Fear, friend or foe?

I was just thinking about fear and whether it is really our friend or foe.

I would have to say it's both. How can that be? Fear is all around us. We have a running dialog in our own thoughts that can be used for good or for evil.

Fear as a friend
Pushes you to do what needs to be done such as finding a job because you need money

Fear as a foe
Thinking you are too old to use or understand social media so you don't

Fear seems to be such a constant negative weight that people can't seem to shake. I decided it was time to ask the following questions:

Why do we have so much fear and more importantly why do adults have so much more fear than children?

My answer is the following: We are afraid to fail so we have fear.

I decided that we need to reprogram ourselves. Maybe adults could learn new things easier if we just decided that failure IS an option. If we weren't so afraid that we would fail at something, we might each as individuals learn a whole lot more.

What do you think?

P.S.-- Being criticized shouldn't be a barrier to try new things. If people are going to criticize you at least you are trying. It's easier to analyze what other people are doing when you aren't doing anything at all.

2010 is here. For real.

I know I'm really bad about blogging, so I'm just going to stop apologizing and start doing. 2010 is a big year for me, and I'm very excited about it.

Why is it such an exciting year?

I'm getting married! It still seems way to far away, though.

Ten years ago I graduated high school.

There are many changes going on in my life, and I really want to enjoy them. I feel like I've been planning for my wedding forever, and I guess I have been. I want to also make sure I'm planning for the big picture.

Where do I see myself in 5 or 10 years? I need to really take this question seriously. This is the year to plan this. I know how quickly time flies... It's so crazy how I can remember being the class of 2000. Now it's ten years later. Almost in the blink of an eye.

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? How are you planning for the future right now?

It's all about the visual

I'm working on putting together a presentation on how we should develop a social media strategy. I found this fantastic visual on slideshare.

The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas

I really like slideshare, and I think I'm going to start using it more. What a great resource.

Time Flies

I can't believe it's been over a year since I got engaged! It's crazy how things have changed in a year. Let me see what I can think of off the top of my head. Over a year ago I was...

• Living in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Working at WonderGroup
• President of Ad2
• Planning the Mid Year Retreat in Cincinnati for Ad2
• Driving to North Carolina for Thanksgiving
• Committed myself to working out

Now, I'm living in a new city, working at a new job in a new industry, and I'm planning my wedding. I definitely committed myself to working out. I'm in great shape, and I need to set some realistic goals for next year. Here are some of the things I haven't managed to work on in the last few years.

• Read more (Need to make this happen. No more excuses!)
• Organize my social networks
• Stay in touch with people better
• Make my blog look better-finally get a wordpress blog

I feel like I've been a great motivator to my family to use technology to stay connected. I introduced Skype to them on Thanksgiving, and we all really enjoyed it. Since Matt and I are planning our wedding and we live so far away, we weren't able to travel.

Anyway, I'm just trying to get better focused on the things that matter most to me which include family, friends, and constantly learning.

2 Months Up North

So far so good in Minnesota. I've been busy with the following:

• Planning wedding and upcoming trip to Bloomington, Indiana
• Getting used to living in Minnesota
• About to start my second week at work
• Staying in shape by working out on elliptical and Wii Fit Plus
• Snow on October 10th!!!

Not much else going on with all of the activities I mentioned above. Just trying to stay focused on the important events going on right now. Really looking forward to the trip to Bloomington. My fiance and I are taking engagement pictures on October 23 which is the same date as our wedding next year.

It's all about the context

I finally had the opportunity to watch the first episode of this year's Biggest Loser Season 8. I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was definitely surprised by one of the contestants, and her situation.

Unfortunately, this contestant lost her whole family in a terrible car accident. I know this show is always filled with emotion, but I really had to think about this situation and how horrible it would be for anyone to be in her shoes. It also reminded me that it's important to put your life into context. If you don't, you might just worry about things that aren't really priorities.

Right now I live in a new city, I'm meeting new people and sometimes it's just exhausting. After watching that episode of Biggest Loser last night, I realized it's not so bad to be in my shoes right now. I also realize how important it is from a marketing/advertising perspective that it's all about how you communicate your ideas and if the people around you understand it in the appropriate context. Put your idea in the wrong context and all of a sudden it doesn't come across the right way.

Moved to the "Big North"

Before I start back into the job hunt, I wanted to write a few words about my move to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've been here a few weeks now, and I'm making my way around.

• Supposedly I have a southern accent? That's been mentioned twice. (Wonder if being from New Jersey would be considered southern?)
• On and off ramps are like Nascar driving. So surprised I haven't seen more accidents.
• Favre is already king around here. I see his jersey all over the place. (I have one now too.)
• Skywalks are the wave of the future, or should I say the wave of winter?

Anyway, I better work on finding a job now. : )