For those who know me, you know I always wanted to be a weatherman. I used to track the weather daily when I was a kid, by watching the weather on the news and the Weather Channel and track the local weather using charts just like they do on TV. Even today, a day still doesn't go by where I don't connect to weather.com to check local and national weather. If anyone asks me what the weather is in a certain part of the country, I am likely to know. One of the reasons, I love living in New England is that the weather is very changeable. As far back as I could remember, the New England area did not have a year like we have had in 2011. Here is a review of this year.
The year started with one of the worst Januaries in terms of cold and snow in Boston history. I was getting my daily legs and back workout digging out of numerous snowstorms that seem to hit every other day. This year was the first year I had to even shovel my roof! The snow blitz continued into February which prompted me and the family to take a road trip to Florida to feel what it is like to experience warm and sunny weather again.
The spring was relatively dry and warmer than past springs. Nothing too hot, but I started to notice that the springtime thunderstorms were more severe compared to past years. Other parts of the country experienced the biggest and most deadly tornado outbreak in history. Raleigh, North Carolina, Joplin, Missouri and Alabama come to mind. One thought I had was that the Southeast US was having warmer than normal weather while the Midwest was in a deep freeze into the spring, causing a clash of the air masses.
In June, it was our turn with tornadoes. I remember June 1st like it was yesterday. I was driving home from meetings in Boston and the weather reports were saying that conditions were favorable for tornadoes even as far east as Boston, which is very rare due to the ocean effect. I noticed the sky becoming an eerie black/green color too in the distance. Around 5:30pm or so, my biggest fear happened. Numerous tornadoes touched down in western and central Massachusetts, including one that went through downtown Springfield. The weather reports were saying the same line should be hitting the Framingham area. I have never been in a situation like this before and was thinking the worst, like where would we live after my house gets destroyed. Luckily, the funnel clouds lifted up about ten miles west of me, so all we got was severe thunderstorms and the wildest clouds you would ever seen.
We ended up having three more days over the summer with tornado watches, but nothing like June 1st.
Later in July, we started having abnormally hot and humid weather. On July 20th, Boston had its second hottest day ever at 103 degrees. For those that don't know, Boston's airport is right on the ocean so it was probably even hotter inland. We ended up having five or six more days around 100 degrees during the rest of the summer, which is rare here.
In late August, another rare weather occurrence was in the making. Hurricane Irene was making a beeline toward New England. For the first time since 1991, a Hurricane was going to hit New England. The storm ended up downgrading to a Tropical Storm right before it made landfall but caused extensive damage in western New England. We had a lot of wind in our area and I spent the aftermath cleaning up the tree damage.
September and October were warmer than normal. There were still beach days well into September, but then in late October, yet another rare weather event happened, a big snowstorm. Even though only 1-2 inches fell in Greater Boston, almost 2 feet of heavy wet snow fell in Central and Western Massachusetts. Who would have ever though we would have a White Halloween. It was weird seeing the trees still green with snow on the ground. The storm actually caused more tree damage in the area than Hurricane Irene.
Since the October snow event, at this time, we have yet to see a snow flake where I live in Greater Boston. The late fall featured numerous days well above normal temperatures and even a couple of short sleeve shirt days in December. The grass is still green here a couple of days before Christmas.
It makes you think, what will we have in store for 2012? We shall see.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
I Think I Got the Guitar Bug Back
2011 was a crazy year from me. The year started off losing my full-time job at Nokia and led to growing my internet marketing and social media business to a point where this year became my successful year in business. In the middle of it all, I landed another full-time gig at Osram Sylvania. But the one thing I regret in it all, is I lost time and desire to play guitar this year. I actually was getting pretty good at it, up until two years ago. But time got in the way and as hobbies go, they take a back seat.
That all changed on December 2nd. My wife won tickets to the Mix 104.1 Not So Silent Night Party with 3 Doors Down, Gavin Degraw and O.A.R. I was psyched since I think 3 Doors Down and Gavin DeGraw are great musicians. I did not know much about O.A.R. All three bands played an acoustic set, which I like since it really brings out the raw talent of the musician. 3 Doors Down had a ton of big hits in the 2000s, so it was pretty cool to see them in an intimate setting like the Lansdowne Pub in Boston. I am hoping that they get back to being commercially successful again like they deserve. Gavin DeGraw is the hot star now with the big hit with "All Over You". He is the new Billy Joel, a New Yorker with tons of talent. O.A.R was the big surprise. They are a jam band with a lot of acoustic jams and the crowd knew their lyrics word for word which told me they have a great following.
Needless to say, this is what I needed to become interested in playing guitar again. I played this weekend a little and will need to practice to get to where I was in 2009. I will be looking for lessons so if you know of anyone, please let me know. Playing guitar is great for us middle age guys!
That all changed on December 2nd. My wife won tickets to the Mix 104.1 Not So Silent Night Party with 3 Doors Down, Gavin Degraw and O.A.R. I was psyched since I think 3 Doors Down and Gavin DeGraw are great musicians. I did not know much about O.A.R. All three bands played an acoustic set, which I like since it really brings out the raw talent of the musician. 3 Doors Down had a ton of big hits in the 2000s, so it was pretty cool to see them in an intimate setting like the Lansdowne Pub in Boston. I am hoping that they get back to being commercially successful again like they deserve. Gavin DeGraw is the hot star now with the big hit with "All Over You". He is the new Billy Joel, a New Yorker with tons of talent. O.A.R was the big surprise. They are a jam band with a lot of acoustic jams and the crowd knew their lyrics word for word which told me they have a great following.
Needless to say, this is what I needed to become interested in playing guitar again. I played this weekend a little and will need to practice to get to where I was in 2009. I will be looking for lessons so if you know of anyone, please let me know. Playing guitar is great for us middle age guys!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Fear of Public Speaking
They always say that the thing that people fear most besides death is public speaking. How many times you see someone get in front of a crowd and that once confident powerful person turns into a nervous wreck and uses every nervous word in the book, such as "umm", 'so" and "you know"? Being able to speak publicly opens up opportunities as a leader, as a sales builder and most of all an inspirational mentor that people look to.
I recently joined my local Toastmasters, which is one of the larger more respected public speaking groups around. I still have some fear getting in front of people, but I am much more seasoned now compared to three or four years ago. Ever since I started my own business and had to learn to network and to get in front of people, my confidence grew. I learned that as long as you knew a lot about the subject I was speaking about and you did not read notes, chances are I would do a great job engaging the audience.
Toastmasters is a great program since they have processes like Table Topics and the Icebreaker, in which you are put on the spot and had to talk about a subject that was selected that day. The audience critiques you but does not criticize you. The whole point of the exercises are to make sure you feel comfortable presenting in front of people. I recently completed my IceBreaker speech which was titled "How I Was Influenced in Helping Others". It was an easy topic considering my family and wife have influenced my greatly with their compassion for life and helping others. I have found myself much more compassionate in helping others in the past few years. I have faced a lot of adversity in my career the past four years with two layoffs and with starting a couple of businesses. I looked back at where I was in 2006 compared to now and felt I have grown as a professional and am now more successful than ever in my career. Because of where I am in my career and because of groups like Toastmasters, I think I have conquered the fear of public speaking, at least for now.
I recently joined my local Toastmasters, which is one of the larger more respected public speaking groups around. I still have some fear getting in front of people, but I am much more seasoned now compared to three or four years ago. Ever since I started my own business and had to learn to network and to get in front of people, my confidence grew. I learned that as long as you knew a lot about the subject I was speaking about and you did not read notes, chances are I would do a great job engaging the audience.
Toastmasters is a great program since they have processes like Table Topics and the Icebreaker, in which you are put on the spot and had to talk about a subject that was selected that day. The audience critiques you but does not criticize you. The whole point of the exercises are to make sure you feel comfortable presenting in front of people. I recently completed my IceBreaker speech which was titled "How I Was Influenced in Helping Others". It was an easy topic considering my family and wife have influenced my greatly with their compassion for life and helping others. I have found myself much more compassionate in helping others in the past few years. I have faced a lot of adversity in my career the past four years with two layoffs and with starting a couple of businesses. I looked back at where I was in 2006 compared to now and felt I have grown as a professional and am now more successful than ever in my career. Because of where I am in my career and because of groups like Toastmasters, I think I have conquered the fear of public speaking, at least for now.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
What I Learned From Steve Jobs
Believe or it, I am a Google/Droid user and have never owned an Apple product. I did get an iPod a few years back from my wife, but I don't own an iPhone, an iPad or subscribe to the iCloud. Even so, I am very impressed with Apple. They got it right, one mobile operating system on one device. The only difference in devices is the amount of memory and the wireless speed you can configured. Apple also is very efficient when it comes to R&D and spends six times less on development than the former number one mobile provider based in Finland. Apple is also the #1 consumer brand in the world and is one of the most popular companies to work for in the world. Apple was also run by a college drop-out, former orphan, and twice-fired leader whom we unfortunately lost too soon, Mr. Steve Jobs.
Stay Hungry, Stay foolish.
I think those four words together is one of the most powerful quotes perhaps ever. What it means to me is to always have an urgency in whatever you do and never ever quit. It also means that it is OK to make mistakes, ask stupid questions, but more importantly, learn from your mistakes and stupid questions. Some of the most successful professionals in the world have made some big mistakes and came back stronger than ever. Think Donald Trump. Steve Jobs also gave hope to anyone that did not get that fat degree from an Ivy League school, that by staying hungry and staying foolish, you can be as successful as you want to be. I personally know some colleagues with masters degrees and a lot of debt that are going through hard times. They may have played it safe and rested on their past accomplishments. All the while, there were college drop-outs all around us making a difference, like Steve Jobs did.
I have personally gone through two layoffs in the past three years and have been in process of building my social media and health/wellness business. Building a business is very difficult. You have to constantly network to build a referral base, you have to work long hours to make that extra sale, and most of all you make a lot of mistakes along the way. After hearing what Steve Jobs has gone through, I now feel that I can never give up on my businesses, that I need to stay hungry and make a foolish mistake now and then. The end result will be the most rewarding.
So stay hungry, stay foolish. I will.
Stay Hungry, Stay foolish.
I think those four words together is one of the most powerful quotes perhaps ever. What it means to me is to always have an urgency in whatever you do and never ever quit. It also means that it is OK to make mistakes, ask stupid questions, but more importantly, learn from your mistakes and stupid questions. Some of the most successful professionals in the world have made some big mistakes and came back stronger than ever. Think Donald Trump. Steve Jobs also gave hope to anyone that did not get that fat degree from an Ivy League school, that by staying hungry and staying foolish, you can be as successful as you want to be. I personally know some colleagues with masters degrees and a lot of debt that are going through hard times. They may have played it safe and rested on their past accomplishments. All the while, there were college drop-outs all around us making a difference, like Steve Jobs did.
I have personally gone through two layoffs in the past three years and have been in process of building my social media and health/wellness business. Building a business is very difficult. You have to constantly network to build a referral base, you have to work long hours to make that extra sale, and most of all you make a lot of mistakes along the way. After hearing what Steve Jobs has gone through, I now feel that I can never give up on my businesses, that I need to stay hungry and make a foolish mistake now and then. The end result will be the most rewarding.
So stay hungry, stay foolish. I will.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Social Media and the Weather
When I was a kid, I always dreamed to be a weatherman. I used to keep track of the weather in my hometown of Cranston, RI writing down the high and low temperature and the weather conditions every day. I got my information from the good ol' Providence Journal. I used to marvel at thunderstorms and admired the how high and mighty thunderstorm clouds were. Of course, in Rhode Island you do not get the severe thunderstorms that the Midwest and South get, but the storms were nasty enough. I also was intrigued by the Blizzard of 1978. All snowstorms from that point forward was measured against that great storm. There was no Weather Channel then or Facebook, just the television news and newspaper. So you really didn't know how severe that storm was going to be until it happened.
I was thinking of going to school for meteorology, but the only school in the area was in Vermont and I was not about to go to school in northern Vermont. People in Rhode Island though Vermont was somewhere near Alaska. So I settled for Computer Engineering while maintaining an avid interest in weather.
Later on in my life, I experienced my first hurricane, Hurricane Bob in 1991. Hurricanes are a different puppy compared to Blizzards. What was really amazing was the preparation for such a storm. The technology was a little better then. We had the Weather Channel but no real internet. Bob was a pretty intense storm in Rhode Island. The Hurricane Barrier in Providence got activated which is worth seeing. There were trees down everywhere after the storm and we did not have power for a few days. The only way you knew about your friends or family status was when the phone lines were finally on-line. Again no real internet access or Facebook then.
Now comes 2011 and one of the most imminent hurricanes threats to New England in over 20 years. But boy are things different from a preparation perspective and how we all communicate. With social media, the game is totally different. I am getting up to the minute updates via Twitter and Facebook on my smartphone. For example, I just found out we are now in a hurricane warning in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from you guessed it, from my Facebook feed on my HTC Incredible Droid smartphone. I will be able to get the latest on the storm, stay in contact with friends, and perhaps even avoid danger knowing if the worst part of the storm is hitting my area. The Weather Channel has a live Facebook chat for the public to answer any questions they have. Wished we had that in 1991!
Think about it, you lose power, you can still use your smartphone and the social media sites. One recommendation is to keep your smartphone connected to a power source as much as possible during the storm in case power is lost. So hope to see my friends and family online during the storm. Please no Farmville requests! It is pretty amazing how far social media has taken us. It may save some lives this weekend in New England... Stay safe!
I was thinking of going to school for meteorology, but the only school in the area was in Vermont and I was not about to go to school in northern Vermont. People in Rhode Island though Vermont was somewhere near Alaska. So I settled for Computer Engineering while maintaining an avid interest in weather.
Later on in my life, I experienced my first hurricane, Hurricane Bob in 1991. Hurricanes are a different puppy compared to Blizzards. What was really amazing was the preparation for such a storm. The technology was a little better then. We had the Weather Channel but no real internet. Bob was a pretty intense storm in Rhode Island. The Hurricane Barrier in Providence got activated which is worth seeing. There were trees down everywhere after the storm and we did not have power for a few days. The only way you knew about your friends or family status was when the phone lines were finally on-line. Again no real internet access or Facebook then.
Now comes 2011 and one of the most imminent hurricanes threats to New England in over 20 years. But boy are things different from a preparation perspective and how we all communicate. With social media, the game is totally different. I am getting up to the minute updates via Twitter and Facebook on my smartphone. For example, I just found out we are now in a hurricane warning in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from you guessed it, from my Facebook feed on my HTC Incredible Droid smartphone. I will be able to get the latest on the storm, stay in contact with friends, and perhaps even avoid danger knowing if the worst part of the storm is hitting my area. The Weather Channel has a live Facebook chat for the public to answer any questions they have. Wished we had that in 1991!
Think about it, you lose power, you can still use your smartphone and the social media sites. One recommendation is to keep your smartphone connected to a power source as much as possible during the storm in case power is lost. So hope to see my friends and family online during the storm. Please no Farmville requests! It is pretty amazing how far social media has taken us. It may save some lives this weekend in New England... Stay safe!
Friday, July 22, 2011
MLM People, Financial Planners and Life Coaches Are Taking Over the World of Networking
A lot of people that know me know that I am an avid networker and go to between 2-3 events a week. Why do I network? It is because you have to in today's professional world. Considering I am in transition and have a couple of businesses, networking is the lifeblood of my professional career. I recently went to an event in Boston this past week and looking around, you can clearly distinguish the different breeds of entrepreneurs enjoying the free food and working their elevator pitches.
First, you have the financial planners/ advisers. They are the ones wearing full suits and ties despite the fact it was 95 degrees out. Clearly, you can see them sweat not just from the weather but also knowing five of their competitors are in the room. You had MetLife, Mass Mutual, New York Life and Wells Fargo in the room. My advice to a financial person.... wear a Hawaiian shirt and rent a BMW for the next networking event. Personally, I did not select my financial advisor because they wore a suit in 95 degree weather.
Second, you got those Multi-Level-Marketers. At this event, you had Adzzoo, Trump Network, Avon, Arbonne and Tuppleware. BTW, Market America is NOT multi-level-marketing for the thousandth time!!! They all claim their company has the best products & services, provide the best compensation plan, have meetings in exotic places... but meanwhile they are wearing Walmart specials driving off in their beat up Saturns... My advice to MLM networkers.... treat your business as a business not not some spectacular money making machine and listen to people. Personally, I did not start my business with Market America because Donald Trump owns it and sends me to Key Largo for $1000 to look at his hair. FYI, Donald Trump doesn't own Market America. He wished he did!
Finally, ah yes, the life coaches. The ones that teach business people to transition their life, to discover holistic health, and pay them thousands for advice that you can also get on Google. I honestly always wonder how these fine folks make any money. They must do a wonderful job showing how their clients get their best return on investment. Really, go into real business, you would do wonders! The Life Coaches dress a little better since they are setting an example to their clients. My advice, get a Plan B. This business is very cyclical.
So I am hoping at the next event, I meet some restaurant owners, car dealers, social media people, cigar shop owners, just to mix it up a bit. I guess that is why BNI is successful at what they do. They only allow one of two professionals from each line of work.
Ok, time to go to the dry cleaners to go get my suits for the next event.... a wedding, not a networking event!!
First, you have the financial planners/ advisers. They are the ones wearing full suits and ties despite the fact it was 95 degrees out. Clearly, you can see them sweat not just from the weather but also knowing five of their competitors are in the room. You had MetLife, Mass Mutual, New York Life and Wells Fargo in the room. My advice to a financial person.... wear a Hawaiian shirt and rent a BMW for the next networking event. Personally, I did not select my financial advisor because they wore a suit in 95 degree weather.
Second, you got those Multi-Level-Marketers. At this event, you had Adzzoo, Trump Network, Avon, Arbonne and Tuppleware. BTW, Market America is NOT multi-level-marketing for the thousandth time!!! They all claim their company has the best products & services, provide the best compensation plan, have meetings in exotic places... but meanwhile they are wearing Walmart specials driving off in their beat up Saturns... My advice to MLM networkers.... treat your business as a business not not some spectacular money making machine and listen to people. Personally, I did not start my business with Market America because Donald Trump owns it and sends me to Key Largo for $1000 to look at his hair. FYI, Donald Trump doesn't own Market America. He wished he did!
Finally, ah yes, the life coaches. The ones that teach business people to transition their life, to discover holistic health, and pay them thousands for advice that you can also get on Google. I honestly always wonder how these fine folks make any money. They must do a wonderful job showing how their clients get their best return on investment. Really, go into real business, you would do wonders! The Life Coaches dress a little better since they are setting an example to their clients. My advice, get a Plan B. This business is very cyclical.
So I am hoping at the next event, I meet some restaurant owners, car dealers, social media people, cigar shop owners, just to mix it up a bit. I guess that is why BNI is successful at what they do. They only allow one of two professionals from each line of work.
Ok, time to go to the dry cleaners to go get my suits for the next event.... a wedding, not a networking event!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Over the Border - The Demise of the Brick and Mortar
Well, another large retailer is biting the dust - Borders. I liked Borders but always wondered how they were making money. Normally, people go there to look at books as if they are in the library and not buy anything or go to coffee shop and buy a $2 latte and sit on their laptops cruising Facebook for many hours. It is no wonder they were losing money and are now going out of business. But there is a larger issue here where Borders did not change with the times and customer focus. For the past few years, just as newspapers started going away, people started moving to electronic readers and mobile devices to do their day-to-day communication and reading. Barnes & Noble has the Nook, Amazon has the Kindle, and many others are being promoted. Borders also did not do a good job promoting their online presence. Simply put, if you don't shift your focus to your company's online presence, you will go out of business. Case in point, Circuit City, Linens n Things and soon Toys R Us. You didn't hear that from me, but it is my pick for the next brick and mortar retailer to go out of business.
Today's customers buying habits are online case in point. Online sales at a company I am affiliated with has gone up over 30% in the past year while the typical brick and mortar retailer had same store sales growth between -5% - 5%. Social shopping is the wave of the future, matching product to people and people to product and there is no other way to do that than online shopping. A lot of retailers are now offering free shipping and online deals only since they do not need to distribute a product to a store and pay for shelf life and most of all, employees. I recently bought the book, Social Boom from Jeffrey Gitomer on my portal for $14.50 with free shipping. Just for the sake of it, I went to the local Barnes and Noble to see what is would cost. Try $22.99 with tax. I just booked a trip to the Cape through my online travel site and got an incredible deal at a great hotel/resort for a third of the price. Where? Online! So, why would someone go to a brick and mortar store? I'll admit, I do not buy clothes online or anything to do with the look and feel of my home (pictures, lights etc.), but in reality the demise of the brick and mortar is here. Your local mall may become more of an entertainment destination with theatres, restaurants, entertainment centers with a few clothes stores thrown in.
In closing, I feel for the 11,000+ people losing their jobs at Borders but we are in a different world today. Companies need to keep up with the times in the information and mobile age or they become a Borders.
Today's customers buying habits are online case in point. Online sales at a company I am affiliated with has gone up over 30% in the past year while the typical brick and mortar retailer had same store sales growth between -5% - 5%. Social shopping is the wave of the future, matching product to people and people to product and there is no other way to do that than online shopping. A lot of retailers are now offering free shipping and online deals only since they do not need to distribute a product to a store and pay for shelf life and most of all, employees. I recently bought the book, Social Boom from Jeffrey Gitomer on my portal for $14.50 with free shipping. Just for the sake of it, I went to the local Barnes and Noble to see what is would cost. Try $22.99 with tax. I just booked a trip to the Cape through my online travel site and got an incredible deal at a great hotel/resort for a third of the price. Where? Online! So, why would someone go to a brick and mortar store? I'll admit, I do not buy clothes online or anything to do with the look and feel of my home (pictures, lights etc.), but in reality the demise of the brick and mortar is here. Your local mall may become more of an entertainment destination with theatres, restaurants, entertainment centers with a few clothes stores thrown in.
In closing, I feel for the 11,000+ people losing their jobs at Borders but we are in a different world today. Companies need to keep up with the times in the information and mobile age or they become a Borders.
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