In this moving video, Buddy Media founder and CEO Michael Lazerow talks using his iPad about his life story and his company, which was just acquired by Salesforce for $689 million.
“If you live without fear, anything is possible,” he writes. “Is fear holding you back?”
(Source: mashable)
It begins.. #TED (Taken with Instagram at TEDxYouth@Seattle)
Today, I had the opportunity to be a part of something incredible.
I was the Marketing Director of a TEDx event aimed at inspiring the younger generation, & enforcing social change: TEDxYouth@Seattle
It was amazing to see speakers OUR AGE doing things that before they spoke, I didn’t think was possible. I have always tried to fight my limitations & do good— by me & others. Google’s unofficial motto, “Don’t Be Evil”, means exactly that: Change the world. Make an Impact. And try to push the world forward.
It was like Christmas morning to see that I’m not the only one who believes in that, and also strives to make an impact. I don’t think I’ve ever been more motivated to continue doing what I’m doing like I am right now.
New week. Time to get it.
“The best things in life are non-linear.” So said, Ben Huh, CEO of Cheezburger Network, at a recent event organized by the University of Washington American Marketing Association (UW AMA which I was the VP of at the time) in collaboration with the UW Foster School of Business Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).
Not surprisingly, his talk, “Making Failure Cheap: Managing Risk to Ensure Success”, was no ordinary lecture-bullet-point-filled PowerPoint. Instead, Ben Huh was an amazing speaker who grabbed everyone’s attention by sharing his real-life stories—the kind of tales we (as students) hope we never have to face.
Together, we all learned how he overcame his challenges in the most unconventional of ways.
If you want to read more from the event I helped organized, then go here for the full blog post: http://goo.gl/UEf13
“Success is not a matter of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” -Fred Shero
People all too often wait for success to happen to them. “If only it would fall into place…”, “Surely someone will discover who I am and what I can do soon…” or “Just a little while longer and it’ll all come good…” are examples of the things we say while we’re waiting for success to come along.
Of course, the big thing I’ve come to learn is that it doesn’t work that way. Finding success – real success – isn’t a passive thing. It’s not something that happens to you like watching a movie or getting your hair cut. Finding success is something that happens in you.
Here are 4 things for you to think about:
1. What does success look like to you?
What comprises success? How much of it is material? How much of it is emotional? How much of it is spiritual? Get specific about what success does and doesn’t mean to you.
2. Imagine yourself towards the end of your life
Picture yourself towards the end of your life as happy and content as you can be. What is it about that future you that tells you as clear as day that they’re happy and content? Picture yourself walking up to them and asking them what it is that allowed them to reach that point. What single piece of advice can they give you?
3. How focused are you on working on your success?
What are you willing to do to get the kind of success you want? What are you waiting for the world to deliver to you so that you can have that success?
4. Are you driving your success?
How would it be if you were driving that success rather than waiting for it? What changes do you notice in how you do things and how you feel about things?
I’m not suggesting for one minute that you can’t ask others, the world, the universe or whatever higher power you happen to believe in for help. I’m not even suggesting that you become wholly focused on working towards your success. That’s missing the point.
The point is that we humans tend to be focused on working towards happiness and success and assume that until it comes along we have to spend time being unhappy, suffering or struggling.
———-
The truth is that things happen much easier and more readily if we don’t struggle, suffer or assume unhappiness: The assumption that you need to struggle or fight for your success is a false one. Real success comes much easier and becomes more consistent when you operate straight from that place of success instead of assuming it’s out there in the world somewhere.
Go after what’s important to you and get going on all those shiny things you’d love to have, do and be in life, but recognize how much more pleasureable it’s going to be when you’re feeling happy and successful rather than unhappy and unsuccessful.
Fred got it right. Don’t wait for spontaneous combustion or for someone to set light to you. Dive into your own happiness and success, engage with those things and operate from a place where they’re real and present.
Don’t wait, set your soul on fire.
kudos to lifehack
Startup Weekend is Disrupting the World.
Startup Weekend is a global initiative that brings together passionate individuals with unique skill sets and experiences, then challenges them to turn their ideas into reality over the course of a weekend.
(Source: ambitiousm3)
Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power. -Clint Eastwood
(Source: atmosphre, via nickelsonwooster)
One of my newest ventures—-beside Microryza, a crowd-funding platform for research projects—-is a product called: the Hot Straw.
The gist of Hot Straw is this: you cannot drink a straw with a hot drink— why? Because it melts in the liquid from something in the straw called Plasticizers.
Dawn Miracle (it’s her real name, trust me, I asked), Founder and CEO of Hot Straw, first came up with the idea for Hot Straw when working with Parkinson’s patients as a Clinical Researcher, because they DEFINITELY cannot drink hot liquids.
Basically she wanted to help them enjoy hot drinks without spilling or worrying about standard straws melting in the heat, she created a straw that eliminated Plasticizers.
In short: Hot Straw is the first straw designed specifically for use in hot liquids. The key difference is in its ability to withstand the temperature of a hot beverage and not allow plastic to melt into the drink. PLUS, (get this) it’s also BPA free, recyclable, and dishwasher safe.
Baller.
Another cool that to the design of Hot Straw is the oval shape that matches the opening in a to-go coffee lid, meaning the straw doubles as a spill stopper that you can still sip from.
“As a Clinical Researcher, it killed me to know my Parkinson’s patients couldn’t enjoy the coffee they have had their entire life. It’s my job to make their lives more comfortable and they wanted a hot drink, so I found a way to make it happen.” -Dawn Miracle
It was only after she created the straw for her patients that Dawn realized the interest from friends outside her research (this is where I come in).
THRILLED to say that as of last Tuesday Hot Straw has launched at Solsticio Café in Fremont (WA), the first café to sell Hot Straws.
Since Hot Straw was originally created to help Parkinson’s patients, 5% of all proceeds will go to Parkinson’s research!!!
Big talks going on with big names, but as long as the 5% give-back to research is still there— I couldn’t be happier.
Or more excited.. =)
Stay tuned, I’ll try to find the time to talk about Microryza
(pronounced “Micro + Rye + Zah”) sometime soon too.
If you’re super curious about that, then check out our Tumblr here.
“I work hard, and I tend to play hard..
..and I very seldom rest hard.” -Jacqueline Bisset
(via gqfashion)
Don’t be evil
