Ever wonder why people get so loud when they claim to be supporting you?
I sometimes second-guess people who are so up in my face about being behind things I’d like to accomplish. Perhaps it’s me being pessimistic about things.
I think I appreciate the silent kinda support; you know; just asking how things are going, offering to give me a hand for anything (and actually meaning it).
Sometimes it’s not about being so loud–subtly definitely has its beauty.
It might just be me and my out-of-shapeness (Yeah, I made up a word) but every time I get on the treadmill I find the first 3 minutes of running to be the most difficult to get through and then I get in my zone, until my body snaps out of it and starts feeling a little worn out.
So why am I telling you about the first 3 minutes on the treadmill being difficult? I’m sure you can guess, if not, I will tell you:
You gotta push through stuff, if you don’t, you’ll never know what it’s like to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Of course when you start something new you WILL be faced with difficulties but what’s the point of life when you don’t meet those challenges head on? What will you accomplish if you don’t?
Haven’t you heard? The best things in life are created through the most difficult of situations.
Push through the first 3 minutes–you’ll be happy you did.
What.A.Week (last week)
So much I want to share with you!
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the ING Save out of the Box on Wednesday, TwestivalTO on Thursday, Got to see my best friend’s wedding outfits on Friday(SUPER EXCITED FOR HER WEDDING!), and WordCamp TO on Saturday and Sunday.
Can I just say: ING definitely knows how to throw a party AND create A LOT of buzz for their new venture–Mobile Banking. They even had phones there to test it out! In any case, after the launch, there were a flurry of articles commending ING for their innovation and finally embracing new technology in a way current, traditional banks have not done yet (I certainly hope they’re taking notes). To add to ING awesomeness, I’ve been wanting to open up a savings account with them for quite a while–this event, launch, and endeavor simply confirms to me that ING is a cool place to keep my money. OH! AND Lights was there performing (she’s tiny and awesome, FYI)
TwestvialTO at Tryst Nightclub:
Nothing really tops the feeling when you know you’re actively assisting children from third world countries get the education they need. The out-pouring of media was amazing and it made me realize something:
It’s not that people don’t want to help, in fact, I believe it is within our nature for humans to assist the greater good, just sometimes we don’t know where to go, or how to do it. Let me tell you: TwestivalTO is and was a GREAT way to do it! Congrats to the organizers of the event: @skanwar, @sarahpervette, @erin_bury–great leaders of the community!
On a more personal note, the proverbial wedding bells seem to be chiming louder after Friday. It all became a reality that a good friend of mine(practically a sister from another mother) is actually getting married this summer when another sister from another mother and myself walked into her room to find a vast array of shoes, purses, and of course–the wedding outfits. Bridesmaids (missing one due to her temporary re-location to London, UK) in tow, the bride showed us what shoes and purse she will be wearing with which outfit on each day (if you didn’t know, Muslim weddings last for 10 million years..or..AKA..a week). To sum: My best friend is getting married this summer. Holy Crap!
Last but definitely NOT least: WordCampTO. Unfortunately, due to my silly immune system, I started feeling quite under the weather on Saturday and was not able to stay the whole day, but I did muster up enough energy (due to lots of water drinking and a good nights rest) to attend all of the sessions on Sunday. As a newbie to WordPress, I found the information super useful, and of course, the speakers were great! @jeremywright , @michaelbanovsky , @bradgosse really got the audience thinking about Social Media, Branding, and SEO in different, exciting, and informative ways. Not only were the speakers awesome, the people were great as well AND I believe I got an epiphany with what I wish to do with my life (stay tuned for that cos you know I’m going to write about this in a later blog post).
Overall, last week was one hell of a ride (in a good way) and I can’t wait to delve deeper with the lessons I learned (got quite a few blog post ideas) and tell you about my epiphany.
In the meantime: be good, keep learning, and stay true to yourself.
In a world where we don’t go a day without innovation, invention, or just hear stories about people breaking out of their everyday only to pursue a life that allows more freedom and creativity–we’ve all had that moment where we ask ourselves: How on God’s Green Earth am I supposed to stand out?
I know we’re all different and unique in our own way, but it’s not like we can really; truly be ourselves when we’re discussing matters in our professional lives. So HOW do we separate ourselves without sounding or looking like a complete dumbass?
The answer: I have NO idea. There is a very thin line between being creative and trying to differentiate yourself and just looking foolish and, consequently just blowing your chance.
Normally, I would opt for the safe side, flow with the status quo and see if I get a nibble. But, now that I look at it, where has that gotten me? Really? By sticking to the status quo, am I pushing myself to be a better Zemina? Am I really practicing what I’m preaching? About changing and reaching unconventional success? If I were to answer any of those questions: It would be a big fat No.
So with that in mind, I decided to take a leap with regard to a volunteer opportunity I’ve been struggling with. Not because I didn’t know what to write, but if the format I decided to submit my application in was a good idea. The opportunity itself has everything that I’d like to learn about, the organization is doing great things, but I didn’t hand in my application via Word format, I decided to do it in PowerPoint, added a bunch of colour, and frankly, un-formalized it. Now whether that risk is going to backfire or not, I don’t know yet, but at least, if it doesn’t work, I may have the opportunity to ask what I could have done better, what I could change, if it was a good idea to do in the first place.
At the end of the day, I think that, although it was a risk to looking foolish, I have more of an opportunity to learn more from the risk than I do if I were to stick to convention.
No worries though; I will be keeping you updated and we’ll solve this mystery: where the line of Creativity and Differentiation ends and Foolishness begins.
Update: As promised, I told you I’d let you. know by Monday whether my risk was a good one to take or just foolish. The result:
I haven’t heard from them, and It’s been a week so I’m going to assume it was foolish. BUT! At least I know I tried! 
I think I like where we’re heading now in the marketplace, and according to Ray Kong, Senior Vice President of Ipsos Reids’ seminar on Marketing to the New Customer–it’s only gonna get better!
At the 2010 Spark Conference on Saturday, March 13, 2010, we learned that we’re moving to a time where it’s not about the dollar bills you got in your pocket, it’s about what you’re able to do with the people, resources, and knowledge you already have working for you and how you actually decide to HELP people with aforementioned factors.
We’re talking about the move from Tribe of Wealth to the Tribe of the Responsible. You see it everywhere, companies recognize that today’s consumer is looking for the most VALUE. This doesn’t mean the CHEAPEST, nor does it mean the most EXPENSIVE. We want our money’s worth minus the exorbitant prices.
This talk about value often reminds me of what my mom has been trying to teach my sister and I since forever. She would purchase clothes for us from garage sales, and second-hand shops (I’m not ashamed to admit it, let’s be real here, whose mom didn’t?) and she knew how to pick em well cos let me tell you: my sister and I had NO excuse for needing new clothes for at least a year or two. She picked out well made clothing for a ridiculously low price. She would always tell us that clothes (obviously this example isn’t only applicable to clothing ) just aren’t made the same way nowadays and this is how she would get the MOST out of her buck, by purchasing higher quality clothing from back in the day found in second-hand stores.
We want that back. It’s clear. Give us stuff that’s going to last us for more than a month, at a GOOD price, without messing up the environment. It may seem like a demanding list, but there are companies out there that are fitting the bill, so I highly suggest the big corporations that have not yet moved towards the Tribe of the Responsible starts movin’ quick time!
What do you think about where the marketplace is headed? Do you think moving from the Tribe to the Wealth to the Tribe of the Responsible is best for society? Which tribe, if any, do you prefer?
