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Shock, Awe & Mr. T.

I am in shock.  I'm floored.  I, well... I pity the fool who don't have faith in Mr. T.  Check this article.

"Former The A-Team star Mr. T once stunned a sick child's family by bringing him out of a coma - after doctors begged the actor for help. The poorly kid fell unconscious in Detroit, Michigan in the mid-1980s - and the only physical movement he made was in response to hearing Mr. T's name. And when the mohawked star was in town, he stopped by the hospital to visit the ill boy - with miraculous results.  He tells Empire magazine, "His family put toys around him and one of them was a Mr. T doll. And whenever my name came up, the boy moved his arm. "Somebody told the doctors I was in town, so they called me down there. I closed the curtains and prayed. Then, as I was walking down the hall, the kid suddenly came out of the coma and hollered out. That was my supernatural moment."

I love that last line... like he had been expecting it.  "And, wait for it...yup, there is my supernatural moment."

Stuff White People Like

Things I've learned from the site:  Stuff White People Like

1. It was undoubtedly written by the whitest of the white people, sitting at a dinner party, drinking wine while listening to The Shins and complaining that just as they bought their 60GB iPod, the 80GB model was released.
2. It is read by the whitest of white people.
3. Apparently, after reviewing the list of thing white people like, I realize that I am white.

Sub-lessons:

1. There are still brilliant ideas out there.  Sometimes their birth arrives at your own expense.
2. Conceptual Blogs are the easiest way to judge the potential success of book.  Literary Agents and publishers rejoice at this free testing phase.  SWPL just signed a book deal with Random House.

A few of my Favorites on the List of Stuff White People like:

#4. Assists
#10. Wes Anderson Movies
#28. Not having a TV
#79. Modern Furniture
#80. The Idea of Soccer

Focus on the Ball... A great commercial.

Here is a great spot that proves a great point despite who it was made for...

Enneagram

While working on a project I was recently introduced to the Enneagram.  It's a personality study that basically says there are 9 basic personality types.  To start with, I hate anyone or anything that 'tells me who I am', so the Enneagram was off on a bad foot... until I realized it was right.

Growing up I was subjected to an unbelievable amount of tests that were supposed to tell me who I was and what I was going to do with my life.  The thought that a test can tell you what you should do with your life is almost laughable.  I believe 2 out of the top 5 of my recommended professions don't even exists anymore... thank you technology.

Jobs are in a constant state of flux, so it does a person very little good focus on a single specific job.  Why?  That job will change over time and you will be phased out by another person who understands that new job better than you.  However, if you understand who you are and what you are good at, there is no reason that you need be replaced.  You will learn to adapt with that job and it's new requirements or even go find a different job that better suits your skills.  The job you are great at probably won't exist in 10 years, so what will you do then?

Don't focus on the descriptions of a particular job and manipulate your strengths to those requirements.

Find a new job or change your current job description to cater to your strengths.  Sounds crazy, but it works.

This leads you down the endless road of self-discovery trying to figure out who you are and what types of things you're good at.  I think the Enneagram is a great place to start.  If you can determine which of the 9 personality types you are and determine your 'wing' (enneagram speak), it will start to enlighten you as to why you do / feel certain things.  As a skeptic, I was blown away at the accuracy of the assessment given me when I started researching my personality type. 

For the record, I am a 3 with a 4 wing.  Check out what you are at the Enneagram Institute.  It's free, but I recommend buying the book, "Understanding the Enneagram." It will really help you hone in on the specifics of your personality type.

Enjoy.

Steelcase - "Green Giants"

Here is a new piece that DOT&CROSS just finished.  It's for Steelcase as a part of their Green Giants Campaign.