's motivating.

Dear Tim Kring -- Re: TOUCH

2012-01-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by the pilot of Heroes, and empathetic when I heard you a few years later on a morning radio show discussing the setbacks that can happen for a show that are character driven, not concept driven.

I was, at the time, inspired to write a script that your characters encouraged -- a gang of superheroes in touch with not only the natural, but the supernatural. I watch TOUCH and realize, 'that's' how I wanted my script to turn out.

To be honest, my script sucked. My agent tossed it in the trash. That was a good choice. I watched Heroes to mid-way through the third season and even when people I trusted told me it was getting better in the fourth, I couldn't/didn't make time to include it again.

I say all that to preface my response to this pilot. It feels to me like you've addressed all of the structural and conceptual issues that plagued you in the later days of Heroes.

There is extraordinary human beauty in TOUCH.

I didn't buy into every sequence, but I felt a concentric model of plot/character evolution that the concept of the show conveys in the premise of the pilot. Thank you for applying what's on the camera to the page. I don't think I've seen it done quite like this before.

I sincerely hope that you've thought through five seasons, episode by episode, and are prepared to amaze me. For two reasons.

1) That would be a lot of fun.
2) Autism is nothing to mock.

There is a potential truth in the ability of the autistic to perceive and navigate the world in a way that is increasingly beneficial to the evolution of our species and I am willing to suspend disbelief as I learn more.

IF this is actually a mini-series, that's fine, and I would have liked to know that going in.

Key points to acknowledge you for: I cried (well, shed a near-tear) more than once.

And at each moment I did was when I experienced this project as a fibonacci structure unlike most standard TV shows.

The moment of Kiefer's character listening to his message and hearing himself in the background... amazing.

The moment of the estranged father speaking w/ the operator and seeing his daughter's photos on the Jumbotron... exceptional.

The moments that crashed for me... same operator on the phone with the would-be bomber saying, "I can get you an oven." I get the intention, but didn't buy every frame, either due to performance or viability. The fact that the story is neat and tidy is what I loved, and what was driving me crazy about it.

In each case of me not quite following, I again was willing to suspend, and, a little piece of my brain worries that the quality of storytelling problem in those kinds of scenes may expand to gobble up what could otherwise be a life altering show, done properly.

Regardless. Your body of work outshines mine by megatons. I respect you immensely. Thank you for what you have created here. Not just because you got people who have a background in successful storytelling and television to buy into your vision, but because you created something in a way that millions of people can connect to and see themselves in.

You've done a great job on this pilot. Please keep the heart of this alive.

Sincerely,

MacEwen Patterson
[previously posted at hulu.com]

Slackaholics...

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

The guys on Comedy Central's half-hour scripted comedy, WORKAHOLICS, are a perfect blend of nuts, junkies, and dumbasses. The surrounding characters make me smile just thinking about them. I like it and I'm not ashamed.

I will say, before you read this, the story contains some race-based humor. It also contains jokes about stupid people. It is not intended to offend anyone. Instead, it should bash your humor around a bit.

Click here to open a PDF copy of the script

Title: "Cock.Asian"
Show: WORKAHOLICS
Synopsis: Ders, Adam & Blake compete to see who can be more asian in an effort to win the heart of a new neighbor.

I did not have a copy of an actual script to match formatting, so, if you are familiar with the actual teleplays, please forgive me. If I get my hands on one, I'll re-do it for accuracy. I just couldn't help myself from writing this.

Extra credit - feel free to the be the contributor to Urban Dictionary who makes the episode fact, not merely fiction.

The next spec I'm working on is an episode of AMC's Breaking Bad, maybe two. It'll take me a bit of time to polish and post it. I'm excited about that.

What are some shows you'd like to see me tackle next? What are you watching that you love?

Second child...

2012-01-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is the second spec I wrote for Parenthood (NBC/Imagine). Writing the first one was so much fun I had to keep going.

In this one I carried some threads from the previous episode, and gave it a new primary storyline. I also wanted to give Joel a bigger voice since his last real leading storyline was in episode 201 when Zeek was trying to fix a leak in the guest house and he's such an admirable character.

Click here to open a PDF of the script in your browser

Title: It Takes Balls
Show: PARENTHOOD
Synopsis: Kristina and Adam go away for the weekend bringing Nora with them, adding a strain to the relationship. Joel and Julia wrestle over an old friend with a new investment opportunity. Mark and Sarah take the next step.

Feel free to offer comments and feedback. It helps me to improve as a writer.

What's next? In a few days I'll put up a spec I did for the Comedy Central show WORKAHOLICS. I haven't watched the second season yet, but I laughed a lot during the first season.

Big fan of something? Want to see me take a swing at writing a spec episode of your favorite show? Make suggestions in the comment box and I'll see what I'm inspired to do.

All in the family...

2012-01-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite shows currently on television is NBC's Parenthood from showrunner Jason Katims.

I wrote this spec (and the following one) during the mid-season break of Season 3. In hindsight, it's been interesting for me to watch the rest of the season unfold.

It's humbling and instructive to see how good the writers on that show are. I hope you enjoy.

Click to open a PDF of the script in your browser.

Title: "The Things We Lost"
Show: PARENTHOOD
Synopsis: Drew struggles to earn the respect of his new girlfriend's father. Amber and Haddie try to keep a secret from Kristina. Adam and Crosby run into trouble at the studio.

Disclaimer: This is to serve as a writing sample and an homage to the shows that inspire me. Nothing more.

In a couple of days I'll post a second script for this series. I had so much fun writing the first one I couldn't stop. They dovetail, and are stand alone, sort of like the series itself.

Know What You're After

2009-10-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

After joining my Cause, I intentionally made my first contribution as big as I possibly could. It was a huge stretch for me. But I knew I wanted to and I knew why.

First, to have an impact on children.
Second, I wanted to inspire people.
Third, I wanted to meet people.

The people I initially met were members of the Cause. Some were grateful, some were moved to action, others presumptuous. I remember notes of people being inspired and making commitments to make donations of their own. And then there were the kinds of notes that were less inspired. One made me laugh. The writer said, "Well, if I had an extra $500 sitting around..." and I remember thinking to myself, there was nothing extra about any of those $500. Each of those dollars had several intended results. First, to raise money for Arts Education for grade school children. Second, to inspire some of the members to increase their giving. Third, to open the lines of communication with people in the Cause and people in the Charitable Organization we serve.

A week after I made that contribution I received a personal note from Americans for the Arts, thanking me for my contribution. I followed up and met some of the primary people who work there. I asked what were some ways the Cause could support their efforts and agreed to follow up with them.

That was months ago. A lot has happened since then. We've accomplished nearly everything we've set out to complete.
But our primary aim remains at hand.

If you have specific questions about how to reach or mobilize your community, feel free to ask. I'll do what I can to shed light on any topic you throw my way.

Start by Following

2009-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

What does it take to lead a Cause on Facebook?

I believe all good leadership begins with a study in following. Between setting my first giant goals (post 1) and deciding to set objectives (post 2) I dug around the Cause for awhile and asked a lot of questions. I got super clear on what could work better and what members wanted from an effective Cause.

I made an agenda to serve from and ran it by the Administrator. At the time, I had no idea about becoming an Administrator myself, I just saw that there was work that could be done. And so I made a list.

And from there I had a framework I could operate out of. I knew the primary concerns, challenges, goals and objectives of the membership in general. And, I dug around until I was satisfied in the material about the non-profit organization our Cause was supporting.

I was fortunate there. The information available on Americans for the Arts was thorough, accurate, and simple to access.

And so, I began my effort to inspire people in the community.

I decided to hit one of the top spots in the Hall of Fame, simply for the sake of inspiring people.

I saved up $500 over the course of a couple of weeks. From where I look, that's a lot of money to almost everyone. I knew it would create a dent and it would perhaps inspire other people to throw in $50, maybe even $15.

But, I learned a big lesson. I learned I nearly threw that money away when it came to my goal...!

I'll explain that in the next post.

Follow Up With Bite Size Goals

2009-10-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last entry I told you how I got started Leading a Cause on Facebook.

I set an unreasonable goal for myself (raise $50,000 in a year).
I picked a Cause I believe in with my eyes closed - Arts Education for Grade Schools.
I told everyone I knew and people I didn't know, what I was up to.

And then..?

Within two weeks I was invited by a High School classmate (who honestly, I think forgot who I was) to a Cause on Facebook that was exactly what I'd committed to.
I'd been researching different organizations I could support, and this was just the one. I really couldn't believe it, but more importantly, I couldn't pass it up.

I joined, read everything I could, met people, and in a couple hours I arrived at the place I think most good hearted people end up a couple hours after they join a Cause.

"Now what..?"

I started conversations with members, asking what they liked about the organization, what they accomplished by being members, what their primary concerns were.

And I got very little response.

I wrote the Administrator with my questions. Still nothing.
I looked at the Hall of Fame (a small board that lists the most effective members in the areas of fundraising and enrollment).

And I decided that on the way to my big goal, I would need some little goals.

We'll get to those in the next post. Just remember, it often helps to break down big unreasonable goals into the bite size goals that make the big picture possible.

Set Impossible Goals - Leading a Cause in Social Media

2009-09-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

As part of the reinvention of this space, I'm focusing my posts on the lessons I learn while leading a Cause using Social Media. Please enjoy.

Effective Leadership of a Cause on Facebook

The first thing I did was set a goal I could never reach on my own. Long before I even joined or started a cause. I just knew I had to go big if I were going to achieve anything at all.

Second, I picked something that I knew I was connected to in a big way. Something that I could discuss until the room ran out of air. And I chose something that I didn't think of as controversial. There are people who think my Cause is controversial, but to me, its a no brainer. It keeps me from playing small, being self conscious, or overly concerned about what other people will think of me.

The third thing I did was make a declaration. I said to myself and everyone I knew for an entire month, "This year I'm raising $50,000 for arts education in grade schools. I don't know how, I just know I will."

And that's how I got started.

By picking something bigger than me I made room for other people to help me.

By picking something I believe in, I aligned myself with the Cause for good, no matter what.

And by making and repeating my declaration, I trained the world around me to listen for and deliver opportunities that would help me reach my goal.

Next time, I'll tell you how that came about.

Friendbook - In Your Face

2009-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

In the age of Facebook, what is a friend anyway? Friendship used to be earned and kept. These days it is awarded and then steadily eroded through persistent complaint, narcissism, and judgment, peppered with laughs, insights and occasional evolution.

There are so many reasons to love and hate Facebook. What they ultimately got right is that people prefer conversation.

This song is a sentiment that I've heard from so many people over and over, it really makes the song hit home.

I like it because it is well-written, well-performed, and captures an idea incredibly well.

I like Facebook because it can be a platform for reconnection, forgiveness, discovery, transformation, humor, self-loathing... the whole human range.

Regardless, Facebook is here for now, let's make the most of it.

[click on the right to follow me on f'book]

Dorking on Segways

2009-08-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

Paul Graham of Y Combinator recently posted some notes about how Segway has failed to fulfill on its promise. Primarily, he says, it makes riders look like dorks.

And he's right.

Personally, I would ride one. That's right, I'm a dork.

But so is Paul. Just read his Essays. They're totally dorky.

The real proof is in ANY episode of of Arrested Development with Will Arnett's character Gob (pronounced Jobe) as he speeds around Marina Del Rey on his dork mobile.

Seen here:

Like in this episode here where Gob and Michael get into a chase scene with a stair truck and a Segway. So dorky:

Seriously, this is a funny show. Start at the beginning and watch every episode at hulu.

And get a Segway. Who cares what Paul thinks. He works at Yahoo. He's a dork bigtime.

Why This Blog Is Morphing

2009-07-31T18:14:00.001-07:00

I initially set this blog up to learn how to blog, and to establish the practice of blogging.

I think Blogger is a perfect place for that.

When I started I didn't believe it could possibly make a difference. What I didn't understand is how many more computers are coming online every day, how many people there are in the world, and how much time all those people have.

I've chosen to transition this site into a place to share simple points of interest.

And there are two reasons. As more sophisticated ways to communicate on the web become simple enough for a guy like me to use them, I've gravitated that way. Also, the terms and conditions with Blogger don't really support a guy like me who is coming up with new spins on ancient thoughts.

Put more bluntly, Blogger/Google's position is that anything I write here, they own.

Doesn't really fit with my plans. So, I'll post stuff here, and point to stuff from here, but my work is moving to another home.

For starters, if you haven't already seen it, check out my daily blog about The Prosperity Game - http://asIprosper.com where I have taken on a bold and uncensored year of the Abraham-Hicks inspired money magnet game.

Soon I'll also point you to a whole new book I've been writing for business about ethical enterprise and the shift global commerce is undergoing.

Thank you for being a reader up to this point. Your support and attention mean the world.

Chapter 5 - Third Eye & Other Tools (Part 3)

2009-06-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

The following is the end of the middle of the beginning. It closes a central chapter in a first book. So, I'm not kidding.

Thanks for reading.

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(cont.)

How about Mark? The guy who looked at me like I was talking Martian when I explained the Third Eye exercise to him.

I left his office certain I'd never hear from him again. But it was worth it, to offer him something that could dramatically change his life.

Oddly, when I got back to my office I got a message from him politely cursing me for taking his blinders off. He told me I could expect calls from him periodically with reports about how things were going. His message sounded something like this, "In Japan, when you save another man's life, you become responsible for it. If this doesn't work, you get to answer to my bosses. I'll call you from time to time and tell you when I'm about to try this Third Eye business. That way you'll know if you've ruined my life."

A week went by. I was wondering if I'd ever hear from him. I thought about calling, but, didn't.

The next day I got my first voice mail. It was no big deal.

"MacEwen, I'm trying this Third Eye thing today. I'm out of options. It's Thursday at 4 pm. If you call my desk on Monday and someone else answers, it means I got fired for trying your trick.... Bye."

Monday came and went. Tuesday, I noticed the clock. 10 am. Nothing. 11 am. No email. No call.

Finally, lunch. I tried his cell. Why call and talk to his replacement?

The phone rang, loud and long.

"Hello?"

"Mark?"

"Yes.., MacEwen?!"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, I gotta run, I'm on my way to a meeting. I just got budget approval for that one project. Actually, I got three of the ground. Listen I gotta call you back, but you won't believe what's going on."

Click.

Three days later I get a cryptic email.

"You're a genius."

That's it. And then, one Saturday - this guy never calls me on a Saturday - Mark calls me up.

"...So, I'm sitting in my office and I'm looking at the world from the eye of my boss on this metric project. Its been stalled for 14 months. He says he wants it, but tells me to wait over a year for some, blah blah blah account to clear. I know he's full of shit. But when I'm looking from his eye, seeing his kids at home in the morning and his wife, and the crap he's dealing with in his department, suddenly I see how it is that he doesn't fully trust me to take this off his plate. It's as clear as day. And there I am, looking at myself through his eye.

"And its my team he has questions about. He doesn't trust the staff I proposed on this team and because of that, he doesn't fully trust my judgement. In fact, when I'm sitting there, looking at the world through his eyes, I see everything so completely differently. The scale of stress is enormous. Here's a guy with two little girls. He sees them for three hours a week. As I'm sitting there, bouncing my little girl on my knee and thinking in my mind about the staff proposed on this project, my attention keeps stopping on one of our newer recruits in a short-sleeved shirt. I can't seem to get him to look me in the eye. I don't connect with him and I don't want him responsible for this level of number crunching. Too much is riding on it. Amazing!

"There was NO way I could have known he was going through that without this exercise. I had the budget approved. I had the plan approved. I thought I had the staff approved, and yet, I couldn't get the start date firm or the project off the ground. The minute I made a change to the proposed staff, the project flew. That eye thing is genius.

"Next week, I brought two more projects back from the dead. My bosses think I'm a God!"

It feels SO good to hear someone get so much from this simple piece. A wise one once said, "What you are looking for, you are looking with." That's HUGE!

In all of the examples from above, what would it do to close your eyes, just for a minute, and look at the world through that Third Eye. Adopt the exact perspective of the person who has found their way past your armor. Use that momentary invasion to your advantage. Borrow their perspective and see what it is in the world that is keeping them from connecting to you fully, and then own it. Provide it.

How much do you want to bet, they'll think you are magic. Don't explain yourself. Just deliver. "Thought this might help." And walk away.

For more on these types of management techniques, look into Geshe Michael Roach's seminal work, The Diamond Cutter.

+++++

Next we'll get into enjoying being disliked. Sound painful? Not when I'm through.

Chapter 5 - Third Eye & Other Tools (Part 2)

2009-06-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from a self-releasing book written by the Universe and published on the Interweb... really.

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(cont.)

So here's how the Third Eye works.

Traditionally, eastern philosophy has referred to the Third Eye as the mind's eye, or the eye to the soul. I'm starting there because I think it is important that we tie this to a place of possibility, of little miracles.

The miracle here is being able to identify a breakdown, a gap. The gap represents the unknown. The unknown represents some degree of fear. No one can effectively lead from a place of fear. And many do not know what to do when they arrive at this place.

Give yourself a 10 minute break. Shut off your phone, close your door and close your eyes for one minute. Maybe two. And try this out.

Focus your attention on the center of your forehead.

Imagine you have an eye there.

Only, it isn't yours.

Instead, it belongs to the person you cannot seem to understand in this moment.

Got it? Make sure you are physically sensing this eye.

Now, see what this point of view would show you, if you could genuinely see through the eye of this person.

I'm not talking about making stuff up. I'm not talking about imagining what their life should be like.

Be open.

What do you see?

Let's say you have a contractor who is negotiating a raise. They've listed all the attributes they feel they have demonstrated in order to be deserving of a raise, and yet, when you look at it, their performance is lacking, their attitude is sour, they just don't have what it takes to earn the raise. Giving it to them would be a bad example to other contractors.

This happened to a client of mine who asked me to help. I closed my eyes. I got very centered, calm and clear. I focused on the space in the middle of my forehead and I made my Third Eye the eye of this contractor. I looked at the world as they saw it waking up in the morning, brushing teeth, eating a meal and preparing for the day. I looked at the world of a relationship with a husband and the concerns of showing up with enough to support the household. I looked at the world from the bus I rode to work each day. I looked at what it meant that my husband had just lost half of his hours and how I could do something to fill in the gap! Through that eye, I looked out on the world of immediate possibilities and felt in my heart what the available choices and responsibilities felt like for this person. And I was Shown Compassion!

Bam!

The Third Eye delivered an understanding so clear and complete of what was happening in this person's life. Now we had a place of powerful empathy that we could work from. An appointment was set to speak with the contractor. It was learned that there were some financial strains at home and that more income would help. It was also explained that a new attitude at work would need to be adopted for performance to earn a raise. And, shortly thereafter this contractor earned a bonus that inspired her and her husband. He started showing up better for work, based on his wife's example and soon got all of his hours back and more.

And this was turned around by a genuine concern being brought to a still quiet place of asking to be shown. Very powerful.

Marty, from above, saw someone who was uncertain of what they wanted. With his eyes closed he could recognize that rather than ask for help, the client just strung him along. He described what he saw through his third eye like this, "It was amazing. She was at her desk and she was tapping her pencil. She had a question to ask and couldn't think of how to voice it. She'd had a rough drive in to the office. She'd had a lousy meeting to launch her day. She just felt stuck and the only thing repeating in her mind is how much she didn't want to have to ask for help. She just wanted it done already." Pow! He saw, from her perspective, and with total compassion, her fear of asking for help.

At that point he threw away what he knew about the client on paper.

As odd as it seemed to him that she was a client who was paying him to help, her biggest hold-up was asking for it. When he offered to devise an end-to-end solution for her, she responded with enthusiasm. In the past when he'd offered solutions she'd pushed back saying not this, or not that.

When he said, "Would you like me to come up with an end-to-end solution for you so you can stop thinking about this entirely?" She said, "Yes." And that was that.

He would have kept waiting for instructions and sending her empty invoices for ever. By using the Third Eye, he was able to discover a way of servicing his Principle. Once he opened that Third Eye, he was able to service the client, get back to staffing his company, and open new accounts.

His company grew rapidly from then on.

Good stuff.

(to be cont....)

+++++

More next. Promise.

Chapter 5 - Third Eye & Other Tools

2009-06-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

We're clipping along now in this book. Thank you for reading along these excerpts from this upcoming release.

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One of the hardest and most important leadership qualities to develop is empathy. This is a quick and simple way to arrive at, and maintain empathy. This approach is unique in that we'll be taking an ancient concept and applying it in a new way.

We spoke about "concern" in the last chapter, and here we'll be looking at a new tool that can help you, not only with your clients, but also with the people you are leading in support of your vision. All leaders have a vision. Its how you shape the future. Any leader can only carry out their vision through other people.

This tool, above all others will provide you a way of connecting very deeply with anyone. It will take a lot of patience, and you may need to use the Forgiveness Script from Chapter 2 in order to be prepared.

And before we get into the meat and bones of this tool, lets look at what it can alleviate first.

Tell me if you can relate.

Marty had a customer who never knew what she wanted. Marty is an IT wizard and he helps high end individuals and profitable companies with Information Technology solutions from implementations to training. His client list is exclusive, and his zest for successful relationships with technology is infectious.

And yet, even with Marty's extraordinary commitment to the Principle of Learning, and his incredible service to the standards around that, he was having trouble getting this client to make up her mind.

Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but at the time, Marty's company was growing.

He had a lot of other customers asking for his attention and was in the process of hiring a handful of people to help him harness all this growth. That is a major drag. When you are building your dream, and the market is handing you everything you asked for and you have to watch it drift by, just out of arms reach.

Sound familiar?

Or how about Mark, a director at a top Bio-tech company. He was charged with driving six projects inside of two business units. Each project had to have three elements to move forward. A plan, staffing, and a budget. Approval for each element came from different places. Each plan had over four staff. Do the math. Mark is reporting to at least 18 internal clients. He is directing at least 72 people. Each of those touch on around 2 internal clients of their own.

You can see how involved his world gets.

To make matters more complicated, remember Mark has six projects, each with three components. Only some of his projects have approval on the plan. Others have approval on the staffing. A couple have approval on the budget.

Only one has approval on all three.

How much work is Mark responsible for? And how much work is getting done?

See Mark run.

A lot of companies' executives are in this predicament. When I started working with Mark, I showed him the Third Eye trick and it changed his world.

I sat across his desk from him, and he looked at me like I was mad. And then, I explained it to him, carefully and slowly. Like I will with you.

I reminded him that he knew how things would go without trying something new. Pretty much the way they were going right now.

Terribly.

So he tried it.

Just in case none of these examples are sinking in, we'll try these on, and then dive in. Because the third eye is simple. And what it addresses is some pretty intense stuff.

It's all that emotional overwhelm that can happen in an instant.

How about when we're about to close a big deal and the boss comes in, throws something on our desk and takes off. No explanation, and now your rhythm is shot.

Or you're excited to see your significant other. You've bought a card and a gift, a really thoughtful gift, it took hours to pick out. There's a great night together planned. And then, the minute you see your loved one, they blow up about something that happened to them earlier in the day and it takes all the air out of your tires.

Even an e-mail, or a piece of news, the littlest thing can take away that peace, if you let it.

So here's how the Third Eye works.

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Yup, that's right. You'll have to come back in a couple days to get into the heart of it. I'm sure by now you understand. I appreciate your interest and attention.

Chapter 4 - Contribution - (Part 5)

2009-06-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for reading this segment of my book. At this point we may as well call it ours.

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(cont.)

And so, now that you have your Principle, it is vital to recognize how you will Embrace that principle both for Profit and Charity.

It doesn't matter that your Story is now far more interesting and that people will feel far better about doing business with you. What matters is that the Success formula of generating more than enough to benefit those who require assistance is firmly in place.

And the very first part of this calculation means that you have to be in a profitable business. So, calculate your business transactions, all of them, to have a healthy profit margin. Always. Calculate your charitable contribution into that margin. 10% of all earnings, or 10% of all profits.

If your company provides massage services like Be Well, Inc. mentioned above, you'll want to make sure that every customer treatment has a profit margin. That business is easy to track. Each customer has an individual service at a specific location from a specific practitioner. In their case, the profit margin is healthy.

So, what that company learned is that after building a model that yielded a 30% plus profit margin on every transaction, no matter where it took place, they were in a position to benefit more than just their customers. Owner Carrie Reinagel identified her personal Principles, and a few short months later gave birth to the beginnings of a service foundation that took laughter yoga and safe touch massage into women's shelters and group-homes around her immediate community. The Service Arm has its own principle - Turning Pain to Power.

Shortly thereafter Be Well, Inc. began franchising the company around the US.

See the steps?

Build a sound transaction flow.
Identify Principles.
Select a Higher Purpose that Celebrates the Principles.
The Company Takes Off at Rocket Speed.

It is possible, and I recommend, moving number 1 to number 3.

In Be Well, Inc.'s case, they spent seven years on building a sound model, and then, after identifying principles, only 18 months getting from 2 to 4.

So do you see where we are going with this?

In Chapter 1 we began the process of identifying Principles.

At this point we're discussing the building of a sound transaction flow. We'll go far deeper into that in Chapter 8 and 9.

In the next few chapters I want to prepare you as a leader for some of the things that will come up now that you are thinking from a new clarity.

Then, we'll get you to the intended outcome of the book which is a business that takes off at rocket speed and supports your principles and dreams for years to come.

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Thanks for digesting my contribution.

Feel free to donate feedback in the form of Comments.

Chapter 4 - Contribution - (Part 4)

2009-06-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

The following is excerpted. From a book. I wrote. You read. And now...

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My theory is, in the emerging eternal marketplace, every successful business entity will have an established contribution they stand for. That may pose a problem. It sounds great in theory, but where do we start?

What I recommend is dedicating your business to a cause that is close to your heart. Can't think of anything? Make a list of five and try each one until you get a good fit. Structure it so that when profit arrives, there is already a Cause you can support with proceeds from each dollar of profit.

It's not always obvious. Here's a personal example. I've enjoyed rock climbing for years. I get out to climb rarely, but I still consider it a passion. I was looking at the possibility of working with an electrolyte dietary supplement product that is deeply established in the triathlon market place and has, at writing, no presence in the rock-climbing or back-packing markets. (There is the beginning of a presence in the trail running arena at writing.) While I was researching marketing costs, advertising outlets, packaging possibilities, etc., I knew I wanted to be identifying a charitable organization that a portion of profits could be distributed too.

It's been a while since I've been active in the climbing community. I remembered that one of the climbing instructors at my alma mater, Prescott College, was a record setting amputee. I looked to see if he had a foundation. I know the Alumni Fund at Prescott is always willing to receive funds. While I was flipping through a magazine I noticed an add for REI (a large outdoor activities sporting good chain) with The Access Fund logo on it. And I remembered. The Access Fund helps to keep trails to great backpacking and climbing meccas open and available to the climbers of the world. Aha! That's it. I felt an immediate connection and selected that as the best place to contribute a portion of proceeds. I recommend finding something that is related, does great work no one else will do, can't get by without contributions and benefits the industry you are in.

Understand, I am not saying that there be a specific way you choose to serve a higher good. Only that you find one and jump in!

How's this for a great idea? Let people who do business with you choose from a list of organizations that their percentage of proceeds will be donated too. On your website you can offer three or more choices, and then they decide. Another way is to connect to www.chooseyourcharity.com and let them help you. It's only getting easier to generate incredible success and benefit.

It doesn't always have to be underfed kids in the third world, although they are worthy. Feel free to connect with something you believe in, and commit! Make a bold commitment to be their biggest contributor! Pick a percentage of Net Profits, and document your giving over the years. Make it your most rewarding chapter in your Business Story.

If you are a business that already has this handled, perhaps you know owners or leaders who don't get this yet. Hand them a copy of this chapter, or even the book, and see if it helps them move forward.

And so, now that you have your Principle, it is vital to recognize how you will Embrace that principle both for Profit and Charity.

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More next promise. Stay tuned.

Chapter 4 - Contribution - (Part 3)

2009-06-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from a manifesto that I made for you.

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How do you think people would take it if you were able to offer them a favor, regardless of whether they wanted to, or could do, business with you? Stop, and just imagine what that would be like.

Without thinking, "Oh, I'd definitely get more referrals," or, "They'd find a way to do business with me, then." Instead, just think of them for a moment. Would they be amazed? Shocked? Incredulous? Suspicious?

Eventually, do you think they would be grateful?

Let's look at it like this for a minute. Do you want to do business with people who are good at receiving? Me too.

So, when you offer someone a favor, you can see what their standard response under pressure is. Do they turn it down out of pride? Trust me, pride will come up in your business down the road.

Do they wonder what you want from them and get suspicious? That will show up in business later on, too. And who needs a suspicious customer, partner, investor?

Wouldn't you rather have a long relationship with a person who says something like, "Wow. I'm so impressed you came up with that as a way to help me. That would be great. I really appreciate it."

Isn't that the type of person you want to do business with for a long time to come?

Sound easy? If yes, good. If no, that's ok. There's a key piece to understand before you can expect yourself to begin your professional and business interactions in this way all the time.

And this is where we move from Offering to Contribution. Traditionally, a business could stand in the center of a bustling marketplace, hold their product in their hand over their head and yell, "apples!", or, "custom homes". Now there are so many yellers, its the quiet ones who are making Contributions, who get attention.

Let's look at it from a different angle first, and see what light that sheds. In spiritual and religious centers around the world, there is a moment when the minister will relate the message of the day to an opportunity to offer recognition of gratitude financially. A Contribution.

This one is the piece that initiates circulation. Most people live in a definition of themselves as not having enough to give. The trouble is, without a consistent practice of giving, these people will always feel the same way about themselves. Its the practice of giving that generates a circuit of more-than-enoughness. The Universe is not in the habit of giving irresponsibly.

There are two processes that happen repeatedly in Nature. Profit and Charity. Squirrels store nuts, and, feed their young. Rivers swell, branch off, and, feed new ecosystems. These cycles of Profit and Charity have traditionally been looked at as distinct and separate, and yet the most prolific philanthropists recognize the connection. I submit to you that they are interdependent. One cannot happen maximally without the other. Sure, a business can go out and make a lot of money. And that same business will make a lot more money when it is designed to serve a Higher Purpose.

Holistic Businesses by definition embrace both to succeed.

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This is what I think. Tell me what you think. In the comment box, below. Thanks.

Chapter 4 - Contribution - (Part 2)

2009-06-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

The following is a bit of the peace I am as a book. To read and enjoy.

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So, how do we identify what to offer? How many customers can we serve? How do we craft our message in order to reach them.

Not to worry, most of the work is already done. By identifying principle you have already clarified what is important to you. That will dictate much of your message. At present you must know what industry you are in, or what industry you'd like to be in. But there is a critical piece missing before you begin your campaign.

This is where the concept of concern enters into the picture of business. I don't want to confuse you with the term Concern. Understand that when I say concern, I don't mean "Worry".

At no point in time will worry benefit anyone. Leave that out starting now. In a world of corresponding frequencies, a person who worries, is asking the Universe for things to worry about.

Concern is different.

Additionally, in the past, people have used the word concern to mean enterprise, or the physical business itself. It was sort of jargon around the late 1800's to mid 1900's and every once in a while people still use it (like the dictionary definition we chose for Business in the Introduction.)

Concern the way we mean it is very different.

At this point it is critical for a business owner or leader who wishes to drive a conscious holistic approach in everything that they do to take a Genuine Concern for the potential customer.

The instinct here might be to dive into typical Market Research type of questions:

What do they want?
What do they need?
Do they know what they want?
Or what they need?
What will the market bear?
What is our cost to provide it?
What is our profit margin?
Am I the best provider for them?

These are good questions for a traditional business.

But they don't go deep enough. How would you like it if all those questions could answer themselves?

Instead, try asking the question from a point of Genuine Concern.

Because you know your driving Principles, you know who your customer is.

Take the case of Be Well, Inc. - who hold the following principles - Wellness is a State of Being. Wellness is Every Day.

Their clients are people who place an investment in their ongoing health high on their priority list.

See if you can feel the difference in asking about your customers this way.

Who are they as people?
What is important to them?
How are they?
What is going on in their life?
What is going on in their company?
How is the universe celebrating their Principles?
Do our Principles match up?
How can I and my principle generate a favor for this person, regardless of business, where I am adding benefit into their life?
Does my principle, message, service, really fulfill the requirements of this person?

As we begin to work out our alignment prior to business, on a level of what truly comes first, all the other pieces answer themselves and begin to line up.

How do you think people would take it if you were able to offer them a favor, regardless of whether they wanted to, or could do, business with you? Stop, and just imagine what that would be like.

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I love this part. It is where everything starts to get simple-fun-easy.

Chapter 4 - Contribution (Part 1)

2009-06-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from the book you've hopefully been reading in chunks, right here.

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Chapter 4. Contribution

As we move forward in the book, we approach simpler and simpler concepts and practices. In this chapter my goal is to move the Business Leader from focusing on the Offering to the Contribution.

Offering, from a business standpoint has several meanings, all of which are very important to the Leader.

To begin, many people see their product as their Offering. Their Unique Business Proposition... But their product is simply their product, or their expression of Principle in form.

It is easy confuse the offering as the sale of their service or product. Not so. Sales are a small ingredient in the transaction that creates loyalty. In the past (what my son calls, "the olden days,") companies hired individuals to physically collect currency in exchange for goods and services. Credit evolved (for businesses only) and then checks were invented. Now, people can pay online without ever touching money. The sale happens in a blink of an eye. And the support of that sale continues for life, if the business is set up well.

Others even believe their Marketing is their Offering. Instead, marketing ultimately becomes the babble barrage so many of us create from 9 to 5, and then avoid or ignore from 5 to 9. How many professionals participate in creating the message their company distributes in the world? Our day is full of defending to some degree the brand that supports our paycheck. We stay "on message" when we talk with clients, present our product line, make sales calls. And then, we pack our brief cases and jump into traffic, ignoring billboard after billboard, switching the radio channel when advertisements come on, Tivo our favorite shows so we can fast forward through the adds, and do what we can to stay sane around all the Billions of choices.

So, what is the function of Offering? How does that lead to Contribution?

Offering is the Leader's stand for Principle. How has my company decided to publicly serve Principle in a way that can be interactive and mutually beneficial?

Think about that? How is Company N so extraordinarily jazzed about Principle Y that they have created a Movement based on this principle where people can feel great about participating to any level.

The company is so pumped about what they serve. To such a degree that a great benefit befalls the 'client'. And how does this benefit get generated? Well, presently, many would tell you sales.

And yet, the truth is, the benefit is realized through several acts: 1) clarity (arriving at Principle), 2) creativity and collaboration (people organized around an expression of the Principle), and 3) a message was generated and repeated, until ultimately, 4) a celebration of service was delivered and supported.

So, how do we identify what to offer? How many customers can we serve? How do we craft our message in order to reach them?

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We'll answer these and many questions as we go along.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 8)

2009-06-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

This segment is from an upcoming release as yet to be read and commented on, by you.

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3. Word Power.

Tell the universe what you want.

A form of this was introduced to me as the Intention List by an incredibly effective and controversial therapist Pat Allen.

Esther Hicks refers to a version of it as the Universe's To Do list in the movie, The Secret.

I've refined it over years of personal research and work with countless professionals.

It is AMAZINGLY powerful, and only if you use it consistently over time. Because it is so powerful, I refer to it as a Power List. This is not a to do list. The same therapist who introduced me to this also said, "To do lists are for people who hate themselves."

Instead, this is like a script for the universe to understand how to best prepare and serve your day.

Before I show you how to do it, lets cover what it does. And the questions it can answer.

What if you always had more than enough time in each day to do the things you said you would do?
What if everything you need showed up just in time for you to be successful and win?
What if the quality of every experience in your life were exactly how you wanted it to be?

Sound impossible? Prove me wrong. Try this for three months to a year, every day, and see if it is getting you closer to what you say you want.

IF it is, continue. If it isn't, I'm willing to bet something is missing in the translation.

Here are the steps. Feel free to refer to the illustration below for it to make sense.

Go to Target or Ross or another store that has affordable stuff. Find a lined, ringed, Journal type book. Loose ringed is key.
Put it in your room, next to your bed, and inside the front page write your personal and/or business Principles.
At the end of the first day, open it to the first page and in the top margin write a contextual overview for the following day. (For example, a Sales Executive might write: "Creation delivers heroic sales through me which inspire my team and create joy in our clients.")
Then write tomorrow's date.
On the first line, write the day's first activity on the line, and in the left margin, what time that is meant to happen. Mine reads like, "6:15 am - Wake Up, Stretch, Meditate..."
On the following line, continue with the days activities. Be realistic. Assign a reasonable amount of time to each activity. Following the activity, feel free to add a Quality to the activity. (ex; Sales meeting, Lively, Brief, Demonstrate Record Results)
Include meals. Give yourself an hour for each. Taking care of yourself is a top priority in being a Holistic Business Leader. You don't have to list the menu for each meal, although you can if you wish to. Just look after yourself in this way and see the rewards. The Universe will invest in a person who protects its investment with self-respect.
Include all the tasks that you can reasonably put into the day. Not more.
If there is more that needs to be done, put that on a to-do list SOMEWHERE ELSE. Refer to it another day when there is available space in your Power List.
Include some sort of relaxation, rest, rejuvenation.
Include a bedtime, and characterize your sleep. Mine reads 11:15 pm - Bedtime; deep slumber, divine dreams!
Good. Now, go to sleep, wake up, and have a great day.

At the end of Day One, review Day One.
Anything that got completed on Day One gets a check mark next to it. Anything that did not get completed gets and X.
Now, go to the next page and write a Mantra for the day in the top margin.
Fill out the day as you see it coming about, and BE SURE TO INCLUDE the items that did not get completed the day before.

This is an accurate inventory of the day without being an indictment of your self worth. It gives you a sense of how long things actually take, and you begin to see the Universe line itself up around the things you write. It can be particularly exciting for people who have unpredictable schedules and want to push the boundaries. You'll also see that sometimes there is that one thing that you keep writing down that isn't showing up. Why? Great question. What else is going on in your life that isn't making room for it? This tool will help you diagnose How you are Being as a Space, inside Time by carefully mapping and documenting your progress through the adventure landscape of Projected Experience.

Cool, huh? Below is a sample page for me.

POWER LIST - MacEwen Patterson 12/19/09 (tomorrow's date)

Endless Support and Supply Guide My Words Deeds and Actions Through a Successful Day of Service to Principle.

6:15 am	Wake, Stretch, Meditate, Shower, Dress, Eat	Serene, Balanced, Calm
7:15	Yoga	Focused
8:30	Write	Open Channel - Four Chapters
12:30 pm	Lunch, Relax	Salad and Sun
1:30	Check E-mail, Read Book, Call Agent	Warrior - Get it Done, Move On
2:30	Go for Walk	Stretch myself
4:00	Pick Up Son from School	Dedicate myself and attention to his day
6:00	Dinner	Communicate
7:30	Read to Son	Trade reading - push his comfort
8:30	Son to bed, brush teeth, write power list*	Decisive
9:30	TV, read fiction	unwind
11:15	Lock up, Bedtime, Sleep	Deep slumber, divine dreams!

My Power Book is all handwritten and I recommend yours be too. Be sure to leave each day face up next to your bed. The Universe will drop by occasionally to see what is supposed to happen next. Keeping your Power List in a dedicated book gives you the opportunity to look at how your days shift over time. When you introduce big dreams into your life and watch them be completed through baby bites in this Power Book, it is amazing!

*I do my Power List with my son because it teaches him about Ordering, setting Intentions, and Noticing how we live powerfully in our Commitments. It also helps us see how the Universe shows up for us. I believe in this tool as a parenting, business, personal, organizational device that can't be beaten.

It works best with repeated use. If you miss a day, don't beat yourself up, and don't do it again. This works because it capitalizes on the power of Word, the origin of creation. More on that later.

That's Time!

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We've covered a lot of the basics. Next we'll get into activities that really apply to conscious businesses.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 7)

2009-06-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from the book I wrote a couple years back. Enjoy...

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Some traditional "clock-time" housekeeping items:

1. Flake responsibly.

I learned two things in college. Sorry parents and grandparents.

It probably would be nice to report I learned more than two things in college. But its true. I learned two things that I take with me in everything that I do.

The most important thing I learned is to call if I can't make it, or I'm running late.

It sounds elementary to the average professional, but to people out there wondering how to enter into the world of the professional, this is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.

My college was a little non-traditional.

My studies were self-directed.

I created my curriculum, I chose my mentors, I crafted the criteria by which I was evaluated and I submitted all of that for approval to an academic review board. No classrooms, no grades, no problem. (www.prescottcollege.com)

Because of this, I sometimes found myself meeting with instructors at cafes across town from the school, or my apartment, or my prior meeting. Cell phones weren't common then (1992-96). So, I carried change around. And, if I thought I was going to be late, I'd find a payphone, call the cafe I was headed to, and ask them to deliver a message.

That saved me when it came time to get my evaluations approved for graduation.

Other times, I'd find myself waiting for instructors at a cafe for up to three hours, only to go back home and get a message on my answering machine (remember those?) saying that so and so's daughter had a runny nose and we needed to reschedule. Not cool.

We create our futures based on the power of our word. If we do not uphold our word on something as simple as showing up on time, what else are we going to waffle on? I won't do business with people who are one minute late and don't call. Its that simple.

So, flake responsibly, number one rule of traditional clock time.

There's a lot tied to it, but its a fairly simple standard that will improve the quality of your life immensely if you are not already using it.

[We already covered the other thing I learned in college - finish what you start.]

2. The Spilled Milk Theory of Time.

There is always enough time to do the right thing.

Its as simple as this: if you are in a hurry, and you knock over a carton of milk on the way out the door, and it is spilled across the floor, and you are late. So what. Stop. Clean it. Clean it well. Call and say you are going to be late (see above).

Here are the alternatives. Leave it there, get in your car, speed off to your meeting and get sideswiped by a Cadillac with its breaks out.

Or, show up at your meeting only to find out you can't start for a half-hour because everyone else is running late.

Meanwhile, an armadillo has smelled the milk on your kitchen floor, entered your home which you forgot to lock because you were moving so quickly, has made himself comfortable shining his armor on your milky tile, and left an organic contribution somewhere you can't see, but can certainly smell. Or say, there's no imaginary armadillo, but you just leave the milk. Do you know how difficult it is to remove old funky spoiled milk smell? Its not good. If you clean it in the moment, it is a LOT less work.

My motto is: Move Slowly and you won't need a Big Stick.

Take care of things as they arise, unless they carry NO consequences when they wait.

I'm not going to get into a big breakdown about professional time management. I don't believe in it. Time is time.

You can manage yourself in relationship to time, but you cannot manage time itself. Try.

Here's an exercise: Tell time to listen up, move over here, move over there, deliver more.... See what I mean?

However, for GREAT professional management techniques around efficient and effective use of your attention inside of time read chapter 5 of the Four Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferris. Stellar. In fact, don't stop there. That whole book is invaluable and was a large inspiration for the launch of this book, network of sites, associated tools, toys, games and goodies.

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More about clock time in the next post. Thanks for stopping by.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 6)

2009-06-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

The following nugget fell out of my book and onto your screen... w/ love.

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Try this one on if you live in a place with a lot of traffic.

Borrow a concept from the next chapter, Contributing, and add it to the practice of Charging. From behind the wheel of your car you can effectively put time on the clock. When you notice traffic piling up, put more than enough space in front of you for two cars. Keep it there, no matter how many cars fill the space, leave enough room in front for two more. Just keep it there. Breathe into your Time mouth on your belly and savor each moment slowly. Eat the time carefully, with joy and patience and calm. By controlling your mood, you effect the algebraic equation of traffic. By offering others what you want, enough space to move quickly, you metaphysically author a universe of corresponding frequencies -- enough space for everyone to move quickly.

More often than not, the traffic will begin to move. As the traffic lightens, offer silent gratitude to your road mates. Put even more space between you and the car in front of you. Wave people in. Breathe even more deeply into your center of gravity. Feel it grow and glow. Look for other things you'd like to see and make a difference in and keep your breath here.

What if the traffic doesn't lighten up? Even if it doesn't, the environment is not dictating the value of your day. You are. Stay in the practice. Give it time. Its an opportunity to stretch. Or, take another road. That's an equally valid choice.

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And next post, some practical stuff.

A New Leader in Technology - Interview with Kevin Milden

2009-06-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite technologists took a break from a busy day to talk to me about why his company doesn't follow the crowd.

This is a groundbreaking look at technology, the future, and why it is important to think about what we are doing.

Interviewing Kevin Milden, co-founder of New Leaders and co-inventor of Thincloud was a high honor.

When Kevin told me very clearly, "We don't do iPhone applications," I had to wonder why. He explains that and more in this interview.

I share this one hour free recording with you in the hopes that it will inspire you the way it has me.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 5)

2009-06-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

Yet another sequential snippet from the un-named, unknown text... by me.

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(cont.)

Once our souls reach a level of superior integrity, our cells can reach the level of integrity to withstand that type of travel. Then we'll be good to go.

But between now and when we can be counted on to be Pure Light in all of our transactions, our Time Roots will remain anchored.

Here's an exercise to try to get further in touch with the physical nature of time as a substance.

Get Charged. To Charge, find your origin of gravity, that place in your belly that will expand with air and expand your confidence as you breathe in. Practice. Imagine it is a color. Breathe into it more. Charging is a powerful practice and we're only part way through it. Where this goes is you becoming an energy feed for the universe. But at the beginning, identifying the source of this interaction is a great leaping off point.

Now, here's where it gets exciting. Subtle, but exciting. From this place of being rooted, a relationship with time can begin and be managed energetically.

Picture a mouth in your belly button that chews and swallows the airstream of time entering in the front of you. As you become more aware of Astral Bodies you may begin to sense their presences as well. (For illustrations visit Alex Grey's work at Sacred Mirrors and under paintings look up Sacred Mirrors and choose the Flash version). That is Chi, interacting with the nutritional substance of TIME.

The longer you spend in a charging place you will sense time not only entering through that mouth, you'll notice it exiting as well. An exchange takes place. And, you can breathe out of your belly, dictating the amount of time you experience at once. Ultimately, you'll sense energy moving from your front to an equal entrance through the back of your spine.

At this point, rather than drawing energy from the external world, you are contributing energy to the grid and adding more to the world than you take from it. Don't expect that to happen right away, and don't expect to have an immediate experience of what I'm talking about. There are grades of clarity that take place in the human system, somewhat like diamonds (prisms). Be patient with yourself and continue to observe. As a suggestion.

The distinction to hold from this is that we do not move through space, we hold space as we move through time. Space is not measured by how large we are, but how clear we are. Time is not measured by how fast we are, but by how present we are. Time is actually a measure of our level of attention on-goingly.

In truth, we now arrive at the heart, soul, and Principle of this book. What I am asking you to consider, with each waking moment, is that your quality of attention is determining the meaning of your experience. Attention is at play in the limitless field of SpaceTime. Regardless of location, attention increases space and time simultaneously.

From this place of energetically engaged presence, we can begin to manage ourselves in time in a way that keeps us productive, balanced, serene, and powerful.

Sound impractical? Try this one on if you live in a place with a lot of traffic.

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Ooh, we'll have to get to that next time. Promise. It's solid. I've stayed out of traffic for years with this.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 4)

2009-05-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

The following is a piece of me, my book actually, but sometimes I can't tell the difference... Enjoy!

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What I aim to show you is how to live inside a relationship of time that can create a High-Definition life. This relationship, extending from the Self that you are will begin creating results that look like Magic to others.

That said. What is time?

Time is our infinite ocean of possibility that we drift through, swim through, or drown in, as our physical bodies carry out the aging process.

Ancients said we could reverse time.

Rumors about mystics in mountain sanctuaries who have lived hundreds of years trickle through the urban mill.

So what happens when the truth about time gets out?

We'll see.

Before we get into that, lets understand what it is in us that measures real time.

The Chinese call it Chi, the Japanese Qi, Indians call it Prana, and Islanders call it Mana. All of their traditions have introduced the understanding of this power as a command of interrelatedness with our surroundings. And this is true, up to a point.

Carlos Castaneda referred to the tendrils of energy that stream from our gut. Some masters call it centering. And many of them relate it to how we are being in Space. And that is a start.

Here's where we are going with this. When our space is clear (Purity & Density) as we discussed in the prior chapter, we are ready to embark on a new relationship with time.

Time is as navigable as space. Our clunky navigation devices, what R. Buckminster Fuller called our "spacesuits", otherwise known as our bodies, have a very difficult challenge traveling in time non-sequentially. Our minds do it constantly in the form of imagination. And that is enough while our bodies work on our Ethics.

One day, at the rate discovery is taking place, it is inevitable that we travel inside time like we do space. The main challenge with that now is that most of us cannot be trusted to do so without causing sheer havoc. The first thing most people say when they consider time travel is what they'd change. "I'd go back and rig the lottery," or, "I'd save my Dad from drowning."

We pick things we'd change. Or if we imagine going to the future, we imagine what we could learn that would help us change it somehow.

We cannot be trusted to be travelers, tourists, safely observing. Until we can learn to stop taking our trash with us, everywhere we go, we'll be physically incapable of it. Once our souls reach a level of superior integrity, our cells can reach the level of integrity to withstand that type of travel. Then we'll be good to go.

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If you are still here, you are as crazy as I am. That's kinda cool.

Oh, 5/30/09 is my Gregorian Calendar birthday. Everybody whistle!

Official Google Blog: Went Walkabout. Brought back Google Wave.

2009-05-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

Official Google Blog: Went Walkabout. Brought back Google Wave.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 3)

2009-05-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from my untitled, unpublished book.

I mentioned this would get weird, and you might not believe it. I swear I witnessed it, and I've asked several people who were there to add their perspective in the comments. This blew my mind.

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(cont.)

Imagine what would be possible knowing the inner workings of the space between time, between the fractions of time. Could you do magic?

I was in college living down the street and around the corner from a guy named Bill Weilgos. I remember his name because he was a remarkable magician. I wish he were still alive today so I could ask him how he does it. Unfortunately he was killed in an errant knife throwing practice with his girlfriend. But that's another story.

This guy could do close-up magic, stage-magic, impromptu stuff, and mind-reading like you wouldn't believe. His apartment was cage after cage of highly trained pet. We would circle around his porch and beg him to show us one more.

One day, out of the blue, he dropped by my apartment. It was around the first of the month because everyone had hundred dollar bills on them and we were assembling rent during a study break. Snow was a foot and a half deep outside and still coming down, so people who had finished studying hours before were hanging out, waiting for a break. There must have been eight of us. Being a college apartment, the rooms were small. We were gather-piled around the beds, stuffed in our heavy knit sweaters drinking brain-heavy brew and quizzing each other on Jungian psychology.

Like I said, Bill dropped by, out of the ordinary, and after a minute or two of his standards (cigarette through the quarter, changing a $100 bill into a single - doh!), he asked for another $100 bill and asked, "Do you believe I can make this levitate?"

I had seen Bill do some crazy stuff and immediately said, "Yes!" The rest of the room however, was a little skeptical. Bill then proposed terms, "If I can make this levitate, I can keep it." At this point he had two $100 bills of mine and I had rent due, so I disagreed vehemently, but a couple other people in the room agreed to cover my investment and gave Bill the thumbs up. Once he had their commitment he shared, "I've never done this before, I just was reading about it last night and it sounds cool."

Now my friends were worried about their money. Ultimately, the room consented. We had to see Bill's trick. We were hooked.

He backed into the doorway and held the bill up for all to see, front, then back. He crumpled the bill in his hand and took a slow step forward, front leg extended. Reaching both hands out in front of him he breathed into the palms of his hands and the crumpled bill began to float above the lower palm. It looked like his breath was strong enough to hold the bill above his palm, until a moment later he dropped his hands, took a step back and the bill remained stationed in the air.

The room lost its collective breath. The kind of laughter that happens in panic situations took over some of the girls. The dollar bill hovered, clearly not hanging from the ceiling. As if to challenge our skepticism, Bill lowered his hand dramatically toward the floor and the money slowly dropping at half the speed of gravity.

At that point, I went nuts. Sounds came out of my lungs I had never heard before. I KNEW reality was a farce and that this guy had a handle on something between all the things that were obvious to me. The walls wavered. My eyes felt like the were dislocated from my brain.

And the dollar approached the floor. I looked quickly around the room to see what effect this was having on my friends. They were in similar amazement and disbelief. Remember, Bill was less than one foot away from me, and the floating, levitating $100 bill was less than two feet away. In fact it was JUST beyond reach of half the people in the room. Each of us had a different point of view, and if there'd been a string involved one of us would have seen it.

Ultimately, I was in sheer fright.

I saw the dollar stop just before the floor. Bill was in a DEEP breathing state, and he took a deeper breath than I knew was humanly possible. Exhaling he reversed direction, moved toward the bill and it shot straight up into the air toward his descending hand which caught it in an instant.

Everyone roared. In true collegiate fashion we all wanted to party with Bill and encouraged him to stay and drink with us. The hour had struck five, and we could legitimately open a bottle and pry his secrets from him. If he'd let us. But no luck. Bill cordially departed, and we proceeded to discuss all the physical possibilities of how we'd been hoodwinked, or how Bill was a magical creature from another dimension.

* * *

What an amazing experience. To this day, the only order I can identify from that event was that Bill could see and act in those moments between perception. His hand was literally quicker than the eye.

To review. All of matter is collapsing between all registered moments of re-cognition. And then bursting into Being again as our perception window reopens.

Cool, so that's the holographic projection model of succession of events as they play out against time, but that is not time itself.

If Perception is the Projection, Time is the Screen that Perception is Projected on.

Take a breath or two for a minute or two, and see what its like if that sinks in.

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I remember being so effected by that day, it was like going into shock. We all sorta went into shock, together.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 2)

2009-05-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you for reading this excerpt from my untitled book. Please enjoy.

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Here's the amazing element to understand about Time. Time is food. Time is the substance that gives room to Space. Time holds Space in place.

Imagine this. Imagine that our eyes are viewing a projected reality that has a flicker frequency perfectly suited to our absorption ratio. What does that mean?

Think of it like this. In a film, there are 28 frames that scroll past a projector lamp every second. Each frame is a separate image. Run in succession at the proper speed, they mimic 'reality'. If you slow them down, our eyes stop believing them. If you speed them up, same thing, we lose our connection to the image.

Between each of those square images are actual black frames that edge out the images.

Same thing with what our eyes see. Imagine that between each nano-second of projected universal experience everything disappears, trades places, moves around, and then 'wham', when our window of perception is open again, all of it aligns to nearly exactly what it was at the last measurement.

Matter follows movement information patterns that were set in place in the previous frame so as to convey a continuous stream of experience.

All that sounds a little mumbo-jumbo even to me, and I'm writing it. So let me see if I can break it down a little more.

What would it be like if we could see, faster. If we could retain visual/sensual information at a deeper level. You've seen those police profilers on TV who close their eyes and recite license plates they passed in the parking lot. I'm not talking about that. Ever notice the flicker in a fluorescent light bulb? It's annoying, it's there, but it's not as dramatic as a strobe.

Just pretend you could see fast enough to register that fluorescent as a strobe. It would shift from Light to Dark completely.

Now imagine you See what happens to every electron in between the moments that most people see them now. And their movement pattern is to collapse into an infinite invisible black dot smaller than the eye can see. Just as fast as all of Creation collapses upon itself it bounds back into FORM again, to become its next frame on the infinite path of experience.

(Now, that wouldn't be possible, because the eye you are seeing with is traveling that same path, but let's extend the pretend long enough to view this pattern.) Imagine what would be possible knowing the inner workings of the space between time, between the fractions of time. Could you do magic?

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This next entry might be hard for you to believe, BUT, if you know you've met someone who can do actual magic, creating actions between the typical measurements of space time, drop a note in the comment box and I'll follow up with the ones I'm excited about.

Chapter 3 - Time - (Part 1)

2009-05-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from a book I wrote. I appreciate you reading it. Thank you

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Chapter 3. Time

Time is an incredible substance that remains a great mystery to most of us are who educated to believe it is a measurement of objects through space. Traditionally, we think of it as: Earth orbits the Sun once a year. The Moon orbits Earth once a day-ish. A car travels from Cincinnati to Redbluff in X number of hours. However, time is far more than a variable in a snapshot of measurable reality.

Time is a breathing entity like you and me. Let me back up. Time has two qualities, and these may be new to you, maybe not.

Time has both Now and Forever as measurable absolutes. Time is eternal, and it is only ever taking place Now (for us). For an illuminating discourse on this see The Power of Now. Author, Eckhart Tolle coins the term "clock time" to refer to the domesticated understanding of time. We'll be arriving at new distinctions around time as the chapter unfolds so, for clarity, please lean on "clock time", as a way to measure linear time.

An assertion we can begin with is that if time is more than a measurement of objects through space, and if time is Always and Now, then we are measuring something more than the movement of objects through space.

The Maya wrote calendars to measure Creation. More specifically the Creation Cycle. They cited 13 cycles. It is not the point of this book to familiarize you with their theories.

For an exquisite look at the shift in understanding that has taken place from the Ancient Wisdom of the Maya, whose calendar remains the most accurate to date of any civilization living, to the Gregorian calendar of commerce that all our computers and accounting software runs on today, go to Mayan Calendar Comes North on google video to watch for free, or purchase the DVD from The Mayan Majix website for around $40 US. Amazing, pivotal information that must be a part of how you shape your awareness to be a successful human being in the coming decade. No joke.

I don't use a lot of shoulds. This is one of my very few shoulds.

The point of understanding new values for time is to allow a new possibility to live in the mind of you, the leader, so that when the opportunity comes, you can empower another with the knowledge you have and the freedom it brings

Okay, moving on.

Here's the amazing element to understand about Time. Time is food. Time is the substance that gives room to Space. Time holds Space in place.

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What resources do you use to help you think about time in a whole new way?

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 8)

2009-05-19T04:09:00.000-07:00

The following is bits and pieces from an untitled, unpublished book about the mysteries of life that captivate me. Thank you for participating. Today's bit wraps up Space...

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I developed a script I will leave you with, and then we'll move on to other chapters.

A script for forgiveness.

Here's the set-up. If you find you have a story to tell about someone and it won't let you go, they are a prime target to hit with this process. If you are gossiping, or just need to get something off your chest. Try this. A couple times. There's no limit to how much you can use it. It creates immediate results.

Identify someone who has nothing to do with the story, who you can trust to keep this confidential, and who can be an effective listener. (An effective listener is someone who will receive, without offering any advice, feedback, or judgement. If you don't have someone like this in your life, invent one.)
Ask them, "Will you listen to me forgive someone for something?"
Wait for the "Yes!"
When you get it, qualify the conversation with, "I'm not looking for advice, feedback, or judgment. I just need to let this go."
Pause.
Then launch into it, "I am willing to forgive _________ for being such an __________. I was at the _______ when they ________ and it really ________ my _________. I am willing to forgive them for.... " Tell the whole story. A couple of times if you need to. Leave nothing out. Get detailed. Get emotional.
Next, and this is the most important part, "I am willing to forgive myself for _________ (all the stuff that comes up as 'mine' - feelings, judgments, etc. in the earlier part)."
Now, breathe. How do you feel? Is the feeling that came with the urge to tell the story still with you? Then keep going until you feel Total Relief.
Once you feel all the way better, thank the person on the other end of the line and encourage them to call you for help at some time in the future.
IF - you can't get anyone on the phone, write everything down and put it on paper. Then, when your listener calls back, go through it with them as completely as possible.

A friend once asked me, isn't this gossiping? Sure. But it is safe gossiping. The intention has been set to free yourself of the energy it takes to give your power away to an idea you have about someone else. The purpose for this process is to free both of you from a misunderstanding of relationship that you have.

If this doesn't make sense now, take a look back at it after you try the exercise a couple times, and then again once you've finished the book.

Your Density, and relationship to Space will be so different by then, a new understanding of why and how this works is sure to move into your awareness.

If you have someone you can call on your own, we recommend it. If not, please reach out and let a trained Listener help. You can speak with them for as long as it takes for you to feel free of any energy holding you back.

Dr. Reverend Michael Beckwith of The Agape International Movement, and known for his appearances on The Secret and Oprah says, "Two things in life make us happy. Giving and forgiving." Additionally, if we are in a place where we feel we cannot give, chances are we need to forgive someone, and if we can't think of who, chances are it is ourselves. You are important enough. By releasing energy in the form of forgiveness we are free to move forward in our lives.

And now, for the best feature of Space...

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Sorry for the cliffhanger (again.) This blog-publishing thing is cooler than I expected it to be.

You can google forgiveness and find several really cool sites dedicated to anonymous listening and intentional forgiveness. Powerful stuff.

And if you're on Twitter, here's a nifty little bit: ConfessToMe - follow @confesstome to get real-time confessions from those who need to divest themselves of their secrets. [not a pheneomenal website, but a nifty twitter concept]

One of my favorite sites on the topic is http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ a graphic heart grabber. Pop by.

What's on your mind? How crazy am I? I'd like to know your thinking.

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 7)

2009-05-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

The following is a chunk from an untitled, unpublished work by me for you. Please enjoy and share.

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Are you an open receiver? Do you store only what serves you? Are you releasing, contributing all that you can?

Here are some clues:

Are you overweight?
How's your breathing?
Do you get headaches?
Are you under pressure?
Are you in debt?
Do you worry?
Are you in inescapable drama?

...and there are many more.

A 5-minute daily practice of forgiveness, written, spoken, thought, sung, hummed, sneezed, any form of release, will let this go. It's just one piece to try. And it is potent.

I'll offer you a meditation I use to remain energetically clear. It is by no means one of a kind. It is one that has helped me immensely. If it would help you to listen to an audio version please leave a comment below and I'll record one. Until then, if you select the text below you can have your computer read it aloud in that odd machine voice while you close your eyes. [Copy the following into TextEdit and under the Edit menu select Start Reading.]

Atomic Recalibration Exercise

Turning within, allow your full awareness to become the infinite universe.

See spiral turning galaxies, black holes, nebula and meteor clouds.

Allow their intense, vast charges and sounds to impact you at your core.

Drift through space. Aimlessly. And become a sensation of these orbs in relation to each other.

Feel the connection planets have to universes.

Feel the charge of electricity flashing across the expanse of existence.

Drift now, closer to earth, through the atmosphere to the surface.

See your head as you swiftly move inside your body and into the center of your atoms.

Watch as you arrive at the level of Neutron, Proton, Electron

Looking with extremely quick eyes, notice the spin on the Electron

See it surrounded by Quarks and Muons. The fields of energy around them slow down and become a visible spin.

Notice the buildup of energy piled on the Nuetron, virtually covering each of the Protons.

Actively now, with intention and vision, invite all that is unnecessary to your cleanest, purest living, to transmute itself into useful energy elsewhere.

It breaks up and disperses into a thin, flat line of particles.

And then, dispersing into an invisible cloud of dismissed energy, it shifts into usefulness elsewhere while your atomic core is cleared completely.

Look now to your electrons and invite them to shift valence shells. Encourage their dance. Note their strength.

Invite every atom to switch electrons with another atom.

Invite each electron to spin east... Now west...

Recalibrate them. Push the Quarks and Muons in a new direction.

And when each atom is shiny and new and sparkling and clearly happy...

A lightness will remain with you through the day. Things that used to hold you, now drift past you.

Notice your strength. You are not fighting to hold onto energy that isn't serving you.

Drift back into your forehead. Let your atoms and energy settle down and gently find your feet.

Find your hands. Shift your attention into the room, and notice how you feel.

And now, carry on with your day.

Quantum physics tells us that attention creates reality. And yet, the persistent illusion of reality is so convincing. This meditation can free you from the trap that reality seeks to maintain. You may find yourself wondering where the scientific evidence is to support this type of a theory. Here's all the science I need.

Does it work for me? How long do I have to try something to find out if it works?

For me, generally, 28 days. If I find it is working, I'll put it in my daily practices for 8 months. Then, if it is not embodied, its not useful. If it is embodied, it is such a habit, it happens without me thinking about it.

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Nearly done with this extraordinarily long chapter. Thanks for hanging in. Feedback invited.

The Age of Awesome is Here

2009-05-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

guest post by author Andrew Mannle
in response to a post by Stephen H. Dinan
that appeared in the Huffington Post

Every few thousand years something AWESOME happens! And this is one of those times..

We are on the verge of the greatest shift in 15,000 years, and there are more than a few signs that this is happening. Here are a few of my favorite:

Harvesting Energy
15,000 years ago our ancestors learned to move beyond scavenging food and work with nature to harvest food. The result was the explosion of consciousness we know as Civilization.

Now we are learning to move beyond scavenging energy and work with nature to Harvest energy. Super-abundant sources of energy exist all around us. Sun, wind, wave, geothermal, biomass and others are capable of supplying far more energy than we need. In fact currently, even in our over-consumptive and wasteful society, enough sunlight falls on the earth in an hour to power all of society for an entire year. Once we learn to harvest the natural forces all around us, energy will be as cheap and clean as a bag of organic apples.

This too will create a radical shift in consciousness and usher in a new age that will make commuting on a polluting freeway to a mind-numbing job making widgets you have to convince people to buy seem as crazy a way to live as chasing a woolly mammoth barefoot through the snow would seem to your average corporate executive.

And the amazing thing about clean abundant energy is that we'll be able to use it grow our own food, build healthy homes, and design our own clothing out of sustainable materials. In fact, we already have abundant energy, and it has given us lives of material wealth that would have been unimaginable for kings and emperors just a few generations ago. But for many us it hasn't brought spiritual satisfaction, or deep happiness to our lives.

Moving Beyond the Material
The promise of abundant renewable energy will not by itself make life a utopia. It will simply free us from the struggles and shortages, the pollution and war, the hierarchies and authorities that our current energy system brings as a nasty side effect.

In the coming age we will still hope, dream, strive and struggle - but not for material things. Already non-material passions like education, theater, literature, art, video games, law, music, finance, travel, tourism, sports and science occupy more of our time than the struggle for daily bread. And it's our increased awareness and emphasis on these non-material things that is one of the biggest signifiers of the change in consciousness we're undergoing as a global species right now.

The 'Green Movement' is increasing our understanding of the interconnected cycles that flow through and connect us all. In ages past it was Religion and Spirituality that answered our non-material needs, our need for higher meaning in our lives. That will still be the case in the future.

Spirituality & Religion are different though. Spirituality is personal, internal, universal. You can have a spiritual experience alone on a mountain in silence. Religion is interpersonal, social, & communal; it requires language, symbols and actions. And even today many Religious groups are recognizing that Stewardship of 'God's Green Earth' is a potent message for their believers. Google InterFaith Power & Light for more.

Systems Thinking and Radical Collaboration
Another sign of the changing times is the increasing Psychologically Sophistication we're witnessing. As humans develop we go through higher states of awareness. When our material needs are satisfied we look for love and respect. When we have those we seek to become self-actualized, to understand the systems that govern life in the universe. Understanding the metaphors we live by, and empowering each other to Evolve is critical for the shift we're going through. The best guy doing work on this is my friend John Marshall Roberts. Check out his book "Igniting Inspiration" for the most clear description of the mechanics of Inspiration, the basic stages of psychology, and how Systemic "Yellow" Thinking is sweeping the world.

We come out of our silos when we shift from analytical-linear-leftbrain thinking towards synthesis-holistic-rightbrain thinking. This is the key to Green Design and 'integrating' our way through our challenges, instead of fighting them. Van Jones is a perfect example of this, as is Scott Badenoch of Creative Citizen when he speaks of 'Radical collaboration' as the newest business strategy.

The reason these are so successful is that they follow ecosystem principles. Every cell in your body is a 'radical collaboration' of microbes and bacteria that have their own DNA and joined forces hundreds of millions of years ago to make a better life for themselves.

As Ken Wilber says, "Life is a process of Envelopment, not Development." With all the focus on Competition in our cultural paradigms, we forget the collaboration underlies all competition. Collaboration is a survival skill, competition is an improvement skill. Remember you can only compete once you agree on the rules first; and when times get rough competition stops and strangers join hands - it happens every time.

So keep an eye on these trends over the coming months. They are the first ripples of the tidal wave that is the coming Revolution.

The Age of Awesome is underway, and it's gaining speed. Join Us!

Andrew Mannle is a Sustainability and Communications expert and founder of http://Arcwire.org

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 6)

2009-05-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from an untitled, unpublished work by myself. It is for people who want to live happier, healthier lives. All the secrets and mysteries I've gathered over the years are in it. Enjoy.

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[Food impacts Personal Density, which is a more telling measure of Space than Volume.]

As a "for instance..," I'm including my recipe for breakfast because while I was out getting groceries at Trader Joe's this morning the teller asked me what Oat Bran is for, and the excitement I got in sharing this was so extraordinary I decided to share it with you too.

This is the Ultimate Battery Recharger. From the food system above a typical breakfast consists of: 1 protein, 2 grains, 1 fruit, 1 fat & 3 Tbsp Oat Bran. In case you don't know, Oat Bran is a magical food. Here's the meal. I've never had anyone turn it down.

Breakfast of Superstars!

3 Tbsp Oat Bran
2 bananas (approx 8 oz)
.5 oz butter (1 pad)
8 oz milk
1 egg
2 pieces Ezekiel toast

Put the Oat Bran into a ceramic, micro-wave safe bowl. Just cover it with water (purified or filtered) and let the Oat Bran soak it up.

Slice 2 bananas into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a paper towel and Microwave for 3 minutes.

While the Banana Delight is heating, cook an egg to your liking. Toast the bread to your liking.

Remove the Banana bowl from the microwave, add the butter and let sit for at least one minute. Its hot!

Poor your milk into the bowl, and serve.

Serve the toast w/ the egg on it! Egg Sandwich! Yum!

If you wish to, you can sub 1 oz of Cream Cheese for the egg. That's good too!

There are people who have seriously eaten this breakfast every day for a year and only enjoyed it more and more. You will be full, even tempered, high energy, sharp response, full presence and pleasant to be around after this meal.

Other places to look for a background on health and food that bucks the average available information go to this amazing site: www.thescienceofbeingwell.net

Dr. Alexandra Gayek and Wallace D. Wattles offer some incredible insight into everyday wellness that is crucial to understand and apply where it works. I don't follow the system to the exact letter, but I do inform my Personal Prism with the wisdom I have found there.

My system I mentioned above is heavily influenced by an Anonymous Eater association. There are many good ones out there that can be found with a simple search on google using the keywords: "eaters anonymous". You'll notice a few interesting things about these communities. One, the websites are not designed to sell much. They will encourage you to go to a meeting. Go for it. No one will bite you. The reason they ask is that there is so much more that can be determined about the usefulness of their plan in person than over the Internet, mail or phone. You can go and obtain the food plan they use and try it their way, or your way, or whatever works. My own participation has shifted over the years based on what is working best for me at the time.

The important thing is that you are operating with a clean lens. A light Prism.

Other topics to consider when observing and designing your own Density have to do with the transaction of receiving, storing and transmitting light is, how are each of those activities going? Once our physical body is cleaner, our energetic body is a great next step.

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Wow. What a long chapter. Two more segments and we move on to Time. Shout out below! Your comments are my reward.

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 5)

2009-05-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

The following is a section from my untitled, unpublished book. If you feel inspired, please do share. This is for everyone.

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For the Traveling Meal

Many people may look at this outline and feel confused. Trust me, it is easier than counting calories or points. Executives on the road, or business people moving quickly through a new city will want to know how easy it is to eat as you go.

Breakfast

Call room service, or stop by a diner.

Order:

2 eggs (protein)

hashbrowns (2 orders if small - grain)

fruit cup (bowl if small)

butter (on hashbrowns)
-- if they have oat bran, ask them to bring it with Hot water. chances are, they won't and you can do without it for one morning. If they do have it, lucky you!

Keep breakfast simple. The last thing you want is to load up on sweet carbs before a presentation and find yourself sweating in front of a room of people who are learning to trust you.

Lunch & Dinner

KooKooRoo (2 pieces/2 sides), Wendy's (Southwest Taco Salad), & El Pollo Loco (2 pieces/2 sides), are off the menu meals you can eat that are perfect proportionally. With each of these, keep the salad dressing down to one package.

If you are at a nicer spot, order:

Small steak (fish, chicken, cheese, beans - whatever you desire)

Large salad & a side of steamed vegetables

Brown rice (corn tortilla - 2, or, if you can find it, corn pasta)

Salad Dressing (1.5 oz, only use one container)

Fruit, (one piece or small bowl)

Remember to leave food you don't need behind.

You may not be comfortable with this, but here's what I do. When I feel like it is really important for me to be diligent, I bring a small food scale from home and ask for a second plate. I leave the second plate on the scale and weigh out my food as I go. I box up anything that I didn't need in the meal and eat it later.

When people ask me what I'm doing, I tell them, "I used to be 60 pounds heavier. By doing this I keep off the weight and I've eliminated early onset osteoperosis, alzheimers, arthitis, asthma, and pseriosis, among other things."

Invariably people say, "Wow, you should be proud of yourself. I could never do that."

What has people committing to Never doing something that they say I should be Proud of is my seemingly endless arena of work.

Because this is a style of eating that is catching on, I'm including a spot on the website where we can share recipes. When you contribute something there, please understand it can take some time for your submission to be added to the site. Also know that we are extraordinarily grateful that you would share your gifts with us in this way. Being a space for health and wholeness to grow is highly gratifying for our community.

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If this is helping you in any way, I'd love to know. Drop a note in the comment box. Also, if you're trying some of these things for the first time, feel free to make a note of how they're working for you.

Many thanks.

Short Break - Vote on SSPU Lyrics for "Currency of Love"

2009-05-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today I was updating my iTunes with song lyrics. Because I do that, sometimes.

I learned that the song, "Currency of Love," was included on the pre-release of the iTunes version of Silversun Pickups' recent album release, SWOON.

Amazing record. I absolutely love it. In my quest to get the lyrics right, I found that No one has them posted anywhere. So, I've done my best to get them down here, and before I submit them, I'd like your help making sure they sound right. Please help me with this little project.

Press play on the MP3 link, and follow the lyrics below as you listen along. If you find any changes or mistakes, write them into the comment box below. The most helpful of you gets a prize. (I'll tell you what it is later.)

Here are the lyrics I've deciphered:

Currency of Love

Read between the lies of homespun advice
Nothing that you say, let's carry on here

Seething day to day, Its not possible to fray
View it coming anyway, Please carry on here

Let's redesign the goings on, Hey optimism anyone?

We believe the currency of love
We believe the virgin falls in love
Care free the beat'll pass it on,
Please believe the currency of love

Watch your vital signs, Complete the no holds guy
Now you won't be advised, let's carry on here

Resupply ok fine, baby you're right
so much more than I can take
please carry on here

Let's redesign the goings on
Hey optimism anyone?

We believe the currency of love
We believe the virgin falls in love
Care free the beat'll pass it on,
Please believe the currency of love

Entertain you
Rearrange you
Forever claim you

Its demanding
Not understanding
But everlasting

Let it soothe you
Creep into you
And all that moves you

Cause you're seeking
Cause you're needing
So start believing

We believe the currency of love
We believe the virgin falls in love
Care free the beat'll pass it on,
Please believe the currency of love

Now, anything you think is different that what I have here, just pop that into the comment box and when we've got it all figured out, I'll contribute them to the song lyrics sites.

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 4)

2009-05-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from an untitled, unpublished book by me. Enjoy. Share.

If you are just tuning in, we've been discussing Density as a more telling measure of Space.

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A program for maintaining a solid alkaline physical state is:

Activities:

a 15 minute meditation each morning at sunrise soaking the sun's rays and focused on breathing in and out of the nose

listening to local birds sing

a one to two mile walk, jog or run each day

up to 50 hugs per day, not less than 5

smile at least twice an hour

Meals:

food that grows from the ground

proportional meals, three a day

breakfast can be, 1 protein, 1 fruit, 2 grain, 1 fat

lunch and dinner can be, 1 protein : 3 vegetables : 1 fruit : 1 grain : 1 fat * [eliminate sugar, flour, corn syrup, stuff that comes out of machines]

Each of these steps will create space in your DNA for greater efficiency of energy use and greater ease of replication (regeneration). Stress will simply become input. Energy will regulate, moods will even out. The hooks that used to dominate thinking will become merely observable phenomena with little to no control over your attention.

A simple exercise in the following chapter will help to actualize this way of living for you, if you choose it.

* these are healthy serving sizes for most people without medical conditions - see a doctor if you need big help

protein - 4 oz meat, 2 oz cheese, 6 oz beans, or 2 eggs

vegetables - 4 oz of anything that grows out of the ground. mix up green, orange, red and yellow stuff. steamed and raw is better than fried.

fruit - a whole piece of something out of the ground, or 8 oz of little stuff like berries, grapes, cut up pineapple.

grain - brown rice, corn tortilla, Ezekiel bread (this stuff is AMAZING) - www.foodforlife.com try their cinnamon raisin English muffins.

fat - 1 to 2 Tbsp; there are a lot of options, go natural where you can, butter over margarine, olive oil over corn oil, mayonnaise, salad dressing, look for things with sugar as the fifth ingredient or more.

sweetener - stevia, if necessary honey, but go lightly. the less you use, the less you need.

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Please let me know if you want to skip the rest of the food stuff and just get into the heart of the book. There's a bit more of this. If you find it useful, I'll keep it coming. Otherwise we can gloss over the practical applications in this chapter and hit #3. Tell me. Down there. In the comments section. Thanks.

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 3)

2009-05-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

This is a clip from an upcoming book. By me. For you. Enjoy.

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(cont.)

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 3)

For this idea to really sink in I want to explore the idea of Space being an end of the Light spectrum.

We are all Prisms. A prism is a structure that receives, retains, and reflects light. Often the reflection is in an array that has divided the parts of its input into an organized range descending or ascending in value. Another way to say it is, pretty rainbows bounce off Prisms.

Every form is continually receiving, retaining and emitting light. All of us. Everything. The light we emit is determined by the frequency we hold ourselves to, the structure we hold to our cells, the thoughts we surround our organic self with The frequencies we bathe our holographic projection in. And so, it stands to reason that the Purity of our Prism dictates the Purity of the Light we Emit.

What does this have to do with Space? Everything. The density we create with our cells, the memories they store, the efficiency of our thinking and responding to and relating with the world, it all informs our efficiency in receiving, storing and transmitting ranges of light. In other words, we live in a Universe of corresponding frequencies. We receive what we project.

Our joy is that we are light that has slowed down long enough to recognize and enjoy itself.

So what effects our Density? Our Space? Or how we are in Space?

A few things.

A simple ingredient related to density is food and exercise. I think we all understand the value of exercise and eating well. To cover them quickly, science is continuing to reveal that a supple spine extends youth, calorie restriction extends youth.

Exercise - There are SO many choices to make here. My advice is follow what you love. Me, I'm not a big Gym guy. I don't love all the effort it takes to suit up, get sweaty, weigh myself, shower down, change clothes again. I prefer simpler stuff. Understand, that with the food outline that comes later in the chapter, you can get fit and thin without spending time in the Gym. If you do like the Gym, by all means, go!

For exercise, I personally like things that work with energy. Yoga is common. I shy away from "Power" yoga and Bikram. Again, more sweat than I'm interested in on a business day. I like Hotha Yoga. And, I also like things that are great metaphors for my life. Aikido and Tai Chi have proven to be outstanding resources when it comes to physical exercise. Both are channeling and understanding energy. One is with an "oponent" the other is not.

For those who travel, it is simple to find Yoga, Aikido and Tai Chi private lessons for around $100 - $150 at your hotel. Plan in advance.

Food - The four basic rules around food:

Eat food from the ground (or food that ate food from the ground)
Avoid white food (sugar, flour, bleached rice)
Moderation (portions are important!)
Water

If you stick to the program above, you'll do well. For those who have foods they defend, I invite you to look at what that really means.

My story is pretty simple. When I closed my practice in the music business, I went into a pretty heavy depression and gained a lot of weight. Being conscious about my weight, I tried all the fad diets. I thought I was following Atkins, but I continued to put on more weight.
I was living alone. I was eating three or four meals a day. Lots of proteins, some veggies, the fats that were on the list... I've seen that system work for some people, but I wasn't making it work for me. I was moody, I was heavy, I was sleeping a lot. I was 60 pounds overweight. I had foot fungus, bad breath, a sore back, dry scalp, itchy skin, headaches, arthritis in my fingers, toes, hands, feet and knees. I was thirty and I felt ninety. Not good. I didn't know what to do about it. I sought all the diet advice I could get. And yet, there were foods I was convinced I couldn't give up. I drank coffee drinks with flavoring. I ate bread and cereals and all kinds of other processed foods. I got sick regularly and what I didn't know is that white processed foods (sugar, flour, bleached rice) put the body in an acidic state where disease and bacteria can begin to grow.

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There's lots more to come, don't worry.

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 2)

2009-05-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is a piece from a book I penned. I'm glad you are reading it.

+++

(cont.)

For this idea to really sink in I want to explore the idea of Space being an end of the Light spectrum.

Our joy is that we are light that has slowed down long enough to recognize and enjoy itself.

So what effects our Density? Our Space? Or how we are in Space?

+++

Sorry again. Come back in a couple of days, or when your subscription pings you.

Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 1)

2009-05-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy the following bits from my unpublished, untitled book. Go!

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Chapter 2 - Space - (Part 1)

Space and Time are fundamentally connected. Our education and training has disconnected the two and keeps us constantly battling between them as seemingly finite commodities. As a professional you hear about the importance of Time Management and unfortunately, no one has revealed to you the lie that Time Management is. Because Time and Space are so connected, we'll start with Space.

Endless volumes could be written on this matter, and seemingly endless volumes already have been.

It would be easy to think that a Business book would cover space as it relates to an Office Building or a Storefront. But not us.

We won't be covering Feng Shui in the office or home although it is a good idea. Instead, this chapter and the next chapter are two ends of the same string theory. Space and Time are not the X and Y quadrants of Light (a slow enough and measurable enough product of Energy). SpaceTime is the X and the Y quadrant of Attention. See graph.

This is a basic representation of how our point of view shifts based on the quality of attention we are in a a given moment.

Now. Instead of hurting our brains with theory and what it could mean to us, we'll be looking more closely at our physical relationship to space and time over the next few pages and making certain that we are optimizing ourselves in both.

From a basic standpoint, our place in space is measured as that length, width, depth concept of basic geometry. These are important elements to take care of and better men than I have devoted a great deal of time to their exploration and understanding, Scott Coady at the Institute For Embodied Wisdom, for one.

Instead, what I've found to be most useful when it comes to space is an understanding of the concept of Density. While it is important to have an understanding of where we are, I'm most always liberated around How we are. What is the metaphysical make-up of how we hold ourselves in any given situation.

For this idea to really sink in I want to explore the idea of Space being an end of the Light spectrum...

+++

Sorry for the unruly cliffhanger. It wasn't intentional. It's all about space.

Have I told you I like watching that thing you do with your lips when you read?

Chapter One - Principles - (Part 2)

2009-04-29T04:04:00.000-07:00

This is a section from an untitled, unpublished work about holistic business. Yum!

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Chapter One - Principles - (Part 2)

Principles!

This is where it starts.

For Your Consideration:

What are my Principles? Having trouble figuring this out?

Try this on:

What is the one thing other people do that irritate(s) you the most? [show up late, interrupt, ask uninformed questions...]

Find the opposite of what the annoyance is and write it down as a potential Principle.

(example... "I can't stand it when people____", interrupt, show up late, get angry...)

Now, replace the annoyance with something you do appreciate:

Interruption -becomes - Patience/Respect...
Tardiness - becomes - Promptness
Anger - becomes - Compassion

Take the opposite and try it out as a principle. One way to know your Principles are identified is when your life begins to fall into place seemingly on its own.

The remaining chapters will help to bring your Principles into your daily life. Some of the Chapters will be familiar and tie in to work you've already done, others will provide distinctions that will highlight the value of building conscious holistic businesses.

You are doing great.

Once you have identified your personal principles, start working on your business principles. Its okay if you know what your business principles are first. There's no order when you are working in the Primary Substance of the Universe. Think of the company you like the most and the characteristics it displays. What are the principles those characteristics portray?

Responsibility. Flexibility. Innovation.

Don't hold back. List all the things you think you might like, and over the course of the book you can simplify the list until it resonates completely with you.

Okay, the hard part is over. From here its just looking at the world through the lens of possibilities based in Principles. Now it just gets easy. And Fun!

It is not about being courageous about what I might lose,

It is being courageous about what I might gain.

- Peter Simons

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Next post we'll be moving on to Chapter 2. Stay glued to those seats.

Chapter 1 - Principles

2009-04-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

The following is a tidbit from an unpublished, untitled work by moi. Enjoy.

+++

Chapter One - Principles - (Part 1)

I loved this when I first read it.

"As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A DEFINITION OF Principles:

Those distinctions to which our evolution is so indebted, even if we were removed from society or relationship of any kind, we'd remain utterly and irrevocably defined by them. Our driving force.

example: a person in solitary confinement may change perspective on some things, but those convictions which cannot change based on condition are the principles they hold.

Principles shape individuals, families, classrooms, gangs, organizations, companies, communities, nations, generations, and religions. More than vision. More than mission. Principles inform, even dictate what the vision and mission and purpose and goal and objective and intention of a company are. While the Vision may grow, or the Mission may shift, or the Purpose may morph, or the goal may change or the objective may be met or the intention may drift - the Principles never sway.

I am convinced that when the Principle driving any company is identified and used as a measuring stick for all of its following elements, no matter what they are, the rest fall into place.

So what are your principles? Are they different for everyone? We're all people, wouldn't we have the same principles?

No.

I heard once, from my grandmother, a very wise woman, "MacEwen, if it was really all about you, you'd be the only one here." We each have a unique contribution that only we can make. And so, it is up to each of us to identify our principles over time.

Can they change over time? I don't think so. What changes is the clarity we hold, the perspective we view from. Our principles are what we are carved out of. Look at the word.

Principle.

First.

Primary.

Our Raw Material.

And so maybe, on our last day we have the greatest clarity on our principles.

So far, mine are Integrity, Purity, Honor, Joy. When I measure all activities against the Principle of Integrity, I embark on a flawless path of pure direction, amazing flow, impeccable momentum. Do people stray from their principles? Of course. Every hero, on every journey, in every story, throughout all time. Even the unprincipled ones. Check it out.

What are my Business Principles? Are they the same as my Individual Principles? NO.

A business is an organism of its own nature. More about this in the coming chapters.

My Business Principles are Service, Satisfaction, Simplicity. Those drive everything we do here.

If it isn't all of the above, its for someone else. And that's alright.

Principles!

This is where it starts.

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Chapter One, Part Two, in Three Days...

Book Intro - Part Two

2009-04-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

The following is excerpted from my as yet untitled, unpublished book. Enjoy...

+++

Book Intro - (Part 2)

Holistic Businesses are organisms that have life (see, Arie de Geus' The Living Company). When they are designed to have life and are encouraged and nurtured to grow, businesses have nearly limitless potential.

Otherwise they are a limited-term entity requiring a Purpose and an Exit Strategy. There is nothing wrong with a business of that type, but it falls well short of the aim of a Living Business, or a Conscious Holistic Business.

For the sake of additional clarity I'm going to take the liberty of sharing some assumptions with you. These are things I arrived at after years of struggle. I am settled with the notion that I am not "right" about these things, but for the sake of a place to start, I'll assert them so you can know where I'm coming from. Agreeing is not necessary but awareness of my assumptions is probably key.

Creation Happens.

Creativity is Infinite.

Creativity is Eternal.

Creativity is Good (Ethical).

For more on this read the introduction of Creative Transformation by John David Garcia (http://see.org). He's gone to the trouble of creating a schematic outline with algebraic equations to provide proofs of the above assumptions. Many people replace the word Creativity with words of a divine nature while others choose words of a scientific nature. At this point I think its negligible. But that's just me.

So here goes. A journey into some ideas that may fit just right, or may feel more like a jackhammer in your ear. If you go on from this page, I recommend you finish.

A wise man once told me, "How you do anything, is how you do everything." I guarantee the next few pages won't kill you. So, don't quit on yourself. Finish what you start. Then, if its not for you, you can say you read the whole thing to see how bad it really was.

Chances are, by the end, the pieces will all fit into place. But you tell me.

[end of intro]

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Thanks for tuning in. There's more. Just a coupla days. Promise.

Book Intro - Part One

2009-04-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from my as yet untitled and unreleased book. Please subscribe to alerted to new postings.

+++

Introduction (part 1)

The ideas in this book are meant to be counter-intuitive.

There is nothing original in here. Hermes may have been the first and last original thinker. And yet, so many of us don't really "get" what it is we're doing here on the planet.

I propose you are meant to know what is in this book.

You can probably put this book down right now and run into each of these ideas somewhere along your path. How do I know? Well, you are holding a collection of them in your hands (or on your computer) right now, so, you are intended to be exposed to them one way or another during this lifetime. Either, keep reading and enjoy them all at once. Or, stumble into them here and there as you move about your life. Either way, they can only help you evolve.

In this book we are looking at Holistic Businesses. These are terms that get thrown around.

A lot.

So, lets look at what other people say they mean, and what we can make that mean for ourselves.

The American Heritage Dictionary offers for "Holistic":

Of or relating to holism. (gee, thanks)

Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts.
Concerned with wholes rather than analysis or separation into parts: holistic medicine; holistic ecology.

So, fundamentally, its about interrelatedness. Interconnectedness. OK.

Dictionary.com offers this (among many) for Business:

something with which a person is rightfully concerned

Other definitions for Business include the words: "a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern."

This reminds me of one of my favorite lines from Say Anything, starring John Cusack. The lead character is at dinner with his new girlfriend's father and associates. When asked what he wants to do as a career, he responds, "I've thought about this quite a bit and considering what's out there for me... I don't want to sell, buy or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed or buy anything sold or processed. Or process anything sold, bought or processed. Or repair anything sold, bought, or processed as a career. I don't want to do that. So my father's in the army, and he wants me to join, but I can't work for that corporation. So what I've been doing lately is kickboxing...."

(if anyone finds a clip of this I can add please let me know. I've looked with no luck)

I digress.

The one thing in common between both definitions is the word concern, once as a verb, the other as a noun. Cool. We'll come back to that. For now, let's look at Holistic Business as larger than the traditional definition of either. By larger we mean containing more. Not only does the idea mean there are moving parts that depend on each other inside the business, we also mean that the businesses interact organically with one another. That's big.

+++

Thanks for reading. The next segment continues/completes this thought. So come on back, now.

I wrote a book - and I'm publishing it here...

2009-04-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

I like to write. Two years ago I wrote a book. I've shared it with some friends and they've called it more of a manifesto. In a few days, I'll start posting chapters and segments here.

It's time I shared more...

De-Bunking Mayan Calendar Hype - And Some Tools

2009-04-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

This'll be one of my favorite posts. It will offer you more value than any other. And it may scare you away, completely.

In '98 I watched a video with a fella named, Ian 'Xel' Lungold and it shocked me. Nearly as much as my read of William Cooper's, "Behold a Pale Horse" had in college, and as much as that book had put me in a stupor of disbelief as to the horrors of man, this video pushed me equally in an opposite direction of optimism, clarity and reason.

The big piece I take from Ian's video is his assertion that Peace of Mind comes from Recognizing Patterns. Once we understand why it seems time is going faster it doesn't have to make us crazy. Once we understand why global economics are so dynamic we don't have to panic. Once we understand what is behind what we see, we don't have to be terrified any more.

I wanted to believe that could be true. I didn't want famine and pestilence and dirty water and ignorance and global warming and every headline on CNN for the past ten years to take up space in my head any more.

I needed something new to look at. "There's one law in the Universe," Ian says. "The Law of Attention..."

Good stuff. Watch his movie here to understand what he means.

° ° °

Mayan Calendar - "Tzolkin Explorer" - iPhone Application Review

Another tool I'm fond of is new for iPhone. It's FREE in the Application Store on your iPhone or through iTunes.

What I like: it makes a new understanding of time possible in day-by-day, 2 minute increments. It offers more comprehensive and useful navigation than any of the websites out there.

There are a few typos (which just distract) but the functions are great, the depth of information is great, and it's easy to get around. I can't go into all the details here. Ian does that really well in the two-hour video above.

To access the same information in a clean, easy to use resource visit www.xzone.com.au where your first step is to discover your birthday on the Mayan Calendar. The Maya believe the day we choose to be born is our divine assignment in life. Knowing your Mayan Calendar birthday can be helpful.

I am 7 Cauac (storm) which means that I am a combination of the energy that connects Heaven and Earth (7) and shelter from the chaos of change (Cauac)... according to the Maya.

° ° °

And finally for this post, I'm really excited about this. A friend of mine from childhood, Miguel Elliot, reconnected through Facebook earlier this year. New Year's Eve actually. I followed an invitation to his newly hand crafted Mayan Sauna. That was the first time I was introduced to these Mudras and Affirmations.

I know it seems odd, but, if you can picture a crew of middle thirties, world-travelled, quielty enjoying a New Year's Eve with old friends, repeating these at the midnight hour. It got sweaty, and resonant, and expansive, and quiet, and loud, and well, just good.

One of those moments you wait for and hold on to. And the cool thing was, we were the shaman, we chose to go somewhere new together. Miguel led the chanting, but it was instinctive and intentional.

Anyhow. I do these Mudras and Affirmations in the morning and they're amazing. They are an incredible start to the day. I think of this as biological technology.

Also, Miguel is a master craftsman in the art of Living Earth Structures using traditional Maya building methods. His work is outstanding and can be seen here: www.LivingEarthStructures.com

Okay, if that freaked you out, I hope it was good for you.
And, if you are out of here, I trust your judgment. It's been real.

Sixth Sense Technology - Externalized Lobe

2009-04-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

For the past five years or so now, most of the people I meet tell me I'm nuts. And that's fine.

I've settled with the fact that at least one of my eyes lives in tomorrow.

And if you've been near an excited me at a party in the last five years you've heard me say that the direction(s) of technological advancement we are headed in and which are converging soon include:

holographic manipulation
organic integration
conscious co-creation

So, obviously I was excited by the iPhone, not only for what it does, but for what it inspires.

The API (application programming interface) for iPhone is what allows all those cute little apps to tell you what is nearby, or who is online, or the temperature in a place you aren't currently standing.

The API for any up and coming program is what allows it to talk to (interact with) an existing space that people are using a lot (Facebook, iPhone).

Its essentially a language that allows for improvement by third parties, without revealing all the magic mice behind the scenes, spinning their little proprietary code-wheels.

What this means is that eventually, your on-board personal technology will be in a constant conversation with the objects around you, determining the most relevant data to serve you. The communication is taking place right now, cellphones pinging cell-towers, wi-fi routers streaming data-packets, even radio waves broadcasting announcers. But the conversation is at a request only level. For now.

There are a couple things this means. Imagine Time Square stripped bare. Clean. Who needs billboards? All you need are reflective surfaces (for now).

Eventually, the surfaces (especially Microsoft's Surface) will be replaced with a finer understanding of how to localize light in/on air-molecules (which is nearly as solid as wood, on a relative scale of frequency potential for any third-dimensional experience).

Imagine how clean the world could look. Incredible.

Information about objects can be stored in full on the object, embedded in bar codes. The combination of several objects in an area can inform the information served.

Say for example, there is a large sporting event taking place and you completely forgot. The absence of a ticket or purchase of a ticket coupled with your heading in a particular(ly jammed) direction could alert you to a new route.

Based on information that is specific to "time", not just "space" the way GPS does now. (Actually, I love the traffic info on Maps on the iPhone... seems like magic.)

And this is far more advanced. Do you think women who just saw Confessions of a Shopaholic would love to know that Isla Fisher's Tangerine Clown shade of Mac lip-goo is carried at the kiosk just the other side of Nordstrom's the minute they walk out of the movie?

Rediculous? Today, maybe. But watch, and see if you can see the applications. With the right settings you can have just the right balance of visible and invisible context to consider in relation to anything.

Watch what I mean...

In the video Patty Maes says, "Maybe in ten years..."

My prediction: 22 months or less. So lets see, what is that? January 30, 2011... Give or take.

There's more to this and I'll post it in an upcoming entry title "Dreams of the Future" where I describe a recurring dream I've had since the '70's.

[And yes, a shrink has records, thanks for asking]

But I digress. Here's the key part. The other part of the conversation you'd have overheard an excited me talking about at that party over the last five years (still with me?) is that every time human kind (biology actually) has taken a big leap in evolution it has been accompanied by a new lobe in our brain.

Scientists have, for some time, acknowledged and pointed to this fact, asking where a new lobe could fit.

Looks like we get to make it ourselves. Now that's Lifestyle Design at its finest.

Enjoy!

Arts Education in Grade School - Americans for the Arts

2009-03-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

You've heard of Facebook, right?

If you're reading a blog, chances are, you've heard of facebook.

I've been fiddling with facebook for a few years, but this year it has really taken off. I've heard some other people say similar things.

Facebook has become a big part of a social experiment I'm working on. My goal is to see how far we can stretch their Causes Application for the benefit of others.

This year I've set a goal to raise $5o,ooo in support of Arts Education in Gradeschools.

A little over a month ago, a friend invited me to join "Keep the Arts in Public Schools", a cause on Facebook.

Since joining, we've accomplished a lot becoming one of the fastest growing and most engaged and mobilized memberships of any Cause in Facebook.

There are two things coming up to share.

Day of Giving - we're encouraging everyone who can, to give what they can on March 30. I picked this day at random, in hopes it would drive my matching pledge into action. Turns out it couldn't be better timing. It's one day before;
Arts Advocacy Day - where all of our efforts and those of others committed to supporting arts education stand before Congress to promote strong music and arts programs for our kids.

So where do you fit in? That's up to you.

If you don't already know how Arts education advances Science learning dramatically, maybe now is a good time to find out more.

There are lots of great resources through this Facebook membership to support this cause. Please do everything you can to get informed and engaged. This is a great way to help young people become responsible, thinking, loving, caring, adults.

Here are some more links to Americans for the Arts

http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/

and with pretty colors/moving pictures...

http://www.youtube.com/americansforthearts

Thank you in advance for taking one or two minutes to change the lives of hundreds of American children.

Gmail users only - keep reading

2009-03-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'll try to make this short (so that you might actually do it).

If you aren't already, check Labs inside gmail on a regular basis.

Two ways to get there.

1. The little green "beaker" in the upper right corner (between your login and "Settings")

2. Go to Settings, click the "Labs" tab.

This is important today for several reasons.

In the past, when people have sent me YouTube videos, I've had to leave those emails for last in my inbox, so that I could click back and forth to see the latest oddity that is amusing my world wide friends.

Now, you can Preview a video in email.

Only if you have that feature turned on in gmail (yes, Labs, you're getting it.)

Here's a peak at what it looks like (using Firefox 3.whatev on a tired/loved G4).

Sorry for the size. Had trouble fitting it all in.

Also available for Flickr, Picassa and Yelp!

So, if you use gmail, and like previewing YouTube videos, without leaving the email page, please go to Labs in your gmail settings and enable videos.

And then I can send you all those home movies of my kids spitting up that you haven't seen yet...

There's probably a better reason.

Really, the coolest ever is that you can determine if this is a video you want to click away for.

I'll let you tell me what you like most about it.

World Peace = Bloom (iPhone Application)

2009-03-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

I was sitting out in front of Time Market in Tucson, Arizona.

The year was 1995, around 9:45 am. Maybe.

I went to Time Market because my room mates worked there and I could get an amazing Mocha and read magazines and newspapers and have a warm breakfast all morning long. Like a king. Without being bothered.

I remember the day this article came out. I had been waiting for it.

WIRED Magazine's interview with Brian Eno.

It was a cool morning for Tucson -- overcast. Rare.

I read every word. And I remember being struck by a few key things that Eno mentioned in the interview.

One in particular:

If I could give you a black box that could do anything, what would you have it do?

I would love to have a box onto which I could offload choice making. A thing that makes choices about its outputs, and says to itself, This is a good output, reinforce that, or replay it, or feed it back in. I would love to have this machine stand for me. I could program this box to be my particular taste and interest in things.

Why do you want to do that? You have you.

Yes, I have me. But I want to be able to sell systems for making my music as well as selling pieces of music. In the future, you won't buy artists' works; you'll buy software that makes original pieces of "their" works, or that recreates their way of looking at things. You could buy a Shostakovich box, or you could buy a Brahms box. You might want some Shostakovich slow-movement-like music to be generated. So then you use that box. Or you could buy a Brian Eno box. So then I would need to put in this box a device that represents my taste for choosing pieces.

WIRED Issue 3.05 | May 1995 Gossip is Philosophy (interview w/ Brian Eno)

A box? That would create pieces of your work? That people would, huh...?

12 years later, I'm wandering the Westside of Los Angeles at 4:32 in the morning breathing in Night-Blooming Jasmine and listening to Eno's black box of choices....

It's called Bloom.

Co-created with Peter Chilvers, the application is for iPhone and its brilliant.

I could use a little more bass (as with nearly all things apple) but that's the only place I could find to comment. Otherwise, this is a dream come true.

Essentially, you can set the device down and, based on your environment, it will craft an unending and ever evolving version of the themes it discovers. (Yes, it makes music based on your surroundings!)

Or, you can select tones, create ideas of your own, and allow it to evolve from there. Super fun! Not a lot of difference between the two once it gets started, but with "Create" you hear sounds that refer to moments in recent memory that would not normally happen. Its a bit of a time-warp, but oddly comforting.

It is a pocket-sized, do-it-yourself Music For Airports, just like it says in the application review.

The experience is lush. It never tires.

The tones are inviting and the variations are distinctly Eno.

Even if you are not on an iPhone, I think it is valuable to see that in less than 13 years, an idea came into being. (I think true mastery over a medium takes place when you can marshal its source so well, it will write [paint, draw, sing, dance] itself for you and others on your behalf.)

Sound crazy? WIRED didn't think Eno sounded crazy in '95. But a lot of people did.

There are so many places imagination can take us. And when we have the ability to let our imagination roam free in the hands of tools and toys, our amusement expands into expression.

Watching the creation and evolution of technology, while it supports the quickening of creation itself... it's like magic.

I love this stuff.

* * *

Oh yeah, why did I title this entry "World Peace"?

Let's put a pair of headphones on everyone in the world, press "Create" on this app, and I'll show you.

Deal?

Space Ship on Rodeo? No, Solar Car!

2009-03-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty darn cool moment...

A friend called. Invited me to a screening of an as yet untitled feature by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe (creators of such quintessential American fare as SuperTroopers and BeerFest. I think they're looking for two words they can squeeze together to name this project. I, for one, am stumped).

Regardless... On my way to Clarity Partners screening room I was walking down the street, minding my own business, right? Just walking down the street, minding my own business, when, WHAM.

As if from nowhere.

(yes... an Eddie Murphy moment, from even me.)

I wish I'd caught a shot of the on-foot traffic cop in a panic about
how short this car is.

"They're going to get smushed."

It was Hilarious!

He seemed certain the driver would be flattened instantly.

It is a little tricky to see, but...

...the guys in the cloud-blue Volvo behind were pulling some kind of inadvertant Good-Sameritan-meets-Cheech-and-Chong-style security detail.

This seemed to calm the traffic cop until the world's kookiest solar car was out of eyeshot.

Do visit the website. www.xof1.com This guy's a visionary (possible loon). There you'll see Ed Begley, Jr., Peter Fonda and Larry Hagman giving it a whirl. Purely raw footage, no editing. Gonzo good times!

BTW - as cool as this thing is, I'd be a little anxious about riding around in it.

Not a lot of headroom.

Free Ticket to "I Love You, Man" when you...

2009-03-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

support my Cause on Facebook, and show up in the middle of the day in the middle of Los Angeles to have some fun.

I know, sounds too good to be true, but I'm trying something new here. Only for one day. Only to my guys on Facebook. (Posted here in case you missed it there.)

I am giving a free ticket to the movie, "I Love You, Man" to the first three guys who show up tomorrow. I've seen this movie twice (at screeners) and think it is both important and hilarious. Here's all there is to it.

Donate to Keep the Arts in Public Schools if you haven't already, here:

Anything you can do is appreciated!

Then,

Be the first (of three) to arrive at The Landmark Theater (10850 West Pico at Westwood Blvd.), Thursday, March 20th at Noon. The show starts at 12:15. The tickets are paid for. It's opening day, time to celebrate.

We'll meet in front of the Starbuck's sign at the Barnes & Noble near the Landmark ticket counter. I made sure the seats are the best in the house.

IF you show up after the first three people, I hope you'll stick around and enjoy the movie with us. It is hilarious!!!

I will not be responding to any requests about this. No phone calls, notes, texts.

Nothing.

I'll know if you qualify for the ticket at Noon. If you show up on time, its yours.

(This is not funded by a studio, releasing company, marketing or promotions company. Seriously, I like this movie, and this cause, and you. Let's Party.)

Arts Education In Schools - The Follow-Up

2009-03-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

R. Buckminster Fuller pointed out that the best social programs are ones that nurture creative, balanced, peaceful children because then they grow up to participate in healthy societies.

My understanding is that children who learn to draw, read music, write creative fiction, and collaborate in inventing games are the ones who learn to become creative problem-solvers, leaders, and productive contributors.

I told myself I'd raise $50,000 this year for Arts Education in Public Grade Schools. Because I believe in it.

Then, I found (it found me actually) a Cause on Facebook: Keep the Arts In Public Schools.

A few days later, money I'd planned to give to Uncle Sam ended up being returned to me. Plus some.
So, what better to do with returned taxes? Create a credit for this year, AND, benefit my cause of choice for the year.

Win/win/win.

Cause has resources
I feel great supporting a cause and paying less taxes
Uncle Sam has less future financial liabilities to deny responsibility for

Love those win/win/win situations.

I was feeling great about donating a (for me) large sum all at once, not knowing what it would feel like when it was done. I posted my donation, followed the prompts and was taken to a page called 'Hall of Fame' where I learned I was the top contributor in the history of the cause (on Facebook).

Wow. I don't remember the last time I did something and found out it was number one by accident. But very quickly, what I'd chosen to do for personal reasons, and perhaps to inspire some action by others, I noticed wasn't inspiring the activity I'd hoped to see.

I knew I wanted to create a big impact, so I'd have to take a big step. I didn't know my big step would be the biggest in the history of the Cause. But I was happy.

Since my goal is so much bigger than I could reasonably do by myself, I figured I'd need to inspire help. I've only gotten people inspired by things I do, not things I'm going-to-do...

So I plopped down the biggest chunk I've ever dropped hoping to inspire other people to take a risk, support something, feel good for setting their own concerns aside for a moment.

But most people were too shocked.

Some supportive, "Way to go!" and, "Wow!"

Most responses were, "If I had extra money, I'd do the same."

There was nothing extra about the donation I made. There was a choice, a commitment, a sacrifice, a cost, and a greater reward knowing that I dictate the direction money goes, and not the other way around.

Since I didn't see a lot of response right away, and I didn't want to give up, I asked for some guidance about what to do next. I remembered seeing a Pledge Match option in the set-up.

-- Great feature -- could hold a few more details, but overall, really puts a little life into a cause.

It's the same as with my son. I help him see the big picture. He gets motivated.

"Son, you know if you finish baseball practice on time and do everything the coach says, you'll have time for an extra chapter in the book we're reading tonight." It's the, here's-what's-possible-when-you-stretch-in-completing-what-you-start perspective.

So, I set-up a pledge match... Essentially $3k in 5 days. Only I set the match up wrong and put in 4 days.

Still we got to 60% of our goal before the Pledge Match automatically shut down (durn, computers, er, doing what they're told).

Anyway, I decided to re-write the Pledge Match. This time, $7k in 15 Days. A little more doable, and now, just days after throwing up the original Pledge Match, and making sure to thank every person who joined or donated, we're seeing growth rates increase dramatically. (I'm not an administrator, just a passionate member like you).

So now, I have several ideas for pushing this Cause past my personal goal.

We've passed $10,000 today, and I've taken the opportunity to thank the primary Fundraisers, Contributors, and Recruiters in the Cause asking them to share news of the victory in their circles.

We'll see what kind of results that spawns.

Additionally, I'm considering coordinating a Day of Giving. I believe that if we pick a certain day and time, and remind people to participate, with over 750,000 members today, we could get everyone to donate $1 at the same time and have a serious impact on Facebook Causes, on Arts Education in Public Schools, and on digital donation as a whole.

To keep track of this Cause and all it is accomplishing, Click Here to be taken to the Cause Page in Facebook.

This is a really fun way to engage in marketing communication for altruistic purposes. There's so much real-time discussion.

I'm enjoying playing in the fun(d)-raising world.

Feel free to play with me.

PLEASE LEAVE SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENT BOX!

Gandhi once said, "If we are to reach real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children."

Google Friend Connect (& Blogger) - Why Are These Useful?

2009-03-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't it be great if you could have all the real-time social interaction of Facebook or MySpace on your website?

Here's how: Google Friend Connect.

+++++++++++++++++++

This blog is hosted by Blogger (a Google company). I use it mostly to connect with friends, family, professional associates, and people who share my interests, in an organized way.

There are benefits to using a hosted solution like this one.

Most often, when consulting clients on establishing a blog, I recommend one hosted independently, with a URL related to the business. But here, for me and my friends, Blogger works just fine.

Today, I'm excited about Google opening up Friend Connect. This is a plug-and-play free social media and social networking tool that web programmers (designers, hackers, and people just like you and me) can paste onto any (approved) webpage. At present, Blogger is automatically approved. You can get your URL whitelisted by Google when you submit your URL and content direction at http://www.google.com/friendconnect/

Once there, Click on "Set up a new site".

It allows people to log into a website using their Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account login. For another blog post with instructions you can read more here.

Also, I've included a short video that introduces the concept and its ease of use. Many people have told me Google should pay me for the amount of promotion I do of the products and services. I wouldn't mind, but at present, such a relationship doesn't exist. I promote their products and services that I believe are superior value for the typical user.

People often complain that Google doesn't do enough to inform customers about its offer. Most of Google's most useful content lives behind the Help link on any page. (There are different videos at the link above.) I'm sharing this video so that this great tool gets the promotion it deserves.

Lastly, you'll notice, a Friend Connect window next to this post. I'd be honored if you'd try this out with me. Feel welcome to "follow" me or "connect" with me here. I'll continue to keep this blog personal, insightful, and infrequent.

I think its great all the ways we can express ourselves and add value to each other's experience of life. If you find cool stuff like this out there, will you share it with me?

Arts Education In Schools - National Endowment for the Arts

2009-02-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

(This began as an email forwarded from a friend... please share!)

Hi folks. You may have heard that the $50 million originally put into the stimulus bill for the NEA was stripped out, and in addition, Senator Coburn added an amendment that prohibits ANY stimulus funds from being used for museums or theaters. We haven't made a good enough case to the rest of the country about why the arts are vital to the economy. Please do two things:

Have a look at the attached document (also pasted in below), and send it to as many people as you can who might not see the arts as an important economic engine. I helped write this document in collaboration with Dance/USA.

Call your senators and congress members to let them know that the arts are critical to our economic recovery. Click here to find out how:

http://theperformingartsalliance.org/campaign/SupporttheArtsintheEconomicStimulusBill

And, if you're feeling really fired up, Americans for the Arts has created this great tool for sending op-eds. If you are so motivated, you can send op-eds throughout your region! Just make sure you give credit to the research data if you list it in your editorial.

http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=12427561&type=ME

The arts are part of the solution!
The arts are a powerful economic engine and play a vital role in our communities, enhancing each of our individual lives.

Get the facts, not the spin! Don’t let money for the arts be taken from our stimulus package!

Here are ten reasons why the arts should matter to you.

When we increase our investment in the arts, we are not supporting a frill or a luxury. Rather, we’re investing in an industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue, is the cornerstone of tourism and economic development, and drives a creativity-based economy.
Nonprofit arts organization and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year.
Nonprofit arts organizations return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year.
Nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences support 5.7 million jobs.
Investment in non-profit arts generates a spectacular 7:1 return on investment.
The arts are shovel-ready – each dollar of arts funding goes to work immediately creating jobs, attracting investment, generating tax revenue, and stimulating local economies through tourism and consumer purchases.
Artists constitute a sizeable class of workers -- only slightly smaller than the total number of active-duty and reserve personnel in the U.S. military.
Surveys have shown that more people attend arts and culture events in the US than professional sporting events.
Children who receive an arts education on a regular basis are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and less likely to engage in delinquent behavior.
A strong arts and culture sector and a creative workforce attract and keep businesses in a community.

The arts are not “pork spending”. Even if you are not an arts patron, the money spent on non-profit arts funding benefits you.

The money allocated for the National Endowment for the Arts represents less than 1% of the proposed economic stimulus package.
The arts are part of the solution!
Take action now! Write your congressmen in under 5 minutes! Click here:

http://theperformingartsalliance.org/campaign/AmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentBill

Research comes from Americans for the Arts, the National Governors Association, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Performing Arts Research Coalition

.....

PS. I'm raising over $50,000 for Arts Education in Grade Schools this year. Here's one way you can help right now! Click to be taken to my Facebook Cause page for Americans for the Arts

Anything you can do is appreciated.

Top Nine (web) Tools for 2009

2009-01-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Okay,

I avoid blog posts w/ numbered lists because 4 out of 5 blog posts have numbered lists in the title.

Aside from the fact that they effectively get people's attention, I find them redundant. But, I've come across a handful of really useful (for me) online tools. Some you will have heard of, some not.

Either way, I hope to add a little more time into your Creative Day and put a little more digital automation at your finger tips.

Mint.com - http://www.mint.com/ - is a free way to manage your money. You can now check balances, budgets, transactions, and investments anywhere. My experience has been that it takes a couple days for accounts to sync up. Once they do, this is an amazingly valuable tool. Its a bit like having a breathing balance sheet on your iPhone, allowing for nimble financial decision making. I definitely understand that some people would be sheepish to allow one web-site access to all their financial information. I on the other hand find it more useful to have access to this information on the go.
Instant Domain Search - http://instantdomainsearch.com/ - is a free service that instantly checks .com, .net, and .org domain name availability. I use it often to see how much real estate is available in a niche. Even tells you if something is up for sale. It's real-time search speed is great.
Yelp.com - http://www.yelp.com - real time reviews on restaurants, shops, and basically any profession with an address and a door, all from real people. Nothing has streamlined social networking and Maps better than this. I use it in new towns to find mobile officing locations with free wireless, or when I'm wandering around the tragically hip and ever-changing landscape of my home-town, Los Angeles. It helps me discover the unmarked treasures that seem to be everywhere here.
Jing / Screencast.com - http://www.jingproject.com/ - is free software that adds visuals to your online conversations. This combination of tools allows anyone to grab an image or create a video from their desktop and then store it in space with a password allowing anyone anywhere to retrieve it later - with permission of course.
gmail / google docs / google labs / google friend connect - Not exactly fair to cover these individually, or together. Google is gearing up to be the full-service outlet for all things digital with simple ease and grace. Gmail is my preferred email platform for many reasons, spam filters, conversation threads, simple key commands, and a nearly limitless list of features. The Office suite Google launched almost silently has changed my business along with many others. In Labs Google is always introducing new things (recently Tasks for gmail - powerful stuff) which extend the power of their tools. Friend Connect is new. It's a way that simple web-sites can allow friends to connect with other friends; sort of like Facebook that you plug into your site. I believe you'll see it more and more.
hulu.com - http://www.hulu.com/ - TV is hulu's predecessor. If you pay for cable, or TV of any kind, you are throwing money away. That being said, hulu hasn't quite replaced a Satellite feed. Hulu is a joint venture between Universal/NBC and Fox/20th Century Studio where they show their range of fare to a rapidly growing audience. Good things include a simple player, solid streaming, minor ability to socially network (this is good), and some really great "queue" and "suggestion" features. Keeps getting better.
StumbleUpon.com - http://www.stumbleupon.com - discovers web sites based on your interests. Whether it's a web page, photo or video, their personalized recommendation engine learns what you like, and brings you more. I plan 20 minutes of SU'ing into my week. I never know what it will deliver, but I've never had a useless session -- something of interest always pops up. I believe more intuitive environments are a good thing.
[this one's a two-fer] qloud.com - http://www.qloud.com/ Great on so many levels. Social networking. Genius music programing. New. And, its mentor, so to speak: Pandora.com - http://www.pandora.com/ - Here you can design radio stations based on artists, songs, labels, genres or combinations of the above. Pretty cool. Pretty intuitive. There are some catalogs that haven't made it into the Music Genome Project for whatever intellectual property reasons. Only partially limits the user experience. Ultimately a great tool. [Music helps me work, thus, it is a tool -- for me.]
Snipshot.com - http://snipshot.com/ - great for beginner to mid-level designers. Many hosted web-publishing sites won't let you use image files saved on certain operating systems. Snipshot allows you to upload any file and re-save it to your desktop, stripping it of any silly markings that keep it from loading into a CMS style publisher (Constant Contact for instance). Free. Useful. Dig it.

I'm sure there are a 100 more tools out there that increase the quality of people's experience being producers in the world. My main aim is to ethically empower increasing numbers of people.

If you know of tools or toys that you believe offer ease and simplicity into people's lives, add them in a comment below. I appreciate your input!

Either way, I hope these help you.

Eno & Byrne

2008-12-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

This is exciting because of the vast influence these two have had on music, production and modern culture. They're back at it, collaborating on an album, and you can listen to it free all day long if you like.

Here:

If ownership is your thing, you can do that too. Just go to the site. www.everythingthathappens.com

The marketing path on this site is perfect. If you love internet marketing like I do, map this site and use its formula exactly. It'll save you thousands and create the perfect portal for you. At least, that's what I think.

MacEwen

Parenting, The Divine Sport

2008-11-17T22:46:00.000-08:00

Why on Earth would I call it that?

Let's see if I can put it in to words.

Most parents will tell you that nothing put them closer to reaching their hands through that murky veil of creation like holding a newborn all fresh with breath.

In those first hours, when we are weary from lack of sleep and high anticipation, it feels like we've wandered into a world of angels and ghosts. Tiptoed or gatecrashed Heaven for a peak at the swirling Universe, always creating, impossible to pin down.

I can only speak from the experience I had which was a "natural" (drug-free, not induced) experience. It made sense at the time. Still does.

Babies and mothers have been around a lot longer than doctors and the body's wisdom about how to give birth is very different than the common prescriptions.

What it comes down to is, my kid's mom fought off the attending junior doc for prime wrist real estate pointing out that, "If it only takes three seconds to put in a shunt, we can wait until we are sure I need one before we stick that needle in my arm..." He strolled away, unable to fight that logic.

I'm not downing assisted childbirth. My older sister was in labor for over 24 hours before they went after her firstborn Cesarean. He'd turned his head at the last minute and his skull was stayed on the cervix (I think it was something like that). The doctors helped him live through childbirth.

I heard someone say that a brand new baby isn't a miracle - its natural. That assumes that all miracles are unnatural.

I think of miracles a little differently.

I think of miracles as something I can't do on my own. Something I can't explain completely.

Something that happens beyond my understanding. I'm surrounded by miracles every day. And even if science can map the process from beginning to end, account for every kilojoules and megawatt, I still allow myself to be baffled and awestruck.

I say to people who have no appreciation for my miracles, "Okay. If it's not miraculous, figure out a replacement."

Come up with a way to create a newborn human, without using any of the "natural" methods.

You'd be hard pressed to do it. I understand cloning is in its final stages of development. And we'll see where that leads. I believe Spirit is looking for any opportunity to come into form, and perhaps we will discover a way to manufacture humans outside natural means. But until we do, I chalk it up as a miracle.

And the real miracle takes place every day.

Here's what I mean by Divine Sport.

Every child (person really) is a soul, clamoring around in this cumbersome hunk of flesh, running and bumping into facets of life, stretching through time, assigning meaning to experiences.

And every one of those children is shaped to some degree by the message behind every word we say to them. That's right.

The off-the-cuff remark is filtered through their skin, ears, eyes, teeth, history, future and aspirations, among other things and landing in the clay of their souls to become an aspect of their personality.

We have a responsibility to them. All of them.

Never speak to a kid? Think you don't have an impact on them?

Look closer. How does what you create impact people who do interact with children regularly?

I'm asking because we are entering into a phase of humankind where choice has never been more available, and responsibility more intense.

Those of us who are parents really have no choice, or, said better, have already made the choice. We have said, silently or aloud, we are committed to some kind of future in the world beyond ourselves.

We know there is a purpose for this life beyond our own. And we are committed to it.

Those of us who are aunts, uncles, teachers, camp counselors, therapists, paperhangers, carpenters, electricians, social contributors on any level... we, too, have a commitment to a future with generations yet to come.

And it is up to all of us to join that Divine Sport of Social Contribution and decide that how we are is as important as what we are up to.

I find myself looking past the layer of person that I see and looking into their eternal essence. I look at the face they had before they were born. I look into the eyes they saw with when all they could see was everything. And while I do, notice where I am facilitating their evolution to return to the eternal qualities of the most creative.

Creativity is always increasingly unpredictable and ethical in its empowerment of others. (This definition can be explored in an amazing piece called Creative Transformation by John David Garcia.)

The cycle of Creation has collapsed upon itself as technology and people combine to innovate more and more. With more people on the planet, the need and capacity for creativity grows exponentially.

Metcalfe clearly demonstrated that the value of any network is the number of people in it squared. The creative potential of that network is the same or greater based on Fuller's assertion (below).

Imagine being born into the world with more people on it than ever.

Where every piece of information discovered through history is available immediately in an increasingly simple to use medium, indexed regularly and updated in look and feel by the minute (you're reading it now -- yes, the Internet).

There is no need in this world for short or long-term memory. Simply habits. If I have a habit of asking for help and knowing how and where to look for something, I don't need to remember everything.

In ancient Alexandria, students recited the most simple and the most complex of information storing it into the recesses of a machine capable of storing enormous amounts of data, available for retrieval at some unknowable date, any time in life -- the brain.

Intelligence was measured based on the amount of information that could be retrieved on command. But intelligence is being redefined in this generation.

With good habits -- the ability to know where to look, and where to leave, good information -- there is more room inside for what the Greeks called the ultimate purpose: Philosophy.

And here's why I call parenting The Divine Sport. Kids used to be the most resilient of all creatures.

I had a mentor ages ago who said, "Kids and dogs can recover from anything." I learned quickly (by looking at how his kids turned out) to stop listening to him.

With all this space for reflection, consideration, ability to connect on a level above trivia, children are larger emotional targets than ever in history. Every single action we take is interpreted. Its not to say that they have no internal defenses against our instinctive nature. They have more tools there than ever as well.

What is taking place now is that the millions of sources of experience that they are subject to each minute are filtered at a higher rate. Where children twenty years ago were bombarded by thousands of information sources every second, a fraction of that was acknowledged. Today the thousands of sources have multiplied into hundreds of thousands. The same fraction is interpreted and stored by the same mechanism at the same shutter speed, leaving hundreds times more impulses self-sorting into these fertile minds.

Many of us who are keeping up with the times have no way of really comprehending the experience they are undergoing.

And they have very few ways of helping us to feel the experience they are having as different from our own.

The only way I am able to make sense of it is to stay in close communication with my son and the children he is around, to lean into consciousness in my meditation work, to read the texts of ancient scientists (Mayans and Egyptians) who based their calculations on thousands of years of (miraculous) nature, and to look at the obvious outcome of our current path.

R. Buckminster Fuller pointed out (among other things) that thought can never be reduced.

The more thoughts we create -- the more thoughts we create.

Try to remove a thought, or the result of a thought. It can't be done. When I arrive at a thought, and we discuss it, there is a new combined result of those thoughts.

They never disappear, dissipate, or dissolve. Even if we don't always retain them for immediate retrieval, those thoughts happened, in time, in existence, and can never be destroyed.

Time serves, above all, as a place for thought (consciousness) to be recorded and recognized.

Even better understood time serves as a place for us to Witness the evolution of consciousness.

Time is a canvas.

And so, as parents, guides, adults, politicians, checkout clerks, automobile manufacturers, florists or film makers, it is up to us to participate in that evolution of consciousness, coloring that canvas with the greatest level of intent and impeccability that history has ever seen.

Look into the eyes of a young one and see the fate of consciousness on the other end.

They're cute for a reason. To remind us to be on our best behavior.

The responsibility of speaking into Spirit, a body living with the miracle of awareness, is the highest calling available to humankind.

I do not take it lightly.

------------
Share your responses below. This is important to me. I like to think its inherently important to all of us.
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photos courtesy of Michael Hevesy

If you don't have anything nice to say...

2008-10-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

Did your parents ever say that to you? Or your teachers..?

I remember hearing that and thinking it was stupid.

Then, I worked at an after-school program where kids had unkind things to say ALL the time.

And I heard myself repeating it.

I recently caught a bunch of friends being super American and 'debating' political issues on Facebook. (I believe you can visit it here.) [If that doesn't work its because of the whole SN-permission thing... don't hold it against me.]

A far more educated bunch than me, who I still managed to disagree with, for the most part.

Why is it that, at a time of more potential change for good (a re-set economy, incredible level of political engagement in the population, highest level of awareness in consumers) is it that I feel like saying nothing?

There was a time in college when I had to intentionally disassociate myself with 'activism' not because it was activism, but because of how I was holding it.

I would allow 'issues' to become health concerns for me. I could feel my blood pressure rising, my heart rate going up, my general level of anger increasing.

I would drink more, and start more fights.

And eventually I would learn that, for me, all effective and lasting work is done in consciousness and begins with prayer and meditation.

I recently went to see BM's "Religulous" because it got good reviews and I like to keep an open mind.

It was great to see Bill stumble on the explanation of God as a metaphor of water... (ice, liquid and steam - all water). He didn't even go near the "different temperatures" argument. Which was nice.

All that being said, I can't help but wonder if I've gotten the American kicked out of me.

I used to have terrible things to say. Things that changed people's minds. At least I thought I did.

Then, as I entered the business arena, I didn't want my point of view stand in the way of people being willing to do business with me.

Now, as a father, I tell my son, voting for people simply because they are a woman or a black man is "...ist".

"That is sexism and racism, son."

And it is.

But so is 200 + years without those people represented in office.

I am voting my conscience this year. I am voting the (far) lesser of two evils. [My first choice backed out long ago.] And I'm not saying this now so I can be an, "I-told-you-so," later-type.

I'm just putting into one place alll the disconnection I feel as a mid-thirties father with a less than Joe-the-Plumber income and a greater than average education that these are amazing times and I have very little to say about it.

Not by choice, but by habit.

I've gotten out of the habit of having a voice. Perhaps I'll look back and be proud that I kept my cool during this election/meltdown.

I sure hope so. But I have to wonder if my true calling is rallying attention on the travesty that is taking place around us every day.

Its great that the water is still hot in my shower, that the lights still come on at night in my neighborhood. That's a system and an infrastructure at work.

And... It doesn't send a very clear message to potential voters. It's misleading.

(Y)our country is in a state of serious need. Step up People!

Ever wondered why everybody sounds like you?

2008-09-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

I may be the only one in the world with that question, but I doubt it.

Here's what I'm noticing. As my conversation, over the course of my life changes, the vocabulary, interests, concerns and inspirations of the people around me continues to reflect mine.

Crazy, right?

And I don't just mean the people I choose to associate with, I'm talking about the uncontrollables... the people on TV, the radio, the magazines.

Obviously, I have some say in what I watch, listen to, and read. And I'm selective. But what is weird is that even the people and voices I don't necessarily agree with are starting to sound more and more like me.

What I'm not sure about is how to research the science behind this.

There are folks who say that we are all a cosmic reflection of each other.

Others say that through the Law of Attraction our thoughts create and draw close those people and experiences that we learn from and grow through best.

Here's what I mean.

When I was young, I had some interests that I have since grown out of. At the time I was surrounded by people who believed and thought the same way.

Then, one day, what I had and where I was just wasn't enough for me. Something in me changed.

And within a few months, all the people around me changed to reflect the conversation that was taking place in my heart and in my head.

I've come to recognize this as a good thing. I continue to be surrounded by increasingly higher quality people. I want that.

I know this is one of my less polished posts. I'd really like to know if other people are crazy like me and notice the same thing.

Will you share that with me? What have you experienced about changing your mind, changing your life, and watching all of your surroundings follow suit?

This is a kooky example of what I mean. It always makes me chuckle. It's taken from the movie Repo Man.

Miller says, "...Suppose you are thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly somebody will say, like , 'plate', or 'shrimp', or 'plate-o-shrimp', out of the blue, no explanation... No point in looking for one either. It's all part of the Cosmic Unconsiousness."

After that it sort of falls apart, but his Lattice of Coincidence theory has me captivated today.

You?

How To Look Your Best For (Almost) Free

2008-07-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I moved in to a new neighborhood. I'm still getting to know all the neighborhood shopkeepers.

There's amazing Indian food and Mexican food and a Persian produce market and all the coffee you could imagine. There's a pet store and a vitamin store and several places for fresh salads.

It's a pretty great place to live. Urban, yet quiet. At least on my street.

And the other day I popped in to my local Dry Cleaner for the first time.

I've found it is important to have a first name relationship with my Dry Cleaner. This person is directly responsible for a big part of how I show up in business transactions. When I go on a sales call, or ink a contract, I want to know that I'm in clean, well-managed threads.

And a solid Dry Cleaner can be relied on to deliver that.

In my old neighborhood, I was pretty tight with my Dry Cleaner. He would make sure to look after each item with great care. He remembered details about me that helped me feel like I was in good hands.

He was Persian and at the time my room-mate was also. So we invited him to a Noruz celebration last year. He was excited to join. It meant a lot that we could connect beyond the shop in a celebration together.

So, when I walked into my new Dry Cleaner a couple days ago, I was interested to find my new neighbor is also Persian, and incidentally runs the same deal as my former expert -- 2 for 1. I love that deal. All items of the same kind, shirts, pants, jackets, sweaters, get counted in pairs. It feels like I'm paying 50% on everything.

There is really only one kind of deal I aspire to. I believe it is possible for everyone to win and I like to structure everything in my life to support that.

On the way to the Dry Cleaner's I realized I was arriving late.

I had a high-stakes business meeting I needed to be dressed appropriately for the following day, and most Dry Cleaner's complete the average load in two days. They also charge extra for a rush turn-around.

I was dropping everything off on Wednesday. I knew they would be ready on Friday. I also knew I needed to be dressed properly for the big meeting on Thursday.

So, I got to thinking.

My former Dry Cleaner and I had been talking one afternoon, and I asked him at one point, a question that always helps me learn more about business.

"What is the biggest problem you face?"

He didn't have to think about it long.

"People who don't pay."

That was his answer. That's a problem in any business. But for Dry Cleaner's its worse. They end up sitting on unwanted inventory that doesn't move.

I remembered this when I was in my predicament. And so, I asked the new Dry Cleaner if he could help me.

"I'm in a jam," I told him. "I have a meeting tomorrow, and I don't have any shirts ready."

He waited.

"Do you have any nice, dress shirts in the back that have been sitting around and haven't been picked up, that you could part with?"

He thought about it.

"What size are you?" he asked.

We looked at the shirts I was dropping off and got my size. He wandered into the back and returned a few minutes later with three, clean, pressed, perfect-sized shirts and looked them over with me.

These shirts were nearly brand-new. They were my colors, my style, my cut. And they were nearly free.

He charged me $2 a shirt.

And I know it was a help for him, that I could thin his piling unnecessary inventory. So, I walked out of there with three new options for pennies on the dollar and made a connection who was immediately happy to help me.

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about the person who left the shirts behind. Chances are, they forgot about them long ago.

I mentioned the win to a few people who were so flabbergasted that someone would think this way.

I've just been enjoying having some new clothes for almost free, and knowing that I essentially did my neighbor a favor.

I'm willing to bet Vintage Shop owners know all about this way of building their inventory. But average people may want to consider it a way of looking sharp in creative financial times.

If you think of other ways to create alternative shopping tactics for people, jot them down in the comments section. I'm curious to know ways you've found to make creative "win win win" deals for your life!

Just Brilliant!

2008-06-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to Coldplay's latest.

Coldplay / Viva La Vida / Capitol Records / Released 6/17/08

When I first got the free "Violet Hill" download off a local radio station I was marginally plussed. I thought there was a chance Coldplay had finally fallen off. But I was willing to find out.

I've been listening to Viva La Vida since it popped on shelves Tuesday and I am super impressed.

Coldplay prove once again to be an Album Oriented band. Thank God. Pink Floyd pioneered the AO format years ago and CP have done it again. Remember when X&Y came out and you couldn't get it out of your CD player? Same thing here.

I am convinced there are some acts that create a universal sonic backdrop to our lives. For our generations (X&Y, [did that just click for you too?]) it was Jane's in the '80's, Pumpkins in the '90's, and these guys are ruling the '00's.

Yes, there have been many other iconic acts and Radiohead pushes the walls through all those decades. And I really hope I piss some people off w/ my review, but this is MY review.

As producer, Brian Eno never disappoints (and its his hand that could put U2 on the list of bands above). This album capitalizes on Coldplay's simple melody-writing, but opens the rhythmic possibilities up wide on songs like, "Lost!", and "42" with its narcotic dissonant bridge. There are moments when Eno let's Martin's typically flawless voice take on more human (less godlike) qualities that endear the singer to us even more. For instance, the songs that hark back to classic Coldplay, like "Strawberry Swing," with it's "such a perfect day," refrain and steel-string accents.... Sends chills!

For a moment now I'm just complaining -- most of the songs build into perfection and just end. While Coldplay has challenged traditional pop song structure over the last three albums, this one bends a little more in that direction but still messes with your head. And even though three songs on the album clock in at over six minutes there isn't a single one that drags.

As an album, Viva la Vida (Death and all His Friends) is spectacular! It commands many listens and extraordinary attention. Do not wait to get your hands on this record, unless you've always hated Coldplay. They deliver on their signature sound so completely and evolve into something frighteningly more mature at the same time.

Download it now! Or mob your neighborhood coffee-shop for a copy.

No joke!

PS. It's been years since I've written a music review. I used to get paid to. I wrote this out of sheer love!

Growing Businesses

2008-06-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

The trend these days, and maybe it always has been, is to design businesses so that the owner can be as uninvolved as possible.

Owners look for managers. And managers look for owners.

Managers are seeking owners who will be fairly hands-off, i.e. empowering. Owners look for Managers who will be somewhat manic, i.e. incapable of separating themselves from the business.

The best place to find those types of Managers is trapped inside their own businesses where they live under the illusion that they own something more than a job.

I'm not going to try to rewrite Kiyosaki's Cashflow Quadrant, worth reading if you haven't already. But I will refer to the critical concept he covers so well.

Business Owners and Self-Employed's are different animals. Owners create entities that operate in their absence. Self-employed's not-so-much. If they have an off day, the business does too.

Over the past year I've been moving out from under my consultant hat and into my owner hat. A little bit more and more each day.

And what I'm seeing more and more, as the proliferation of businesses dissolve into the remote universe is the relationship between Business Owners and Self-Employed's grow stronger.

I've been recommending to Business Owners that they engage remote staff (and I am by no means unique in this) in their day-to-day business needs for all the reasons that they'd previously insist on doing things themselves.

The level of attention to detail and ownership of results is staggering.

There are armies of people in the professional universe who are dying to prove themselves based on the results they can create for you from afar.

Remote support, or Virtual Assistants are very popular these days, and, many stories are circulating about their effectiveness.

I've had several experiences with them, and after reading some pointers from authors like Tim Ferriss, I was able to tune my approach and perfect the outcomes they could create.

Most of what I applied was on the front end. The search procedures.

And it was based on skills I picked up in the recruiting world... a set of skills that I wondered about at first.

Remember sitting in Algebra in High School wondering, "When am I going to apply Limit Equations to my weekly shopping list?"

Well, when I was helping hiring managers at large pharma companies find programmers, business analysts, database administrators, technical writers and admins, I never imagined the skills I learned there would serve me in my own business.

It just never occurred to me.

And so, when I found myself consulting on some projects that were slightly out of my immediate experience, I found it useful to reach out through some of the online channels that provide contingent talent.

I'm talking about Craig's List, Elance, Rent-A-Coder... that type of thing.
And as I embarked on these searches I heard horror story after horror story from people.

I refer to him a lot so I should change his name to protect him, but, my brother is a coder. To this day we have yet to work together. But he pointed out to me many of the pitfalls that can come with shopping for talent online.

Vetting candidates is not a skillset most people have.

So, I got to thinking. This is something I got paid to do for years. I was Rookie of the Year in my first few months on the job and I closed a significant portion of the business at one of our largest clients.

Most importantly, I learned a great deal about how to speak with candidates and glean very useful information relating to their preparedness to leap into a position.

Communicating effectively about the position ahead of time drew the right clients and repelled the less appropriate ones.

I got disconnected from the emotional attachment most people have around hiring.

There's an odd psychology that can happen to people where they think they owe their candidate a reward for arriving at an interview.

People who are in staffing laugh because they remember when they realized they were doing someone a favor Not offering a person a job they weren't suited for.

There is no obligation in the hiring arena. None.

The only commitment to keep is the "Highest and Best Good for All." Including the candidate.

So, back to my experience.

The first time I brought on Virtual Help was a few years ago. A client had a solid business concept he wanted to research.

I had little prior experience and little interest in immersing myself in the project.

Instead, I knew I could post the job description and scope of project on Elance and sell the project for a cost of less than 10% of what the client was willing to pay for the results.

The remainder went into my pocket.

I paid for a full days work, I formatted the results to meet the client's approval, and I delivered it with a brief presentation.

And completed the stint, made the money and was hooked...

I loved farming out the work.

I looked for project after project that I could take on and oversee with talent from around the world.

And as I had more and more experience with it, I applied the tools of the trade I picked up in recruiting.

There are so many ways to get yourself in trouble with remote staff. You hear about all of it. From people being paid for work that never got completed, to straight up identity theft.

And those legends give Virtual Assisting a bad name.

I've culled together all the skills, tools, tricks, techniques and resources I've learned about over the years and compiled them into an e-course.

This course will only be free for a couple weeks, and its only free to a few people who agree to offer notes on the copy and presentation.

I've added a form on the upper right of this blog that mentions saving thousands of dollars by not hiring people who don't fit your profile. If you sign into that eCourse right now you can receive the eCourse free. In a few weeks I'll be launching the system online as an eBook w/ tools and an expanded resource environment.

For now you can learn everything I learned in corporate recruiting. Ways to organize your thoughts, your words and your results.

I'm leaving this free for a couple more days, mostly so I can elicit your feedback about how the course works for you.

Sign into the box, and you'll start getting your course immediately.

And when you find aha's Comment in the box below.
Even if you find you have questions that aren't answered in the course, add them here and I promise to get back to you!

IF you have tips that others can benefit from, include them here as well.

"Dad, What's Masturbation?" - Kid's Questions

2008-05-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

On Valentine's Day this year my son called me from the passenger seat of his best friend's grandmother's Lexus SUV.

"What's masturbation Dad?"

Ever run into anything like that?

I'm writing about this in response to an essay from Paul Graham that surfaced recently called "Lies We Tell Kids."

[For those of you who don't know Paul, he's sort of a dark DaVinci with a track record for creating wealth from concepts through teams of people... After massive success creating what became Yahoo Store, he began Y-Combinator, a tech VC incubator project.]

When my son called me with this question I was lucky.

I had an answer. I'd been thinking about it for two years. Just allowing the proper answer to surface.

This is near and dear for me. I'm in the process of introducing Online Courses for parents to learn methods of raising children without lying.

I answered his question without lying.

Two years ago, when he was six, my son Romeo and I went to a 20/20 Video store which specializes in new, used, and adult DVDs. Their selection is broad and the set-up is family friendly. All the commercial releases are set up in racks in the front of the store. The back third of the store is walled off w/ a curtain for the adult titles.

We were scanning titles one day and I looked around at one point to notice my son had disappeared. I called his name and began looking for him. A moment or two later he popped out of the adult section, red-faced and embarrassed. This is a huge moment for impacting the child positively or negatively.

"Romeo, come here," I said to him.

He wouldn't come.

I knelt down to be on his eye level and it was clear he knew this moment was important to me.

"Come here," I said, opening my arms to him.

He wouldn't move.

I moved toward him on my knees and he backed slowly away.

"You're not in trouble," I told him.

"I don't want to come to you," he told me clearly.

"It's your choice," I replied. "You are big enough to decide what to do with your body."

He softened.

"And... this important for us to talk about. I'll be ready in the next day or two, and I encourage you to let me know when you are ready too."

He softened some more.

"Okay, Dad."

Two days went by.

We were sitting on the couch and between commercials I paused the DVR and said, "I'm waiting for you to let me know when you are ready to talk about what happened at the store the other day."

He flushed, but seemed open.

"Tell me if now is the time," I stated.

He nodded.

"So, tell me what that was like for you."

He froze.

"Tell me if you liked what you saw and are interested in learning more, or if it was not interesting to you."

Quietly, he said, "I'd like to know more about that."

"Tell me what you know about it so far," I encouraged.

"It has something to do with making babies and being married," he mentioned.

Not bad. At that age to connect sex and porn to marriage and babies with little prior context. I was proud of him.

"Well," I said, "we can always talk more about this. There is nothing wrong with bringing this kind of thing to me. My job as your dad is to help you prepare for success in your life. Sex and women and those kinds of movies are a small part of your whole life, and, they are important. So remember to bring all of those kinds of questions to me."

He nodded and smiled.

"Thanks for making that easy, Dad," he said.

"Sure. And just so you know, the way our society is set up, that room in the DVD store is for people who are 18 years old and up."

He looked at me carefully. "So I should probably only go there with you?"

Smiling I replied, "We'll probably wait a little bit until we do that, but we can. One day. And just so you know, wanting to know more about sex and women and marriage and those kinds of movies is perfectly healthy."

So, I wasn't surprised two years later when he called with the question about masturbation.

Just a few weeks earlier we'd been talking about puberty and what to expect. A wonderful friend of mine had been talking about all the hormones and mood swings his 10-year old daughter was going through. It reminded me how much my son prefers to be prepared for changes of any size.

When we spoke about puberty I invited him to tell me what he already knew about it.

"Your voice drops and you start getting really strong and really hairy," he told me.

"And tell me what else you know about it," I encouraged.

"Well, its time to start dating and getting together with girls. They get breasts and want you to spend money on them," he finished.

Hmmm...

"Where did you learn this?" I asked.

"Just around."

"Okay," I replied. "How about I tell you what I think is missing from that."

He nodded.

"Your body is going to be going through a lot of chemical changes inside. The point of them is to help you grow responsible for yourself when you live on your own. They'll steer you into relationships with people so you can learn more about sharing yourself as an adult. Sex becomes very interesting and women become very mysterious. I'm here to help you learn what I know about it and when you need help outside of me you have your Uncle to talk to."

"Okay, Dad."

And that was pretty much it. Until he called me and asked,

"What is masturbation?"

He was with his best friend's Grandmother and both boys had asked her the question to begin with.

She immediately told them they'd have to ask their Dad's.

My son, I'm proud to say, asked if he could call me that minute.

I was renting videos at that time and didn't recognize the number on my phone, but I took the call just sensing that there was some importance to it.

"Dad, I have a question," came his little voice through the headset.

"Sure son, what is it?"

By now you know what he asked.

And I was stoked to give him the info he needed.

"Romeo, remember when we were talking about Puberty the other day?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well this is related. Tell me what you know about Masturbation so far."

"Nothing. I just heard it on an episode of Family Guy."

Great.

"Okay, when people pass into puberty their bodies are going through all these chemical and hormonal changes. Some of the ways they use all that energy are physical. People join sports teams or acting classes or learn to express themselves in new ways. And, some of the energy can only be expressed sexually, which means when two people come together and share their bodies physically. Kinda like in the movies when people kiss, only they take it farther."

"Yeah," he said, to make sure I knew he was listening.

"Now," I told him, "not everyone has someone they can express themselves sexually with and they still need a physical release of that kind of energy. So, for men, they'll play with their penises until sperm comes out and it can make a big change in their quality of attention."

"Okay, Dad. And for women, they play with their vagina?"

"Exactly."

"How soon am I supposed to start?"

"There's no 'supposed to', son. And, I'm pretty sure you'll know when it is," I assured him.

He paused.

"Do you have any other questions?" I asked.

"I don't think so."

"How was that for you? To hear my answer?" I asked.

"Fine," he replied sincerely.

"Did you notice yourself getting uncomfortable?"

"No."

He sounded as though it were no big deal. As if he expected me to have accurate and complete information. He also sounded as though he were totally at ease having this conversation over the phone in front of his best friend and best-friend's Grandmother.

Realizing I'd been on speaker this whole time I asked the Grandmother if I'd missed anything.

"No, I think you got it," she replied. Hearing her embarrassment over the phone I could tell she was eager to wrap this up.

"Romeo? Do you have any more questions about this?"

"Nope," he replied, satisfied. "Talk to you later."

"Okay, if any come up, make sure you let me know," I offered.

We've since spoken once or twice about the topic and it is still with the comfort and ease of that call. Over the years he's realized I'm a safe place to bring this type of thing.

Now I'm no parenting expert. I'm a student. And I'm passionate about raising children to take responsibility for themselves from the beginning.

Teaching children responsibility is a skill. It is a practice. And having the kind of result I'm pointing to above is a choice.

I'm really grateful Paul brought this up because it is really critical stuff. I'm in the process of launching a site for parents who are seeking tools and techniques which can allow them to move their families from struggle to cooperation.

It's all based on the work of Dr. Jayne A. Major, Ph.D. If you are interested in getting some of her best work check out a simple introduction page at Breakthrough Parenting Online and take a peak.

Most of her work is available there with no commitments. For the sake of transparency, she and I are business partners and we are launching a series of offerings in the coming months that speak to this topic of how to raise children very specifically.

I'm grateful to Paul for tackling this one. It is pivotal to our children's futures.

10 Reasons People Don't Read Numbered Lists

2008-04-20T00:31:00.001-07:00

I'm sort of kidding, but it seems like it is getting ridiculous how many lists there are. Every blog is a list of "10 Ways To Purr Like A Cat"... or, "100 Things You Can Do With A Broken Light Bulb"...

What I'm not seeing is, "50 Reasons Why I Should Care About Your Numbered List"

True, numbering is just a matter of ordering, categorizing, simplifying, organizing.

And marketers will tell you something different. It is a way to move people through important ideas quickly, and, include valuable information for people who like to read everything.

Numbered lists are all over the Internet.

They've moved from being the highlight of Letterman to being the primary format of nearly every blog post, article, e-zine, listing, and template...

It's gotten to the point where, if it has numbers, it must be important and disposable.

If the first three aren't life-changing, your reader is done.
If the headline tells the whole story, the rest of the text is wasting time.
When you use the paragraph as filler, you lose the reader's interest in the rest of the list.
It's too easy to leave things out.
It's too easy to include crap. How many times do you see a list that is clearly stretching and making sh*t up, just to hit a certain number?
Numbers scare some people (only a few, but they are out there).
If your list is too long it will take too long to read and most people, even if they're excited about it, will decide to come back later when they have more time. This means they will most likely never come back.
If your list is too short people will automatically assume it holds no value. The "Top Three" anything can't really offer much depth.
If your list is too obvious, you lose all credibility as an author/consultant/expert.
When you sacrifice great prose for a numeric outline you abandon most of the emotional connection your reader is seeking to create with you.

What are some alternatives to Numbering lists?

Bullets. Those are boring, but they identify a unique idea effectively.
How about a color-code system that resembles a rainbow? That would be festive.
Or perhaps a list of barnyard animals that lived on Old MacDonald's farm?
I'd love to see people using logically ordered symbols that occur in nature.

Seasons
Currencies
Flora
Car models/makes
Historic munitions
Silhouettes of Presidents
Shapes of building blocks

The possibilities are endless.

Figure out a way to let the symbols support your topic.
Don't let a specific number determine your list.
Let people add to your list.

Like here - I encourage you to add to mine in the comment section below.

What are some other things that the Internet Marketing gurus say to include that make your insides get the purple-squirrels?

I wanna KNOW! So use the comment section below this, and tell me what you think!

What if there were no "What If"..?

2008-04-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

I've read so many insane theories on why we have one eye on the past and another on the future.

I've had so many great suggestions on how to make NOW the only place of focus.

And far better people than me have taken on the topic. See "The Power of Now" by Ekhart Tolle.

In all honesty, I thought that book was a century old and so I avoided it for more contemporary fare only to realize the author is not only well and living, he's co-hosting a learning opportunity with Oprah on her Internet network. I'm not a member, but I am slightly more aware of his doings.

Truth is, Time is of vast fascination to me. The eventual human experience of the Inversion of SpaceTime is something I hope to witness with my eyes/consciousness.

And, this post is about something a little different.

What I'm recommending here is about making a choice to eliminate "what if" from the list of options on how we orient in the world.

How many times do we hear "what if" in the course of a day? How many times do we say it?

Most often it precedes a sob story, or a list of excuses.

Few leaders preface a discussion about learning from the past with, "what if we had...?"

And it is for a very simple reason.

The past is an impossible place to build a future.

So, what I'd like to know is what happens for you when you take on challenges without asking for a different set of circumstances to be working from.

Can you come up against an unpredictable situation without wishing things were different?

This means, not saying, "If only," or, "I'd like it better if."

The truth is, the world is what it is. We all get NOW to make the best of it. Good does not improve with a past tense, "What if."

The future becomes much stronger when we focus our "What if," on what's ahead.

What if we made sustainability a priority in all our technology development?
What if we made long-term economic priorities align with the organic demands nature places on us?
What if our schools start teaching children how to be successful men and women in the world?
What if our governments are designed to increase the overall benefit of society?

These are powerful "What if's." And yet, they only ask the question.

There are many more steps in identifying a desirable future and creating Reality from the chosen palette.

The Creation Cycle is one of my greatest fascinations. I'll discuss that with you more fully as we go.

For now, post below what you find when you leave "What if...?" out of your evaluation of the past.

Tell me how it makes your life easier or harder. Share your successes and wins. Or, your dark stories of dismal pain!

What happens when you leave "What If?" behind?

I'm dying to know.

MacEwen

PS. I was on the phone the other day with a close friend who was asking, "What if I hadn't done so many drugs in High School?" And shortly after he pointed out the futility of the question. "What if?" There's nothing to be done about it now.

Or is there? The real solution to all the What If's of life are how am I relating to them now? Am I making this mean something that empowers me to move forward in the world creating more good, more benefit, more joy?

Or am I stalled, mulling over what might have been?

The limitless control that "What if" can pose in our life is beyond silly when extrapolated to its most benign extreme. What if google never existed? What if there had been no second world war? What if the Red Sox never won a world series? What if I had a nickel for every time someone said "What if?" What if the US Dollar were worthless?

Alright, let's pick another one.

What if there were no "What if"..?

Short & Sweet

2008-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Is it really a blog when one only posts once a week?

That's not a philosophical question.

This week's entry is simple, simple, simple.

I've been extraordinarily inspired by a few sites out there with a solid message and a unique delivery.

To begin, this doozy was shared with me by an associate in the Human Potential industry. Her vibrant spirit and expertise with people doesn't hide her love of the Earth and our reasonable concerns for a future here.

Give yourself a half hour to get (re)educated about whats missing in our consumer culture.

Visit - The Story of Stuff

In case you want to know more before you visit, here's a description from their front page:

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

. . .

Another inspiring piece that came across my desk this week...

I love where science and mysticism meet.

(In fact, I'm at one of my favorite remote office corporate cafes this morning and I'm seeing people on conference calls sitting next to people who are meditating.... The world is quickly becoming wonderful.)

So, here's one response from a friend about what I'm about to share.

"Yes yes yes. That link you sent on the left hemisphere stroke/universal consciousness was a homerun. Brilliant, thank you."

Oddly, as another associate of mine was forwarding this to her girlfriend, her phone rang. On the other end of the line it was the girlfriend saying, "I just finished watching this. I'm in tears. My finger was on the send button to forward this to you when it landed in my Inbox from you."

There's a great deal going on here.

Watch Jill Bolte Taylor share a "Stroke of Insight"

Here's a description from their home-page, just in case your clickshy.

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

It also has a significant running time. And is worth every minute. Perhaps include this as part of your reflective time, or your educational time. however you choose to include these, I recommend eliminating any disruptions or distractions.

Feel free to let people know what you think about all this palatable science and where it is pointing in the comment section below.

MacEwen

Silence is Gold and So Much More!

2008-03-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

I only contribute relationship advice rarely. Like, when it is revolutionarily useful!

I hold off on giving relationship advice because when I've been successful in love its come with many mistakes, battles, wounds and scars.

The only thing that constitutes a win in relationships for me is my stubbornness.

And what I mean by that is refusing to let what looks like a bad or unacceptable situation mean "the end."

I'm not advocating living through an unhealthy affair out of obstinate self-hatred.

I'm just saying that some times, there are people in our lives who give us opportunities to draw from within in ways we didn't know we could.

Am I on a rant? Guess so.

I do have an awesome discovery to share with you. And it came about as an accident. Sort of.
I just got back from a personal retreat in Big Sur. Four days.

I went with my girlfriend to celebrate her Birthday. And basically to chill out.

It was great and I highly recommend it. Weekends away with a lover can be very relaxing.

Or, they can be highly taxing on a relationship.

For instance, on our last trip to the same location, my girlfriend and I passed half of the weekend in resigned silence, basically hurt and angry at one another for I-forget-what. She remembers.

But at this point we both agree it is in the past and we're both forgiven.

Here's what we tried this time, and what I recommend as a relationship practice.

When we arrived on our retreat, we checked in, soaked in a heated tub, and had a light dinner.

That night I made the suggestion.

"Honey, let's try something new tomorrow."

Immediate interest.

"How about, as a practice in closeness, we go through the day tomorrow without speaking."

Silence.

"Not to be apart, but to experience being together in a new way."

More silence. (My mind is doing its best to race at this moment. Is she offended? Is she intrigued? Is she buying this at all?)

"Here's how it would work. Neither of us tells the other what we have planned for the day. We just wake up in silence and carry on about our business. When we see each other we can connect in silence. If people speak to us, we can communicate freely with them. We'll come together at dinner time and share our findings."

A huge smile. She was SO in.

"Honey, that's a great idea," she beamed. "I was flashing silence for us on the drive up! That's great!"

Whew!

Now, I'm a lucky guy and I'm with a very evolved woman.

So it is important to look at the ingredients that make this successful from the beginning.

This is an exercise in connecting. She has GOT to know that going in!
It is a practice of navigating the world with artificial constraints.
The idea is to take notes and share them when you are done.
There is almost no way to do it wrong.

On our trip, both of us accidentally spoke to one another at least once.

Neither of us let it take us out of our game.

What I noticed was vastly different from what she noticed.

She realized that patience answers most of her questions. There were times when she wanted to know what I was doing next. Simply by staying with me, or going where she wanted to go and bumping into me, she got her answer.

I realized how in sync we already are with each other.

For example: We both served ourselves breakfast at separate times. Somehow we both selected the exact same breakfast items from a buffet offering.

palenta
granola
diced fruit... you get the picture.

The only difference there was I added a bit of milk.

Later, when it was time for us to move on to another portion of the day, neither of us had communicated what was next.

Oddly, we kept arriving at the same place at virtually the same time, even when we had different ways of getting there and different tasks we'd completed in between.

Interesting.

Over dinner we compared notes and were excited to see all the similarities.

Also interesting were the differences.

What looked one way to me was actually something different to her. What seemed like effortless connection to me was masterful and intentional activity on her part. What seemed like careful deliberateness to her was wonderful happy accident on my part.

Silence allowed for so much more in the way of communication. And at the end it brought us very close together.

The biggest and most important thing for me was to realize that we'd chosen this time of silence, where in the past, the times of silence had fallen upon us with little choice or little power in the moment.

Those angry silences have their place.

But we found that by choosing to be silent in this time, we avoided the hostile disconnection that so often comes before times of connection.

This is not (always) a blog about relationships, but I encourage you, if you've found other ways of creating togetherness with your lover that you find unique, post them below.

How do you create connection in your relationship?

Thanks in advance for your contribution. I always love to hear from the people who visit.

MacEwen

Mastery of Time

2008-02-26T06:51:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest challenges facing most people today is their relationship to Time and how to effectively manage themselves inside it.

Notice, I did not mention Managing Time itself.

People will sell you a million felled trees convincing you that you can fill in spots on paper, or cells on software dictating how minutes will arrive.

Poppycock! [Do people even know that word anymore?]

Basically, my assertion is, and my research supports that people have little understanding of what time really is and even less about how to manage within it.

So today we'll take a peak at one ore two simple concepts and wait for the container (brain) to mend before taking it further.

In school we're taught that time measures how long it takes an object moves through Space. A "year" is the length of time it takes for the Earth to complete a trip around the Sun. A "day" is the amount of time it takes for the Earth to complete a rotation. At one point a "month" was how long it took the Moon to complete a cycle.

And it makes sense to assume that this is all time is. When all we have is an external experience of the Universe.

But what is a minute on Alpha Centauri?

Ancient cultures measured something different than "clock time". And being tied to the continuous tick of a clock, or the sliding fate of "sands through the hourglass" has chained us to a concept of something running out.

How can an infinite supply dwindle? It can't.

I'm not going to harp on the true dual nature of time. You already know that the dimensions of time are Now and Forever.

You already know that all we have is Now. Forever.

What you may not know is that Time is actually a measurement of Creativity.

How long does it take to bring an Idea into Being?

The process is Always the same!

The process shrinks in "linear time" in direct proportion to the level of Attention, Energy, and Resources applied.

Our reality appears to have sped up because we have SO many resources applied to bringing about new ideas. It takes far less "time" now to have a concept and let it reach people directly.

This "thing" you are looking at right now, the Internet, is a huge step toward the Instant Manifestation that Nirvana is proposed to bring.

Piece by piece, programmers and technologists are writing the Genome for Creation in miniature mazes that nano-silicon/electron contraptions can project into awareness with near immediacy. Coding God.

"What does that mean?" you may ask.

It means that 1000 years ago, a man could write a fable on the side of a tree, and it would take 100 years to reach the other side of the globe.

Sons completed wars for Fathers they never met.

Innovation took eons.

And now, the moment I hit the "publish" button on this blog, a person on the exact opposite side of the planet can spell check it from their blackberry.

Access is immediate. Implementation is immediate. Manifestation takes place faster and faster.

And what this demands (and I'll cover it in a later post) is an increased level of Attention.

For now, think about what Time really means to you. Off the clock. Away from the rhythmic cycles of nature. And into the ageless activity of all of existence, making more with less.

Until next time, I appreciate what you bring here. Below feel free to add your position on:

What is the true substance of TIME?

photo courtesy of freeimages.co.uk

Things are gonna change...

2008-02-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've been very fortunate in starting this Blog and in working with some of you as consulting clients. And in the past few months, while I've had some "time off" I've been writing.

I've been stockpiling information about business, success, mindset, overcoming obstacles, reading people, and raising great kids.

That's a lot.

Then there's this whole dissertation on the absence of gravity. I'm going to let that one brew for a while.

I'm bringing this up because I'm going to be making some changes, and I'm considering leaving this blog space behind.

There are some advantages to blogging on a free-space like Blogger. They offer free software, most the add-ons you can imagine, and some built in traffic.

And, there are some things, that from a marketing perspective stop making sense when what you are doing is offering things for sale on the internet.

I'm not writing this to make anyone worry.

I'm writing it to explain some of the changes I'll be making here.

In addition to my passion for growing businesses, I have a passion for raising great children.

Over the past few months I've dedicated myself to preparing some incredible information and tools in both the business community and the parenting community.

I'm really excited about them and I look forward to sharing them with you.

I'm curious what will be the best way for me to communicate with you on these things as we move forward.

One this I'm not getting here is focused responses from people. I know you are busy, and so I'm segmenting my posts to focus the business ones on people who need things for business. Similarly, I'll be putting the information about parenting in a place that is perfect for it.

I'll continue to update this space with relevant topics and information, and ultimately, it will become a landing place for my musings and revelations.

That's the heads up. I hope it will keep many from finding confusion.

Underground Office Report

2008-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

I'll be touching on this over the coming months.

I'm inviting you to join me.

There is an international network of independent free-wireless-cafes that are becoming home to what I am calling "Jobs Homeless Army".

Some of them are truly homeless. And very high end.

Others are un-rooted, un-tethered, roving officiers who can set up and break down shop inside of a few minutes.

In the coming months I'll be outlining the best Independent Cafe/Offices I use.

I'll be profiling the Cafe Corporate personality types.

I'll be asking you to contribute findings from these locations.

Some of the features I look for:

Signal Quality
Coffee Quality
Eye-Candy Quality
Nearby Attractions
Parking
Menu (for longer days)
Atmosphere for hosting short business meetings

Why do I office in this way?

How much do you spend on your office?
I know some e-suites in my area go for as little as $650 a month.
Including a sweet-voiced college student to send someone to voice mail for you.

I decided my voice mail works fine on its own.
Most people stop and buy the coffee or donut, or frappacino-nonsense, and spend on average of $3.50 to$5.00 per day.

Let's do the math.

Traditional Office:
Rent $650.00
Utilities $40.00
Staff included
Parking $60.00
Coffee $120.00 (calculated at $4 a day)

Total $870.00

Cafe Corporate:

Rent $0.00
Utilities $0.00
Staff eliminated
Parking $15.00 (calculated on an average of $.50 a day - some places are free, others are not... it averages out)
Coffee $120.00
Total $135.00

Face it, you'd rather be at the cafe, watching the girls or boys walk by. Getting inspired by the activity around you.

You wander down there on coffee breaks.

You stop in on the way to work, and on the way from work.

And all I'm saying is, if you don't have to, why leave?

I don't mean spend all day at Starb*ck's sandwiched somewhere between bitter beans and canned adult-contemporary 'hear music' programming.

Find great local shops and be the colorful community they've always engendered and promoted.

Next time we meet on this topic, it will be to discuss the fantastic people you can hope to find in a true cafe corporate environment.

And if you are confused by my choice of the words cafe corporate, all I'm talking about are the people who:

make the world go around
aren't tied to a desk
can work in 15 minute increments and be productive
can set up and breakdown their office inside of 2 minutes
love life and the world enough to be mobile in it
aren't just sitting on their duffs eating processed foods and reading corporate news literature

If you are a member of the International Cafe Corporate, what do you do with it? Tell me about who you are! Why does this system of officing work for you? Be explicit and clear.

Just to be clear on how much there is to offer in this topic, and how much you can share, I'm contributing this horribly frightening performance from an undeniably talented Office Clown.

Please enjoy,

Wishing you the best, even after witnessing what is possible in the world of the Cafe Corporate.

Dabbler or Similarist?

2008-02-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

I was told recently that a certain book would label me a "dabbler," and I loved that word choice. It connotes play. It connotes fun. It connotes lack of commitment. Well, don't love that so much.

But even last week, a professional associate of mine noticed something else. A different perspective. He pointed out that, even unpaid, my primary skill has been identifying, mapping, and connecting similarities in formerly disparate disciplines. I'm what Bucky called a "generalist."

And what has been grabbing my attention is the seeming collapse of industry. In fact, perhaps what I'm seeing is "selection collapse". I'm noticing that everything is headed in the same direction. Fewer choices. It isn't that there are less choices to make, its that they are made by the time I get there.

Yes, technology splinters into new inventions and new products daily. And the trend seems to be simplification then proliferation. A huge breakthrough takes place and land lines are replaced by cell phones. Thousands of cell phone designs come and go. The iPhone sends most of them on vacation...

And it seems this technology is here much like people are. To celebrate self-expression.

So I'm convinced. The next Internet show, the next Vacuum, the leap in nano-technology evolution, is here to support my physical and spiritual evolution. Yours too.

I believe that one day this blog where ever it may be hosted (am I moving?) will be available via hologram through an organic chip in a voluntary place on your body.

And whenever you want to catch up, it'll be immediately available. And that's nothin'!

The Internet, and code, and dynamic programming is in its infancy. Just like we're seeing feature films move to the lap top and iPod, we will be seeing the Internet move out of boxes and into a highly collaborative medium. Thin air.

And we'll see through this shift that technology is here to support our unbridled self expression. It will allow us to reach the point of human kind. for each of us to empower others to be fully and wholly creatively self-expressed.

I'm dying to know what you think of this blog-post. I invite you to use the Comments section below. It's okay to be first. Technically, I was here writing this first. So don't be shy.

What is your stand on the evolution of humanity and the place of technology in our evolution?