Is “Been There, Done That” Arrogance Or Expertise?

by Jayme Soulati on 01/12/2012 in Thinking

When you say “been there, done that” to a crowd of peeps, what comes to mind as a bystander? Arrogance or expertise?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used that phrase in the past, but when I think about when and how, it’s usually in jest with someone who knows me well and also knows I’m not bragging or jockeying for position.

The blogosphere produces many arrogant people; you know who they are because you either elect to read them, or you do the eyeball roll and move on. I’ve been called arrogant before; I think it’s because that person mistakes my confidence for arrogance. Maybe they think I’m just an expert so my knowledge comes across as arrogance because that person regards themselves as slightly less confident.

There are so many of us who started our blogging journeys about the same time. Others shot to stardom quickly and made names for themselves; some are still plodding along trying to determine whether and how we want to make some dough on this thing. And, many, many are blogging without confidence.

Been there, done that! Heh.

See how easy it is to use that phrase when someone shares their trials and tribulations? Imagine how recipients feel when they hear that, especially if the delivery is done without genuine warmth.  Then it’s just plain old arrogance.

What I’m trying to say is the been-there-done-that mentality will come back to bite you in the patout when you’re least expecting it. The world is small; people talk, clients complain and gossip about one service provider over another, and reputations are made or undone.

Don’t be arrogant, people. Earn your expertise, but don’t laud your skills over others as loftier-than-thou. Having expertise and sharing the lessons  you learned whilst poking fun at your own expense are the best way to build true relationships. Getting preachy about it just doesn’t fly.

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Is Pointing, Yelling Free Publicity or Just Awareness?

by Jayme Soulati on 12/06/2011 in Public Relations, Thinking

Today’s guest post comes to you from my dear colleague Shakirah Dawud, a highly prolific writer I admire greatly for her style, creativity, features (in writing), and genuine interest in provoking thought. She writes for Deliberate Ink, and you can connect with her here and here.

Shakirah Dawud Says:

This article was going to be much different than it is. I was going to name a campaign whose unscrupulosity (yes, I made the word up) totally blew my mind, the reasons it did, and raise your hackles about it as much as I could, too.

But I stopped because I wondered (as I often do about these things), when does pointing and yelling raise awareness, and when does it become the business’s use of my ire to play made-you-look?

Businesses and other public entities love publicity. They like getting in the news because people pay attention to them. Most of them prefer positive attention, but a few don’t mind negative attention one bit.

I have to make a decision: do I spread their news for them or do what I can to avoid giving them the clicks they’re seeking? More often than not, I choose the latter. If I see a need to mention it publicly, I usually limit it to an indirect reference. I don’t imagine it has much effect on the world at large, but it’s always been my policy to ignore people who do outrageous things only to get attention. I wonder if I’m alone.

My respect goes to people who speak up loudly when something untoward happens according to public record.  These people’s perspectives are bold, well reasoned, and well written as often as they are coarse emotional rants. I’ve read and written both types with gusto. But how much awareness is raised in these cases?  By the time I’ve found out about a controversial issue or event involving a business or public figure, it’s usually already a trending topic.

But my gratitude goes to people who research and provide information about the things happening right under our noses that most of us haven’t noticed–the patterns of activity, observations of interactions, and statistical trends that, as it has been famously said–”they” don’t want us to know. That’s more than adding a voice to the crowd of tsk-tskers.

As a PR professional, Jayme is an awareness raiser. I want to know–from her and from you–where the line is.

Is it futile to keep your silence on an issue you feel strongly about but refuse to provide free publicity for?

How would you raise awareness if you decide you should?

What factors do you look at when deciding to give someone or something a spotlight for your crowd to gasp and point at?

And since I have your ear, what do you think of the short-lived “Unhate” campaign?

Shakirah Dawud is the writer and editor behind Deliberate Ink. Based in Maryland with roots in New York, she’s been crafting effective marketing copy as a writer and polishing many forms of prose as an editor since 2002. Clients in many fun sizes, industries, and locations reach her through the Web.

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Creative Traits Scorsese & Xerox Style

by Jayme Soulati on 12/01/2011 in Marketing, Thinking

What are the traits of creative people? Not sure I can nail this, but I’m going to present and discuss characteristics of two people, one a Hollywood producer/director, and the other a CEO of a Fortune company. These two respected professionals come to us direct from my fave ‘zine you all know, Fast Company.

Let me introduce you to some of the personality traits of Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox and the “first African-American woman to lead a U.S.  company of Xerox’s size and influence,” according to Fast Company. Extracted directly from Fast Company, these are the words and phrases written to describe this accomplished woman:

>>She has the courage to tell you the truth in ugly times.

>>Being direct is her calling card.

>>She’s not a protocol kind of person, and is always willing to push the button herself.

>>She had an early aptitude for math; has guts and intelligence with outspokenness and keen business insights.

>>She has radical honesty she doles out, but with an overlay of Zen.

>>She has become a listener-in-chief, and she’s had to learn to temper her outspokenness with the help of good coaching.

>>Her mother influences her to this day, and Burns tells of the woman who washed and ironed clothes for money and bartered for services to provide healthcare for her three children. She says she recalls her mom as supremely confident and someone who expected great things from her kids.

You may wonder if Ms. Burns is really creative or just a #RockHot business woman. She has obvious traits that support that premise. In my earlier post this week, Thinking About Creativity, I ponder whether creativity is instinctual, innate or intelligent. With the example of Ms. Burns I’m thinking YES. (I could’ve featured Conan O’Brien here, too; another poster child for creativity.)

FROM HOLLYWOOD

Martin Scorsese is the December/January cover story for Fast Company, and upon reading half his story (How To Lead A Creative Life) he inspired this post.  After all, who else  can be labeled the most consummate creative and greatest film director ever? Interestingly, from the story on Ms. Burns it was easier to extract her exact character traits; however, this list, about someone  undoubtedly creative, is more esoteric about character. It ought to get you thinking, though.

(Again, these words and phrases are extracted directly from Fast Company.)

Martin Scorsese was interviewed on the eve of creating his first 3-D kids film, Hugo, and here are some of the things he and his colleagues were quoted as saying about him:

>>Panicked about hitting a deadline and has to tame the neurotic beast of self-doubt and frets every little detail.

>>Can’t make up his mind, still gets obsessed, still gets crazed by the same kinds of things that make any creative type nuts.

>>He’s in the business of crafting a creative life, and he adheres to a few rules:

………….Respect the past.

………….Trust your confidants, (a director’s creative process is largely collaborative) but not too much. (Important to know when a collaboration has run its course as well as when to accept criticism and when to say no.

………….Play the corporate game (Sometimes you have to give in to the system.)

………….Defy them when you must.

………….Find another outlet, or eight.

………….Give back and learn.

>>He was never interested in the accumulation of money and never had a mind for business (direct quote).

>>He is a generous mentor; a regular guy and finds something positive with everything.

If I didn’t know which list belonged to whom, I’d pick the Scorsese list for Burns and vice versa. My observation is that Scorsese adheres to a set of survival guidelines for his creativity to thrive, and Burns’s personality and character are from where she derives her creative business style.  After reading about Ms. Burns, she reminds me more of marketing or PR type (we’re often labeled as creatives).

This could be a royal stretch in futility, but it was fun — to quote my fave Aussie curmudgeon Leon Noone.

Certainly creative traits for “creative” (who says) people cannot be nicely packaged, yet there may be a common thread and I’m going to call that…(please complete this sentence…what word describes the common thread?).

 

 

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Thinking About Creativity

by Jayme Soulati on 11/29/2011 in Thinking

Credit: MindysBookWorms.org

I’m on a quest to define creativity. Is it innovation, or are there differences between the two? I wrote recently about the need for PR and marketing to be more creative when it comes to putting a social media marketing plan together. Then I gave a list of nine tools available from which to select.

That’s really not creativity; that’s merely being smart about researching the space to see which tools fit the required strategy.

Then I read Inc. magazine about Stan Richards, founder of The Richards Group, an ad agency behind some of the most creative and controversial campaigns in advertising. (P.S. If you want to see one of THE MOST creative websites I’ve seen in awhile, hit his agency link, and here’s a link to his book, The Peaceable Kingdom.)

“Creativity doesn’t need a muse; it needs a drill sergeant,” he said.  Richards’ firm adheres to strict rules:

>>8:30 a.m. prompt start to the day

>>Accounting for each quarter hour or be docked $8.63 from pay

>>On time to meetings or risk being shut out

>>Close of business is 6 p.m.; go home

The man posts billings of $1.28 billion; he owns the most successful independent shop ever. Hats off, Stan!

Is creativity innate? It’s my humble thinking that the mind hinders creative embellishment. When your mind blocks your actions, you become inhibited. There is no comfort in your own skin; you fear making the wrong move, saying the wrong thing, looking like a fool (to yourself) among company.

Now put these thoughts into a company brainstorm where the team is attempting to define the big idea. (PR is all about the big idea.) Instead of being the first to say, “what about…” you tag team off someone else and slowly open your mind to new ideas.

Perhaps creativity is confidence. Stan Richards says creativity is discipline and regimented rules.

As a blogger it’s more imperative to be creative than ever before. This is my 252nd post; not so sure it’s a milestone of any sort, but looking back on a bloggers’ life, each post came from somewhere. The inspiration people take so lightly is actually extremely serious.

So, creativity also requires the ability to be inspired.

I’ll share about me a bit because it’s relevant. My mind has always been creative; I visualize the look of interiors in color and how a brochure should be designed with the raw copy in front of me. I hammer a nail on the wall eyes only and plop art perfectly in place (heh, perfectly to me because slightly askew fits my out-of-the-box persona). A steady stream of ideas leads to the ability for strategic brainstorming and also the ability to drill into segments and enhance each with detail.

With all that said, can we assume creativity is innate? Born in some and not others? Given as a gift to right brain thinkers while left brains lead with logic? Here are some of the conclusions from above, and I’m hoping you’ll add your thoughts to help with this discussion:

>>Creativity requires an open and unhindered mind.

>>Creativity requires inspiration and the ability to be inspired.

>>Creativity is confidence.

>>Creativity is innate.

>>Creativity is not innovation.

Please share your thinking, because more thinking also leads to a higher level of creativity.

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Six Ways To Challenge Best Practice Plus Measurement

by Jayme Soulati on 10/21/2011 in Marketing, Thinking

Check out what Robert Rose, founder and chief troublemaker at Big Blue Moose (who helps marketers become storytellers), has to say in Chief Content Officer…I am so blown away because it’s making me think, think, think, and the below is merely a reaction to pages one and two of the article!

His headline had me at the top — “Why a hyper focus on measurement and incremental gains makes marketers average.” Really? That’s awesome.

If you know me, you’ll know I kick and scream all the way to analytics, and that includes measurement. Now, don’t tell Shonali, Rebecca Dennison or Neicole Crepeau I said that.

What Rose says is that everyone is striving for best practices and that’s about it.

Can I repeat that? Here’s what Rose said in Chief Content Officer, and it’s all appropriately attributed:

“Content marketers in particular seem to be in the grips of ROI monomania. …What we’re really looking for are best practices; they’re safe. Whenever we’re trying something new like content marketing, we become so focused on following best practices that we forget our real job is to be innovative.”

I love this insightful approach to best practice. When I worked in a hospital, each service line was oriented to best practice. Put the solution into action, perfect it, and then travel the country lauding its inner workings so others can emulate it.

Think about how that works — you get the recipe for a best practice, execute on it while following the formula, and call it a day. Infrequently, do people exceed or push the limits of the best practice because really all that’s required is to meet expectation.

WOAH.

In this day and age, when status quo has eroded, it’s imperative we always push the boundaries and exceed comfort levels to earn a level of excellence not previously attained. That’s the essence of what Rose is saying, “…we are saying that we’re satisfied with being average.”

Do you agree?

Rose offers a list of six tips that help you turn the status quo on its head, and I’m not going to recap them because they’re really good and I have to come up with my own. Basically, here is what I recommend to heed Rose’s counsel and buck the average:

>Stand on your head. What’s north is south, and what’s south is north. Change up the bird’s eye view and put on the rose-colored glasses.

>Delete all your followers; how’s that working for you @ChrisBrogan? When you make an extreme change with gusto, you’re bucking best practice and changing it up.

>Stop commenting on the same blogs day in and day out; in fact, stop commenting. What will happen? Will you have an epiphany that you really do like the social webs and can’t wait to get back? Or, will no one miss you at all, and you’ll burrow deep into depression and hibernate for winter? You’ll certainly learn about personal behavior if you do this exercise.

>Find a new hang out. There are groups and cliques and alliances and networks; doesn’t matter how they’re labeled. If yours is inactive and you’re bored to death, then switch on outta there and find some new energy! Align with those who boost you up and not with those who bring you down!

>Get zany creative during a campaign. I read somewhere a young ad agency account rep actually brought kitty litter and her cat to the pitch (they were pitching kitty litter). When her cat used the product, the client was turned off but the agency VP thought it quite clever.

>Go out on a limb and then break it. If you stick your neck out, and you’re really heading out on a limb, keep going until you push the boundaries a few times. Get comfortable and then do it all over again.

Measurement

Another final observation, and this one may have me going out on a limb…heh. is about measurement. I’m going to blame Chief Troublemaker Robert Rose for this ramble:

When peeps are so focused on proof of campaign smarts, they need tried-and-true deliverables with measurable tactics.

If a new tactic is incorporated into a best practice, can it be measured immediately? Won’t new metrics have to be established and proven over time? I’m asking…

So, maybe content marketing programs aren’t required to have direct ROI. With best practices and average innovation, measurement has a solid place to do its thing; when new concepts are added to the mix, measurement gets thrown a curve ball. Time is required to clock and tick and tally to incorporate innovative ideas into an even better best practice.

So…maybe, just maybe…measurement should be relegated to the sidecar for awhile? Just sayin’ and askin’ all at once…what say you?

 

 

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Facebook School, Guy Kawasaki and Selfishness

by Jayme Soulati on 10/10/2011 in Social Media, Thinking

This is a story about the icon who was Steve Jobs, but it really isn’t. Rather, it’s an observation about two very different reactions by people I don’t know which prompted two very different reactions in me.

I am enrolled in Facebook school via Social Media Examiner Facebook Success Summit 2011 which launched October 5 via live webinar broadcast world-wide to some 1800 attendees. Ten minutes before the kickoff presentation to be given by Guy Kawasaki, Apple announced Steve Jobs had died. Guy is the former chief evangelist at Apple, the founder of Alltop, and an esteemed author and respected business and social media pro.

Michael Stelzner, president of Social Media Examiner, announced via email that Guy would alter his presentation and instead share a personal tribute about a very personal friend who had graced the world with such amazing talent and influence.

I listened to Guy at the top of his presentation not knowing what to expect. The email confused me as I’m not privy about peoples’ professional backgrounds, relationships, or true measure of influence unless I tune in consistently to them.

Guy was breathless and absolutely distraught. His mobile device was ringing off the hook (on vibrate); people wanted to reach out and express sympathy. Finally, he had to turn it off to concentrate on his live delivery and his in-the-moment-significant-real-time story about his close friend, Steve Jobs.

The significance of this moment wasn’t lost on me, but it didn’t carry that much weight until two days later when I read a question posed by a woman in the Facebook Summit LinkedIn group who asked, “Was anyone else upset that the first session was changed without notice?”

REALLY?!

The passing of Steve Jobs is akin to the passing of Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, or JFK Junior. This woman had the audacity to ignore the impact of this historical moment by sharing it with someone experiencing true and real-time feelings ad lib. Because of this woman’s shortsightedness and posting of a selfish question, the significance of what I witnessed in Guy’s on-the-spot tribute became more critical to me.

I have not gone to follow the thread on LinkedIn; nor do I want to. Perhaps this woman is not an Apple consumer; perhaps she lives in a country other than the U.S. No matter; if Michael Stelzner thought the passing of Steve Jobs that important to segue his kick-off presentation then the students attending should’ve relished that experience, too.

This is kind of a strange post to share, but I just had to get this off my chest; it still dumbfounds me.

 

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Freedom of Expression or Decapitation

by Jayme Soulati on 10/04/2011 in Thinking

At the risk of a beheading, and this is no joke, I’m sticking my neck out (that is a joke) to decry the horrific and terroristic behavior of a drug cartel that uses Z in Mexico. I won’t use its name to be somewhat cautious on this side of the border.

A woman blogger/journalist was decapitated because she blogged for safety on the streets of Mexico. She decried the power of the drug lords over innocent women, children, men, and families.  She reported on the daily narcotics wars in the country and began to research info about the “Z” cartel. She dared to lash out via a blog in the name of freedom of expression that apparently is disregarded in our Central American neighbor. Because of fear, reprisal against self and family, money, safety.

While this true story may be gruesome to you, it’s not the first breach of freedom of expression the world has seen. We’ve watched the streets of Iran, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Iraq, and other countries explode in the name of freedom. Some were successful in their quest; others were not.

Americans have the freedom to express malcontent to the highest echelons of government without recourse (except perhaps a wire tap or creation of an FBI case folder).  We picket, we lobby, we rant and rave in op-eds, and we blog – freely.

In honor of this woman, Maria Elizabeth Macias — “The Girl From Laredo,” whose severed head was placed next to her desktop, mouse and keyboard, I encourage your blog post speaking out against the tyrannical drug cartels in Mexico who are killing innocent victims doing what Americans’ inalienable right allows on a daily basis.

She is not the first to die under this rash of violence. Two others were hanged from a bridge with notes listing three websites.  Six other journalists have already been killed this year.  In spite of being spooked, bloggers and Twitter accounts forge ahead:

>> Borderland Beat Blog tweets @OVEMEX

>>Follow #MtyFollow for news of cartel activity in Monterrey, Mexico.

>>Follow #AcaFollow for news of cartel activity in Acapulco

>>Follow #LaredoGirl to remain abreast of cartel activity in the name of Senora Macias

>>Follow #NenaDLaredo for rolling stream on news about the cartel ongoing after Ms. Macias’s passing

I applaud those who carry on against violence; I cry for those the world over who cannot hope to live in peace but always  fear losing a loved one.

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Embrace What You Hate To Innovate

by Jayme Soulati on 10/03/2011 in Thinking

I know what I know and I hate what I don’t. This is a story about my inner demon that has plagued me all my life — my inability to embrace what I don’t know to grow. Let me share some past and recent examples:

>> Mom said I refused to ride my tricycle until one day I jumped on and went careening down the street.

>> I spent hours in the Paris airport letting all the stand-by flights go without me because I couldn’t speak French although I was trying.

>>I rarely line dance or take group aerobics because I’m a terrible follower and mistakes are rampant.

>>I refused to blog for a year because I was afraid about the tech that goes along with it.

>>My twin Gini chastised me in comments last week on Spin Sucks for not having Clicky already up and running on the blog.  Meanwhile, Erica Allison is all over it and can’t wait for more scoopage about who’s visiting her blog. (I kinda don’t want to know.)

There, you have it, and not sure whether that was therapeutic or not, but here’s what I’m doing about it:

>>I’m going to Facebook school this month via Social Media Examiner to take nearly two dozen classes Michael Stelzner and faculty have lined up in October for Facebook Success Summit 2011. I bought this class and have watched one pre-course video during which I was furiously taking notes.

>>I whined in comments somewhere about how scary installation of the new timeline was on Facebook and then decided I would master the dang thing and watched a tutorial four times to navigate being an app developer. Lo, my timeline is launched and waiting for live; meanwhile, I was able to walk Erica through her five-minute installation. (I broke my fear pattern and shared that knowledge in this case.)

>>I bought another course from ClickZ on analytics and SEO which was pretty expensive. I asked a client to pay half, and they concurred. I’ve not embarked on this intensive instruction yet, but will after Facebook school in October. (SEO has been the bane of my existence; seriously.)

>>After hearing all about Clicky and then reading this review on Brankica’s blog, I gave her the nod and clicked from her site to launch it on my blog. Heck, I even installed some code on my php footer (or whatever), but I have no idea of I did it right at all. I will see this week!

>>I did try to install PostRank just prior to Google buying it, but rather than go to the website, I somehow installed it direct from my blog via a plug-in. I get rankings in my dashboard for the blog posts, but, alas, the data are likely skewed because I installed it wrong. Whatev.

What’s my takeaway?

>>I have to fight with myself to embrace what I don’t know. I stall, I kvetch, I whine, I ignore, and I stumble only to realize I’m hurting myself.

>>These learnings are hindering my ability to innovate. As a leading-edge PR peep (I made the journey to the marketing blend a very long time ago) who works solo with virtual teams, there is no one to teach me. I have to strive to stay ahead.

>>I am fully aware of my patterns; this behavior has plagued me my entire life. It’s a discomfort, a fear of failure, a fear of looking like a fool, and it’s also my inability to ask for help.

>>As a starter, I need people on my team who can finish and take it to solution with a deeper dive (and thus I’m happy to turn over the analytics to Erica and Gini and Bran) while I generate strategic ideas. (I haven’t remedied this one yet.)

In conclusion…sorry for the first-person post today…don’t like to make a whine out of a piece, but am thinking this is more of an acute observation of obstacles to growth.

Share yours, please?

(image: inspirationonline.com)

 

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Failure To Innovation With Competence

by Jayme Soulati on 09/28/2011 in Business, Thinking

Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal, “Better Ideas Through Failure.”  It’s about a unit of WPP Grey Group’s creation of the Heroic Failure award for employees who take an edgier, riskier approach to innovation and winning.

Then there’s the recent point of view piece I read in Ad Age from a vice president of marketing at Hoover’s. He was all set to hire a candidate when something struck him; the candidate was good, and he was competent, but that’s all. Competence is no longer good enough; candidates have to show more — get out of the corporate box and prove themselves as risk takers and, gasp, be entrepreneurial!

Putting two and two together, take a look at this picture:

** The status quo in the workplace is being shot down.

** The global platform is the new sandbox, and if you don’t come equipped with unusually innovative experiences then you can’t play.

** Thinking is what’s now required; in fact, it’s demanded in the workplace.

** Entrepreneurs rule. Have you seen all the hoopla about how those who innovate and manage their own companies are supposed to save the U.S. from a double-dip?

The initial concept about failure is nothing new to parents. We watch as our babies fall only to get up and walk. I’ve written about my failures as a blogger with the back end and analytics of this site (which can also be construed as lack of knowledge or failure to learn in a timely fashion, perhaps). Others can share failures as learning experiences all the time.

In business, though, failing is an expensive endeavor, but if that’s the new path to innovation, then by all means…make some stupid mistakes! Am certain the expectation is intense to learn from the errors, establish new and creative methods of winning and get teams to reach key performance indicators without failure, without negative effect on the bottom line, and efficiently.

Here’s what else the Wall Street Journal piece says of innovators:

** Take time off so original ideas can incubate.

** Be free to take risks, work on multiple projects at once to spark flexible thinking.

** In society and culture, civil conflict, political fragmentation and cultural diversity can trigger divergent thinking.

** What also helps individual creativity (and I don’t agree with this one IMHO) is “aggressive, egocentric or antisocial behavior makes it easier to ponder ideas in solitude or challenge convention.”

Fascinating stuff, eh? I’m sure you readers of the Harvard Business Review can muster some further food for thought on this topic? Or, perhaps an actual workplace experience might trigger a story or two?

 

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Five Tips From Low To Grow

by Jayme Soulati on 09/14/2011 in Thinking

I recently came off a low point bordering on downright “depression.” Shhh, I don’t like to allow that word into my vocabulary as I hate feeling down in the dumps. Sometimes it’s just plain unavoidable.

When these lows happen, I usually fall pretty hard because I’m a 99 percent up person – always glass half full, seeking a belly laugh, giggling at a stupid tweet, and wanting to find the happy each and every day and ride that wave.

But, when everything, it seems, just collapses onto my shoulders from the uncontrollable Mother Nature escapades on the house and vehicle, the start of school and new accelerated math requirements to client relationships that are trying and doubting and tales of lives lost and hearts broken – ohmygosh. It sometimes becomes too much to bear, and I know I’m not alone with these feelings.

Yet, all I want to do is be alone and muddle through. That is why I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog – no incentive, the words would not flow, the ideas were like molasses pouring from a bottle with a small neck.

As a result of this low point, I took the opportunity to grow – as a person, as a coach, as a practitioner, as a friend, and as a mom.  Because, when I really dissected what was making me feel so dumpy, it had much to do with criticism; which I always take to heart regardless of whether someone is in the right or wrong in saying what they’ve said.  This is part of the challenge of working for yourself – there is no one to balance the thoughts, decisions, actions, or choices.

And, you know? I have NOTHING to complain about; hopefully, this is not coming across as a complaint. It’s all about my own personal strength and spirit as I traverse this blogging and social media journey.

There’s been much lament of late on the blogosphere. Bill Dorman wrote about it this week on his blog – what’s up with everyone “the lights are on, but no one’s home.”  Many wrote in about change – there is job loss, ill family members, waning interest, time pressures, the glories and hazards of a job hunt, and people just wanting a change. I feel it, for sure. I yearn for the glory days of Twitter of yore, and it will never be the same. These feelings add up to a gray-to-black cloud hovering above, don’t they?

For me, it’s always a relief to climb out of the hole; for others doomed to reside in there, I feel compassion as it’s never easy to pick yourself up with a solid exit strategy from bottom to top.

My few suggestions may be silly to others, but they work for me (please add yours?):

1. Hit the trails early morning and when the fawns cross my path I stop and stare at their gorgeous faces in wonder and awe.

2. Focus out on someone else who needs a boost more than me and put their needs in front of mine.

3. Kiss my child and nurture her to grow with strength of spirit and this spreads warmth through my heart so it glows with love to share with everyone.

4. Ask how I can help someone I see having a bad day; that support is so precious, and when it comes to me even in a simple tweet, I’m thankful.

5. Send a greeting card (Cardthartic is my favorite; all about “Honoring Emotions”) to someone unexpectedly. You’ve got mail!  Yeah! When was the last time you sent a card/letter to anyone? It’s part of who I am and I’m raising my child to be the same. It warms you that someone took that precious time to think of you that much.

I know this is a hokey post and off base for me, but you know what? I’m not going to pull the wool over your eyes and make you believe that I’m not human and need a hug sometimes, too.

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