Blogging is good for you

Expressive writing produces many physiological benefits, including improved memory and sleep, boost of immune cell activity, and improved healing after surgery.

A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

One theory by Alice Flaherty, a neuroscientist at Harvard University, is that "blogging might trigger dopamine release, similar to stimulants like music, running and looking at art."

Celebrate your "weak friends"

You would think your "strong friends" or connections would be your most important asset. But Stanford University researcher Mark Granovetter has called out "the strength of weak ties" in research on how people find jobs. Weak ties bring new information. They are far more numerous. And they introduce a certain chaos into the equation, which is key to producing new opportunities and ideas.

From book, Who's Your City, by Richard Florida (and a excellent treatise on the trend toward 20M population cities!); http://creativeclass.com/whos_your_city/

Great tips to motivate yourself

I was intrigued by this posting of 8 self-motivation trips:

Start small. One goal. Examine your motivation. Really, really want it. Commit publicly. Get excited. Build anticipation. Print it out, post it up.

But particularly by two surprising recommendations:

1) Don't start right away. Start in a few days. Build anticipation. Announce and celebrate the upcoming start.

2) If you miss a day, don't worry. But never, ever miss two days in a row.

http://zenhabits.net/2008/06/the-ultimate-guide-to-motivation-how-to-achieve-any-goal/

"Always on" culture will pass

I was struck by this keen observation by Professor Naomi Baron at American University:

While talking with students in Sweden and Italy, where mobile phones have been ubiquitous far longer than in the United States, I was pleasantly surprised to see the number of people who turned their phones off when they were studying, ignored incoming calls or text messages—even from good friends—while watching a movie on TV, or intentionally ‘forgot’ their phones from time to time just to have some peace,” Baron said. “My hope is that Americans are only going through a phase of feeling they must be ‘always on’ and that over time, we will regain a more balanced sense of communicative equilibrium.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520161340.htm

IM is productive in business

Contrary to the perception that Instant Messaging (IM) is disruptive in business, recent research suggests that IM increases productivity because it is often used as a substitute for other, more disruptive forms of communication such as the telephone, e-mail, and face-to-face conversations. Using instant messaging led to more conversations on the computer, but the conversations were briefer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm

Other Commencement Messages

There were lots of excellent semi-finalists for my recent Pinewood 8th Grade Commencement Speech, including:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. - Michael Pollan

Glance Backwards, Look Heavenward, Reach Outward, and Press Onward - Thomas Monson

Accentuate the Positive; Eliminate the Negative - Charlotte Schultz (plus next two)

Surround yourself with the best people.

Whatever you do, do it with passion

Help others. Then help yourself.

Don't fall behind.

Work hard. Not too much. Be Kind.

Work hard. Be kind to others. Sleep.

The heavens are filled with disorder. The situation is excellent. - Chairman Mao

Know Thyself - Oracle at Delphi

To thine ownself be true - Shakespeare

5 C's of Viral Marketing

There is growing opinion that there are 5 c's of viral marketing:

Community
Compelling
Comedy
Charity
Contests

The Great Turtle Race (www.GreatTurtleRace.com) is good example of this. This website talks about many other examples, including the incomparable "Will it Blend" series for BlendTec blenders.

http://overtonecomm.blogspot.com/2007/03/5-cs-of-viral-marketing.html

Does U.S. Jury Duty keep calling you?

Make sure your driver's license and voter registration are spelled exactly the same.

Otherwise, the jury duty system sees you as two different people and you get called up more often (not more than once a year, but more often).

Join the Great Turtle Race, Race Across the Pacific

The Great Turtle Race, which I co-founded with George Shillinger, is underway for year II and you are encouraged to visit at www.GreatTurtleRace.com and cheer on a turtle.

Leatherback Turtles are amazing animals (as big as your kitchen table), have been around 100 million years, but may have only 10 years left.

The race has been heralded for its combining the new 3 C's of cause marketing: Contest, Comedy, and Charity.

Jump In. With Friends. And Save Your Local Water Hole.

This is my commencement speech to the Pinewood 8th Grade Class:

1) Avoid Self-Doubt. From ages 15 - 30, you are actually a smarter, stronger, more capable person every day!

2) When faced with uncomfortable new challenges (like jumping off a rock into water 30' below):

• Jump In. New experiences make life richer and make you more interesting (to yourself, to others, to employers).

• With Friends. Your greatest wealth is your gathering collection of friends and the best way to make friends is to undertake a shared struggle (the more difficult, high-anxiety, low probability the better!)

• Swim without Splashing. You have good habits which propel you forward. And bad habits which keep you in place.

• Save Your Local Water Hole. The great things in your community need to be saved from human greed and carelessness.

3) Engage Others.

You will often be asked "How are you doing?" Respond, and then ask the other person, "How are YOU doing?" And then inquire about a passion they have, or about how they look, or about past activity (what did you do last weekend) or future plans (what vacation plans do you have).

Humans thrive in connecting on each other's passions.