Think It Through!

If you're having a tough time with getting started on a task, special project or even a conversation, here are some words of wisdom.  Think it through!  If you take the time to actually figure out the steps you need to take or the words you need to say, it will make not only the beginning easier, but will also help you see your way through to completion.

What should you be thinking about you ask?  Think about timing, goals, audience and most efficient route to completion for starters.  As you begin thinking about these things, other questions will arise to help you flush out your thinking even more. 

It'll amaze you how much of the work you'll be able to get done inside your brain!  In fact i'd argue that's where most of the work gets done anyway.  Very little time (relatively speaking, of course) is spent on the actual manifestation of your task, project or conversation. 

Certainly you must account for how your thoughts and ideas translate into the real world.  You may have to tweak your thinking a bit, but you'll be surprised at how similar the virtual world in our minds and the real world are.

Collections

If you're a current or former 21ster or thinking about becoming a 21ster, you should watch this video. It is very eye-opening! Disclaimer: I learned a lot during my time at 21st Mortgage and made many dear friends.  I truly valued my time there. That being said, i never approved of the way they recruited recent college grads. Their tactics are misleading, dishonest and downright nefarious. I hope they change, but fear they never will.

This is an incredible video performed by Allison Summers. I hope you enjoy!  Thanks to Becca Davis for initially posting it to the LA21ST group page!


 

Collections from Allison Summers on Vimeo.

The right way isn't always the simplest...

Let me start by saying that i'm always in search of the simplest way.  In fact i go out of my way to figure out the simplest way to do something like solve a problem.  It pains me when that way doesn't present itself.

Let me also say that the right way isn't always the safest, fastest or easiest either.  God knows i love predictability, efficiency and decisions that take little effort.

Additionally, it should be said that the right way doesn't always make me, you or anyone else happy.  Although happiness can be a nice consolation prize (like the prize the non-winners get at the end of the gameshow) and occassionally the result, it most of the time is neither.

What good is the right way anyway then?  The answer is simple.  The right way IS the right way. 

I hope you find it this year.

Godspeed.

Happy Mew Year!

I know that i posted just days ago about Lupe Fiasco's Friend of the People and you're probably just getting your hands on that.  If not, what are you waiting for?!  But, i couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell y'all about another musical gem i just started listening to recently or the opportunity for a new year/mewsical pun.  Haha, there's another one! :-))

In case you haven't already figured out the name of the band, it is in fact Mew.  Yeah, weird name, right?  I thought the same thing when i was first told about them roughly a year and half ago by my friend, Alex.  Obviously it took me a while to give them a chance because i was just that put off by their name.  Now i'm kicking myself for waiting so long.  Don't make the same mistake!

Mew formed 15 years ago in Copenhagen and is comprised of lead singer Jonas Bjerre, guitarist Bo Madsen and drummer Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen.  Their songs can go from 0-60 in the blink of an eye and back to 0 just as quickly... all in the same song!  They're all over the place.  One moment they're slow and quiet, the next fast and loud.  You have to hold on tight or you might get whiplash!

Lyrically lead singer, Jonas Bjerre sings wistfully (Wayne Coyne-esque maybe?) about relationships in an abstract and yet strangely vivid way.  For example, in the song 156 from the album Frengers, he sings "Callie in the summer rain/You will be kept dry you see/If you got the money for me."  For you lyric hounds out there, there's plenty of depth to sink your teeth into.

I can't say enough about this band, so i'm going to stop and let you hear for yourself.  Check out the song Comforting Sounds also from the album Frengers below.  It's a pretty lengthy track, but i think you'll appreciate its length when it's all said and done.  Incidentally this song is featured at the end of an episode of East Bound and Down.  A stamp of approval in my book!

Happy Mew Year everyone!

Friend of the People

Hello Friends and happy holidays!  I just recently came across the newest mixtape by Lupe Fiasco called Friend of the People (thanks for the recommendation, Lee!) and let me tell you, it is nothing short of amazing!  I've been craving some new hip hop this holiday season and this was just the fix i needed!

Friend of the People is a compilation of beats by some of the most prolific DJs around.  They lay the foundation for Lupe's poetic and thoughtful lyricism that mix with laser-sharp precision with the beats themselves. 

The first track is an intro that sets up the rest of the tape perfectly.  I won't go into details, but it is a brilliant way to kick things off.  The second track starts hard with the masterfully done dubstep beat "Doomsday" by DJ Nero (who also produced the first track) and rest of FOTP just keeps bringin' it with some incredible dubstep/electronic/house beats.   It even samples John Coltrane's, "Love Supreme."  

I know, i know.  Some of you won't approve of Lupe going the dubstep route, but if you give it a chance you might just be pleasantly surprised.  I was!

FOTP is truly a work of art i highly recommend you get your hands on as a late Christmas/Hannukah gift to yourself.  You'll definitely want to be bumpin' this one into the new year!  The best part is that you can download it for free at datpiff.com.  (I've included a track below for your listening pleasure in case you're still a little hesitant.:-))

Happy New Year everyone!  We'll see y'all in 2012!

Oslo Cole & Becki Grace-"Lift Me Up"

This is from my performance (the Rejectionist) last nite at the Pizza Kitchen on Northshore. This song is one that Becki and i co-wrote and it is a good song! Hope y'all enjoy!

The Slow Road Back to Prosperity: 12 Ways to Thrive in a Stagnant Economy - US News & World Report

For those of you struggling in this ailing economy, here are some great tips for surviving and thriving during difficult economic times. I especially like slides #6--#9 and #12 and #13, but think that they're all good. Click the link below to check it out.

The Slow Road Back to Prosperity: 12 Ways to Thrive in a Stagnant Economy - US News & World Report