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.
Some of you may recall a blog post I wrote last week about why I'm ditching the iPhone. I've since sold the iPhone and picked up the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Sprint. I don't regret the decision. Although Sprint admittedly doesn't have the best network in my area (Seattle), I'm grandfathered into a very good plan thatserve my current needs. I'll reevaluate my options towards the end of the month when Verizon's lineup is announced.
After reacquainting myself with Android, I remembered just how much I missed the mobile OS, it's capabilities, native sharing options, etc. But rather than bore you with all of the technical capabilities, I want to share one of the more novel applications I've spent entirely way too much time playing around with—Androidify. Available in the Google Play Store for free, Androidify allows you to create, customize, save, load, and share little android characters you can use in a variety of ways. Google suggests you use them as avatars for your social profiles, but I see more interesting ways to put them to use (if at all).
Below is a video of Androidify and some screenshots.
It's been a while, but I've finally gotten back in the rhythm of running and working out again. Back in the day, I used to keep track of miles, calories consumed, calories burned, weight, etc. in a journal I kept in my gym bag. Now I find it easier to keep track of that data and more with the fitness applications, software, and gadgets available on the market.
I didn't want to spend a ton of money on gadgets—shoes and fitness gear cost enough in their own right. However, I did want to keep track of my workouts. So, I began my search for applications that met the following criteria:
1. It had to keep track of important data such as distance covered, pace, calories burned, etc.
2. It had to function well as a standalone application. I shouldn't have to purchase additional equipment for it to provide basic functionality.
I was drawn to two applications immediately and decided to try both of them out: Nike+ and miCoach by Adidas. I tried Nike+ first. It has a slick layout (as you can tell in the pictures below) and keeps track of relevant information. It also provides intermittent feedback at various milestones for time, distance, and calories. It's social integration is fairly well thought-out as well, allowing you to keep track of and share your data and routes with your other members of Nike+ and/or your social media community. It even allows you to share when you begin a workout so you can get cheers from your friends on Facebook and Path. Although I think the cheers feature is gimmicky, I'm sure it provides additional motivation for some. The killer feature with Nike+, however, is the ability to choose a "Power Song" that plays at the times when you're trying to overcome exhaustion to make it to that next major milestone. Also, you can create and join challenges and invite your friends to join. For the basic functions I needed, this application does the job.
Next up, miCoach by Adidas. Let me go on record and say, I really like this application. I mean, I really really like it. Sure it doesn't have the gloss and polish of Nike+, but it suits my needs better. But, as far as the general use of the application is concerned, Adidas has done it's homework. It does keep track of the key metrics I find important in a training regimen. But they go a step beyond and allow you to choose pre-configured workouts or create your own (both for the streets and the gym). They include specialized programs for weight loss, lean muscle, muscle definition, base building, increased speed, increased strength, etc. Voice feedback is provided throughout the entire workout rather than just at milestones, telling you when you're on pace and when you need to speed up or slow down. For gym workouts, they provide animations to show you how to correctly complete each exercise. This combination of features will help minimize the tendency to under or overtrain. After just a few days with miCoach, I've officially retired the Nike+ application. What other fitness apps are you a fan of? I'm willing to try them out.
Until next time…peace.