360 Degree Self

This blog has moved to www.360degreeself.com . All of the content on this blog will remain here, but you can read new posts at the new site. Thank you for your support!

I stumbled upon an enjoyable video by Ben Stiller, which finds him updating his Facebook profile. Like all of us, he's trying to understand the many dimensions of social media...with funny results...

As we celebrate Labor Day weekend 2009, I feel a huge sense of uncertainty regarding my work life and my career. As it turns out, 2009 has become another year of the transition for me. At this time, I want to thank all of my family and friends for supporting me and praying for me during this challenging time in my life. Please know that your prayers and support mean more to me than I can express. During my five months in transition, I have been surprised by three things in particular: 1) The large number of people who are in transition like me. About a month ago, I went to a networking event at a suburban church where over 100 of us were stuffed into a very warm room. Rather than feeling any sense of "strength in numbers," I felt a huge rush of sadness and helplessness. Thankfully the feeling went away quickly. When I go to a library during a typical weekday, I am amazed by the number of people who are waiting to use the computers or working on their laptops. I am also ...

Earlier this year, I wrote a couple posts about the over-use of "like" in our daily conversations. I shared a couple videos from performance poet (and former English teacher) Taylor Mali. You can check out these posts here and here . While browsing Taylor's blog, I noticed that there is now a version of that performance with a very effective use of typography. Created by Ronnie Bruce, this version really brings the meaning of the performance to life. FYI, Taylor is coming out with a new book of poetry, which will soon be available on his website . Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo .

How many times has someone said, "you should...?" You can respond one of two ways: either say "thank you" and make a mental note to yourself or you can mutter something under your breath and try to come across as grateful for the suggestion. Sometimes this advice is unsolicited or comes from a total stranger. Ideally the advice comes from someone who cares about your well-being like a family member, friend or mentor. Recently, Fortune Magazine featured a cover story about successful people and the greatest advice they've ever received. General David Patraeus received some advice from his boss while he was a captain in the army. His boss told him, " I think you ought to look for an out-of-your intellectual comfort zone experience." This advice let Patraeus to get a Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton University and has helped him in his current position as Commanding General in Iraq. For the full story, click here . While working as a...

I continue to work on the re-launch of this blog using WordPress and the Thesis theme. While Thesis makes customizing blogs much easier than many themes out there, I didn't anticipate all of the technical challenges that I've encountered. I've been dropping CSS code in at a not-so-furious pace. Three weeks ago, I wasn't familiar with CSS, but today I am dreaming about CSS code in my sleep. In true do-it-yourself fashion, I am scouring the very helpful Thesis support board and consulting my CSS in 24 Hours book. I am happy with the new design and excited to re-launch in a couple weeks. Honestly, I'm amazed that I've been able learn this code and design the blog myself (though I cannot give myself too much credit since the design is very simple and clean). There have been plenty of moments that I have been more than willing to shell out money for some help. That would have been the easy way. But, somewhere in all of this coding, is a lesson for me. My in...

Thanks to a Chris Guillebeau re-Tweet of a Jonathan Fields Tweet, I stumbled upon this very interesting video. According to information provided on the site , more than 70,000 advertising professionals have been laid off in our current recession. As a former advertising professional who was laid off from two advertising jobs, I can identify very strongly. One thing that always attracted me to working in that industry was working in a creative environment. This video gives you a slice of how just a few of these creative individuals are dealing with their layoffs. Whether you are between jobs or you create storyboards or pivot tables for a living, you might enjoy this...

When I was a kid, ketchup was my favorite condiment. I would put it on everything. I avoided mustard, however, at all costs. Back in the "old days" when my mother took me to baseball games at Wrigley Field, hot dogs purchased from the vendor came with mustard on it already. I wasn't happy about this and I made a mess scraping as much mustard off of the hot dog as I could. These days, my relationship with mustard is different...I love it! Today is National Mustard Day and if I could, I would visit the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb , Wisconsin. If you happen to be anywhere near Mt. Horeb , Wisconsin today stop by the museum. For more information, visit www.mustardmuseum.com . Last night, WGN Radio personality Nick Digilio had Mustard Museum curator Barry Levenson on his program. For a limited time, the podcast is available here . It sounds like Culver's will also feature mustard custard as its flavor of the day. Check your location for availability. If you ca...

Whether you're looking for a job, looking for love or looking to make the sale, one thing can help you on your quest - confidence. Finding confidence, however, is no easy task. Over the years, I've always been amazed and amused that men's shaving products have been sold to us as a source of confidence (see below): I like this commercial (and a close shave), but the fourth blade on my razor is not going to give me the extra confidence to introduce myself to that woman that I'm infatuated with. It's not going to help me make the winning basket to win the championship game. According to Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary , confidence is "a faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way." It also describes confidence as, "the quality or state of being certain." I am not an expert on confidence, but a student. However there is one tip that, to me, stands out when it comes to having more confidence. You can call it th...

Yesterday, I ran into a friend who had a heart attack two weeks ago. He had been eating in a restaurant when he lost consciousness. Thanks to the quick action of another customer who knew CPR, she saved his life by keeping oxygen flowing to his brain until paramedics arrived. When I saw him, he was smiling and pointed to his waistline which had shrunk a little in the past couple weeks. He was also profiled on a local television news story as he gave thanks to the customer and the paramedics that saved his life. He did not have health insurance and was understandably concerned about all of his medical bills. But, he was grateful to be standing next to me. I woke up early this morning to the sound of a hooting owl and birds chirping in the trees nearby. As I laid in bed, half-awake, I was comforted and appreciative to hear their beautiful music. At that moment, it struck me how precious life was. Most of us, myself included, live our lives with giant to-do lists and the expectat...

One of the biggest challenges many of us face on a daily basis is clutter. I am, by nature, a pack rat and believe that your desk or your workspace is a reflection of you. I am also someone looking to re-invent the way I live (and work) my life. With this in mind, I took out an interesting book out of my local library, When Organizing Isn't Enough by Julie Morgenstern. There have been a lot of books written about de-cluttering, but the Morganstern's latest book makes a strong case for not just organizing, but also SHEDing. To SHED means: Separate the treasures Heave the trash Embrace your identity Drive yourself forward In Morganstein's words, "organizing is about identifying what's important to you and giving yourself access to it. SHEDing is about getting rid of the old and obsolete so that you can have space to discover what's important to you." While I haven't finished the book yet, I realize that it is perfect for someone looking to get organ...

First off, I want to thank everyone who has visited this blog, which continues to be a work in progress for me. During my last job search three years ago, I became quite obsessed with the wealth of creativity, entertainment and information provided by numerous bloggers. Some of my early favorites included Scott "The Nametag Guy" Ginsberg , Tom Peters , Christine Kane , Adpulp , and Brand Autopsy to name just a few. There were two things that kept me from starting a blog at that time: 1) I was not ready and did not know what to say. 2) My work "hiatus" was shorter than I anticipated. So I let my ideas simmer and started blogging in early 2008. I wasn't very sure of what I was doing so I blogged anonymously under my first name. Even worse, my "about me" section was virtually non-existent and I had great difficulty figuring out how and where to put my Google Analytics code. These days, I feel like I've begun to hit a writing groove - on this blog and ...

As someone who wrote for my high school newspaper, witnessing the decline of the newspaper in the United States has been disturbing. Chicago is one of the few major cities that still has two daily newspapers. But with all of the forced retirements and buyouts of its journalists and columnists, the quality has declined substantially. However, I still feel that newspapers are important and offer its readers (and citizens of towns everywhere) an important check against corruption in government and business. With the recent deaths of Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays and the demonstrations in Iran, social media has quickly emerged as an important tool for news distribution. I've heard many discussions about many people first hearing of Michael Jackson's death on Twitter before it was confirmed on the news. While I learned about Michael Jackson from my local radio station, I learned about the death of Billy Mays on Twitter from an unlikely source: @michaelianblack , a comed...

I was perusing the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly when I stumbled upon a quick writeup on actress Amy Adams who is listed as a "must sizzling star." She has a movie coming out later this summer called Julia & Julia which costars Meryl Streep. In the piece she reveals, "When I am in a hard scene, I always go, 'What would Meryl do?' Whether she's there or not, she is my invisible mentor." This brings to mind an exercise that I first read about in Michael Michalko's Thinkertoys . This "Board of Directors" exercise involves several steps: 1. Select three to five people you admire. Although Michalko specifically mentions business movers and shakers, they could include writers, artists, athletes or even family members. 2. Get photos of your Board and pin them on your wall. 3. Research your heroes. This means reading their biography, autobiography, news clips, quotes, etc. 4. Take notes. Look for ways your heroes overcame an obstacle ...

Thanks to new blog buddy Michael Plishka at ZenStorming , I was made aware of another DIY learning opportunity...The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has posted free lecture notes, exams and videos on its MIT OpenCourseware site . Some of these courses include architecture, engineering, science and technology, management and the humanities. I have only begun to poke through all of the courses, however one has attracted my attention: Dynamic Leadership: Using Improvisation in Business check it out here . Having taken a year's worth of improvisation classes a decade ago, I am aware of the magic of improvisational theater. In many ways, improv is not about theater or trying to make people laugh. It is a philosophy, a way to approach life. I plan to explore this topic in future posts, so stay tuned. In any case, the key word involved in do-it-yourself learning is do. Sometimes, I am better at accumulating books than I am at reading and applying the ideas in them. I am worki...

A few weeks ago I went to a small, local storefront theater in my neighborhood and saw a play. For more than a year, I have passed this theater on my way to work and had been meaning to check out a show there. Personally, one of my favorite things about living in Chicago is the small storefront theaters. Yes, Wicked and Jersey Boys will attract many more tourists into the city, but my heart is with the small theaters. I've had many memorable experiences seeing small productions of some great plays. Ironically enough, I can even remember seeing Camus' The Stranger in a small church not far from Wrigley Field. The theater in my neighborhood had two rows of seats, approximately 30 total, and wasn't more than twenty feet from the front of the stage. Unfortunately the turnout was sparse and there were only about eight of us. Before the show, I spoke with a woman selling tickets at the door and she indicated that the theater was doing fairly well, but the last two productions ...

Nothing says summertime in Chicago like the Chicago Blues Festival. The 2009 Festival did not feature as many big names as last year when B.B. King headlined, but delivered all the goods that blues fans were looking for. I was able to attend two days of the festival this year and here are a few highlights in pictures. With the recent death of the Queen of the Blues, the 2009 Blues Fest started out on a somber note. A tribute board was created in her honor... By late in the day Sunday, the board was filled up... One of the highlights included guitar legend David Honeyboy Edwards singing "Sweet Home Chicago on the Mississippi Juke Joint stage on Sunday afternoon... Another of the highlights included Big Jack Johnson who played the mainstage in the evening and the Mississippi Juke Joint Stage (pictured below) in the afternoon. As you can see, Big Jack Johnson wears some big yellow shoes... Inevitably, every year I'm blown away by a blues musician that I've never heard be...

As I continue on my job search, one thing that I've been seeing a lot of in job descriptions is the old "MBA preferred, but not required" line. As someone with a Bachelors Degree who is interested in furthering my education, I have wrestled with the thought of getting my Masters Degree or an MBA. I even went as far as attending an MBA fair a few years ago. But the thing that has stopped me from proceeding is not desire, but money. According to Forbes Magazine, the cost for an average two-year MBA program is approximately $100,000. In his book Small is the New Big , Seth Godin makes a case for not attending business school and getting an MBA. Of the three reasons to go to business school, "the third (and least important reason) to go to business school is to actually learn something. And this is where traditional business schools really fail. The core curriculum at business schools is as close to irrelevant as you can imagine. If you and I were trying to create a seri...

There are a lot of people out there who find networking to be a difficult and uncomfortable task. At times, it can feel like a combination of speed dating, ego stroking, auditioning and interviewing. While I have never been a master networker, I feel I am improving at this important skill. A couple weeks ago, I attended a networking seminar and attended two networking events, but I broke a big networking rule: I did not have any business cards to pass out. While I would never recommend anyone to network without business cards (let me tell you, I felt naked without them), sometimes its better to just do it than use it as an excuse to not attend. I don’t regret attending these events without my business cards for one moment because I met some very interesting people and learned some important things. For instance, I learned that you can order “free” business cards from VistaPrint or very professional-looking cards from Staples for a minimal price that will be ready for pickup in four h...

If you have been feeling old, tired and can't remember the last time you had some fun, you might be suffering from a case of adultitis . There have been many times I have felt this way, especially in times of stress and in the uncertainty of the job hunt. While it's important to establish a routine of productivity, it's also important to establish some fun as well. Helping spread a cure for adultitis are my blog buddies Kim and Jason . As you may have read in an earlier blog post of mine from last year, the Simplicity of Food, you know that I enjoy cooking - whether it be for myself or with my family and friends. Last month Kim and Jason explored this topic on their post, The Importance of Family Dinner . I had the opportunity to comment on their post and was fortunate that they read my comment on their Escape Adulthood show (see below). By the way, if you or someone you know have been diagnosed with adultitis, you might want to download Kim and Jason's Escape Adulthood...

The third post in our series of commencement addresses is short and sweet. It was delivered exactly a year ago today by the late Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University. The speech touches on a few key points: living well, regret, and finding and living with passion. Compared to some of the other commencement addresses that have been explored on this blog, Randy Pausch does not rely on his notes very much. I’m sure this is due to its short length and the fact that he has taught these ideas in previous class lectures (and especially his last lecture). Throughout his address, Pausch looks toward his audience as if to take in every moment in appreciation.

I’m not going to hide it: I am an unabashed Chicago Blackhawks fan. For those outside the Chicago area, the Blackhawks have taken this city by storm as they have advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in more than ten years. As a sports fan, you can appreciate that this team as one of the youngest and fastest in the league and that they have a “never-say-die” attitude. From a business perspective, it’s amazing to see how this team has re-invented itself in just over a year to one of the most up-and-coming franchises in any professional sport. If you love drama, you can appreciate this team for its ability to come back from two-goal deficits and win any game. The Blackhawks are one of the Original Six teams in the NHL and last won the Stanley Cup in 1961. As a kid growing up in the late 1970’s, I watched an occasional Blackhawk road game as I pretended to be a hockey player in my living room. The team had its share of good players in my lifetime including Tony Espo...

About twelve years ago, one of my favorite Chicago Tribune columnists, Mary Schmich , wrote a column geared toward college graduates. The piece was modeled after your typical commencement address where she provided practical advice on how to live successfully. Shortly after that, Australian director Baz Luhrmann created a short video of the column and "Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)" was born. More information on this can be found here . As I mentioned in a post last year, I am a sucker for a good commencement address. While these speeches were written for a particular graduation class, the advice is appropriate for anyone looking to change or improve his or her life. With this in mind, I plan to focus on a few notable commencement addresses next week. I hope you visit next week, and as always, I welcome your feedback. In the meantime, wear sunscreen...

The following two clips say more about "like" than I can put into words. Enjoy... As mentioned Monday, Taylor Mali is one of my favorite performance poets. I first saw him in the mid-1990s at a few poetry slams in the Chicago area. A former teacher, Mali's poetry focuses on some of his experiences in the classroom... If you feel strongly enough about "like," feel free to get some anti-"like" gear on Taylor's website . I don't know him or get any commission, but I do think it is great.

One great thing about being a member of Toastmasters is that it helps you to become not only a good speaker, but also a great listener. I find myself catching successful business leaders (and otherwise good speakers) saying “um” and “uh” frequently. At our club, members can be heard saying, “you know” quite often. But, perhaps, the most overused word that I hear on a daily basis is “like.” I remember the first time my uncle, a former college professor, heard me repeat “like” several times in a conversation. He later wrote me a letter telling me I wasn’t using the word correctly. Up until that point, I was not aware that I repeated “like” frequently. I got the message and from that point on, I've made an effort to not overuse “like.” Just as hedge words such as “it seems,” “I guess,” and “I believe” tend to make a speaker seem less confident in their statement or opinion, the word “like” makes a speaker sound less polished and credible. According to a segment from Good Morning Ame...

April is National Poetry Month and I can't think of too many songwriters as poetic as Ellis Paul . You may have heard his music in Me, Myself and Irene , NBC's Ed or at your local coffeehouse. One of my college friends, Jim, turned us onto his music and I've had the fortune of seeing him at least five or six times over the past ten or fifteen years. His music is mellow and reflective and his lyrics paint vivid pictures. I recently stumbled upon the video for the song "Speed of Trees," which is one of my favorites. Have a great weekend!

Normally, Earth Day is not a day that has any great deal of significance for me. Yes, I have a deep appreciation for nature, I abhor suburban sprawl, can’t stand the idea of logging, and I lose respect for anyone who litters. But, I watched Frontline on PBS last night and I was alarmed and outraged at what is happening in our country when it comes to our clean water. To its credit, the episode of Frontline did not sugarcoat the situation. Puget Sound, which I have always thought of as a beautiful natural body of water, is sick and polluted. Companies and municipalities, which are responsible for this pollution, point fingers at each other rather than take responsibility and do the right thing and clean up the mess. Last night’s program convinced me of one thing: things are not going to change unless we, as citizens, get outraged. If there is one tip I can offer everyone for Earth Day this year, myself included, is to take action . This means we need to write our congressmen and get...

I have always been intrigued by the deep, big picture questions in our life such as “what is the meaning of life?” and “what are we doing here?” So it was of great interest to learn about a blog called Soul Pancake which invites its readers to “chew on life’s big questions.” The site was founded by Rainn Wilson from “The Office.” So far, I have enjoyed the musings on spirituality, creativity and philosophy. I’m not sure any of these big questions get answered, but it is comforting to know there is a forum to discuss these topics.

Have you noticed the new padded seats at the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in New York around the dugout and behind home plate? For the amount of money those seats cost, you would expect that those seats would be heated and feature a back massage. With that in mind, here's an absolutely funny clip courtesy of the hard-hitting news team at the Onion... Yankees Building New Vacation Stadium In The Hamptons

If there is a topic that intrigues me more than any other, it would have to be creativity. I am instantly drawn to any book that explores the creative process and how to become more creative. While I do not consider myself artistic, I feel that I am creative. One of my favorite bloggers out there, Scott Ginsberg , wrote a great post today called 12 Ways to Jumpstart Your Creative Metabolism . One of my favorite points that Scott makes is that “the medium is you.” It really has nothing to do with how well you can draw, paint, write, dance or sculpt. Personally, I feel creative when I can add a different ingredient to my omelet or cook something new and out of the ordinary. I feel creative when I can take a picture and focus on something that nobody else would notice in that photo. I feel creative when I can answer an email with a clever, seldom-used combination of words. I feel creative when I incorporate a new word into my conversation that I learned from something I just read. ...

I don't mean to turn this blog into a Jeff Beck appreciation page or even a music appreciation page (though I am crazy about both), I wanted to share another clip of a Jeff Beck performance with Imogen Heap that I stumbled upon during the week. I was captivated by Ms. Heap and her performance, but was blown away by Jeff Beck's guitar solos in this clip. BTW, this is available on Jeff Beck's new DVD and the audio is available as a free download on Amazon.com. Enjoy this clip and the rest of your weekend...

I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. To me, music is too personal for this. Each of us has our own music hall of fame, our favorite musicians and their CDs and albums. That being said, one of my favorite guitar players is being inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame tonight: Jeff Beck . He's already in the Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, but he is being inducted as a solo musician this evening. If you have never heard any of his solo stuff, do yourself a favor and buy/download/borrow some of his work. Start with Wired and Blow by Blow, mix in a little Truth and don't forget some of his newer work such as Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop and Jeff . If you really want to treat yourself, pick up one his live CDs such as his official bootleg, Live at B.B. King's Blues Club . I've had the privelege of seeing Jeff Beck live and he is simply spectacular and jaw-dropping. Once, I went by myself on the day of show and picked up ...

Just a couple days after turning 40, I found out that I was let go from my job along with 15 other employees at my company. I was not surprised-- we had been pretty slow. This makes it my third layoff in five years. Along with getting unemployment I will now be attending Adversity University and figuring out my next move. On the positive side of getting laid off, being a free agent means that my possibilities are wide open. Yes there is plenty of anxiety that goes along with not knowing about what is ahead. At the same time, I also get excited about my future job opportunities. I think many people spend their job hunt scouring the ads looking for a company they will fit into. I have been guilty of this in the past. Today, I am excited about the possibility of creating my own opportunities. Thanks to blogs such as Escape from Cubicle Nation , Christine Kane’s Blog , Phil Gerbyshak , Work from Within and Tom Peters , I can dream about the possibility of doing work that has mea...

This weekend I turn 40 and, more than ever, it feels like time for reflection. As a high school and college student, I figured that I would be married and have kids by now. While I have achieved some career success, I feel my best is yet to come. As a student, I did what I was told, followed all the rules, and behaved myself. In life, I am realizing this philosophy will get you nowhere...fast. It has taken me this long to realize this. I also realize that 40 is just a number. For one thing, I am thankful that I don’t look 40 (so I’ve been told). I am also thankful I don’t act too much like I’m 40. Yes, there are moments when I can be pretty serious, but I think I am a kid at heart. But, unlike a kid, I do not have time to burn. It is time for me to realize some of the dreams that I put off and also create new dreams. It is easy to put off and forget about our dreams as we get older. There are many reasons for this: marriage, kids, job, survival, and other responsibilities. ...

With mild weather sweeping through the Chicago area, my first opportunity to take an enjoyable walk in the park was this past Sunday morning. As I rounded the quarter-mile track, I encountered a woman walking two large dogs – the one on the right was going number two. While this was not a sight I wanted to see after my hearty breakfast, I was angered when she left without picking up after her dog. The non-confrontational part of me defeated my angry side. I said nothing. At each subsequent lap that I walked, I was reminded of the “gift” that was left behind. I thought about this incident and how it was a prime example of something that has grown to bother me about us humans – the “me” mentality. You see it when you are crossing the street and none of the vehicles give the pedestrians the right-of-way or when drivers are in such a hurry that they put other drivers in danger. It happens when wealthy investors make poor investment decisions with other people’s money (think AIG) or ...

One of my goals that I set for 2009 is to learn more about money, investing and personal finance. About ten years ago, my dad gave me the Personal Finance for Dummies book. I was a few years out of college and working at one of my first jobs. He encouraged me to read it and start putting money away in my 401(k). I read the book and it has helped me tremendously. But because of our current economic situation, I feel that it is time for me to take it to the next level. One site that I am going to start for some good financial information: Wikinvest . Check it out, the Money School section alone is worth a look.

Call it a guilty pleasure or pure amusement. Whatever you call it, I have always been an admirer of a group of individuals known as " Improv Everywhere ." I especially appreciate their ability, as Scott Ginsberg puts it, "to stick themselves out there." They recently posted their latest mission...enjoy...

Last night I had the opportunity to see George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars for the first time at the Cubby Bear across from Wrigley Field. While I have primarily been influenced by classic rock growing up, I have had a soft spot in my heart for R & B and funk from the 60’s and 70’s. There is something about the music and its attitude that speaks to me. With the inauguration of our first black president just days away, the show seemed to take on additional significance. I have never been to a George Clinton/ Parliament / Funkadelic show before so I don’t have any points of reference, but it seemed as though the packed house had an impressive collective bounce in its step. Back in 1993, Clinton put out the single/ EP “Paint the White House Black.” He wrote it at a time when the thought of a black president seemed far-fetched. As I perused the souvenir table, the gentleman behind the counter declared, “get your P-Funk souvenirs, last night of the tour. Next stop, the W...

Despite the uncertainties of the world, I am very hopeful for an upbeat 2009. I am preparing for a Toastmasters speech that I will be giving this week from the advanced "Storytelling" manual. My first assignment is to re-tell a folk tale. After taking out several books from my library, I settled on "Best Loved Stories Told at the National Storytelling Festival." I chose "A Fisherman and His Wife" told by Carol Birch. The story is especially timely and is about a man and his wife trying to find contentment in their lives. The fisherman finds a magic fish that grants him three wishes. After asking to be a prosperous vineyard owner and the mayor of the village, the man and his wife still cannot find happiness. Finally the fish returns the man and his wife to their original life, but they now appreciate all that they have in their lives. This is a lesson for all of us. We live in a society where we are told by advertisers that we need a particular item to be ...