Rewind: Week of 9/24-9/28

Monday, September 24: When Is Enough Enough?

What a difference a definition can make.

Tuesday, September 25: Put It On Ice

Now you can save even the smallest ounce of food.

Wednesday, September 26: I'm Bleachless

Get the bleach out and improve the environment.

Thursday, September 27: What Month Is It?

September is full of great causes.

Friday, September 28: Bottles and Cans

Just clap your hands to recycle while you tailgate.

Rewind: Week of 9/17-9/21

Monday, September 17: Thank Goodness

At least thank something.

Tuesday, September 18: Get Tire-d

You can recycle when the rubber hits the road.

Wednesday, September 19: Press Play

C'mon – it’s fun!

Thursday, September 20: Searching for Caring

Looking for good in all the right places.

Friday, September 21: Without a Car in the World

Celebrate by not driving.

Being on the Plus Side

A few weeks ago, Stephen and I were interviewed on The Plus Side of Nashville. We got a chance to talk a bit about CoolPeopleCare and our new book, due out in just a few short weeks.

If you've got 10 minutes, you can find the video here.

How to Tell Your Story to Generation Y

Don't even act like you don't want to tell young people about what you're doing. Whether you're feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, or curing the sick, you want young people involved. They bring a certain energy and charisma to a volunteer opportunity or event. They tell their friends about what they did with you. And, if they like helping you out, you might have them involved for a very long time.

But how can you get your message out to them? And how can you make them listen and respond? While this list isn't necessarily comprehensive, these ideas will help you get your message across to a group that receives more messages and advertisements than ever before.

• Get digital. While direct mail may work for you, online communications work best for Gen Y'ers. They've likely moved around over the last few years, so even if you have their address on file, chances are it's outdated by two or three moves. And, with many 20-somethings using their inbox and social networking accounts to keep track of what's important, your message needs to get online to get noticed.
• Get relevant. Once you're online, you've got to make your message relevant to your readers. AdSense has made most ads people see on Web sites relevant to the content, so your message must blend in with their interests and passions. But, it also has to make sense in the context of their lives. Don't ask them to commit hours every week for a year during a time of life that is full of exploration and transitions.
• Get simple. Attention spans are decreasing faster than the icecaps. If you can't say it in less than 100 words, you won't have any takers. Your initial message only needs to result in the next step, not every step. Your first goal should be to get them to respond with the next appropriate action, whether that is visiting your Web site, filling out some information, or taking a survey. After that, simplfy your message so they take another step.
• Get practical. Don't ask for a big donation. Don't invite them to a stuffy cocktail reception. Instead, ask them to do something during a commercial break or while they're killing time before getting to work. Ask them to spare you some pocket change. When appealing to younger donors and volunteers, you want to create loyalty so they keep coming back once they have more time and money.
• Get original. You've got to stand out in a crowded marketplace that isn't thinning out anytime soon. Not only do you have to compete with other nonprofits nearby, but if you're asking for just a few bucks, you're competing with iTunes, Starbucks and anything else that is reaching into the shallow pockets of Millennials. An original and creative idea (think sticky) has a better chance of getting these folks to take the next step.

Next Stop: SIBA

In 43 days, New Day Revolution will hit the shelves. As such, the next month and a half will be a whirlwind of events and happenings to promote the release of your manual for changing the world.

And next weekend, we'll be in Atlanta for a little pre-release promotion at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Annual Conference. We can't wait to meet some independent booksellers.

On Friday, we'll be leading an interactive session at 4:10 entitled, "New Day Revolution: How Booksellers Can Save the World and Their Stores." During that time, we'll be examining how booksellers can 'green' their stores, and how anyone with a business has an audience - therefore they can leverage their audience in lots of ways to make the world a better place. That's what we've been doing for the last year at CoolPeopleCare, and we're delighted that we get to share that with others. We'll also have some sweet CoolPeopleCare car decals for those in attendance so they can spread the message far and wide wherever their car may take them.

Then, on Saturday, we'll be smiling and signing books at the Xyzzy Press booth. Autographs are free and hugs are optional. If you stop by, be sure to enter for a drawing for a great starter kit on how to make a difference in your own life.

The cool thing about all of this is that we continue to get a platform to tell our story. All of us have stories that need telling, and we should take any chance we have to share with someone else the ideas, passions and values that are within each of us. We've just been lucky in that we find ways (or rather, ways find us) to tell our story of change and community involvement to more and more people. And, we're glad when anyone listens.

We believe in the power of the local, which is why we're excited to be a part of SIBA. Local businesses have been very strong threads in the patchwork of local communities throughout history, and even in a day of chain stores and big budgets, we never underestimate the power of one person, one store, or one business to make a positive difference and a lasting impact.

So, SIBA, here we come. We're two newly minted authors with big ideas, a lot of energy, and a desire to have fun while saving the world.

P.S. – If you read this and find one of us at the show and are the first person to tell us the secret password (REMARKABLE), we'll promote the heck out of your store (for free) on our site.

Symbols and Experience

For the past few years, I've been asked by my college fraternity to come back and speak to the new class of members. It's something I enjoy doing and am happy to do my part as an alumni member. My fraternity experience in college was something I value as it introduced me to many close friends and allowed me to learn more about myself through various leadership opportunities.

Last night I spoke to the members about the idea that (especially in a fraternity setting) symbols divorced from experience are meaningless. Thus, I could reveal what the Greek letters mean, or the significance of a bell, rose, star or lamp, but without a common experience of associate and initiated membership, the meaning behind those symbols carries very little impact.

Very few people join a fraternity or sorority just so they can learn what the symbols mean. I'm sure that's all available on the Internet anyway. People join these organizations for a certain experience they expect to have while members. By that same measure, many things we buy and many things we do must have an experience behind them to carry any significance.

• Mouse ears mean more when you've actually been to Disney World.
• A wedding license means more than just a legal commitment.
• An iPod means more when you fill it with music and listen to it.
• A Jaguar means more when you get out on the open road and can feel the difference between a high performance car and other vehicles.
• A donation means more when you know where your money is going because you're a regular volunteer.

While on my way to Birmingham yesterday, I listened to the first two chapters of Chasing Cool. Lots of companies want to be seen as cool and to be the iPod of their industry. However, the authors of this book contend that cool is not something that is codified and can be chased after and found. They posit that cool seems to happen when the right blend of relevance and meaning come together to a certain audience.

What are you doing to make sure that there is a meaning behind your product or service? If people receive something more than metal or plastic from your product, they'll talk about the experience of buying and using what you're putting out there.

An experience, more than just a symbol, is what makes people become your advocates, repeat customers and alumni speech-givers.

Positively Modite

One of the best blogs out there, in my opinion, is Modite. Rebecca Thorman offers a balanced perspective on being a 20-something in today's world. She tells the truth as she sees it, and does so clearly and persuasively.

And, she interviewed me as part of her Follow the Leader series.

Head on over to her site for all of the juicy details about how I work.

Dispatches from the YP Summit – Day Three

The final day of the summit began with an address from the mayor of Louisville. At the helm of the city for 18 years, the benefits of Jerry Abramson's leadership is extremely visible. After hanging around the area for just a few days, this is one cool city who knows how to get things done and build an attractive place for people to work and live. My own Nashville could learn a thing or two.

One clear distinction that Abramson drew in his talk was that of citizenship vs. residency. Cities will be far better off if they make it easy for people to be citizens (who vote, support local business, volunteer) than residents (people who simply work or live somewhere and not much else).

The first breakout session was led by the group behind FUEL Milwaukee. While not an incredibly exciting or invigorating time, it is always informative to get an in depth look at organization that has undergone a transformation. What they did will not work for everyone, but their lessons learned can prevent others from making mistakes.

After that, I attended a session about how the young professionals in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania began to become more civically engaged. And while the presentation was again a tad dry, I took away three main ideas by which social change can happen:

1. Find something that people already care about as a way to introduce a social idea.
2. This can lead to change from the bottom up, where a critical mass of people can influence behaviors at higher levels to change.
3. This also develops a level of commitment on the part of those wanting the change, to make sure that the initiative is seen through.

I heard her speak in Nashville a few years ago, and everything she said was dead on. She knows what's she doing, and it shows. It's taken time for her to find her niche, but she clearly knows what she's talking about and does it better than anyone else. If you're trying to figure out why young folks are leaving your company or city, give her a call and you'll quickly find out how to remedy the situation.

Her brief talk made the conference worth it. We also got a copy of her new book, and I can't wait to take a look at it. Here's some highlights I gleaned from her discussion:

• Young people increasingly want more control over their own time.
• The establishment (those currently in charge) are afraid because they know they need to change, but how?
• Young professionals (YPs) today do not have their identity tied up in where they work, but rather what kind of person they are.
• This is because YPs are free agents, free to pick up and go work somewhere else.
• Woman, GenXers and minorities start 30-60% of all new businesses.
• According to Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, for every 10 minutes someone spends in traffic, their civic engagement decreased by 10%.

Rewind: Week of 9/10-9/14

Monday, September 10: Get the Lint Out

What can you give up with lint?

Tuesday, September 11: The Real Dry Cleaning

Why use water when you don't need to?

Wednesday, September 12: Opt Out

You know you're never going to order anything.

Thursday, September 13: In Case of Emergency

Someone else needs to know how to call someone else.

Friday, September 14: The Zen of Driving

Seek peace behind the wheel.

Dispatches from the YP Summit – Day Two

Why would you have a summit centered around young people, and not offer free wifi? Discuss.

Today's portion has had its share of ups and downs. First, the ups:

• The chance to talk. So few conference allow folks the chance to talk to one another outside of a 10-minute window for coffee and bathroom trips. Here, the breaks are long and even the general sessions are designed to get people up and talking about young professionals. As Rebecca Ryan told us this morning, "Most of the time at conferences, we look to one person for the answer. We need to turn to each other."
• The chance to get out of one room. Even though the morning and lunch were in the same large ballroom, the afternoon breakout sessions weren't just in other rooms, but were in other buildings entirely. This gives participants the chance to see some of the city and downtown area and gives a different feel to the day. My first breakout was at the Chamber, and the second one has me 35 floors up overlooking the Ohio River.

• Like I said, no wi-fi. Give me the chance to liveblog, people!
• Only one food station for 200 people. I used to be in hotel event management, so I know that this is inefficient. Standing in line for 20 minutes for coffee also proved it.
• Content. It's important to be freshers than fresh when talking about generational issues. It's iffy right now if that's happening here.

The first breakout I went too regarding community involvement and young professionals. In the end, the session was well done, despite it's bland start. Five simultaneous breakouts are happening during each block, with 2-3 panelists who work with young professional organizations that are having success in a particular area.

Tiffany, from YPN of Quad Cities, had some great thoughts that led to some great discussion. Some of the highlights:

• People are scared to volunteer for the first time if they don't know somebody to do so with.
• Set the mindset of an event beforehand. If you mix a volunteer fair with a networking event, people will come prepared to talk - to each other and to the nonprofits with booth.
• You need to be collecting data. If you can't tell a business or potential sponsor who you're working with and what they're like, it will be hard to raise money and operate effectively.
• If more people are involved in serving their community, they're more likely to stay there longer. Thus, community volunteerism is a retention tool.
• Getting young professionals involved in service brings more talent and creativity to the table to solve some of the most complex problems in a community.

• Only spend what you have. If you raise this year everything you need for next year, you won't have to worry if there's enough in the bank.
• If you're related to a chamber of commerce, you can't have the same 'good ole boy' feeling that a lot of chambers have. But, then again, it can help you raise money.

Especially if a young entrepreneur can do what they do better.

Dispatches from the YP Summit – Day One

I began my morning with a drive to Louisville that was shorter than I thought (which is a good thing). Along the way, I listened to a few podcasts by Deloitte. The best one, and the one I was most interested in, was called The Authentic Edge: Getting It Right with Gen Y. The two folks interviewed both said out of the gate that above all, your messaging to Generation Y has got to be authentic. Because this group can smell fakery from a mile away, and because they enter into transactions with a hint of skepticism, authenticity in messaging is key.

What wonderful foreshadowing that would be.

I have never spent much time in Louisville, but after spending a few hours downtown and in the Highlands, it's a place I need to visit more often. I enjoyed an informative lunch at Bistro 301 with two of the great folks at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence. This organization is doing great work to make the nonprofits in Louisville and other nearby areas better at what they do.

That was followed by coffee with a young dreamer at Heine Brothers. This coffee shop is a remarkable place, as it clearly shows the consumer the important impact of fair trade coffee and goods. Instead of simply telling the customer, "Our coffee is fair trade," their café is filled with pictures of Latin American farmers who are in charge of growing the beans that make the tasty coffee. One can clearly see how the coffee goes from bean to cup.

And then, I ventured over to the summit in order to be present at the opening event: welcome reception and bourbon tasting.

I don't really need many excuses to enjoy bourbon, especially in its home state. This event promised to be a good time as it would give us participants a chance to meet each other before we begin all our learning tomorrow.

However, much to the dismay of many, the bourbon tasting was really just a bourbon drink. Instead of having a tasting – allowing a person to sip samples of various kinds of bourbon – attendees were given a ticket for a drink.

Neat.

Look, I didn't come to Louisville and register for the conference so I could drink my registration fee in bourbon. But, I showed up tonight expecting a tasting because that's what they said was happening. One would think that of all organizations and events, the Young Professionals Summit would certainly understand authentic messaging.

Also, in looking through my registration packet, I didn't see the promised copy of Rebecca Ryan's new book. I assume we'll get that later in the conference.

No matter what story you're telling, you've got to be authentic and tell the truth (see rule number 1 of being remarkable).

I'm staying at a Residence Inn this weekend. I don't expect room service because they don't promise it. So, I'm not mad when I don't have that option. But, if I showed up and my bed wasn't made or there wasn't free wifi, then I'd be upset, because that's what they promised.

No matter how badly you want someone to pay attention, if you can't back up your promises and claims, you'll alienate each and every listener you have. Chances are, you don't want customers, volunteers, donors and employees to shop with you, use you, or show up once – you want them to come back.

It'll happen every time if you just tell the truth.

Is This All There Is?

We've all left a movie before where we thought, "Is that it?" Maybe the ending is different than we thought, or maybe we wanted the show to continue because it was so good. Regardless, there's no denying that when we ask that question, no matter the situation, we're left with an empty feeling inside and have to retreat to our own imaginations to reach a conclusion we like.

One could easily get that feeling walking into a Bread and Company store in Nashville. Even though I've lived here a while and Bread and Company is a popular joint, I only went for the third time ever yesterday. If you come in the back door (where most of the parking is) you see a refrigerated section along the left wall, full of pre-made sandwiches and salads. To the immediate right is one of several cash registers. Because the rest of the food is around the corner and hidden from the direct line of sight, one could easily think, "Is this all there is? Why do people rave about a place that only has chilled, already-made sandwiches?"

Of course, that's not all there is. By taking a few more steps, one can easily see the availability of made-to-order sandwiches, as well as a healthy choice of side items like pasta salad, chicken tenders, and quesadillas. But you don't get that bountiful selection if you stop short, satisfied with the first thing you see.

A lot of times, we do that. We stop with what we're given. And, like the movie, we have to rationalize our own satisfaction in order to live with ourselves. And so we leave with a forced contentment that pales in comparison to what is possible if we'd do two simple things: ask and explore.

The next time you find yourself shortchanged or wondering if there's more, just ask. While it puts us in a place of vulnerability and discomfort, if we're a realist, we'll see that the worst we'll get is a 'no' answer. Asking if you can get that burger without pickles keeps you from having to pick them off and prevents that pickle taste from that pickle residue you hate so much. Asking if something can be done differently opens up creative possibility and may allow your team to arrive at a new solution that saves the company time and money. Asking for a raise may make you wealthier. But none of that happens if you don't dare to question in the first place.

And if it seems as though no one's around to ask, go explore things on your own. The pioneers set out to chart the uncharted territories because no one could answer the question of "What's out there?" The stakes are a little higher here because someone might see us exploring and see us come up empty handed. But if we come up full handed, then we're successful beyond measure. An extra step (around the lunch counter) can result in the beginning of a new journey (to tastiness). Your initiative to make a new friend might result in a lifelong relationship. Your exploration of a new part of the city saves you from frequenting the same haunts you've grown tired of. And spending the time to explore new ideas just might help your nonprofit raise more money and recruit more volunteers than ever before.

Often times, remarkable is right around the corner. So few people find it because they're simply not willing to ask or explore.

The Call of the Entrepreneur

Even after watching The Call of the Entrepreneur, I'm not quite sure what its goals were. I think the film was trying to show that capitalism isn't all that bad and that entrepreneurs are integral parts of a functioning and free society. Unfortunately, it failed on both accounts.

I was looking forward to the Nashville premier of this documentary by the Acton Institute. I didn't know anything about the Institute before I went, and had only seen the trailer online. I was captivated enough by those few minutes that I made time in my schedule to take in the showing at Belmont University. After all, as an entrepreneur, I am motivated to change the world, create value, and leave my community different than when I found it.

On the surface, anyone can quickly see that this film is less documentary and more propaganda. It's easy for any film to move from one side of the line to the other when you only let white men speak on camera. That also happens when you vilify Tony Campolo and assume that if you're not for a rules-free business climate than you're either a communist of friends with Hitler. I like to think there is a middle ground.

The white men in the film kept using words and phrases like "value creation," "other mindedness," "visionary," "risk and reward," and "opportunity." Indeed, these are wonderful attributes of a capitalist economy and are often found in most entrepreneurs. But instead of celebrating these ideas en masse, the film merely gave lip service while missing a wonderful opportunity to extol the virtues of free market economies without casting them against a backdrop of the worst violent alternatives we can all think of.

Because the Acton Institute is a deeply religious organization, the film tries to merge religious values and capitalist values. They spin Adam Smith as they wish, they paint religious leaders with differing opinions as unintelligent idiots, and they completely miss the boat on using the best analogy available: creation.

If you want to put a religious spin on commerce (and if you do, you're playing the exact same game as those who spin it in the other way), your best bet is to draw the parallels between the creation stories in the first two chapters in Genesis. Tragically, the film only allots the final five minutes of footage for this purpose, while spending nearly an hour blathering on about investment banking and leveraging risk.

Entrepreneurs create. In fact, entrepreneurs must create, or, as I've suggested, their industries or businesses will die. Innovation is key to any business that wants to keep moving forward, making profits and succeeding. Similarly, God created as well. According to the writer(s) of Genesis, God made things out of nothing, and even wanted to start over a and approached Noah about this.

Creation is also a great metaphor because individuals today understand it better than previous generations. Teens and twenty-somethings are now coming of age in a world where creation is common place. They create online content like blogs and videos like never before. Opportunities are rife for people today to modify and create anew innovations in nearly any field, with lower barriers to entry than ever before.

But creation is not the key in and of itself.

Because what God created was good. And sometimes, what entrepreneurs create is bad.

I don't think critics of Darwin-style big business are opposed to innovation or new ideas. I think they want to make sure that what is created in capitalist structures is good. Therefore, they cry out against businesses and practices that take away the dignity of the individual. Very few people would criticize the capitalist structure of the Grameen Bank. But they would be quick to point out the flaws of predatory lending. Thus the need not just to create, but to create that which is good.

While I agree that capitalist systems often allow innovators and entrepreneurs to consider the other person when they bring their ideas to market, entrepreneurs and their advocates everywhere must ask three questions:

Is what I'm creating good for the bottom line of profit and return to shareholders? If the answer to this question is no, you won't be around long to do much else.

Is what I'm creating good for the individuals I employ? If not, you'll be wasting a right answer to the previous question on trying to find people to work with you.

Is what I'm creating good for the community and society? If not, then you haven't inherently created something that is good. While you may have customers and employees, your impact to world is minimal.

The farmer, banker and media mogul profiled in the film can answer all three questions in the affirmative. But, the film as a whole makes you think that each and every entrepreneur who has ever lived can as well. And that's simply not true.

So few people live a life of extremes; thus most people demand balance. The Call of the Entrepreneur is not a balanced film, and makes the viewer believe that it's the laissiez-faire way or the highway.

But we entrepreneurs know that the middle ground is a wide pool of opportunity. The marketplace is made up of people who want solutions and ideas, not polarizing options.

When Remarkable Becomes Ordinary

Yesterday, I was all set to watch the first Titans game of the year on my very own HDTV. Even though I've had the new set for quite some time, I didn't have it during the football season last year.

You can imagine my dismay then, when I turned on the game and found out it was not in HD. For whatever reason, CBS didn't take their HD cameras and equipment to Jacksonville for yesterday's game.

I can understand it when certain programs aren't shot in HD. I've even excused Scrubs for remaining in regular TV world. But, HD is the best way to watch sports, especially ones like football and hockey, when you've got to take in a very large playing area.

Now, nearly everything ESPN films is in HD (including poker). They figured out that a bunch of guys were gobbling up HDTVs as early adopters, and so if they starting shooting Sportscenter and college football in HD, their share of the market could be larger.

It used to be (just a few years ago) that HD was remarkable. I even went to Best Buy or Circuit City just to catch a few minutes of HDTV, since I didn't know anyone who had one.

But now, nearly everything in is shot in HD, like The Office, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, and most sporting events. Even The Food Network is in HD.

HD is now standard.

So, by not offering yesterday's football game in HD, CBS is now not even average. When the remarkable becomes ordinary, you go from being ordinary to getting left behind.

Therefore, make sure you're always improving. In today's marketplace, if you're not moving forward, everyone else is, and by default, you'll be moving backwards. Take time to brainstorm new ideas, and implement the great ones immediately. What you start, someone will copy and may even do it better than you did to begin with. But don't worry - if you keep coming up with hits, people will choose (and stick with) you.

Birmingham Bound

If you're in Birmingham tomorrow, make sure to spend some of the afternoon at Artwalk. This festival features the best in local art and fun.

Make sure you stop by the CoolPeopleCare tent located at 23rd and 1st Ave. North. We'll have everything you need to get started changing the world.

What I Learned at Golf School

A few weeks ago, my dad and I were in Minnesota. I usually only play golf with my dad, and not wanting to break tradition, we began to look around for a course or two to play. After some investigating, he found out that golf school would only cost a little more than greens fees. Included in 'tuition' was unlimited golf, and since neither of us had ever had any formal lessons, we decided we'd take the plunge and become students of the game of golf for a weekend.

While I learned the ins and outs of a pre-shot routine, I began to realize a few other things about the importance of fundamentals. Thus, golf school for me was very quickly about more than just swing plane and forearm rotation. I learned about the important need to know the basics.

I'm not absolutely awful at golf. But I'm extremely inconsistent. Sometimes I'll hit a drive 250 yards down the middle of the fairway. Other times, I'll hit it 100 yards to the right. While it would be great to know which shot is next, I never have any clue where the ball is going to go. This leads to pride and amazement half the time, and disappointment and frustration the other half.

The golf instructor soon diagnosed that this problem was due to several factors: lifting my left foot on the backswing, bending my wrist incorrectly at the top of my swing, rotating my hips at the wrong time, hitting the ball with an open club face – in short, my swing was completely incorrect and utterly unpredictable. It needed a complete retooling. Even though I could hit a spectacular ball every other hole, the game of golf is played such that every hole matters. And the only way I could do well was to make sure the fundamentals of a correct swing were in place each time I stepped up to hit the ball.

I've had similar work experiences. Sometimes, I've knocked a presentation out of the park (or straight down the middle of the fairway). Other times, I've lost my audience and made them confused. Sometimes, I've been a great team player and helped a task force articulate its purpose. But then again, I've also tried to go it alone and been nothing but dead weight.

Each working environment, like each golf course, is different, but there are some fundamentals that we can employ in our personal and professional life to have more consistent success:

• Boil it down to the smallest possible element. Whenever I hit a string of slices on the driving range, my instructor made be take a half swing in a certain direction in order to concentrate on impact (how much my forearms rotated, the angle of the club). If you find yourself missing the mark, re-evaluate what the basic elements are of what you're trying to get done and focus on the main deliverable.
• Ask what you're doing wrong. The biggest benefit of the golf instructor was that I knew after each terrible shot what exactly went wrong. While this can wear on one's ego, it's good to know what needs fixing. Find a mentor of your own to ask where you can improve. While you may not like to know that you’re not always 100% awesome, you at least know what went wrong so you can focusing on improvement.
• Set a realistic pace. The reason a lot of golfers are great on the driving range and poor on the course is that we step up and hit a lot of balls with the same club all in a row in just a few minutes. But on the course, we hit a shot, walk to the ball, hit another, wait for the other person, walk... I now practice like I play. I hit a driver, then based on where it went, I'll hit an iron, and so on. If we wait to the last minute before something's due to cram a week's worth of work into one night, or if we narrow our focus to one area for too long, an entire project can suffer. This is why planning and goal setting will help up produce quality products time and again.
• You don't become great overnight. I played golf a few days after going to golf school. And, I stunk it up like usual. But, at least I was doing everything right and knew when I didn't. It will still take time (and lots of practice) until the right swing feels more natural than the wrong one. Even if you have the tools to succeed, know that it takes time to become successful. We live in a world that praises the overnight sensation. But, we also live in world in which consistent results guarantees social and financial security.

A Remarkable Event: Star Night

We came, we saw, we ate, and we sang.

You didn't have to be at Siskin Children's Institute's annual fundraiser, Star Night, for long to realize the remarkability of this event. Lots of nonprofits have fundraisers. Lots of nonprofits have benefit dinners. Lots of nonprofits have concerts. But what made Star Night remarkable was the ability of this great organization to get people to do what they don't normally do.

Whether you're selling a product, soliciting donations, or making a public service announcement, you're essentially trying to get people to change their behavior. If you're selling Coke, you want people to switch from Pepsi. If you're asking for $25 for the homeless shelter, you want someone to not spend $25 somewhere else. If you're broadcasting a commercial about public safety, you want to get people to start wearing their seatbelts.

And, if you are successful at getting people to do something they don't normally do and change their behavior, you'll be popular and around for a while.

In this spirit, Star Night gets people to think about inclusive and integrated child education. Star Night gets people to understand what a remarkable educational program looks like. And Star Night makes white people get up and dance.

Granted, a lot of this last phenomenon had to do with either the wine and cocktails available, or that Hootie and the Blowfish rocked the house. Or a little of both. While a night out listening to theses guys may not be at the top of your list, it's hard to argue with a group that's sold over 16 million albums.

Even if Hootie and company have been around for 22 years, they put on a hell of a show. They cover REM and Oasis and you'll easily find yourself enjoying the handful of songs they play that weren't on Cracked Rear View.

Siskin made a great choice in bringing these guys to Chattanooga. Soon after they started, hundreds of people under 40 were near the stage, moving and singing along. Maybe they could have gotten more 20-somethings by hiring an indie band and lowering the door prices. Maybe they could have gotten wealthier, more connected people by asking Tony Bennett to crank out a few.

By having just the right act to perform, Siskin insured that the future knows they exist. And any time you can send a message forward in time, you'll guarantee your longevity.

We want to thank Siskin for allowing CoolPeopleCare to participate in this wonderful evening and are happy to have been a media sponsor. For more on Siskin Children's Institute, visit Siskin.org.

Rewind: Week of 8/27-8/31

Monday, August 27: Let's Grow Together

Better for the community and the environment

Tuesday, August 28: The Office

Save money at school and work.

Wednesday, August 29: Go Native

By opting for native plants, you'll save time, money, and the environment.

Thursday, August 30: In Land We Trust

Protect what's always been here.

Friday, August 31: Light Dust

Do a little dusting to make your home more efficient.