Early Morning Time

If you ask me there is something magical about the early morning. I especially like spring because there is just that hint of coolness in the air and the slumbering green and magical colors of new growth seem to take a collective yawn before perking up with those first few rays of sunshine. Everything seems fresher. Everything seems calmer. Everything seems rife with possibilities.

The quite of the early morning welcomes me to just be. To drink in the peacefulness of a brand new day long before the hectic pace of my daily life kicks into high gear. How as I get old I so need more of these moments to just remember to breathe. I need the reminders to take a step back and remember that everything I am seeing, everything I am experiencing was and is for me. It helps put things into perspective.

There used to be a time that the stillness of an early morning was lost on me. I had meetings to attend. Work to start or finish. I didn't have time for such things.

But I always did. I always will. It's just now I know to appreciate it more. Hope you will too.

Ripple On!!!

Ripplers Know How To Be There

I don't know what it is but recently I have been faced with several situations where people have had unusually bad things happen to them. A business acquaintance who can't seem to land a job and the money is getting tight. A fan of my book and now good friend who just learned that their company will be making some job cuts and she is likely to be the next to go. The friend who just learned that his spouse has reconnected with an old flame and their marriage is on the rocks. Or a good friend who just this morning I learned had lost both of his parents and his father-in-law in an incredibly short amount of time and it had obviously taken its toll him.

It's in those moments when faced with the raw emotion and the fear of another person's predicament that many people retreat. Part of it is insecurity. Part of it is out of one's own fear. Part of it is out of some people's pure inability to empathize with another's plight. Part of it is people's inability to handle other people's stresses, personal or professional tragedies. They retract into the inner comforts of their own shell leaving the person in real need of an ear, a open heart or simply a hug, out in the cold alone and hurting.

I believe when faced with those kinds of moments it's a personal gut check for you. Do you have the power to elevate yourself beyond your own life's troubles to open your heart and mind for someone else. I for one can say that I haven't always had that ability. In fact there was a time in my life that I was downright selfish and almost petulant when faced with such situations. I had my own problems, my own issues and felt that polluting my own being with another's problems was impossible for me. Heck I couldn't find the answers to my own troubles, how on Earth would I be able to help someone else?

Until I did.

It began with a friend who was going through a divorce and simply unloaded one night over beers. I focused entirely on him and what this cocky self confident individual was really being reduced to because of his impending divorce. I just listened and was there for him. Maybe it was my willingness to stop and listen and just be there with and for someone who was facing a traumatic situation in their life that was the wake up call I really needed for my own life. I often think back to that moment and many others since and realize they were every bit the gut check moments that they are intended to be. Life was challenging me to help someone else fight through their situation and the only real question was...I am going to answer the bell or not.

Well I did and I since then I have realized that my heart has plenty of room to take on more. There is always room to welcome someone else into it and to simply be there when there is a need. I think Ripplers naturally know that the world is a bigger place then just themselves and the power to really be there for another in their hour, day, month, year or decade of need is one of the most incredible gifts we can offer.

So next time you are faced with the life opportunity of being there for another, simply ask say this:

"I am here for you. How can I help?"

You may just find that the bell that calls you into the fight has more to teach you than you ever expected. The good news is, your heart has plenty of room and can take all comers!

Ripple On!!!

My San Francisco Adventure - Continued

I always get excited about bringing my Ripple concept to a new audience and it was an absolute honor to be tapped to speak at the RSA Conference. I was somewhat of a last minute addition to the RSA Conference program which was technically a bummer for me as I didn't get added to the conference's official website or program and didn't get to walk around and mix and mingle with the conference attendees...which as you can imagine is something I like to do very much. I was asked to lead what they were calling the Networking 101 session. If you were to look at it, which by the way is the way I choose to look at it, I kicked off the whole conference as the first official speaker and technically opened for Michael Chertoff, Malcolm Gladwell and Al Gore and an overall impressive list of about 250 speakers. How's that for illustrious company?

Anyway I arrived at the Moscone Center and ended up having some delightful conversations with the people coordinating the behind the scenes activities for the conference. Talk about connection points I had noticed that one of my points of contacts that I had been given had a New Mexico area code so when I met Julia we had plenty to talk about as she now lives in my old hometown of Albuquerque. Julia ended up being my "Voice of God" announcer when I took the stage and she and her crew were unbelievably fun and easy to work with. I certainly hope the connection to Julia will blossom into something more as she has a neat theater project she is working on in Albuquerque and her drive and passion is infectious. I look forward to helping her any way that I can.

As you can imagine those of you who know my take on networking, I spoke about the power of Rippling and how it is, in my not so humble opinion, a better strategy for people to make the kinds of connections they really want to make for their life and business. I talked about my how finding connection points by not using the sucker's choice of "So what do you do?" types of questions but having newer more interesting questions can open up a world of possibilities. I really fought hard through my remarks to help people understand that they need to humanize the process of connecting with others first and be open and willing to see what happens. I demonstrated the process by putting them all through a facilitated Ripple which seemed to be a huge hit with the 750-800 people in attendance.

It was the connections I made afterwards that made the whole trip worth it for me. To hear people come up and say, "Thank you for giving me permission to be myself and do things my way," or "I never could have imagined I would find out so much about a complete stranger...your questions were incredible." Or simply, "Great job I learned a lot. Thank you!" Those kinds of comments and the many I have received post-conference through the BLOG or via email just put an huge smile on my face as you can imagine. Heck Julia and her production crew were apparently even Rippling amongst each other from the back of the room....how cool is that?

I finished my presentation and because I was a last-minute addition I didn't have the kind of badge that would allow me to mix and mingle during the happy hour session that followed mine. At first I was disappointed but still left the conference smiling ear to ear because I knew that my presentation had at least been well received and I have high hopes as to what it might bring back to me in terms of new connections and opportunities.

Exhausted but still on a high from presenting I headed back over to the Grand Hyatt to watch the NCAA Men's Final between Memphis and Kansas. There I sat on the 36th floor watching the blanket of darkness draw over the bay. I could see Alcatraz and had a gorgeous view of the downtown area. I sunk into my comfortable seat by the window and had an amazing sense of calm and happiness wash over me. I had come to San Francisco and done what I love to do....spreading the power of the Ripple to any and all who would listen.

Just then....about seven people piled into a table right next to mine..."Hey you're the Ripple guy right?"

Indeed I am.