It s a shame I've been sitting on this book for about two years now. A friend of mine gave me Never Eat Alone , by Keith Ferrazzi a couple years ago (thanks Rey), and it s been on my bookcase ever since. It was resting there not because I didn't want to read it, but because I already had so many others in the pipeline. I finally got around to reading it last month and I definitely recommend it. In very simple terms, Ferrazzi explains why networking is important and how to do it. From how to make call lists to planning dinners to personal branding to goal setting, it s all here. He also maintains a valuable blog .
Inevitably there will be times when you have setbacks or things don t go your way. Maybe you didn't get a job you thought you were sure to get. Maybe you lost a job unexpectedly, didn't win a contract, or lost a major client. Your car always seems to break down right after you've had some other unexpected expense. These kinds of situations immediately place us in crisis. They don t feel good, but sometimes they re what we need in order to grow. The beautiful thing about crises is that they force us to take a step back and reevaluate what s going on in our lives and rediscover what we truly want and need. When we get over that initial shock and feeling of disappointment, we might realize that maybe that job wasn't really the best for us anyway. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't what you really wanted to spend your life doing. Maybe that friend was holding you back instead of pushing you forward. The way I deal with crises of these sorts is simple: If something doesn't go my way professionally, I try to create a situation that would be more rewarding than the situation originally planned. A while ago, I was offered a job that looked very promising. After I accepted the offer, they pushed the start date back three times, later informing me (via e-mail) that they wanted to bring me on in the near future but I should feel free to explore other options. I was extremely disappointed. I felt disrespected and angry, but decided to make the best of the situation and follow my dream of working internationally. I then flew to Santiago, Chile and had great professional and personal experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Later, reflecting back on the original opportunity, I realized that working for a company that avoids a start date three times and then can t pick up the phone to explain the situation is probably not where I need to spend my time. Use setbacks as an opportunity to put your goals in order and act on them. In the moment, it s difficult to look at a setback as temporary, but they are. They happen to everybody. It s how you respond to them that will determine how they affect you.
When I come across people and organizations that are doing things to make positive impacts I like to share their stories with the world. A few months ago, I was at a SafeWay and took this picture of some fruit nobody would want to buy. I thought to myself, “This shouldn’t happen. I wonder if somebody is already working on this issue.” Later that same day, by chance, I met Aaron Stroud and John Iglesias, founders of Pro-Use Produce. After a quick introduction, I learned that they were working on just the issue I discovered earlier. Please read the following description of what they do and how you can get involved.
Pro-Use Produce (PUP) is a start-up Not-For-Profit organization that is meeting food security issues in Seattle through innovation, partnership and audacity. PUP was created by John Iglesias (MS Leadership and Management) and Aaron Stroud (MA Organizational Psychology) in 2011. Through a fiscal sponsorship agreement with St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Greenlake, PUP has been operating as a 501(c)3 organization since 12/21/2011.
PUP was awarded a grant from Rainier Valley Eats, through United Way of King County, for a project which will increase public access to healthy dried fruits and vegetables in Rainier Valley. PUP’s partner Rainier Valley Food Bank will distribute dehydrated fruits and vegetables to its patrons and donate surplus fruits and vegetables to PUP for dehydration. PUP also receives fruit and vegetable donations from Madison Market (Central Co-Op) every week. With volunteers, John and Aaron prepare, dehydrate and package the produce for distribution at the Rainier Valley Food Bank. PUP also sells a portion to pay for costs. To learn how you can support PUP’s mission and purchase high quality dehydrated fruit and vegetables please email John and Aaron at prouseproduce@gmail.com.
In Spring and Summer 2012 PUP will also be working in cooperation with City Fruit, a Seattle-based fruit tree gleaning organization, to increase the availability of locally grown fruit through PUP’s dehydration processes and partnerships.
To learn more about Pro-Use Produce visit http://www.prouseproduce.com (still under construction). To find out ways you can support Aaron and John’s work in creating a food rich Seattle you can e-mail them at prouseproduce@gmail.com. Ways in which you can support them include: purchasing excellent dehydrated fruits and vegetables, tax-exempt donations, processing fruit and vegetables, donating fruits and vegetables, donating business/marketing services, and much more.
Co-Founders: John Iglesias and Aaron Stroud Email: prouseproduce@gmail.com Website: www.prouseproduce.com
Other Websites: http://www.rainiervalleyeats.org/ http://www.madisonmarket.com/ http://rvfb.org/ http://www.unitedway-wa.org/
We are currently looking for assistance in gathering volunteers, website development and someone who will look for and apply to grants. Also, we are looking for someone who can head up donations.
