That’s what she said

We’ll never know the price that was paid by the heroic man who dared to smuggle this information out of the domain of women.  In order to not regard his heroism in vain and because it was sent to me for my benefit, I now pass it on to all the men who can make use of this…

The Real Definition of Words When Used By Women

“Fine”

I am right. This argument is over. You need to shut up.

“That’s Okay”
One of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. “That’s okay” means she wants to think hard and long before deciding when and how you’ll pay for your mistake.

“Nothing”
The calm before the storm. This means “something” and you better be on your toes.  Note: arguments that start with “Nothing” usually end with “Fine” (See #1).

“Five Minutes”
If getting dressed, this means half an hour. (Don’t be mad about this. It’s the same definition for you when it’s your turn to do some chores around the house.

“Thanks”
A woman is thanking you. Do not question this or faint.  Just say, “You’re welcome,” and let it go.

Loud Sigh
Not actually a word but rather a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. It means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is standing here wasting her time arguing with you about “Nothing.” (See #3)

“Go Ahead”
This is a dare, not permission. (don’t do it!)

“Don’t worry about it, I got it”
The second most dangerous statement a woman can make. It means that a woman has asked a man several times to do something and is now doing it herself. (This will result in you asking at a later date, “What’s wrong?” For the woman’s response, see #3.)

Biting Lower Lip
I’m going to need some help with this one.  It happened to me the other night and I still have no idea what I did wrong…

2009: when the Millennials takes over

2009 will be remembered as one of the great generational transitions in our lifetimes.  From the international stage to the basic family unit, there is a shift of leadership taking place between, specifically, the Baby Boomers and the Millennials.  Most recently regarded as the Obama Generation, a new wave of young leadership is taking place in executive offices, elected positions, and pulpits.  HBR has a great article on this shift, as it takes place in the corporate world.

You’re either riding the wave, you’ve missed the wave, or your under it.  Where are you?

Support your local startup

As an (aspiring) entrepreneur, I feel obligated to initiate some word-of-mouth advertising for some innovative companies that have truly changed the way I do things.  In the current climate of bailouts and rising unemployment, many have come to expect that a thriving business or employment is a fundamental, inalienable right, on par with that of free speech, life, and the pursuit of happiness.  However, the harsh reality of life is that if you aren’t adding value to someone or something, you are not truly “working.”  This is the essence of business, of capitalism, and of service– the exchange of adding-value for a return on investment (not necessarily monetarily though).  So often we forget this simple truth, and so I thought I’d promote several FREE online services I use that have added-value to my work, travel, and life.

Travel: Dopplr & Trip It

Travel continues to be a center piece to my work and life, and so early last year I turned to two online startups to help me get organized and network with community when traveling.  Dopplr is a beautiful service that combines the power of social networking with the usefulness of an online travel journal.  The design and interface of Dopplr are a joy to work with, creates my public profile and Facebook app, and they’ve just released my 2008  annual travel report, where Dopplr reports I took 26 trips in 2008, which added up to 105,995 km or 29% of the distance to the moon.  Furthermore, Dopplr calculates that my travels emitted 12,863 kg of CO2, and even allows me to purchase carbon offsets if my conscience were to compel me.  I felt as if it was quite a well traveled year until Dopplr posted President Obama’s travel profile here.  For real utility, however, I’ve turned to TripIt– a virtual travel assistant that automatically organizes your travel itinerary.  Oftentimes it’s as easy as forwarding a confirmation email to plans@tripit.com, and TripIt will automatically build your itinerary.

Personal Finance: Mint

Having been a longtime Quicken user until this year, perhaps the most profound service I’ve started working with is Mint.  Personal finance has finally been made easy with this beautifully designed and simple service nearly automates the entire budgeting and transaction tracking process, to where I now spend no more than 10 minutes a week managing my finances, investments, and budgeting.

Pointless Fun: Twitter

Like so many, I spent the last few years absolutely dumbfounded by the hype over the seemingly useless platform known as Twitter.  Although I’ve had my Twitter account for a while, very few of my friends and colleagues got into the micro-blogging concept in and of itself.  And so it wasn’t until Twitter synced up with my Facebook (and my social network) that it actually became useful.  I have no idea how they’ll ever monetize this, but in the meantime, I find it to be a remarkably addicting and fairly useful way to communicate brief messages to your community.

Productivity: Remember The Milk

Remember The Milk has become my go-to To Do list that I can access whether at home, the office, or on the road.  With a fast interface, and the ability to automatically load tasks while on the go by simply emailing my account, RTM has easily helped increase my productivity by 20% or more.  An honorable mention goes out to RescueTime for it’s service as well.

Efficiency: Xobni & Xoopit

Xobni (or “inbox” backwards) has changed the way I interface with the ubiquitous, yet stubborn, Outlook.  Armed with a powerful search engine, syncronization with LinkedIn, and a feature that automatically organizes email file attachments and contacts, Xobni is a highly recommended add-on for anyone that spends most of their day in front of a computer on Outlook.  Similarly, Xoopit has proven to be a moderately useful media search add-on for Gmail by making photos, videos, and other files more easily searchable and accessible.

Post a comment, a Facebook message on my wall, a tweet on Twitter, or an email with some of your favorite FREE, value-add services out there–

Mucho de Ocho: my 2008 Annual Report

As the sun sets on 2008, I’ve never been one for publishing a year-end family Christmas letter with the obligatory cheesy family picture, but I thought I’d at least take a moment to summarize one of the more extraordinary years of my life, and offer a preview into what promises to be an epic 2009.

I have now called Seattle home for over a year now.  I was reluctant to return from Washington DC at first, but with a tremendous community of friends and family to welcome me back, this transition has certainly been with no regrets.  Upon returning to Seattle in the Fall of 2008, I jumped on board a Seattle-based startup company which has since sent me all over the world to make new friends and build an extraordinary business.  2008 thus began with a blitz of travel to the United Kingdom and Australia for work, followed by trips to New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix throughout the course of the year.  In managing our company’s NYC office while still living in Seattle, I nearly fulfilled my goal of living a bi-coastal life (don’t take that the wrong way, Flyover Country) although I can only last about four days at a time in NYC before the lack of trees, ubiquitous smell of urine, and general angst inspire me back west.

In early 2008, I partnered with my friends at Pear Press to help release a groundbreaking book project by Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School.  Thorough yet accessible in it’s breadth of research and life application, Dr. Medina will change the way you approach work, productivity, and lifestyle.

What began for me as a simple conversation among friends in January, quickly led to my involvement in a growing community of friends in Seattle that are committed to the abolition of modern day slavery.  To be sure, there are more slaves in the world today (an estimated 27 million) than ever before, and that includes incidences of human trafficking in the US, and even in our own city of Seattle.  This realization compelled us– mostly students and young professionals– to host awareness events in cooperation with the Washington State Task Force on Human Trafficking, to launch a local Seattle blog (www.endthetrade.com) for ongoing local awareness efforts, and to participate in a new fund raising concept called Climb For Captives.

Climb For Captives was a stunning success in launching a community-based, blitzkrieg-style fundraiser, where our team raised nearly $20,000 in over a month by simply partnering with friends from our own social networks.  On July 5th, our team summited the 14,411 foot (4,392 m.) Mt. Rainier, and all of the funds we raised were donated to The Home Foundation, which works to eradicate modern day slavery through advocacy, education, and relief efforts for victims of human trafficking.  Later in the summer, I then completed my first triathlon at Flowing Lake with most of the Rainier Team.

Shortly after Climb For Captives, we got connected with a documentary film project called CALL+RESPONSE.  Communicating the abolitionist message in a genuine and inspiring way, CALL+RESPONSE was an innovative experiment in open source activism and mobilization, and I’m proud to say our grassroots efforts in Seattle provided the film with one of the most successful releases in the US.

Perhaps one of the best parts about being back home is getting to see my lil’ sister & her husband, who have been loving the married life for over a year now.  The newest member to our family in Seattle is a lil’ guy named Derby:

2008 will, for all of us, be one of the most historic years of our lives.  With the symbolic emergence of China as a major world power in hosting the Beijing Olympics, to the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, to the devastating economic effects of greedy governments, corporations, and citizens alike– 2008 represents a dramatic time of transition when the baton of leadership has most noticeably progressed from old to young.  Undoubtedly, 2008 has witnessed the emergence of the Obama generation, and with it a renewed call to justice, community-bassed innovation, and authenticity.  This rise of young energy, vision, and leadership will inevitably redefine how the game is played in 2009 and beyond.  As for my 2009, it promises to be nuttier than a squirrel turd:

Traveling multiple times Down Under, to NYC, London, Toronto, Vancouver, and India for work.  I also hope to break into New Zealand, South America, and Boise and I’d love to get back to Israel, China, the Dominican Republic/Haiti, and Minneapolis

Spending some time with this legit little lady

Continuing to work with CALL+RESPONSE in mobilizing our local communities in the ongoing fight against slavery

Beginning a monthly campaign to serve with my family in Seattle through various ministries, organizations, and churches

Speaking at a conference on the intersection of social entrepreneurship and the eradication of human trafficking

Consulting with a new documentary project unveiling the international realities of infanticide and abortion

Working to create an ongoing conversation between young, emerging business leaders and retiring leaders who aren’t wanting out of the game just yet

Hoping to summit a few more mountains and bag a few more triathlons

Here’s to an epic 2009 for you–  soli Deo gloria