Six Degrees or Six Pixels of Separation?

Posted by random olio

I had checked out “Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone” by Mitch Joel at the library numerous times and had never opened the cover. I either had to return it because someone else was next on the list, or I had renewed it so many times I had to return it and re-check it out. Finally last week I read it. After getting into it, I realized I was reading it at the perfect time. Had I actually opened the cover before last week I am not sure I would have finished reading it. It is not that it is a boring book, more that the subject matter has a specific audience. The message has an impact to a project I am working on at the moment, and I probably would not have related to the message the author shares if I was not working on this project! It is always interesting to me the timing of things in our lives.

The premise of Joel’s book is that due to the Internet, we are no longer separated (think Kevin Bacon and six degrees of separation). He talks throughout the book about how to interact, engage, and ask questions online. He shares very helpful ideas. In the end I realized how we are all in differing degrees cyber stalkers. We view and watch online much more often than we participate. Such as this fact from Six Pixels:

“Only about 2 percent of all people online actually comment. The question really needs to be provocative enough to spark them to take action. Asking questions also keeps your content alive for a longer period of time.” Page 174

I think that is fascinating. Only 2 percent. So that means that the other 98% of online users are stalking content. What will it take to raise that 2% to 5%? Create more compelling content? Ask more questions? Create a forum for conversation?

I have my own reasons for not always commenting or participating. Sometimes it is time. I might quickly be checking into Facebook or Twitter to read updates, but do not have time to respond. Or I might not be interested in the topic or community and decide not to share my thoughts. Often, though if I have the time or energy, I will contribute, respond, like, share, etc. When I see a picture or an article, I comment if there is something I want to share. This means I am at times part of the 2% and at times part of the 98%.

Why do you choose to contribute online? Or what makes you stay in the 98%?

What Makes You Happy?

Posted by random olio

Do you ever stop and think about what makes you happy? Is there something that brings a smile to your face throughout the day? Or even once a day?

Chris brings a smile to my face. When I think of him during the day, when I see his name show up on my phone. A text, or a voicemail. It is a reminder to me that he is thinking of me. I try to return the favor. It is nice to be thought of isn’t it?

Little babies that start laughing and cannot stop. That makes me happy. Laughter in general makes me happy. When you watch a genuine moment between two individuals, whether two co-workers are making a connection, or you see someone at the store helping another person.

Seeing someone passionate about something makes me happy. It could be when you hear someone sing and it sends chills throughout your body, because you feel the sound of the music and their voice together and it moves you. When you see a couple dancing, and you can see and feel their connection.

Smiles make me happy. You know the kind where their eyes are crinkled and you know that it is real, genuine happiness. When you nail it in a work meeting, or you someone else brings their game to the table and you are just in awe of what they are capable of and what you know you can learn from them.

Hugs. Hugs make me happy. They ground me. I love this quote from this recent Daily Om:

“Many of the happiest people on earth are also those coping with the most serious challenges. They have learned to make time for those simple yet superb pleasures that can be enjoyed quickly and easily. Cultivating a happy heart takes no more than five minutes. The resultant delight will be neither complex nor complicated, but it will be profound and will serve as a reminder that there is always a reason to smile.”

laugh as we have always laughed…on side of Portland building

What makes you happy?

Do You Watch Jeff Lewis?

Posted by random olio

I was talking with someone last week about Jeff Lewis. Have you ever seen either of his shows? His first show was: Flipping Out, and his more recent show is: Interior Therapy. Both are on Bravo and are about designing homes. Jeff Lewis is a character. He is direct, crass, and definitely not politically correct. I am not sure I could ever work for him. I do not have the patience that Jenny (his assistant) does. He would definitely fire me quickly, because I would have to tell him how horrid he is to his employees.

Having said all that, he is hilarious to watch, and he has impeccable design taste. I would live in one of his designed homes in a second (if I could afford one)! I decided to Google him a bit, and found his Facebook page. I had fun seeing all his candid photos of random people or things he finds while out in Los Angeles. Of course I had to “like” it so that his random posts will show up in my Facebook feed and I can smile, laugh, or roll my eyes.

Flipping Out is a show about flipping homes that started a few years ago. When flipping homes slowed down with the economy and real estate plunge, Jeff shifted the show towards his design expertise and helped individuals redo their internal spaces, rather that flipping large homes. The theme that was thread through the show was that Jeff also would flip out at his clients, employees, and subcontractors. All the time. As with a home that is being flipped, time and effort improves the home. The same has happened with Jeff. Over a few seasons, he flips out less. A new season of Flipping Out has just started. Try it out. (I also included part of a random episode below).

You might find it is one of your new favorite shows, or you might find that Jeff’s design skills rank way above his people skills.

You Are Your Energy

Posted by random olio

We each have a way we enter the room. You might be loud and vivacious. Someone else might be quiet, accessing the other individuals in the room and then slowly open up as they get to know others. Either is fine. It is who we are. We each are different, unique, individual. Have you ever thought about how you leave a room? Not the actual exit of a room, but what aura, vibe, or energy that you leave?

It is something I think about often. The other night I was at a restaurant with my sister, her boyfriend, and Chris. Our table happened to be near the bar, and the people waiting for a table were yelling at each other (a man and a woman) and it was immediately behind where I was sitting. It felt like they were yelling at me. At one moment the woman rested her arm on the back of my chair. It was annoying. The energy around me felt toxic. Chris at one moment leaned over to them and said: “My wife is not your armrest.” (Don’t you love Chris). I love when he is just so direct!

In any case, my story is meant to illustrate that the energy you have in a room impacts those around you. Your energy can also have the same effect online. On blogs, websites, Twitter, Facebook, etc. This is why I love what Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) has created for how he Tweets. He follows what he calls: ICEE – which stands for:

Inspire
Communicate
Educate
Entertain

I love this concept. It is something I have tried to stick to with Random Olio. To communicate inspiration, at times entertain, and share ideas that may help others think in new ways. I also try to think about that at work, when I am out with people, and with family. Obviously, I am not perfect, but what an ideal to strive towards. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we each approached life with how we can inspire, educate, and entertain?

I am off to start my day with ICEE as my focus. Want to join me?

Remember Playing MASH?

Posted by random olio

Do you remember as a kid playing MASH (Mansion/Apartment/Shack/House)? It used to be a horoscope/8-ball into your future. As a girl (and I can imagine more girls than boys played this game), you would list out 4 boys names, 4 cars, 4 numbers (usually meant for # of kids), 4 cities, and 4 jobs. Then the friend asking you the questions would say “Go” and they would make draw lines until you said “Stop.” Then they would count the number of lines and use that to go through the list and cross off items in each list until there was only one left. I have not played that game in years and years. AND. Yes, there is an online version. No longer do kids (if they still play this game) write on notebook paper. There is also, yes you guessed it, a MASH app.

MASH

It came to me today because we have been house hunting and it made me think about the house I grew up in, and how much my parents paid for that house, and how expensive homes are today. Like dominos, my mind went from the house I grew up in, to my neighborhood, to childhood friends, to games we played and then to MASH. Does your mind do that kind of domino effect of one thing to another?

As I started writing this post, I remembered I had this article saved for a while from LearnVest about “How much my lifestyle will cost?” I had been meaning to use their MASH style calculator that tells you how much money you need to be saving to have that MASH-esque lifestyle. It is sort of like a dream calculator.

Ah…the things we did as kids. The dreams we had for our mansion, the boys we dreamed about growing old with, the luxury car, oh the list goes on. In the end, it all turned out all right. Dreams are good though. Some we meet, some we never attain, and some we blow out of the water!