I have got a lot to share ;-)

Well if that is the case, where have I been?  There hasn't been much shipping of late because my plan is to develop a new website.  I have been unclear that it is worth the effort to migrate what is on this current site to the new site. So I have just been sitting tight.    But a few things that will be of interest to you. Last week I visited the Riverside Gardens, a community garden on the grounds of a school in Princeton that is a fabulous asset to the community.  I attended a lecture by Will Allen of Growing Power. And I started cleaning my own backyard garden.  So bear with me.  Changes are coming.

What you need to know before going to your first Twitter meeting

A couple of days ago I went to a  book club meeting on Twitter to discuss  Seth Godin''s latest book, "Linchpin."   This twitter meeting was a first for me.  I,  like many of my friends, do not yet fully grasp the scope or power of social media.  But, I will not be totally left behind by technology.  I was told  by the organizer that the "hashtag" for the meeting would be sbbc ( for small business book club).  Nevermind I  didn't know that a pound (#) sign was called a hash tag.  So I googled  hash tags to learn.   With anticipation I logged onto Twitter at 7:58 pm but when I finally found the proper place to insert the hash tag, it was 8:23 pm and the discussion had already begun.   I finally made a comment some 30 minutes later just before the close of the hour.  I wanted the group to at least know that I had been there even if I was just lurking.  But when I made my comment I did not specify to whom my comment was addressed.   Of course I didn't know that the proper way to respond was to not blurt my comment INTO the universe but to indicate to whom the comment was addressed by putting a "@" with a name. And because I did not specify to whom the comment was to go it did not show up in the group's discussion.  Instead it sat on my twitter home page.

So while the book discussion was a bit off topic, my experience of figuring out how to use this media in real time was a great practice but scary run.  Kind of like learning to ski a few years ago. Same principle in that I had to lean into this experience just like leaning into the mountain and fighting against the fear that I might fall. What I got  from forging ahead was more confidence,  more skill,  less fear and the lizard brain got pushed back.   I am sure you've had a similar experience in life where what you need to know, you KNOW is within reach.  And you are trying to figure out how to get over yourself to access whatever it happens to be.
 
Here's what I can share with you --- a  well written free resource from fellow Third Triber Dave Charest to help you get started: http://caseacecopy.com/blog/twitter-guide-1

 Have any funny stories about your first experience on Twitter to share? Let me know if you want to meet on Twitter to discuss Dave's work. Hey maybe we can get Dave to meet us there. 

Is your life aligned with your highest intentions

This is a question one confronts when faced with change. It is also the question associated with the recipe below in one of my favorite cookbooks.  "I am Grateful," by Terces Engelhart with Orchid, is  filled with organic, living food recipes and I use it as a point of meditation and to prepare meals even though I am not a vegan.  The cookbook reminds me of the absolute place in life for gratitude and the need to educate oneself and trust one's inner knowing.  Take this simple recipe on page 46:
Citrus Garlic Dressing
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1/2 orange

The instructions say "taste the dressing for its flavor."  So straight-forward yet so complex, just as in life. So on a day like today when I have  finally decided that my bricks and mortar  beachfront business will not return to its summer location, I am acknowledging that I/Sea Greens Live will be changing.   I will move to set up a new website and to grow in a Third Triber way. 

I hope that you will stay tuned as I manage this process.  I am not sure how we will present. Pretty sure however that it will be more in line with my current intentions and toward my highest.  As this is happening,  I'd love to know how you handle change.

Art is never defect-free- Being yourself

What an amazing thought.  I am still reading Seth Godin's "Linchpin".  On page 68 he says  "Things that  are remarkable never meet spec, because that would make them standardized, not worth talking about."

The reason we are mesmerized by an Esperanza Spaulding, a Picasso or a Bearden painting, Jay-Z, Mos-Def or Miles Davis is that we love that they have found a way to be themselves.  The search for perfection cannot be crippling if life is about the journey and the ability to share that trip.

Did you ever think about it this way?

Sharing the Knowledge

When you understand something and you are trying to explain that to someone who doesn't,  the key to communicating successfully comes from your understanding that it is neither simple or obvious to that person.  A fellow blogger answered a question for me today that was so on target and succinct that a light bulb actually clicked on.  In the flash of that light I was reminded of an incident with my Mom when I was 14 and  very flip. She asked me to explain fractions to her.  She was one of the smartest people I have ever known with an 8th grade education. But I answered her question as though I was taking a test and not as if I intended to share my knowledge with her.  I remember her expression. I also remember on that day I learned that real world common sense generally always trumps book knowledge.   Michael at Remarkablogger.com explained how one defines their target market in a way that is now sooo obvious  that I will be able to move my business forward.  Check him out.

Has something ever been right within reach and you couldn't touch it?  How did you get past this?

"Go Make Something Happen" said Seth Godin- Part I

So I loved Seth Godin's energy and his look-you-right-in-the eye approach.  I am still digesting my takeaways from his lecture/ conversation at the Good Ideas Salon (which by the way was an intimate affair).  I am guessing there were 100 - 125 people present but the feeling was up close and personal. Great work Piers of PSFK.  Bottom line is my $200 was well spent!  I will be nibbling on pieces of Seth's work and sharing as I digest them.  One observation is there were women present yesterday but interestingly the room was populated by a majority of men. I am not sure what this says about who is active in this shift from workers and owners to the now third category that includes workers who own their own means of production.
Today I am focusing on Seth's comment that most of us do not "ship" enough work out the door.  Yes, I am number one guilty.  At 5 a.m. when the first eblasts started on my blackberry,  I realize others are working and I don't know what I can say on my blog today that is important. The old lizard brain kicks in shouting loud as ever:  NO-THING Patricia.   Not one thing.  You have nothing to say that matters.
One of Seth's many points is about this irrational fear (of failure or whatever) that comes from the primitive lizard brain which is scared of everything from tigers and lions to people laughing at you. 
I am just starting his most new book "Linchpin."  Wish I was finished so that I could review it properly. But I have read the entire table of contents and I am anticipating the trip that is about to begin. That is also why I know that facing down the lizard yields results and the post is up.

How do you quiet the lizard brain?

Seth Godin to speak at the Good Ideas Salon and I will be there!!!

So searching, searching the web, I chance upon Seth Godin's name.  Somehow it had escaped -- rather than  penetrated -- my consciousness why many consider him a guru.  I just didn't know why supporters felt this way. Then one day I really see his name on several other established websites and decide to experience Seth's work myself. I  subscribe to his feed.


After a couple of weeks of receiving his daily email blast, I notice that his comments are often pithy little stingers that stay with me for much of the day. They actually resonate with me.  I mean, one does not have to write a treatise to be meaningful, I conclude.  I'd been struggling to figure out how not to talk into my navel, how to talk about the things that are of interest to me, how to find the people who shared some aspects of my interests  and consciousness. Quite simply, how to be authentic online.
Then I learn the Good Ideas Salon is hosting an event where Seth Godin will speak on Feb. 4th from 8:30am  - 11:30am that costs $200.  Now I love the name the " Good Ideas Salon."  Its site states "Good Ideas Salons are designed to bring likeminds together to share ideas and positivity around certain subjects. For this intimate event, Seth will present his latest book Linchpin and will openly discuss with the audience their experiences as linchpins at work."  What will my takeaway be.  It's got to be more than a good feeling.  Right.


I decide to pay the $200 to attend this seminar.  I will share in a later post what transpires from the standpoint of a Mini-Mogulista who wishes to grow her business. Right now  I have got to get my hands on his book and read it before February 4th.  You will be hearing more.  I feel a change coming on.  Go directly to  playing your hand.

What is your knowledge and or experience of Seth Godin?