The Big Bags

Dear Baby Boomers,

I’ve heard you talking. You’re scared.

You hate my generation.

You look around at us, and all you see is a group of semi-literate, Ritalin addicts who can’t put down their phones long enough to participate in a face to face conversation consisting of anything more than 140 characters. We possess no work ethic, and we get all of our news from Comedy Central. Our overwhelming sense of entitlement drives you insane, and our credit scores make you shake your head in shame.

You’ve talked it over on the golf green with your overpaid, corporate executive friends. You’ve all decided that a future of Facebook addicted, text messaging hipsters whose video gaming has all but obliterated their social skills  is bleak and far from promising.

You laugh at our ideas.

You laugh at our lifestyle.

You hate our music.

You hate our clothes.

You refuse see our worth.

The future you see us creating is anything but ideal.

Now, let’s be honest. The future you’re so scared we’re going to ruin… it’s really not you’re future, is it? You won’t be around to live it, will you?

I will.

And I’m here to tell you that your hope-deprived and faithless views of the iPod generation is wrong. We are strong. We are open minded. We are creators, artists and geniuses.

We have the courage to look at the traditional 40 hour work week, the educational system, Social Security and fossil fuels and admit that we’re doing it wrong. We have the capacity to demand change and to make a difference. We aren’t afraid to negotiate and compromise to make a better world for each other.

We are adapters. We are fixers. We are inventors. We are risk takers.

I look at the old world you cling to so desperately and I see what it can become if you would just open your eyes and trust my vision of the future. Our youth does not equate to stupidity. Our inexperience does not imply a monopoly of good ideas – or right ideas for that matter – on your part.

We are the movers and shakers. We are the generation who is going to save the world you have left in ruins. Remember (if you can) your early twenties. For you to get where you are today, somebody had to give you a chance. Somebody had to see potential in this poor, disenchanted, wannabe-world-changer from the upcoming rebel generation. They saw something in you, and they gave you a shot. Without them, you wouldn’t be where you are today…

Now look at me.

I’m not going to sit around and wait for you to hand me my chance. If you don’t have the vision to see the incredible tapestry we’re weaving, then get out of the picture, or we’ll cut you out.

I am not weak. I am not stupid. And I’m going to take over your company, your industry and your world whether you like it or not. Pick a side… but pick wisely.

Sincerely yours,

Generation Next

Leadership seems to be the topic of the month.

It’s been coming up in classes, books, presentations and conversations. I can’t escape it. It’s following me.

Last week I was able to attend a UVU Networking night, hosted by the Alumni Association of my alma mater. Bruce Jackson, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Leadership presented.

He pointed out that our country is in the middle of yet another crisis, aside from health care, the economy and global warming. This crisis is that of trust in their leaders. We don’t trust politicians, Wall Street and we certainly don’t trust the news. It’s a truly scary world when you really can’t trust anyone to just tell it to you straight.  It seems like the only time people are honest is when they’re caught in the act of being dishonest.

But then, if these people aren’t behaving with integrity, they’re really not leaders, are they?

Our society has a skewed perception of leadership. People aspire to titles of leadership with the false idea that the title makes the man. They strive to become managers and directors and presidents.  The title, however, is empty without the character to back it up.

Managers Leaders

Managers < Leaders

The true leaders, I’ve found, are those without the title. They influence change with strong moral character, hard work and determination. They have integrity. They generously give others credit where credit is due, and inspire others to reach their best potential.

Managers, on the other hand, don’t always have these qualities. All too often they have their position because of seniority, not their capacity to lead. They often rule by fear, using negative extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. They are close minded. They obsess over procedures and rules, and care about the team’s success only because it reflects on their personal image.

• Are you a leader or a manager?  Here are 10 questions from Dr. Jackson to help you find out.
• Do you have the desire to influence/lead?
• Do you see leadership as a choice or a position?
• Do you have a compelling mission/vision that others are willing to follow?
• Can you translate your mission/vision into a clear and workable plan?
• Do you know how to tap into the core motives, values and life purposes of those whom you work with and lead?
• Does your leadership style (autocratic/democratic/facilitative) match your environment?
• Consider your interpersonal skills… where are you excelling? Lacking?
• Do you emulate the leadership you expect in others? What is your personal and/or leadership ethos?
• Do you seek constant feedback as a leader? Are you a life-long learner?
• Would you follow you? What would you need to do differently?

Remember, anyone can be a leader. Anyone can be an influence for change. What are you willing to do outside of your job description to help others? What value and ideas are you supporting both through your actions and your interactions with others?

I’m writing this post partly for me, but mostly for someone else.

Part of me thinks I shouldn’t write this, because making my personal life fairly public can risky. The last thing I want is a bunch of pity comments from people trying to sympathize with a situation they know nothing about. (That’s why comments have been disabled.) However, I know that someone needs to hear this.

At the moment, I need to come to grips with a tidal wave of experiences and emotions that have slammed me in the heart over the past day or so.

If you’re familiar with Abraham of the Bible, you know he was an old dude. He was also promised that he’d have posterity. Lots and lots of posterity.  I’m sure that as the years passed by and there were no children, Abraham started to wonder whether or not he was going to get that one thing that he most desired… a son.  He struggled. He wavered. And finally, when it was announced that his wife would bear a child, he doubted.

I can only imagine his joy when he finally came to grips with reality. He really was going to have that one thing he always wanted! Isaac was born, and Abraham was happy…

Until one day when Abraham got a message. A really crappy message. Abraham had to destroy the one thing that he held more dear than anything else. He was commanded to kill Isaac. He literally had to kill the one son who was the absolute key to the fulfillment of so many promises and so much happiness.

The request to sacrifice is not uncommon in scripture. This particular sacrifice though, I think, is on a whole different scale of significance.  He was asked to sacrifice his only son, and for reasons he did not understand.

The surprising thing? He did it…

He could have disobeyed. He could have ignored the messages and promptings he’d received to do this unbearable thing. But instead, he packed up his son, put him on an altar, and had every intention of completing the sacrifice until an angel stayed his hand.

I never understood the significance of this story.

Sacrificing the thing you love most in this world because of your faith in God seems cruel. I can tell you now that it also feels unnaturally painful and harsh. The unanswered questions, the overwhelming emotions, the emptiness and the longing for something you know you can’t have… it’s the closest thing I’ve experienced to unbearable in my life.

It’s not easy. It’s at a Crap level of infinity.

My hope is that, like Abraham, the promises made will be fulfilled, and that one day peace and happiness will return… and not just for me.

451143.

Beyond this whole vague personal trial of Abraham, my heart goes out to my dear Chilean friends and family. I hope so much that you are all alive and safe.

Through the years, this blog has been used for many things. I’ve written music reviews, movie reviews, restaurant reviews and yes, even date reviews. I’ve written about my personal frustrations, inner struggles and personal life. I’ve documented goals shared things that have made me laugh and yes, I’ve even succumbed to stereotypical blogger stigma and written my fair share of rants and raves, shaking my digital fists at the heavens in frustration of things I had little to no influence over.

Those of you who follow this blog have probably already noticed that the tone has changed a bit over the past few weeks. I think it’s time to open yet another chapter for the Big Bags blog. I have decided to feature stories and experiences I’m having (and have had) with the inspiring people I come in contact with in my life.

I hope you can glean something meaningful from the experiences that are helping to shape me into who I am. Thanks for reading. Really.

Now, go be great.

Today in my PR Capstone class, I got to hear from Malcolm Atherton, Account Executive & New Media Specialist at Business Wire.

Malcolm was kind enough to sacrifice his time to come and present on the nitty gritties of Business Wire’s press distribution services coupled with some great PR advice.  The man obviously knows his stuff… especially when it comes to the integration of new media with old school PR tactics.

What inspired me to write this post, however, was not so much is presentation so much as it was the answer he provided to one of my follow up questions.

I asked him what one tool or skill we should learn or develop as students that would benefit us most in the professional world. I was expecting him to talk about developing good writing skills, or staying current with new technologies… some sort of typical, canned answer. I was shocked, however, when he said, “You need to learn how to build relationships and connect with people.”

What?!

In a world where people walk around with their eyes glued to their phones – a world where communication revolves around Facebook stalking, emails and Twitter – learning to make connections and forge meaningful relaionships with people is the key to success?

I was both shocked and awed.

The truthiness of Malcolm’s statement resonated with me. As much as corporate America would have us believe that success is all about the numbers, analyitcs and facts, I am a believer that relationships (meaningful relationships) are what carry us through life. They provide us with a higher level of personal and job satisfaction. They create value. They are the foundation of real happiness.

I guess what it all boils down to is that it’s really not all about what you know, it’s about who you know… and how you treat them.

Best. Advice. Ever.

Last Friday I had the opportunity of meeting (and listening to) Seth Godin.

As expected, his presentation was amazing. Details to come.

I’m watching the Olympics as I write this post. I love the Olympics. I love them because all of the athletes who attends have something in common, regardless of the sport they participate in. They are extraordinary.

I love extraordinary people.

It’s funny, there are so many people out there competing for average. Some people are satisfied with being good. Others are happy to just get their name in the paper. Some strive to be the best in their nation, or wave the banner of their flag in front of the world. But few, a very select few, strive to be the best. Extraordinary.

It’s hard, yes. But what’s interesting is the incredibly small percentage of people who even consider extraordinary.  Aiming for extraordinary doesn’t even cross their minds.

The competition for mediocrity is fierce. All but a select few are competitors. Extraordinary, however, requires dedication and effort, but more often than not, the biggest competition is yourself.

Who are you competing against?

P.S. I’ve been writing up a storm lately. If you want to have a look at my dating advice blog or some good Utah restaurant reviews, just click the links. Thanks for your support everyone!

Thanks to Dweebist for this one.

“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” -Mahatma Gandhi

There are many incredible people out there. They are those driven individuals who inspire, and change the world for good every day. They are idea people. They push the limits. They test the boundaries. They make change.

I will be one of them.

I’ve been told my whole life by parents, teachers and religious leaders that I was meant for great things. Most of the time I shrugged it off as one of those things that everyone is told through their youth. “You can do anything you want if you just put your mind to it.” Lately, I’ve started to believe it.

I know there are people out there who think I’m arrogant to say will do great things with my life. For example, half of the PR program (over 1,000 students) at my college hates me right now, because I’m the only non-PR major (out of 40 applicants) to apply to go to New York in March to network and score myself a job after graduation… and I was selected. In their minds, I don’t deserve it.

They haven’t seen the years of work I’ve put in to get myself where I am today. They haven’t seen me giving up countless weekends just so I can attend a meeting to shake hands with a few business professionals. They haven’t seen the library of books I have read and re-read by thought leaders in their industry… thought leaders that they’ve never heard of. They haven’t witnessed the hundreds of blog posts, articles and columns I’ve written in an attempt to hone my writing skills.

In their minds I’m like them.

I’m not like them.

I’m not like 99% of the world out there.

I aspire to greatness, not mediocrity. I am a mover and a shaker. I am not afraid to take responsibility for my ideas and my actions. I create change… if you can’t handle that, well, then ignore me, laugh at me, fight me. We’ll see who wins.

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” -Albert Einstein

This semester is passing me by. It’s starting to both scare and excite me. Being scared, I guess, is a good thing. It motivates me to find answers to the events and opportunities looming over me.

Today I caught one of my professors contradicting himself.  This is the same professor that just gave a test that the entire class failed. (The highest score I’ve heard announced so far was a C.)  He is teaching my “Principles of Marketing” class. He has years of experience in the marketing industry… but his product was electricity, which to him, is boring. The boredom of his career coupled with the droning of the required text book, and monotonous PowerPoint presentations is sucking the life and creativity out of the class. I can see it happening as the days go by. Fewer students show up to class every day. The ones that do show up only do so to mark the roll and either work on homework for other classes, tinker around uselessly on Facebook, or, if they’re like me, they catch up on the current events on Google Reader and the New York Times.

Anyway, back to ‘catching’ my professor. I think I threw a wrench in his lecture today. As he stammered through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I raised my hand. He called on me and I said, “I know you have some extensive professional experience in the marketing industry. Can you give me an example of when you used this?”

I honestly wasn’t trying to be one of those students like those from math class who complain, “When are we ever going to use this?”  I am just a firm believer that professors should always teach from their experiences.  It provides opportunity for students to see the application… and for me, it just makes it easier to understand, remember and then apply in my own life.

He fumbled through an answer that, to me, was not really satisfactory.  I felt like he was stretching to tie things together, thereby proving the value of his lecture.

Before he could continue back to his regularly scheduled programming, I raised my hand again. I asked him for one gold nugget. One piece of marketing information that he deemed to be most valuable that we could take with us when the semester was over.

Sadly, I don’t think he’d ever thought of this before.  After a couple of attempts,  I could see something ignite within him.  He got passionate, and started talking about giving the customer what they want. “Always put the customer first,” he said.  “You’ll be tempted to do otherwise in your careers. You’ll be tempted to sacrifice what the customer wants for your boss, or for money or profit or shareholders. Your job is to give the customer something they want. Without customers, you’re nothing.”

Sound advice.

Now I just wish he’d realize that in the setting we’re in, he’s the business and I’m the customer… and thus far in the semester, he’s not delivering.

I was one of the many students who failed his first test.

I’m holding on, white knuckled, trying to pull off passable grades so I can hit the ground running as graduation blows by me. I’m doing this while balancing an awesome job, and trying not to be overcome with every little side project that comes my way. The limited hours in a day do not permit me sufficient time to pursue all of the dreams and opportunities that my heart yearns for every day. Come on graduation… make my day.

Oh, and also… Seth Godin… yeah, he vouched for me today.