ReinventingErica.com » 90-Days

Day 29: Luck of Seven in Houston – AIR Dinner – Houston It’s Worth It Launch Party

Erica — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:05:50 +0000

Luck of Seven in Houston

Today I picked up my friend Noel at IAH. It was terrific to finally meet him in person. Oh – and I found him right away – unlike when I picked up @andrewhyde and @gwenbell at IAH. I’m sure that Noel was hoping to be wisked off to a comfortable dwelling somewhere – eat a nice meal – and take a nap. But that’s not how we roll here in H-Town. So our first stop…

AIR Dinner

Our first stop was the Hilton Ballroom for the AIR Houston Awards Ceremony and Banquet. AIR stands for Accessible Internet Rally and is a web design competition that promotes accessibility. The competition is held each year in cities all over the United States and is sponsored by Knowbility.org. So Noel and I enjoyed a lovely 3-course meal followed by some light mingling and then we headed to our next engagement for the evening…

Houston It’s Worth It Launch Party

Next stop was the Houston It’s Worth It Book Launch Party at Lawndale Art Center. Here we got to schmooze with the Houston Who’s Who – and get our pictures taken for numerous local publications. Oh and this old woman insisted on dancing with me – I think she might have even goosed me a few times.

At the HIWI party I introduced Noel to Monica Danna, Matthew Wettergreen, Dayna Marcum & Ed Schipul. It was a blast – just check out the picture below.

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Day 28: What’s in Your Feeds? – If Wittgenstein Was Right…I’m In Trouble – Noel Arrives Tomorrow

Erica — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:52:05 +0000

What’s in Your Feeds?

Real Geeks Use Feed Readers. Or so they tell me. And while reading feeds can sometimes be an overwhelming prospect – at least I have some idea about what’s going on in the world. I used to use NetVibes – but about 5 months ago I switched over to Google Reader and haven’t looked back. I divide my feeds between 10 Categories: News, Art Blogs, Business/Entrepreneurship, CSS/Design, Friends, Marketing/Social Media, Personal, Productivity, Technology, UI/IA/UX.

Funny how all my interests in life fit into 10 neat and tidy categories. So what’s in your feeds?

If Wittgenstein Was Right…I’m In Trouble

According to Ludwig Wittgenstein, “The Human Body is the best picture of the Human Soul”. Oh my – am I ever in trouble.

Noel Arrives Tomorrow

If wonders never cease – I finally get to meet my friend Noel tomorrow. He’s taking a 7 month trip across 7 continents – studying 7 topics. Find out more on his blog Luck of Seven.

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Day 27: A Tony Robbins Moment – Why Questions Matter – Transformational Vocabulary

Erica — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:53:35 +0000

A Tony Robbins Moment

Tony Robbins speaking at TED in 2006.

Why Questions Matter

I enjoy Tony Robbins – even if he does have a bit of a potty mouth in the above video. I like his approach to problem solving – and I respect his intimate understanding of people’s behavior. Afterall – my background is in Psychology. But I think I like Tony most because he reminds us that we’re in control of our own destiny – and not the other way around.

One of his most popular techniques involves asking questions. The premise goes something like this: Our brain will come up with an answer to any question we ask. So if we ask things like, “Why Do I Always Fail?” or “Why am I such a Loser?” our brain gives us an answer. “You always fail because you’re such a loser.”

But here’s the thing. This whole question and answer bit can work in our favor – if we know the right questions to ask. So instead of asking for answers to questions that leave us feeling depressed and overwhelmed – why not change our focus and ask questions that will leave us with empowering answers. Questions like: “How can I use my skills to turn this situation around?” or “What can I do to add value to my life and the life of those around me?” See the difference? Different questions – Better results.

Here are 7 Morning Power Questions that Tony Recommends:

What am I happy about in my life now?
What am I excited about in my life now?
What am I proud about in my life now?
What am I grateful about in my life now?
What am I enjoying most in my life right now?
What am I committed to in my life right now?
Who do I love? Who loves me?

BONUS: Here are 5 Problem Solving Questions to help you turn any situation around

What is great about this problem?
What is not perfect yet?
What am I willing to do to make it the way I want it?
What am I willing to no longer do in order to make it the way I want it?
How can I enjoy the process while I do what is necessary to make it the way I want it?

Transformational Vocabulary

Another popular technique that Tony uses in his programs is something called: Transformational Vocabulary.

“Simply by changing your habitual vocabulary – the words you consistently use to describe the emotions of your life – you can instantaneously change how you think, how you feel, and how you live.” ~Tony Robbins

Chances are that you only have a limited vocabulary when it comes to describing what your feeling. Words like Angry, Happy, Excited, Nervous, Guilty, Scared, Furious, Depressed, Exhausted or Bored. What if you could expand your feelings vocabulary – and instead of being Angry you could be “Disenchanted” – and instead of Depressed you could be “On the road to a turn around” – or maybe instead of Scared you could be “Excited” or “Curious”. See the difference? Your words have meaning – so choose them wisely.

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Day 26: A Forgotten Art – On Writing – On Becoming A Writer

Erica — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 04:20:08 +0000

A Forgotten Art

Handwritten Letters. When was the last time that you wrote a letter to someone? Not an email but a letter. And not for business – but for fun. It seems as if Handwritten Letters are a lost art.

I don’t send nearly as many letters as I once did – but I do still send them. Sometimes I even write them to myself. Need Inspiration? Check out: Fine Stationary, Etsy, and DigiChick.

On Writing

I think – no I know – that a lot of people dream of becoming a writer. Just look at the number of people who participated in NanoWriMo last year. What they don’t realize is that professional writing is harder than it looks. Professional writers set writing schedules, sometimes spend years researching their books, and get very familiar with rejection. Writing can also be lonely.

“All writing, fact or fiction, is a solitary craft. “Put yourself on a regular writing schedule, start with a few hundred words each day, avoid distractions, and forget about failure. Don’t worry about getting your book published until after it’s written.” ~Ronn Ronck

On Becoming A Writer

So I guess the real question is – are writers born or made? My answer. Both. Yes – there are some people who are born with a natural talent for storytelling. But most would be writers take a small about of natural born talent and mix it with hard work, persistance, and dedication – until a Writer is born.

If you’d like to find out if you have what it takes to be a writer – there is a simple litmus test. Grab a copy of Dorothea Brande’s Becoming A Writer and if you can make it past chapter 6 – doing all the exercises along the way – then you might just be a writer yet!

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Day 25: Media, Media, Everywhere – Seesmic: I Have Finally Arrived – Utterz: Be Herd

Erica — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:36:49 +0000

Media, Media, Everywhere

A while back I made a list of the numerous ways you could contact me – both online and off. Of course, as each day goes by that list gets longer and longer.

There’s a famous poem by Coleridge called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – that contains the line: “Water, water, everywhere – and not a drop to drink”. Some days I think this is a good metaphor for the very noisy world we live in.

Seesmic: I Have Finally Arrived

And on that note (hehe) – I finally got my invite to Seesmic. It was great to finally find out what all the fuss is about. If you’re on Seesmic – find me and let’s be friends!

Utterz: Be Herd

I have to admit – I’m not as big a fan of Video as I am plain old Audio. Which may or may not have to do with how silly I feel when I’m on camera. But I have to say – I totally love Utterz. It’s by far and away the best way to Twitter while driving. If you haven’t tried it out yet – give it a spin.

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Day 24: Golden Triangle Geeks – The Art of The Start – WordPress Marketplace for Themes

Erica — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:11:46 +0000

Golden Triangle Geeks

The other day Blake Burris and I were discussing scheduling conflicts – or more precisely – how to be in two (or sometimes three) places at once. For example, how can I attend the Dallas Facebook Developers Garage, the Houston Refresh Meeting, and Austin Social Media Club all on the same night? I can’t of course. Now this is a VERY good problem to have – it means we have an extremely active Technology community in Texas. But here’s the thing – I’m a lot like Marie Antoinette – I like to have my cake and eat it too.

So – we brainstormed and decided we should set up a group on Upcoming for each of those three cities to list their events in – and maybe that would help cut down on scheduling conflicts – and allow silly social butterflies like me the chance to have it all.

Of course, neither one of us really promoted it. And it never really took off. The truth is – what we really need is a central calendar for all Technology events in Texas. It came to my attention recently though that we may have inadvertently snubbed on of our sister cities by not including them in what we dubbed the Golden Triangle Geeks. San Antonio – which has a very active and lively Podcasting community led by Jennifer Navarrete (better known as epodcaster) – was totally left out of the mix. Sorry about that SA! You’re totally welcome at the party – anytime.

The Art of The Start

As many of you know – I’m knee deep in running my own business right now. Learning and doing things I never imagined. One of my favorite resources is Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of The Start. He might be a little self-promotional on Twitter – but trust me this is a solid book. Inspiring and full of advice. Check out the shorter manifesto at ChangeThis.com.

WordPress Marketplace for Themes

Matt mentioned the other night that WordPress is setting up a MarketPlace for Themes. Totally Groovy. I’m looking forward to contributing some of my own themes soon.

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Day 23: Houston It’s Worth It – Why Ed Rocks – Hanging with Matt, Glenda & Chris

Erica — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:27:37 +0000

Houston It’s Worth It

The Heat, The Humidity, The Flooding, The Flying Cockroaches, The Weather, The No Mountains, The Traffic – Houston It’s Still Worth It!

Find Out Why Here

Why Ed Rocks

I’m talking about Ed Schipul of course. Who is my mentor and friend. But more importantly he’s one of only 3 people in my life who give it to me straight. The Good, The Bad, and The Awful. And trust me – I can be awful sometimes. Tonight Ed reminded me that manners are important – no matter who you are – or who you think you are. And that Loyalty and True Friendship is worth more than an entire Aztec City filled with Gold. Honest.

Hanging with Matt, Glenda & Chris

One of Houston’s “Web 2.0″ Claims to Fame is that we gave birth to WordPress. I bet you thought it was San Francisco right? This is cool for 2 reasons – 1. It makes Houston look super tech savvy & cool. 2. When Matt comes to town – we all get to go hang out with him and eat Raw Steaks at IHOP at 2 in the morning (Not to be confused with 4 in the morning).

Tonight after having drinks at Rioja with Ed, Rachel, Glenda, Matt, & Chris – all of us except Ed and Rachel headed over to IHOP where we recorded this little gem.

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Day 22: Happy Thanksgiving!

Erica — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:14:00 +0000

Time sure does fly by quickly when you are having fun. Today is a day of Thanks – a day to look back on this past year with gratitude. The tradition of Thanksgiving started with the first European Settlers arrival in the early 1600′s. A group of 38 settlers who arrived in Berkeley Hundred Virginia wrote it into their charter that their day of arrival be marked as a “Day of Thanksgiving” to God.

Of course for me – it’s always been more about eating too much food and spending way too much time with quarreling relatives.

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Day 21: What I’m Thankful for Part III – The Dip – Tracks Installed on Site5

Erica — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:57:55 +0000

What I’m Thankful for Part III

The world moves so fast these days – it’s sometimes hard to keep up. But because of advances in Technology – I’m more connected than ever. So in Part III of what I’m thankful for – I’d like to give thanks to those technology pioneers who have made my life easier and more noisy than ever.

It’s no question that one of my favorite communication tools is Twitter. So a great BIG thanks to folks like Biz Stone and Ev Williams for making this platform possible. Also thank you to the men and women who paved the road to make technologies like Microblogging possible.

The Dip

Are you familiar with The Dip? It’s a tiny book about the power of quitting by Seth Godin. Or more importantly knowing when to quit – and when to stick things out.

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you’ll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.

I just finished this little gem – and I highly recommend it to anyone who is going through a transitional phase in their lives or careers.

Tracks Installed on Site5

Yippee – I finally got Tracks installed on Site5 – so I can login to my Tracks account from anywhere – instead of just running it locally.

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Day 20: What I’m Thankful for Part II – Life Theme Songs – Lucky Oliver

Erica — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:03:52 +0000

What I’m Thankful for Part II

Matt Robbins. I know I don’t talk about my better half much on this blog. But I’m really thankful to have him in my life. Even if he is a pain sometimes. It’s great to have someone in your life who Loves you so much that you know they would step in front of a train for you. Thanks Matt. I Love You.

Life Theme Songs

I’m a Crazy Big Fan of Ally McBeal. If you’ve never seen the show – Ally is this quasi-neurotic young lawyer who works at a Boston law firm. She’s intelligent, fiesty, filled with self-doubt and searching for true love. On my favorite episode of the series Ally goes to see her therapist Dr. Tracey Clark (played by Tracey Ullman). Tracey recommends that Ally find her life theme song. I fell in love with this idea. So each year for the past few years I’ve picked a Theme Song for my life. One year it was “I Get Knocked Down” by Chumbawamba, another year it was Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl”. Whenever I’m feeling sad, lonely, scared, happy, or angry – I’ll sing my song – and it’s like all of worries go away.

Lucky Oliver

I keep running into people who have never heard of this great Royalty Free Photo Site. If you’re looking for photos that are more edgy in quality than the stuff that’s offered at iStockPhoto – I highly recommend checking out Lucky Oliver.