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I have been addicted to this certain song for a couple of weeks now. It’s called “Silhouette” by Ceremony, and if you want to check it out, a video is embedded below. Be warned: it’s loud and crazy, and it slaps you in the mouth from the get-go.

In case you didn’t already know, I love shoegazer music. Think of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, A Place To Bury Strangers, The December Sound. You could probably fit The Jesus and Mary Chain into the mix. Shoegazer is saturated with distortion and effects pedals. Often, the vocals are low, to the point that you can barely make out anything that’s said.

Shoegazer. Wall of noise. Noise rock.

Whatever you want to call it, I love it.

And I fully admit that it’s a bunch of noise. But it ceases to be noise when you turn it into something that people want to listen to. Lady Gaga might be hot on the charts right now, but if I don’t like the way her music sounds, it’s noise.

A billboard on the side of the highway is noise. But receiving an email for a “Buy One, Get One Free” or “50% Off” offer from one of your favorite stores is not noise.

There’s a lot of noise out there. But shoegazer is more than that. When done right, it’s art.

With whatever we’re doing, how do we turn our noise into art — into sweet, sweet music that others want to hear?

I don’t have the answer. It’s just something to think about.

I know, I know — you’re sick of hearing about the LeBron James drama. And you’ve come to my blog, thinking it’s safe because I rarely talk about sports on here and I’m not truly an NBA fan anyway. Well, I’m going to take this opportunity to apologize in advance.

As you likely know, LeBron James is leaving the comfort of Ohio for the glitz and glamour of South Beach. Oh yeah, and don’t forget that he’s teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. A lot of people are giving LeBron hell for his decision. If you don’t agree with how he handled it, that’s one thing. But the decision itself — the decision to leave — I don’t see how anyone can fault LeBron.

True, the Cleveland Cavaliers organization invested a lot in LeBron. They had high hopes for the future. But after 7 years, it hadn’t worked. And at what point do you say, Enough. I have to move on.

Anyone who watches NBA basketball knows that LeBron has a lot of pressure on him. He was expected to be the second coming of Michael Jordan, and so far he hasn’t lived up to those expectations. At this point in his career, Jordan had won a championship. LeBron has made it to the Finals once, but has ultimately fallen short.

I understand that LeBron is a professional athlete and that he’s making millions of dollars every year. However, I highly doubt that either scenario — staying in Cleveland or going to Miami — would have left him hurting for cash. We forget that at the end of the day, these guys are still playing a game. And as any competitor knows, the game is much more fun when you’re winning. That’s true in little league, and it’s true in the pros.

I expected LeBron to stay in Cleveland. Or maybe I wanted him to stay. It would have been a great story with LeBron painted as the valiant knight who’s going to make things right in Cleveland and bring the team that elusive championship. Instead, the savior jumped ship. And now it appears the ship is sinking.

Especially after Dan Gilbert’s written response to LeBron’s departure. When I first heard about this letter, I brushed it off; it had to be a joke. But, it appears to be legit. Gilbert uses some strong language. He calls LeBron “narcissistic”, “cowardly”, and “selfish”.

I understand that Gilbert’s upset, but wow. That’s all I can say. Wow.

Do I blame him for feeling this way? No. But I do feel that after writing this letter, he should have hidden it in his sock drawer — or better yet, he should have burned it. He should have gone outside, screamed a random combination of profanities, kicked a trash can, and gone back inside to write a better letter. The letter that was published feels so bitter and desperate. And he shouldn’t have attacked LeBron in such a manner.

In my opinion, the letter should have gone something like this:

To the fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

As you have already heard, LeBron James has decided to leave the Cavaliers organization and has found a new home in the Miami Heat. Naturally, we are disappointed to hear of his decision to depart. Regardless, we thank LeBron for his time with our organization and wish him the best with his new team.

I personally assure you that we did all that we could to retain LeBron. Unfortunately, our efforts were not enough. As devastating of a loss as this may be for organization, we are now focused on putting it behind us and moving forward with our operations. We are more dedicated than ever before to bringing you, our loyal and dedicated fans, the championship that you want and, more importantly, deserve.

In the end, this is a business decision for LeBron. Some people have said that a player should be loyal to the team that drafts him. I wholeheartedly disagree. What happens when, near the end of LeBron’s career, he’s no longer the player he once was and he’s holding on for his NBA life? The team will eventually make the decision to move forward and will cut him. Some people want to argue that players and employees are no longer loyal to their teams and employers. But teams and employers lack the same dedication to their players and employees. It would be great if LeBron stayed at home for his whole career. But if I were LeBron, I’d hate to retire and hear people say Man, LeBron played some great basketball in Cleveland, but he never could win that championship.

Puff Daddy said “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby”. But when you’re LeBron, you’ve already got the Benjamins. It’s all about the rings, baby. Dan Gilbert knows that. And that’s why he’s so bitter. He knows that his chance for a ring might have passed through his fingertips. His trophy hopes left with his trophy player.

But still, couldn’t he have handled the situation better? What do you think?

We’ve all heard the discussions — the differences between introverts and extroverts. When it comes to networking, extroverts seem to have it made, don’t they? They’re so fun and energetic and conversation comes so effortless. Networking just comes naturally for them. Introverts aren’t so fortunate; they’re more reserved and much less social. How can they ever hope to compete in the world of networking, where the whole point is to go out and mingle with others? How can introverts be effective at networking?

It seems to me that introverts get a bit wrapped up in this image of who they are and how they are supposed to act in certain situations. I’m an introvert, I’m meant to work alone. I don’t play well with others. I don’t have the necessary skills to work my way up the ladder. The stereotype is that introverts spend all of their time analyzing and can’t find it in themselves to open up. To people who think like this and believe that they’re restricted by innate characteristics, I have one thing to say: Introverts, get over yourselves. This kind of thinking gets you nowhere; it’s counterproductive, and having a defeatist attitude will get you nowhere.

The truth is, I know your pain. I know it all too well. At heart I’ve always been an introvert. When I was younger, I preferred the comfort of being alone over the idea of mingling with others. It’s safe to say that overall, I genuinely disliked being around people. Honestly, I felt that people had nothing to offer me — and, I suppose, that I had nothing to offer them.

I finally realized that these feelings — this way of thinking — was doing me no good. The truth was that I would have to mingle with others at some point. I couldn’t stay wrapped up in my own little world forever. So I made an effort to “break out of my shell”, as people call it. It took a little work and a little effort, but it’s safe to say that I am a more social person now. Communicating with others is no longer a chore; to be honest, I actually enjoy it, both offline and online. I’ve since realized that others do have a lot to offer; and I have a lot to offer them as well.

Of course, I’m still an introvert. I still enjoy my free time. I can’t explain why, but from time to time I need to be alone. Alone with my thoughts. Or alone to read. Or alone to play some video games. I need time to do what I want to do.

Looking back, I think part of my reluctance with mingling with others was that, to a certain degree, I was actually scared of people. Part of me was afraid that I may make a fool of myself. And another part of me was afraid that others might feed off this and humiliate me while I’m in a vulnerable state. However, I’ve slowly discovered that most people don’t have a desire to bring others down. Most aren’t out to get you and bring you down.

We blow most of our fears out of proportion. Our social fears are no different. The truth is this — introverts, if you’re worried about networking and wondering how you’re going to make it in that scary and unfamiliar world, you are going to have to make an effort. You are going to have to open up and leave yourself vulnerable. You have to put yourself out there.

Sure, you might open your mouth and embarrass yourself. But if you stick with it, it gets better. The more you open up and communicate with others, the easier it becomes. Like all things, it gets better with practice. So throw yourself out there; that’s what the extroverts are doing. If you want to play in their world, you need to play their game.

Photo credit: tamelyn via Flickr Creative Commons

Inspiration can come in unexpected places. I was reminded of this when I watched a documentary about the demise of the Swedish punk band Refused, properly titled Refused Are F***ing Dead. I do sincerely try to refrain from dropping F-bombs on my blog, but it’s kind of hard to avoid doing so when the word is in the title of something. For me, the best part of the documentary came at the end, when someone summarized what Refused had meant to him. This little quote stuck out in my mind:

“Be creative. Be alive. Share every gift and every passion you have to offer. We all need all we can get.”

When I heard that, I realized that he wasn’t telling us to be creative for ourselves; he was telling us to be creative for others, for the world.

Make no mistake of it, we’re living in a cookie-cutter world. So much music sounds alike. Movies have the same formula and plots. Go to your average suburban neighborhood; how many times do you see the same house? We built a world of factories, and in business school you are not taught to think outside the box and create a new business; you’re told how to make a business identical to what already exists. There’s no doubt that creativity is not encouraged in mainstream education, and considering how much of our lives we spend in school, is it any wonder that we’re afraid to be brave and try something new?

So many of us spend so much time studying what works and what’s effective. We forget to put a bit of ourselves into what we’re doing, and as a result, we dehumanize everything. We place little value on what makes us unique and remarkable. We study the fashions and mimic what we see.

I found another bit of inspiration in the song “New Noise” by Refused. It comes in these lines:

And how can we expect anyone to listen
If we are using the same old voice?
We need new noise – new art for the real people

I grow so sick of things that are designed to keep us the same, and I’m always clinging for something that I feel I can relate to. I don’t care if you relate to it, or if the guy down the street relates to it. I want something that I relate to. Something that feels as if it’s a part of me too. (People say we live in a “Me” world, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s not enough emphasis on “Me” in this area).

That’s why, in the world of marketing, I truly respect the people who don’t tell you what to do. I prefer the ones who sell inspiration, not methods. They don’t write a blueprint for you because you’ll just follow it, and that would defeat the purpose. We each have to find our own way, and that should be the fun part, being able to look back and say Wow, I did it my way (Thank you, Mr. Sinatra).

So if you’re waiting for permission to be creative, it’s already been granted. Rock on.

Photo Credit: www.burningheart.com

Yesterday I took a little time to optimize my FeedBurner settings in an attempt to create a better experience for my subscribers. Apparently, I goofed up somewhere because I noticed that FeedBurner pushed a handful of my old posts through as new posts. (Yes, I recently subscribed to my own feed so that I could notice any changes or problems). When I checked my own feed reader, I saw 5 or 6 of my posts at the top of my feed.

If this happened for you also, I apologize. I never meant to bombard or spam you with my posts. Hopefully, I’ve optimized FeedBurner and won’t feel the need to toy with it again anytime soon.

Again, my apologies –

Jake

This post is a break from the usual for me. Today, I’d like to share an organization that is very important to me in an attempt to help them with a fundraising campaign that will be taking place tomorrow. If you have a non-profit that’s dear to you, please help them to get the word out. Do whatever you can to help them to reach their goals. If you can’t help them through donations, help them by promoting awareness.

Do you have an itch to adopt a charity but are unsure where your donations should go? Are you having a hard time identifying yourself with one cause? Well, the next time you’re feeling charitable, I have a particular organization I’d like you to consider. And I feel so strongly about the cause and the leadership that I am more than proud to attach my name to it — I’m talking about Med Camps of Louisiana.

What is Med Camps of Louisiana?

This is a description of Med Camps of Louisiana, taken straight from their website:

MedCamps of Louisiana holds a series of one-week, fun-filled camps each summer free of charge for children in Louisiana facing the challenges of a variety of physical and mental disabilities. These include spina bifida, cerebral palsy, asthma, sickle cell anemia, autism, epilepsy, juvenile arthritis, visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech impairment and those developmentally disabled.

Children battling these disorders are often unable to participate in normal childhood activities. Consequently, they are often “left out” because they have special needs. With MedCamps that is no longer the case.

That’s their mission, plain and simple. While at Med Camps of Louisiana, these children engage in a number of activities they normally miss out on, such as canoeing, horseback riding, fishing, archery, and swimming. Of course, the BIG EVENT is the end-of-the-week dance. Yeah, that activity gets a lot of attention.

The best part about Med Camps of Louisiana, as stated above, is that it’s free to the campers and their parents. That’s right, the parents don’t pay a penny. Of course, that means that this wonderful organization has to raise the funds on its own, and that’s possible only through donations and fundraising.

Why I Care

I worked at Med Camps of Louisiana for three summers. During those three summers, I saw firsthand how this special place touches the lives of its campers as well as its camp counselors. I myself learned valuable life lessons while there. Also, Med Camps taught me that I had the capability of being a mentor. I truly understood how important Med Camps of Louisiana was to its campers when one mother explained it to me like this: “My son spends half the year talking about what he did at Med Camps and then spends the other half of the year talking about what he’s going to do at Med Camps the next year.” With the encouragement of the dedicated staff members, campers learn valuable lessons like independence and reaching their maximum potential. No one is teased or heckled. Med Camps is all about inclusion.

Why You Should Care

All too often we talk about making a difference. The tragedy is that we do nothing about it. You don’t have to change the world to make a difference. I’m not asking you for much; I’m just asking you to take that one small step that goes a long way.

If you still need more convincing, watch this short video which gives another take on Med Camps of Louisiana:

What Can You Do?

On Thursday, June 3, 2010, Med Camps of Louisiana is holding an event they’re calling MoneyBomb. MoneyBomb is a one-day, virtual, grassroots fundraising effort aimed at creating an explosion of cash for this wonderful organization. The goal is to raise at least $25,000 in donations, raised entirely through email chains, Facebook posts and other online links. (I personally would like to see this post retweeted again and again because I’d like to see Med Camps on Twitter too. Help me to convince them!) All they’re asking for is a donation of $10 and the hope that you’ll turn around and tell another friend about the event. The goal is to go viral. I’m trying to do my part and asking you to spread the word. You can give your donation here. And before you ask, yes, I’ve already donated.

I spoke earlier about the leadership of Med Camps of Louisiana. I can think of no two better people to work together on this mission than Caleb Seney, the Executive Director, and Wes Cavin, the Camp Director. I’ve had the pleasure of working with them both at Med Camps and know they’re the right men for the job.

Where Does Your Donation Go?

All donations are greatly appreciated. Whether it go toward campsite renovations, feeding the campers, or buying camp supplies, you can rest assured that it will go toward a great cause.

Please donate to this wonderful organization. And when you’re sitting around wondering what good thing you’ve done with your day, you can sit back and think of all the kids who will be having a great summer because of your donation, your contribution to an organization that gives one week of opportunity to children with special needs.

Advice. It’s everywhere. It seems that everyone knows the solution to every problem you have, and everyone is eager to share his input and tell you how to save your sinking ships. If you can’t find any advice on fixing your problems, you likely haven’t asked anyone for help. Because people will give you advice even when you’re not seeking it.

Are you trying to build your personal brand online and offline? Are you a blogger? Does your blog suck? Do you want to make your blog more attractive to readers? There are plenty of resources for you to find the tried and true methods of appealing to readers and helping your blog to grow and prosper. They’ll tell you what thousands of others have done, and you can do it too!

There’s one problem with following someone else’s advice – if you’re trying to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd, following other people’s advice (and therefore following routines that have worked for them) may make you too much like all the others. Of course, that would happen only if you take it to the extreme, which I hope you never do. But some people do take advice too much to the heart. As soon as someone recommends something, these people rush out to make what someone else deems to be appropriate changes.

Advice is just that — advice. It’s not a group of orders or a blueprint. It’s a recommendation. And you can take it or leave it. But what works for me may not work for you, especially in terms of blogging or personal branding or marketing. Your mission and your audience may be completely different. Or your strengths may be different from mine. Maybe it’s not worth it for us to try each other’s methods.

So when others give you advice, thank them and consider what they’ve said. But don’t feel obligated to execute their recommendations. Just follow this one little piece of advice – don’t take too much advice.

I may not know you very well, but I can tell you one thing about yourself — you have some things you do well, and then there are things you don’t do so well. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, it’s true of all of us. Part of being human is the fact that we all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. And everyone’s goal should be to promote his strengths while improving on his weaknesses. Or just finding a way to keep weaknesses out of the equation.

Sometimes it can be difficult to identify your own strengths and weakness. Perhaps you don’t identify them on your own. It may take someone else’s insight and feedback to open your eyes. Or maybe your friends confirm what you already know about yourself. Whatever the case may be, what’s important is that you learn what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at.

I strive to be logical. In any situation, I try to be the voice of reason. And if I may say so, I do a damn good job at it. Sometimes, depending on the situation, it’s best not to go with your impulses. There are times when you want to take a second to think before you react. At least that’s how I see things. My wife has commented that I’m good at seeing the other side of the situation. She says that I’m good at understanding my opponent’s argument, I can see where the other person is coming from. I do find this to be one of my greatest strengths.

I find that another of my strengths is my humility. As I have said numerous times on this blog, there are very few things that I am an expert at. And I never try to pretend that I am one. Instead, I try to keep my ears open and listen to others. I try to soak up every bit of information that I can. I try to keep an open mind. Everyone is different and has a different way of seeing things. Sometimes seeing things from their view will open your eyes to possibilities you would have never seen on your own.

Unfortunately, sometimes you find that your strength can be a weakness. And in some ways, one of my greatest strengths is my greatest weakness. How can this be possible, you may ask.

There is a time to be humble. But there is also a time to be confident. Maybe even cocky. And that time comes during the job search. Most notably when you’re putting together your resume.

We all know what the purpose of a resume is. It’s your chance to brag on yourself. Your chance to share your accomplishments and separate yourself from the crowd. It’s your chance to shine.

And this is where humility can get in the way.

I have a hard time building up my accomplishments. Why? The humble man in me feels as if I don’t have much to celebrate. I feel as if I haven’t accomplished much, so there’s nothing to showcase. And this is where I hold myself down. And my resume gets passed over. And I don’t get called for an interview. Instead, less impressive people who are better at marketing themselves get the phone call and ultimately, the job.

This is something that I’ve struggled with for a while, and it’s wall that I’m trying to tear down. Progress is not being made as quickly as I would like, but I know that I will get past this in time. There are enough things in this world getting in my way, I don’t need to hold myself back as well.

The good news is that my buddy Ryan Rancatore believes that resumes may be extinct by 2020. To be honest, I hope they’re extinct before that.

For whatever reason, it seems that we humans can not leave others alone and simply worry about ourselves. Rather than focus only on what we are doing, we choose to push our noses in other people’s business. We look at what everyone else is doing and wonder if we should follow suit. What are people in Beverly Hills wearing? What’s hot on Top 40 radio? There are so many questions that we let distract us. Unfortunately, we look to see what others are doing when we attempt to measure our own success as well.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a novelist. I had so many ideas and stories that were one day going to make it on paper and find their way into the homes and hearts of thousands of readers and maybe even onto a few bestseller lists. I remember being discouraged by one of my favorite authors. Although I’ve read and enjoyed many of Bret Easton Ellis’s novels (American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction, Lunar Park), it was his debut Less Than Zero that made me feel inadequate. Why? Ellis had Less Than Zero published while he was a freshman in college. I’m having trouble balancing full-time college coursework and a part-time job, yet Ellis was publishing novels while working on his degree. If you think that’s impressive, S. E. Hinton had The Outsiders published when she was only 16 years old. That can be discouraging, even to someone in his early 20′s.

Some people can read a book in a day. I’m not talking about those 200-page books, I mean those big thick Harry Potter-size books. I, on the other hand, am a very slow reader. And an inconsistent one. I can start reading a book, put it down for a while, and pick it up a few days later. Because of this, even an extremely small book can take me quite some time to finish. When I think of those people who read at a much faster pace, I feel like the village idiot.

At the age of 23, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg became the world’s youngest billionaire. At age 25, I am nowhere near that and it does not seem as if I will be near that anytime soon.

Even if I do start building an empire tomorrow, it’s highly unlikely that I’ll ever be as rich as Warren Buffet.

By this point, you’re probably asking, What’s the point of all this? The point is that as long as you compare your success to that of others, you will always find a way to devalue your accomplishments and find a reason never to start bettering your situation.

I know I’m not the only one who’s ever let himself get down when comparing his accomplishments to others’. I remember a conversation I had with a good friend and former co-worker; my friend stated that he was 25 years old, about to be laid off, and had accomplished nothing. He wasn’t financially secure, hadn’t started his own venture, and couldn’t see anything on the horizon. He was focused too much on the extravagant success of others rather than seeing how his modest successes might help him in the future. My friend was smart, had a college degree, had freed himself of debt. He had gained some real-world experience and had learned some life lessons that he would carry with him forever and use to better himself.

I enjoy playing basketball. I’ll never be Michael Jordan. Should I stop playing?

I mess around on my guitar from time to time. I’ll never be a guitar god, but should I be any less proud of the melodies I create?

You can’t compare yourself to others. It’s just not healthy. We’re all born into a certain environment or certain situation. There are so many factors that affect us on a daily basis. All we can do is strive to make the best out of our situation, our one chance to do something special. The only person you can compare yourself to is yourself. Ask yourself, Where are you today? Where were you yesterday? And where are you headed? Are you moving forward? If not, what can you do to get yourself back on track? That is the healthiest method of comparison.

In case you haven’t heard, blogging is dead. Again. And social media is a fad. Just like computers and the Internet. If you have any kind of interest in social media, you’ve likely heard the question asked a thousand times: Is social media a fad? Some people really want to know. They’re worried that what they’re doing right now might be irrelevant as time goes on. And so they search and search for the answer to that ever important question: Is social media a fad?

Yes. Social media is a fad.

For many. And for some, not so much.

For those who believe that social media is some Holy Grail, some get-rich-quick Internet scheme — yes, social media is a fad. For those who use it for one-way conversation and flood and flood people with noise, the appeal of social media will die away.

Some people think that in order to reap the benefits of social media you just have to be there.

Just start a blog. About nothing. Make a Facebook fan page, the people will flock to it! Twitter is so amazing, you can automate everything! It’s so easy!

Some people think that simply being there will get them exposure and exponentially grow their sales.

Seriously, is anything ever that easy?

And when people realize that it’s not that easy, they will start dropping out. Those who properly utilize social media — those who build relationships and interact and build online communities — will still be around, doing their thing, reaping the benefits.

One reason some people will drop out of social media is because it’s not easily quantifiable. How do you translate your efforts into financial results? I can’t guarantee that this blog post or this tweet will earn any money. And that’s another thing — very rarely will one post or one tweet lead to any results. It takes time for it all to accumulate. It takes time for people to care.

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure where I plan to go with my own social networking. But I can say that having a blog has changed the way I look at things. For the better. And that’s something that’s hard to put a price tag on. So it’s safe to say that I see no reasonable explanation for why I would drop out of social media.

You know, other than the fact it’s all a fad.