The Pushers
Photo by 15 Frames
Who are the people in your life that push you?
Push you to be better. Push you to be present. Push you to be thinking. I think every one needs someone that pushes them to greater things. There is a difference though between pushy people and people that push you. Generally, PUSHY people are focused on personal needs. People that PUSH are focused on YOU. The latter is what I want to focus on.
What’s at risk if we don’t have people in our lives that push us to something greater? For starters, we risk becoming just average versions of ourselves when so much more is possible. “Pushers” see value in us even when we don’t see it in ourselves, they offer perspective and move us into situations they know we’ll do well in. In the end, we’re usually glad they did. People that PUSH understand (consciously or unconsciously) that “people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
Behind the greatest athletes are coaches who push. “One more lap, fifty more shots” all of which in the moment may not feel great but beneath the surface of sore muscles and exhaustion a transformation occurs. Athletes get stronger and better and those that push know this. Tiger Woods, as accomplished as he is, still has a guy who travels with him everywhere that speaks into the mechanics of his swing and his game because he values the perspective.
Remember this, the door to accomplishment is always labeled push.
Truth be told: I have moments when I doubt my own abilities but I have people that push, guys like Alejandro, Ron and my family. They keep me grounded, on my toes and call my bluff any time I try to weasel out of healthy challenges. I’m thankful for it.
Do you have people in your life that push you to greater things? I’m interested in knowing how they push you. What do they say? What areas do they push you in? Икони
The Creative Matters eBook is Here!!!
We all know that the work of Creating something from nothing is as exhilarating as it is exhausting. And every now and then we need a little inspiration, perspective, encouragement, and a good kick in the pants.
That’s why I’m so stoked to be a part of a new ebook for all of us Creative Contributors called, “Creative Matters.” It’s a series of essays and manifestos by a bunch of Creative leaders in the trenches, working it out week to week. So many great voices (including yours truly) contributed their thoughts and insights into this simple and crazy idea that “We are Created by a Creative God to Create.” Let’s Delete “Copy & Paste” and do the work God put us on this planet to do!
I really loved being a part of this project and what it’s gonna do, and the best part is…IT’S FREE!!!
Download it here and spread the love.
Jarrett Stevens and the wonder folks at Clark get it. I think this is just the beginning of some very cool stuff coming from this group and I can’t wait for it. You can also check out the new Creative Collective website which has some great content.
Volkswagen Commercial: The Force
As the Superbowl approaches, die-hard football fans gear up for a little gridiron action. But each year it seems like the anticipation for the Superbowl commercials grow too. This year Volkswagen decided to release one of their commercials a week before the Superbowl. With nearly 4 million views already it’s definitely gaining some buzz. Check it out here!
Nonprofit Brings Thousands of Books To Children in Ghana.
Every so often an organization comes around that tells their story and it absolutely moves me. Worldreader is an organization that cares about educating students in the developing world. Their mission is to make digital books available to all in the developing world, enabling millions of people to improve their lives. They launched their first trial in Barcelona, Spain in 2010 and their Second in Ghana Africa. This trial is measuring the effects of e-readers in three different grade levels at six schools in Ghana, and affects over 500 children.
Textbooks have been incredibly difficult to get to these places. Teachers are often times left to “wing it” because adequate teaching materials are not available. With the use of technology (e-readers) students are able to have access to a vast library of literature without the delivery hassles. New literature will be downloaded not shipped. The trials in Ghana have rejuvenated the instructors equipping them to help educate children in these developing countries.
Teachers in Ghana reaction to e-readers
Teacher talks about the challenges and opportunities ahead:
There is more info at Worldreader and or visit there blog.
Midwinter Conference Resources
Big thank you to all that came out to the social media workshop. Below you should find some of the resources we talked about. If there is anything I missed just let me know.
Download Slides Here!
Social Media Video Link:
Another helpful video for those just starting out:
Tools:
To manage tweets, assign teams and schedule tweets look into the following:
www.cotweet.com
www.hootsuite.com
To manage your personal Twitter followers try:
To find people on Twitter with similar interest use: (Twitter yellow pages)
www.twellow.com
If you have any questions feel free to contact me!
An Extra Day in Chicago…
I have never been to Chicago. As luck would have it, I would be there during the same time the largest Blizzard hit the area in a long time. I have never been in a blizzard. Being from California, the closest thing we get to a “Blizzard” is typically a frozen desert from an ice cream joint called “Dairy Queen.” I heard on the news that they are calling it “The Storm of the Century” but since we have technically just started a new century, I’d say it’s a little too early to hand out any awards just yet. 
I must say, for the record, this is the craziest storm I have ever seen.
In any case, I am in Chicago for one more full day as my flight is canceled but I plan on making the most of it. I have met a number of new folks and have some meetups planned to chat about technology and social stuff for their church. The Midwinter Conference has been fun to take part in this year. Lots of great questions from some really great leaders!
Excited for them.
