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.
Happiness 2012 Poster
About seven years ago I wrote an essay in which I explored the consequences of the American Protestant work ethic compared to different work styles in similarly developed countries overseas. I found a number of unsettling pieces of information as I carried out the research for this paper. Among them were the facts that the average U.S. employee spends more time commuting to work than rearing their children, more value is typically placed in a person's job title than their character, and that stress-related disorders and deaths are directly correlated with the number of hours we put in at work.
John De Graaf is one of the people who directly inspired my research into this topic. My outlook on work and the role it plays in our lives changed significantly upon reading Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic in my macroeconomics class. While I didn't know it at the time, as I started writing that essay, I was embarking on a journey to change my value system. Until then I was caught up in the acquisition of 'stuff.' Now, I realize stuff is just that—stuff. With the guidance of a few other leaders and mentors in my life (Notably Dr. Don Parks and Dr. María Lowe) I began making professional decisions that aligned with my values as much as they did my strengths.
Just under a year ago, by chance, I happened upon John De Graaf after a taping of an interview with Bainbridge Graduate Institute Founders Gifford and Libba Pinchot at KCTS Channel 9. This Saturday, I will have the opportunity to speak on the the role of messaging and media in the global discussion on happiness alongside De Graaf and several other esteemed researchers, practitioners, and academics at the Happiness 2012 conference held tomorrow and Saturday (August 24th and 25th) at Seattle University covering the topics of health, compassion, environment, emotional well-being, education, community, arts & culture, finances, time balance, government, and workplace satisfaction. I'm slotted for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PST. If you find any of these topics interesting, there's still time to purchase your tickets. General admission is $55 and a discounted rate of $40 is offered to students and low-income individuals. Day passes can be had for $35 and $25 respectively. Today is the last day to purchase your tickets in advance on Brown Paper Tickets.
This Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 6:30 p.m., at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute SeattleLearning Center, I will have the distinct honor of speaking with and interviewing esteemed local sculptor and artist Ildikó Kalapács—and YOU’RE invited. Originally from Hungary, Ildikó now lives in Spokane, Washington. With a B.A. in studio art from Eastern Washington University, she has shown her various works in numerous exhibitions and delivered lectures within the USA and around the world from Portland to Budapest.
I have been working to share the stories of those who are positively influencing the world around them, and Ildikó is no exception. Her latest project, The Bearing Public Sculpture Project, is intended to celebrate the strength of women across the world.
This sculpture depicts a woman carrying a man, to represent the burden that war places on the human spirit. Dispossessed women carry the weight of family & spousal responsibilities; bearing the physical & emotional load of the aftermath of war.
This will be my first attempt at delivering a live, crowd-sourced interview. I hope to empower the audience to become active participants and more fully interact with our guests. If you’re not able to join us in person, we still have you covered. This interview will be streamed live over Google+ Hangouts On Air, allowing you to tune in on YouTube, Google+, or right here at michaelbmaine.com.
Use the Twitter hashtag #menrva to ask your questions leading up to and during the event. We’ll have a screen streaming the questions so Ildkikó can answer them in real time.
A little known fact about Ildikó is that she has been involved in Hungarian Folk Dancing since the beginning of the movement, dancing her way through life even in her formative years.
Bainbridge Graduate Institute's Seattle Learning Center located at 2601 Fourth Avenue, Suite 310, Seattle, WA, 98121. If you are in the area, please join us. If not, tune in online.
For the latest information regarding Ildikó Kalapács, The Bearing Project, or the event, check out the following links: