When it comes to wiping our mouths and dirty hands, most of us don’t really put too much thought into the napkins we use.  Like most of us, I look for napkins that are clean. The other day, I noticed a couple napkins in my car that I had taken when I visited a local Caribou Coffee shop.  One had a thought-provoking question: What Do You Stay Awake For?  The other napkin offered a writing prompt inviting us to write a really short novel…

I found these napkins amusing, clever and thought-provoking.  For me coffee shops are a place where I can come up with ideas under the influence of the ever-almighty caffeine.  These napkins offer me the opportunity to get some ideas flowing…provided that I look close enough to read the napkins.

It’s interesting to note that there are books devoted to things scribbled and drawn on napkins.  I’m thinking specifically about Dan Roam’s The Back of the Napkin, where the book jacket goes on to say…”Used properly, a simple drawing on a humble napkin is more powerful than Excel or PowerPoint.  It can help us crystallize ideas, think outside the box, and communicate in a way that other people simply get.”

How about you…have you written or drawn anything interesting on a napkin recently?

For the second year in a row, last week I watched my favorite part of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game: the pre-game show. I’ve always been a sucker for watching all of the players get introduced and seeing them tip their hats to the cameras and the crowd. Tucked into this pre-game ceremony was People Magazine’s All-Stars Among Us, a great example of sponsorship activation in action.

The following is an inspiring video that was played just after the players were introduced. Truth be told, it brought a tear to my eye (shh…don’t tell anyone!) and gave me a deep sense of admiration. It also made me realize that the real all-stars are not the ones playing on the field…they’re the everyday people that go out of their way to make a difference in the lives of others. This video is on the long side, but it’s worth a view…

As I worked in my Franklin Covey planner last week, I stumbled upon a quote that hit me with it’s wisdom and simplicity:

“We do not have to become heroes overnight.  Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Creative commons photo courtesy of notsogoodphotography.

Ryan Knorr has been churning out cover tunes that are as good or better than the original tunes for a few years now.  This cover version of City and Colour’s “Sensible Heart” is another example of a song that falls into that category.  You might remember that I featured his original tune “What About Me” on 360 Degree Self (check it out here) last October.

I’m happy to report that Ryan just released his first full-length album a couple weeks ago and it is called The Path of Greatest Resistance.  While I don’t own a copy – yet, I’ve been mesmerized by his voice and music ever since I stumbled upon a cover version of a Shinedown song.  Apparently others have been mesmerized too as Ryan’s videos have been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

If you like this song, please visit Ryan’s YouTube Channel here or check out his website to listen to and purchase his new CD.  There are plenty of things in this world I’m not sure about anymore, but I’m sure that Ryan is a great singer, a talented musician and that he deserves a lot more attention.

By the way…for more video diversions, the lounge has been updated…

When I found out that this month’s RAOKA topic was wisdom, I felt moved to write because, well, I really love to learn.  First to get things straight…in my humble opinion it is possible to learn, but not necessarily be wise.  A great deal of learning in an academic setting involves memorizing facts in order to do well on a test (including those standardized ones), only to be forgotten moments and days later.  Yes this might be learning but I’m not sure it’s wisdom.

When I think of wisdom, I think not just about learning…but a real passion for learning.  I think about someone who learns and consistently applies what he or she learns to his or her life.  When I think wisdom, I think deep learning and understanding.

Some of my greatest moments in college are the moments I felt enlightened after walking out of an amazing lecture from one of my professors.  You know, the light-bulb moment.  I love that feeling.  I still remember a lecture in my Communications class where our professor used the movie The Poseidon Adventure to study small group interaction.  What is amazing is that it has been nearly 20 years since that class and I still remember most of the details (OMG, has it been that long?  Man, I’m getting old.).  I also remember my humanities professor taught us about Smetna’s The Moldau and it absolutely changed my perspective and appreciation for that amazing piece of symphonic music.

But the beautiful thing is that wisdom and learning need not take place at school.  We can do it any day at any time from any place.  Sure, we can learn from books, but some of our deepest, most important lessons come from talking to others:  our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, co-workers and friends.  Listening to their stories, we learn about their successes and their failures.

Some of my favorite places to learn these days include the Internet (where I can check out Twitter, blogs and Wikipedia on a constant basis), National Public Radio, Toastmasters, television (yes, television can be good for you too), and my kitchen.  I like to think of my kitchen as my edible chemistry lab…some of my experiments work and some don’t work so well.

Perhaps most importantly of all, wisdom means that we need to share what we learn with others.  This might mean our kids, younger co-workers, members of the “next generation,” and even our blog readers.  I feel very strongly about giving back to others in the form of teaching and good conversation which might include some words of wisdom.

Yes, I love to learn and I’m curious by nature.  It’s something I’m passionate about.  Even though it has been years since I’ve graduated, I continue to learn so many new things.  It makes me realize and appreciate why graduation is also referred to as “commencement” because it really is just the beginning.

How about you…what is your favorite light-bulb moment?

Thank you to Lori at JaneBeNimble for the invite to participate in the monthly RAOKA (Random Acts of Kick Arse) series.  For more information please visit her blog here.

Creative Commons photo of Starbuck’s wisdom coffee cup courtesy of Denise Cross.

At a time when our society worships multi-millionaire pro athletes, celebrities and rock stars it was refreshing to see Time Magazine’s profile of an American rock star, Thomas Edison, in its annual history issue. If you live in the United States, chances are you pay your electricity bills to the company named after Edison. Chances are, you might also grumble at the ever increasing cost of your bill.

But you might not know that Edison holds 1,093 patents, many of which have had a profound impact on our everyday lives. Consider this: if Edison had not invented the kinetograph, we might not have the motion pictures which capture our imagination and offer us a place to hide and keep cool on hot summer days. If he had not invented the phonograph, we would likely not be able to enjoy music in the comfort of our own homes.  Most importantly, Edison devised a system of electricity distribution which allowed us to light our homes and keep ourselves comfortable and our food cold.

Many of these things that Edison invented, we take for granted. Think about life before these inventions…to me life at this time seems a bit like the dark ages. But Edison came along and literally and figuratively brightened the world.

I felt a sense of pride reading about how Edison helped spark the American way of innovation and learning that Americans have captured nearly half of all Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine since 1901. But I also felt a sense of disappointment to learn that America’s place in the world of innovation seems to be taking a dive…the United states is 8th among wealthy nations for portion of GDP spent on research and development.

One of my favorite parts in Time’s feature on Thomas Edison is a printed page from Edison’s list of “things doing and to be done,” which includes a mention of projects to improve the phonograph and lighting, the creation of ink for the blind and an electrical piano. The accompanying text mentions that Edison filled more than 3,500 notebooks that contained ideas and drawings of his projects. I think this is great because, I’ve been keeping “idea notebooks” for a number of years…though I need to catch up to Edison’s 3,500. Seeing evidence of Edison’s tinkered thinking is fascinating to me.

While America’s dominance in innovation may be slowing down, the Time article proposes that this might not be an entirely bad thing. With our ever-increasing global world…innovation that makes our lives better could come from any number of parts of the world. It would be great, in my opinion, if we could return to a time and environment where this innovation is once again encouraged.

If you’re interested in Edison, do yourself a favor…go pick up the July 5th edition of Time magazine or read the entire article here. Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

How about you…do you keep an idea journal?

When we think of strategic partnerships, we think of more than one brand or group partnering with each other for their mutual success.  This video is the latest example of a creative strategic partnership – between YouTube and The Guggenheim Museum in New York.  For the Guggenheim, YouTube can make their museum and name a bit more accessible to everyone.  For YouTube, partnering with the Guggenheim adds prestige to its brand and its selection of videos.  For us, we have the opportunity to bring creative video ideas to life and the opportunity to watch these videos without booking a trip to New York City.

Personally speaking, my visit to the Guggenheim in New York two years ago was one of the highlights of my trip.  I love that this promo video reminds me of my experience there and gets my creative juices flowing.  As far as I can tell, this contest is a win-win-win situation. For more information about this, please visit the Guggenheim website.

Last week, I had the good fortune of attending my first ticker-tape Stanley Cup victory parade along with approximately 2 million of my closest friends. It was a celebration of an amazing 2010 hockey season by the Chicago Blackhawks. In the middle of the sea of humanity, I came to a realization: no matter what age or stage of our lives, it is necessary for us to celebrate our victories, big and small.

It’s great to celebrate big victories like the Stanley Cup, the World Series or first place at whatever. It’s especially nice when there are others around to celebrate these big victories with us (like at a ticker tape parade). Chances are, however, we’ll encounter a lot more smaller victories and milestones than larger ones. And it’s important we celebrate every one of the small ones.

For example, if you’re a writer, a big victory would be to finish your book or get it published. A small victory might be to finish a chapter or a set number of pages. If you’re looking for work, a big victory might be to find a job; a small victory might be to secure an interview or networking meeting.

These small victories make it possible for us to experience big ones. Celebrating a small victory doesn’t mean parties and trophies. Usually a small victory can be as simple as an acknowledgment that you’re getting somewhere and on the right track to something. Small victories may not feel like a victory at all – they might give us a smile or even be mixed with a serving of disappointment.

Back in the 1990′s, I took a year-long improvisation program which included weekly classes that led to our group putting on a show at Second City. For me, these weekly classes were challenging. I had many moments where things went well, I got a few laughs and felt proud of my performance. But I also had challenging moments where I felt like I wasn’t funny or felt like I made a fool out of myself in front of my classmates.

But that’s fine – I always looked at my weekly classes as a small victory no matter how well or how bad I did. I felt this sense of victory because I knew I learned something about myself and felt like it was bringing me closer to something bigger. And it did.

After I had graduated from the program in front of my friends and family at Second City, I felt much like the Chicago Blackhawks did when winning the Stanley Cup last week. It was an exhilarating experience and one of the greatest accomplishments I had up to that point in my life. I learned so many lessons from my experience – lessons of teamwork, listening, quick thinking, creativity and laughter.

My biggest victory was coming to the realization that I could accomplish just about anything I put my mind to and overcoming a mountain of fear and self-doubt. I learned that anything is possible. And that, my friends, is just about the greatest victory we can celebrate.

How about you…have you celebrated any small victories lately?

99 year old former UCLA coach John Wooden passed away Friday.  While most of his greatest accomplishments occurred before I was born, I have a deep appreciation for what he stood for.  In a world where “winning at all costs” is a mantra taught to amateur and professional athletes alike, Wooden preached something different: giving it our all and doing our best.  I love that he believed that success wasn’t about trophies, awards or even money and status.  He believed that only we can determine success for ourselves.  While he was coaching, Wooden emphasized practice and the process of becoming the best team possible more than he emphasized winning.  This philosophy, ultimately, led to his and his teams’ success.

Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. — John Wooden

Wooden compiled an amazing 620 – 147 record and ten world championships in his 27 years as coach of the UCLA Bruins.  But I admire and appreciate that Wooden thought of himself as a teacher first.  He taught his players lessons that could applied to their lives just as much as they could be applied to game situations.  In other words, he made sure his players were well-rounded, decent human beings.

For more about John Wooden’s life, check out his official website, his wiki page and his TED talk.