Feel the Steel

Feel the Steel in Chapel Hill:

When Carolina claimed the ACC regular season championship last weekend, with their 81-67 win over Duke, one of the many 'highlights' for UNC fans was the first few minutes of the game. The tradition in Chapel Hill, is the seniors always start on 'Senior Night' and typically play until the first dead ball. In this case, those seniors included several members of the now famous 'Blue Steel'.

"What began as nickname for the six walk-ons in practice has morphed into a cult following, as the players are called Blue Steel by the Smith Center announcer, hear Blue Steel chanted by the student section, have over 4,500 followers on Twitter and are now selling Blue Steel t-shirts for charity." (The Herald Sun)

Check out Blue Steel on Twitter to get the full scoop. A great example of  unintended consequences in marketing and illustrates how strong of a brand that is 'Carolina Basketball' when the end of the bench guys can create an identity that sells t-shirts to help a charity.

They also took it to the Dukies. Final score: Blue Steel 3 - Blue Devils 0! And it could have easily been 7-zip. churnOn Heels!

What's in a word: churn?

I have never entered a poetry contest before, so first time for everything . . .

churn

churning, burning, learning
fumbling, bumbling, stumbling
further up . . . further in
churnOn my wayward friend

Inspired by Marcus Goodyear and his post Random Acts of Poetry: What's In A Word? Inspired by Keith Jackson, ABC Sports, 'Whoa Nellie!' Inspired by C.S. Lewis, Chapter 15, The Last Battle titled 'Further Up and Further In'.

Stand by you

AFPYC.com:

" . . . no matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point you are going to need somebody to stand by you!" 

Click this link, listen to the song (AFPYC Intro Video,) and read this post. And then watch my dear friend, Margot Ritchie on Fox news this past week, talking about childhood obesity and learn how Margot's non-profit is helping make the world a better place. You rock, Margot!

This week I continue my theme on 'connecting', the art of finding people in your life who can help you accomplish a goal or launch an idea. Last Tuesday, I celebrated John Fees and the inspiration I gained from his blog post, Look for Work, Not a Job. This week I celebrate Margot Ritchie, founder and director of The Arts and Fitness Program for Young Children.

Margot is what I call a 'cheero' - a hero who cheers you onward and upward. She has been among a tight group of family and friends, who have constantly said 'yes you can' to me when I needed to hear those words. A cheero is different than a hero. Dean Smith is my hero. I never personally knew Coach Smith during my time in Chapel Hill, other than a few meetings in his office when I worked in the UNC Ticket Office. (You never forget those meetings.) But Margot is a 'cheero' - because I know her very well and she inspires me towards my dreams. These are the people with whom you should choose to spend your time.

Who are your heroes? Who are your cheeroes? Do you choose to spend time with people who inspire you towards your dreams? Be sure to request a free copy of my eBook, Releasing the Churn to learn more about how your 'cheeroes' can help you accomplish your dreams.

Connect - It is still a who you know world

Kendall Marshall #5!:

This is the fourth post in a six part series about how I created my website, churnOn.com and this blog; as well as launched an ecosystem of social networking tools in just four weeks. The series is dedicated to Coach Dean Smith and pays tribute to the four corners offense. As my social media activation continues to take me towards unique and interesting business opportunities, let me note that my Tar Heels are 'connecting' on all cylinders and captured the ACC regular season championship with a special win over Duke on Saturday!

Read part one: The Four C's that launched churnOn.com 
Read part two: Create, Connect, Complete, and Churn

Read part three: In corner number one: Create!

Last week I wrote about the creation phase of the website and especially the importance of the word 'start'. The emphases was on moving the ball forward by finding steps that would launch the project from 'idea' to 'reality'. One of those steps was the use of a vision board.

Vision Board

After making the vision board, I oscillated out of 'creation' mode and into 'connect' mode. I put the board in the car and I drove around asking my friends, "What do you think of this idea?" There are other ways to describe the transition from create to connect. I got out of my head and went into my heart. I switched from mental capacity to social capacity.

The process of moving away from creating (mental, mind) to connect (social, heart, emotional) moved me closer to my goal. I attracted what I needed in the way of positive feedback and also I found people who could help me move the project from vision board to the computer. Friends said, "Yes, Page great idea, you can do it!" Others said, "I love your writing and your unique style. Go for it." I needed to hear that and it propelled me further into the project.

My next crucial connection was with the geniuses at the Apple store. For therein laid the magic to unleash the publishing tool, the MacBook.The Apple store became my home away from home, signing up for two hour 'personal project' sessions and working on the Website at the genius bar. Those young men and women are really good at what they do.

I will share more this week about how to 'connect' with people who can help, when you are working on a project. How are your connection skills? Are you 'connecting' on all cylinders (like #5 Kendall Marhsall) when you have a good idea that needs to be shared or launched?

Go, do that

Bailey and Ball by Cindy Fuller

Anybody who knows a dog like our Jack Russell (Bailey) has got to appreciate that image. Bailey is the only creature I know who loves to play ball more than I do. For Bailey, passion equals ball. You throw the ball and off she goes. She gets it!

On Monday, I wrote about the word 'create' in my six part series, The Four C's that launched churnOn.com. I focused on the word, 'start'! Several friends this week have shared this from Seth Godin.

Who will say go?

From page two of Seth's new book, Poke the Box:

"Imagine that the world had no middlemen, no publishers, no bosses, no HR folks, no one telling you what you couldn't do. If you lived in that world, what would you do? Go, do that."

Check out how my cousin and artist Cindy Fuller is living out her passion at The North Shore Art League in Chicago. Cindy said, 'Go'!

My take on Bradley J. Moore's post: Alternative Universe

The final plate on the resume:

For a guy with ten license plates on his resume, this post about life's twists and turns, from Bradley J. Moore really hit home. Very funny and  thought provoking.

Your Career: Is There A Better Version of You Out There Somewhere? 

Here are my thoughts. Just this week, I had a two hour lunch with a talented executive in the tech sector, also fumbling and bumbling with these same 'alternatives'. My lunch buddy said it this way, "Do I throw the screen pass in the flat, or go for the first down marker, or is it time to throw the long ball?" He described himself as a perpetual screen passer.

I've always been a long ball thrower, which is most likely why I have a collection of license plates. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but we subscribe to the 'bloom where you are planted' theory. If you drill down to the specifics I've lived in some special places and worked with remarkable people: Pelham (GA), Chapel Hill, Columbus, Southern California, Lexington, Aspen, Williamsburg, Nashville, Chadds Ford, and Austin. I'll put my list of cities lived and experiences gained up against anybody. But let's face it, ten is a lot of churning and one might ask, 'Why are you always moving?' 'Is the grass always greener somewhere else?' That's why we decided to stay put in Texas, one of the revelations in my eBook, Releasing the Churn. 

Jim Rohn, considered by many to be the first motivational speaker, says: "Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity." In other words, how old you are should not just be measured chronologically, but  should also be measured by the frequency and the intensity of your experiences. Well, I've got some years on me if we do it that way!

My pastor hit me with a baseball analogy a while back when discussing this very subject. He said, "Page, you don't always have to hit the grand slam home run, sometimes it is okay to just bunt the guy over to second base." I'm not sure I heard him? Do you always play it safe? Or do you swing for the fences? How old are you in Jim Rohn years?

Quotes by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher, reprinted with permission from Jim Rohn International �2010. As a world-renowned author and success expert, Jim Rohn touched millions of lives during his 46-year career as a motivational speaker and messenger of positive life change. For more information on Jim and his popular personal achievement resources or to subscribe to the weekly Jim Rohn Newsletter, visit www.JimRohn.com.

Look for work, not a job

Inspired by John Fees:

A paradigm shift that works, when looking for work!

That is my friend John Fees, a talented entrepreneur and strategic marketing executive in the fields of affinity, collegiate and partnership marketing. If you have a business in the education market, or any early stage media company, and you need wise council, you should seek out John Fees.

John wrote a blog post a few months ago that stuck with me when I reentered the 'opportunity' market in early January. The title was, Look for Work, Not a Job. In the post John outlines four suggestions  he believes one should consider when entering the job market, especially in this economy. (I refuse to call it the 'job' market, and prefer to say 'opportunity' market.)

1. Name your work, buy a URL and use it for your email. I was surprised at how easy this was to do through GoDaddy.com.
2. Create a website that describes your skills, interests, and ability to contribute to an organization.
3. Order business cards from VistaPrint that will give you an identity when attending meetings or trade shows. John points out that this simple (and free) step may be more valuable than a resume, and I tend to agree.
4. Update your LinkedIn profile and use it actively by joining groups and building your network. I would add the importance of having 10-15 relevant recommendations. I am working towards that goal now.

I took John's advice to heart. In fact, some might say I drank all the Kool-Aid and I mean that in the positive. I have been extremely pleased with the results of this strategy, as my website and blog are helping me open doors throughout the Austin business community and beyond at the highest levels. Additionally, my desire to better understand and utilize social media tools is helping better prepare me for the next phase of my career. Thanks John Fees for the inspiration!

I want to add a couple of additional thoughts to the points that John makes. One, don't wait until you are out of work to begin this process. And two, purchase a book on 'self-branding' and start planning your strategy for both a personal website (where you can 'name' your work) and social media activation. I recommend Katherine Kaputa's book YOU are a Brand! 

Any thoughts from my fellow churners?