Category — Inspiration

Happy Friday.  Today’s song is Birds Flying Away by Mason Jennings.  This song makes me feel like I am traveling through time, like I have inherited a new history.  Life if full of so many stories.  If you look at the world from the perspective of stories it suddenly becomes like a flame -- mysterious and inspiring.  Take the time today to wonder at the stories of your fellow travelers.  What was the kindest thing anyone ever did to the person driving the car beside you? What made your boss blush as a teenager? What stories do you not know about someone really close to you?  Listen to the stories that are brushing past you, burning bright within each life.

One of the most amazing and inspiring podcast series out there is Stanford University’s Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders. Quite honestly, amazing is not a strong enough word to describe it. Listening to them is like getting an ivy league education for..ummm…free.

Yep you heard right, free! Speakers include the likes of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Every time I listen to one of these talks I become more motivated, more willing to go after my goals, to set the bar a higher and take a chance. You can find all this knowledge goodness on Stanford Universities’ Entrepreneurship Corner website.

The last podcast I listened to brought to my attention Tina Seelig, Stanford Technologies Ventures Program’s Executive Director.  Listen to her speak and you feel the passion and joy she gets out of sharing her knowledge. She is like the teacher you always wished for, creative, engaging and empowering.

I invite you all to listen to her talk, The Art of Teaching Entrepreneur’s. Below are a few key takeaways from her talk and my thoughts on them. Also, for a less teaching oriented talk here is another talk she did that covered a lot of the same points, What I Wish I knew when I was 20.

1. All problems are Opportunities. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity.

This is about perspective. How do you look at problems? Do they hold you back, do they keep you from continuing on a path or do you use them to benefit you by exploring the possibilities that the problem creates? How do you objectively view your own problems so that you can see the possibilities hidden within them?

2. Experimenting is important.

You can’t just theorize solutions. Part of finding a great solution is experimenting and experiencing things. You learn so much from trying what you think is a great solution to a problem. I look at this as real-time learning – like rapid prototyping. Get your idea out there and react to the market or comments you get. If you are not starting a business, you can use this advice in your life. Are you too scared to try something new or are you willing to actually put your dreams into action and then revise?  View a big change as an experiment, knowing that you can adjust and change along the way.

3. Value takes different forms

It is easy to get caught up in monetary value. There are many different types of valid value. Ask yourself, what type of value you want to create in the world?  Do you want to create social value by helping out in your community, intellectual value by writing a book, artistic value by creating a painting?

4. You need to be able to make your own luck.

There are opportunities all around us. You create your luck by opening your eyes up to the possibilities that are around you. Be curious, take risks!  Open yourself up to a type of serendipity.

5. Don’t wait to be anointed

Okay I love this one. Pretty much the gist of this is that you create your own job. Don’t let other people tell you what you are. If you want to be president – call yourself president. You don’t need a job or a boss to do that. As an entrepreneur you can build your position. Name it and become it. In life, you decide your own worth, no one has that power except you.  If you are looking to become something different in your life, anoint yourself and then build the ladder below you.

6. Never miss an opportunity to be fabulous

This is my new mantra Thanks Tina!

I ran across this wonderful example of interactive art, Soy Tu Aire.  I love it, I love it, I love it!  Beautiful music plays while you paint and paint and paint.  Lovely little surprises burst on to the screen every so often – all it all it is simply a lovely experience.  Go try it!

A screenshot of my drawing

According to Babelfish this says “I am your of air is of one of full song of of of many and of few”.  According to me, this says “I am a beautiful piece of art for you to hear, see, and touch.  This is an exquisite use of flash.  It is moving poetry.  I love the texture of the ink.  I love the way this makes you feel like you are flowing down a river.