Releasing the Genius in the Pilipino

How To Change The World One Heart At A Time

2009-11-15T20:23:00.001-08:00

An Interview With 2009 CNN Hero Nominee Efren Peńaflorida

Efren is leading the battle to change the face of Philippine education. At the young age of 28, he is currently a nominee to become CNN's Hero of the Year for 2009 (VOTE NOW!). In transforming the once hopeless children that he has helped by founding the Dynamic Teen Company, he has given them hope that they indeed have an opportunity for a brighter future. It is from these courageous and creative men and women like Efren that we will ultimately see our world changed for the better. Here's our interview with Efren who's pushing for positive change.

How does it feel that after starting out in the slums, YOU'RE now a CNN Hero?

We are really glad that things are happening to us. This is a blessing not just for me and DTC but for the Philippines. Almost everyone I meet addresses me as a hero but the true heroes here are the people I represent. They are the children who are now determined to learn, the volunteers who unwaveringly dedicate their services for free, the selfless Filipino educators who teaches beyond their call of duty, and every Filipino who makes a difference in their simplest ways, they are the heroes I proudly represent.

Where did YOU get the inspiration to start the Dynamic Teen Company?

I almost quit school and gave up everything just to get even to those who bullied me but God sent a person who became my mentor and made me realize that I do not have to destroy my future to escape problems. He helped me pick up the broken pieces and God used him to heal my broken spirit. He discouraged me from getting back to my bullies by doing something positive. Instead of joining another gang to make revenge, why not put up my own group and turn things around. He made sense so I was supported by my classmates and friends to form DTC in August 1997.

What was a key turning point in Dynamic Teen Company's history and how did you deal with it?

There are people around us who are skeptics with the things that we do, they would say that we can't do something better for the country because we are too young to do great things. Others would think that we are just no different with other gangs and would discourage us to stop our endeavors. We were ridiculed and laughed at whenever we push the carts on the street to bring education to children who are left out and deprived. But God through our mentor helped us see that these are but challenges that we need to overcome, hurdles that we need to endure. He believed in us and in what we can do to make things happen and encouraged us not to give up.

Were you ever scared?

“We must love and guide our children well!!! If we will have a better breed of the next generation, more decent leaders, lesser corrupt individuals and peace loving citizens, maybe then the world will be great again!” – a quote I value so much that I have learned from my mentor. We were scared but we kept this in our minds as a motivation to continue pushing for positive change.

How can we give hope to the country's poor?

There is always hope but there's a main problem that needs to be addressed, that is the loss of desire to learn and the intense desire to have money-that for me is so dangerous. How can one have material wealth without earning it using education as a strong base. Others like hunger, sickness, and illiteracy are far outweighed by the lack of right values. I sincerely believe that if you value what's right and do what's best then the rest will follow. Of course there's a huge need to address homelessness, hunger, illiteracy and sickness but one's soul has to be healthy and his values should be attuned to God. You'll never lose hope when your hope is in God.

How can we help YOU? As a Filipino student? As a Filipino teacher? As a Filipino citizen? As a Filipino businessman? And as a Filipino leader?

We want to share everything we know to help make positive change a reality in the near future. Our programs are copiable, duplicable and our pushcart is very replicable with no patent nor franchise. Just help us fulfill the dream of an equal chance for all children to experience learning the fun way. You can help us in a million ways, only your imagination can limit you. Help by adapting the system, tell our story, be inspired and inspire others too, put up your own cart of learning, send us stuff we can use, help us build our dream center, and many more ways. Remember that “you are the change that you dream and together, we are the change that this world needs to be.”

Have YOU heard of Brett and Alex Harris who started TheRebelution.com in the US? They started a movement that calls for the YOUTH to rebel against society's low expectations of teenagers, that in fact, many of those who changed the course of history like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and others started out their public service careers as teenagers. How can we ignite that “rebelution” in the Philippines?

ONE IS NEVER TOO STRONG TO DO THINGS ON HIS OWN. No man is an island. We may be very good at something but for us to accomplish great things we need to help one another. For our efforts to fulfill our country's sought-after dream of change for years, we need the cooperation and collaboration of everyone who believe and understand what it means to build the country. It is a challenge for us to build one another up and not drag each other down.

If YOU were Secretary of Education, what would be YOUR top 3 priorities?

Students' nourishment in all aspects of life, Teachers' welfare and right values in life and an effective system of learning (that is) adaptable to a community's own culture which will ensure that the students' potential are not being compromised and will instill love for learning to each one. I discovered in the lives of many successful individuals that the doors of opportunities (were) opened when they embraced the love for learning. They used education to free them from poverty and slavery. I also discovered that the key to opening that door is the right attitude in life and faith in God. With that combination I know well that I will be able to help myself, my family and many others like me.

Who are YOUR personal heroes?

The true heroes here are the dedicated volunteers who tirelessly serve the impoverished children on the streets and in the slums. They give their time unselfishly and endure the struggles that we face. And of course our mentor, who believed on us when nobody else did at the beginning. He sees the potential in every person he crosses paths with and tries to bring the best out of us. For me, and my other co-mentees he's not only a hero but a maker of heroes as well.

What are YOU hungry for?

Hungry for learning. Never lose the desire to learn, study and enrich yourselves. Embrace learning and love it for it will embrace and love you back, and shall enable you to change your world!

Who else do YOU think should we honor as the country's little HEROES?

All selfless and hardworking Filipinos who rise as heroes because of the simple things that they do which contribute in building our nation and changing it one heart at a time...

About Efren Peńaflorida (from wikipilipinas.org)

Efren "Kuya Ef" Peñaflorida is a teacher and social worker in the Philippines. He has been recognized as one of the "2009 CNN Heroes" for his outstanding advocacy to educate Filipino out-of-school youth through "pushcart classes."

His growing concern for the unschooled children in his hometown led Peñaflorida to establish Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). At that time, he was only sixteen. He envisioned this organization as a tool to reach the underserved Filipino youth by providing free tutorials. He asked three fellow high school students to devote some of their time to teach children in the slum areas every Saturday. After ten years, DTC has gained around 10,000 memberships and conducted tutorials for approximately 1,500 children.

Today, DTC's "pushcart classroom" also teaches basic reading and writing to street children.

Efren on the move (a video):

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/05/heroes.efren.penaflorida/index.html?iref=24hours#cnnSTCVideo

YOU should VOTE for Efren NOW! Click here.

For the CNN Story on Efren, Click here.

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Pacquiao Wins!

2009-11-14T21:47:00.003-08:00

HungryPeople sends our deepest congratulations to Manny Pacquiao for winning his fight against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao made history Sunday (Philippine time) when he won the Welterweight Title, his 7th in as many divisions, after defeating Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, the reigning champion in that division.

Pacquiao has won the world championships in the Flyweight (112 pounds), Super Bantamweight (122 lb), Featherweight (126 lb), Super Featherweight (130 lb), Lightweight (135 lb), and Light Welterweight (140 lb).

No man has won seven world titles in seven weight divisions and only five boxers have won six – Pacquiao, Oscar de la Hoya, Thomas Hearns, Hector Camacho, and James Toney.

Source: http://bit.ly/4mPpYX (Inquirer Sports).

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

Pacquiao Wins!

2009-11-14T21:47:00.001-08:00

HungryPeople sends our deepest congratulations to Manny Pacquiao for winning his fight against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.

No man has won seven world titles in seven weight divisions and only five boxers have won six – Pacquiao, Oscar de la Hoya, Thomas Hearns, Hector Camacho, and James Toney.

Source: http://bit.ly/4mPpYX (Inquirer Sports).

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

An Example of Bootstrapping

2009-11-14T21:35:00.001-08:00

A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE OF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR SIZE

(taken from Seth Godin's ebook The Bootstrapper's Bible)

(Or, how id software completely redefined the computer game market and made millions.)

The software company that calls itself id is a classic bootstrapper. It makes violent computer games that run on home computers. Its software is usually developed by a group of 2 to 10 people, then published by a big company like Electronic Arts. It costs a huge amount to make a new product (sometimes more than a million dollars) but amazingly little to make one more copy (as low as 50 cents).

So the idea in computer game software has always been to spend whatever it takes to make a great game, then spend whatever it takes to get shelf space in the software stores, then hope and pray that you sell a lot of copies. One hit like Myst can pay all of a companyʼs bills for years to come.

Id became famous for a game called Castle Wolfenstein. As an encore, the four guys who founded id decided to follow their own rules in playing against the big companies. They did it with a game called Doom. They brazenly broke the first rule of software marketing—they gave Doom away to anyone who wanted to download it. Free. Millions of people did. It quickly became the most popular computer game of the year. It didnʼt cost id very much to allow someone to download the game, but the company wasnʼt receiving any income at all.

In stage two, id offered a deluxe version of Doom with more levels, more monsters, more everything. Partnering with a big guy (GT Interactive), it got the software into stores around the country. And sold it directly by mail order. With a user base of millions of people, id got to call the shots. Instead of being at the mercy of the gatekeepers of distribution, it was courted by distributors and retailers. By inventing a completely different business model, a model in which it had nothing to lose, id redefined a business and won.

Take a look at all the attributes listed in this chapter. Id took advantage of the seven that help the bootstrapper and steadfastly avoided the five that help the big company. By redefining the game and playing on its home field, it trounced companies valued at more than half a billion dollars.

Hereʼs how id used the seven bootstrapper tools:

1 NOTHING TO LOSE. The method used by id threatened to destroy software distribution as we know it. Which was fine with id, but not so fine with the guys at the big software companies. Thereʼs no way in the world they would have had the guts to do this themselves.

2 HAPPY WITH SMALL FISH. Because id didnʼt spend any money on advertising, and because it had developed the game itself, it didnʼt need Doom to be the best-selling computer game of the year to be happy. Even 30,000 sales would have been enough to make the venture successful.

3 PRESIDENTIAL INPUT. Id had total consistency. The game was designed, marketed, licensed, and managed by the same four people. No miscommunication here.

4 RAPID R&D. There were no budget committees, no marketing schedules, no organizational charts to get in the way. (Itʼs interesting to note that it took three times as long for id to create Doomʼs sequel. The gameʼs makers had apparently forgotten what they had learned about rapid R&D.)

5 THE UNDERDOG. Consumers love to root for the hippies at id. It makes them more likely to spread the word and to buy (not copy) the final game.

6 LOW OVERHEAD. Thereʼs no question that high overhead costs would have wiped these guys out.

7 TIME. They knew they could ship when they needed to, instead of when shareholders demanded a new influx of sales. Because they controlled time, they could use it to their advantage.

Send us YOUR bootstrapping examples at people.hungry [at] gmail.com. Let's hear it!

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Key principles of getting going (from The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki)

2009-11-13T20:58:00.001-08:00

THINK BIG. Set your sights high and strive for something grand. If youʼre going to change the world, you canʼt do it with milquetoast and boring products or services. Shoot for doing things at least ten times better than the status quo. When Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com, he didnʼt build a bookstore with a paltry 25,000 more titles than the 250,000-title brick-and-mortar bookstores. He went to 3,000,000 titles in an online bookstore.

FIND A FEW SOULMATES. History loves the notion of the sole innovator: Thomas Edison (light bulb), Steve Jobs (Macintosh), Henry Ford (Model T), Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines). History is wrong. Successful companies are started, and made successful, by at least two, and usually more, soulmates. After the fact, one person may come to be recognized as “the innovator,” but it always takes a team of good people to make any venture work.

POLARIZE PEOPLE. When you create a product or service that some people love, donʼt be surprised when others hate you. Your goal is to catalyze passion—pro or anti. Donʼt be offended if people take issue with what youʼve done; the only result that should offend (and scare) you is lack of interest. Car design is a good example of the love-versus-hate reaction; consider the bifurcation of peopleʼs reactions to cars such as the Mini Cooper, Infiniti Fx 45, and Toyota Scion xB. People are either devoted fans or relentless critics, and thatʼs good.

DESIGN DIFFERENT. Depending on what management fad is hot, you might be tempted to believe that there is only one ideal way to design products and services. This isnʼt true. There is no single best way. Here are four different and valid approaches—and I am sure there are more.

HUNGRYPEOPLE'S PRINCIPLES

HungryPeople Thinks BIG. We want to start a conversation with everyone on the planet. We want to hear YOUR voice, we want to hear from YOU! YOU should talk to us!

HungryPeople is always looking for soulmates. Check out the profiles of those we've interviewed so far.

HungryPeople believes everyone has a GREAT IDEA. YOU can be the Next Big Thing. That's why we want to start a conversation with YOU. It's at the core of our philosophy that everyone is born with a gift. Everyone is born a genius! If YOU have something to say, we want to hear it!

HungryPeople is different. We feature both sides of the issue. We offer the best of both worlds. If YOU think you've failed in life, think again – millions before YOU have been there and lived to change the world. YOU can too!

Also check out our other post entitled Great Ideas for Starting Things (GIST).

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Moses, Jesus and a bearded old man played golf one day

2009-11-13T05:33:00.001-08:00

Moses, Jesus, and a bearded old man are playing golf. Moses drives a long one, which lands on the fairway but rolls directly toward the pond. Moses raises his club, parts the water, and the ball rolls safely to the other side.

Jesus also hits a long one toward the same pond, but just as it's about to land in the center, it hovers above the surface. Jesus casually walks out on the pond and chips it onto the green.

The bearded man's drive hits a fence and bounces out onto the street, where it caroms off an oncoming truck and back onto the fairway. It's headed directly for the pond, but it lands on a lily pad, where a frog sees it and snatches it into his mouth. An eagle swoops down, grabs the frog, and flies away. As the eagle and frog pass over the green, the frog drops the ball, and it lands in the cup for a hole-in-one.

Moses turns to Jesus and says, “I hate playing with your dad.”

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

An Interview With Money Magic Queen

2009-11-13T04:59:00.001-08:00

Today, we caught up with Morgana Rae. She is the Charmed Life Coach and the Money Magic Queen. She believes that in order to better manage our money – we should build a better relationship with it. Revolutionary? Think again. She has been preaching this for many years. Find out how YOU can build a better relationship with Money in this interview.

What's YOUR relationship with Money?

My current relationship with Money is like being married to a very sexy, affectionate man who adores me.

What should be our relationship with money?

Imagine a lover you admire and desire so dearly that you would want to keep that person in your life even though he (or she) was money, NOT because he was money. This is unconditional love, not based on what you want your money to do for you. Money is not a "tool" to get what you want. I mean really, how'd YOU like to be a tool? That's not a very loving relationship.

What is Financial Alchemy all about? Where can we learn more about it?

Financial Alchemy is the transformation of your relationship with money. Your financial situation is a direct reflection of your relationship with money. If you don't like your finances (or money has an adverse impact on other relationships in your life), then something needs to change in your relationship with money. The best way to learn more is to go to http://www.abundanceandprosperity.com, and download my MP3 gift interview with Stuart Tan.

Can I really manifest money just by thinking about it?

Yes and no. Financial Alchemy is much deeper than mindset and thinking. We're going deep into unconscious blocks and a relationship shift you never knew was there.

And you MUST take action. Financial Alchemy is active: 1) you uncover your hidden blocks to abundance, 2) you personify your money "monster", 3) you eradicate the monster, 4) you create your money "honey", 5) you ask your money honey what he (or she) needs from you, and 6) you do what your money tells you to do.

This a reciprocal relationship. The ball is always in your court. It's up to YOU to be the excellent relationship partner, even when you're anxious or furious with your money honey. That's when the magic happens.

And it can happen instantly. Check out the "John Travolta Loves You" story on my blog. A client received a five figure payment, out of the blue, only TWO MINUTES after doing what her money told her to do.

Elliott Malach made $87,000 in six hours. Katie Curtin received $10,000 within one day. It goes on and on and on. What makes this different is that it is not just thinking about money. These people made money a PERSON and took ACTION.

I lay the whole process out, in detail, in my complimentary MP3 download. Here is an email I received five minutes ago:

“Hi Morgana. I was inspired enough by your writings to go back to the MP3 gift you send out and just started 'getting into it'. I just started to converse with my money personality and also told my wife about it. We both thought it was a wonderful exercise, delightful to do and very revealing... but left it at that for the moment.

This is going to sound like an infomercial but I just couldn't believe what happened next... in what I think was a time span of a couple of hours, we had not one but TWO money miracles happen. I have to call them that because it was just unexplainable otherwise.

First, my wife had someone call her out of the blue.. about a fairly high ticket auction item she'd been running online. This person had already rejected it once, but now called back and happily offered a very tidy sum and offered to cover delivery!

Then, almost right after that I had a new client contact me, who had already rejected an offer I'd made earlier that day, saying it was too pricey. But now they called back and just reversed their position, out of the blue! No further comment on price, nothing. And they turned out to be a very good client, already promising more deals in the near future.

These kinds of things don't 'just happen', I don't think. Not to us anyway, so it was absolutely clear where this came from. Thank you for bringing this forth!”

This is just the first one this morning. I get these emails every day.

How can I become a money magnet? How can HungryPeople attract more money into their life?

Very simple. Go to www.abundanceandprosperity.com and join my VIP list and download the Stuart Tan interview MP3 described above. Then you definitely want to get my "Financial Alchemy: 12 Months of Magic and Manifestation" self coaching system. It walks you through the process and keeps you on track easily with many more tools and exercises to make changing your relationship with money and improving your lifestylep simple and effortless day to day. If you go to http://www.create-money-magic.com, I'm running a short term special that I created for a Keynote I delivered today: "12 Months of Magic and Manifestation" and my "Create a New Relationship with Money" CD (at a $20 reduction), and a BONUS AUDIO of a two hour radio interview I did in September.

How can we bring more magic into our life?

They've been calling me the Money Magic Queen for years. This why I created "Financial Alchemy: 12 Months of Magic and Manifestation"-- to tip my hand and let anyone in on secrets and processes I share with my high priced clients. It's all about creating ease, flow, and synchronicity.

Tell us more about the Indian legend of Indra's Net.

Indra's net comes from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. It illustrates the idea of inter-connectedness. Imagine an intricate net stretches out across the universe, with a multifaceted jewel sitting at every intersection. Each facet of each jewel reflects every other jewel in the system. Everything is connected and reflects everything else. This is our condition as human beings. We are infinitely interconnected. Today we call it quantum physics.

Tell us more about the Renaissance Pleasure Faire that your grandmother help create.

The Faire began as a fundraiser for KPFK pacifica public radio. (*Many decades later I was interviewed on KPFK for Los Angeles's top personal development radio program "The Aware Show"!) It became a HUGE success--a real rock star and celebrity magnet: the Byrds wrote a hit song "Renaissance Faire." People would come from all over the world and then start their own pseudo Renaissance Faires at home.

It was a heavenly place to grow up as a little girl. Fanciful dress and make-believe. I LOVED growing up in that environment! It was romantic and theatrical and educational, and it made history and Shakespeare and improvisation "cool" with the popular kids at my school. I've never lost that passion for imagining life in other times and places and possibilities... and those handsome swashbuckling types, like my Money Honey!

Who are YOUR personal heroes?

There are so many, and it's always shifting. The Beatles (together and individually) are a perennial favorite. I admire Byron Katie. Barack Obama reminds me that that the impossible is possible. People of humility, talent, generosity and originality excite me.

What are YOU hungry for?

I'm hungry for an end to cruelty. Animal cruelty has been on my mind lately, and I find it intolerable. I'm hungry for single-payer universal health care in the United States, and an end to fear and lack of access to good care. And ultimately I'm hungry for a whole planet of enlightened, empowered, charmed living.

About Morgana Rae

Morgana Rae is an internationally acclaimed coach, speaker and author, and widely regarded as the world’s leading Relationship with Money Coach. Her ground breaking program for attracting wealth has featured her in Personal Excellence Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, United Press International and The Wall Street Journal online. Morgana has transformed thousands of money relationships while speaking in locales from Baja California to Oslo, Norway. She coaches clients as far away as Scotland, Singapore, India and Australia. Grab your award winning, complimentary "Money Magnet" audioclass download at www.abundanceandprosperity.com.

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How YOU Can Be A Real Customer Hero

2009-11-12T07:42:00.001-08:00

An Interview with the Ultimate Customer Experience Creator Scott McKain

Scott McKain is changing how executives, businesses and other organizations treat their customers. Scott has built the Value Added Institute which promotes the development of resources on creating amazing customer experiences that impact its bottom line. He has developed concepts, models and programs that helped build extraordinary organizations that result from an extraordinary LOVE for the customer. In this customer-focused interview, he shares with us insights into how we can build better customer experiences that will engage and deepen our relationships in a truly disruptive age. This is yet HungryPeople's best interview to date mainly due to what he has to say about HungryPeople! Thanks Scott!

What's the work of the Value Added Institute?

Through speeches, seminars, and consulting with terrific organizations -- as well as my books, most recently, "Collapse of Distinction" -- we try to illuminate for organizations, and the professionals that work for them, the importance of the loyalty of the customer.

Take us back to when YOU were starting VAI. What was YOUR original motivation?

We knew in our hearts that creating compelling experiences could be more profitable than just pushing for simple transactions. We wanted to work with companies to prove it was the fact, as well as be thought leaders in how the customer experience can distinguish and differentiate your organizations -- and yourself, as a professional -- from the competition.

How can we create wonderful customer experiences in the online world?

First, understanding that the customer experience is different -- and superior -- to customer service. The experience adds the elements of personalization and emotion to the mix. By centering on how we use the technology to become more intimate with our individual customers, we begin to create wonderful experiences.

How will social media change businesses' interactions with their customers?

It's like anything else -- it will depend upon how businesses use the tool. A professional can use the telephone to follow-up with a good client and ensure satisfaction, or make telemarketing calls at dinner time. The tool is the same...the question becomes: How is it being used? Social media presents us the opportunity to deepen our connection with customers and prospects -- and, at the same time provides a forum for mindless, spamming promotional activities, as well.

Will social media deepen or rather make our interactions more artificial?

I believe social media makes us MORE of what we ALREADY are. In other words, if you truly care about customers, social media provides the opportunity to take it to an even more significant level of engagement. If you are artificial and aloof from your clients and colleagues, social media creates an infinite number of opportunities to reveal yourself and your true motives.

Describe for us what a Visionary Organization look like? How can we become one?

Visionary Organizations follow the four-step process I outline in "Collapse of Distinction" --

First, they seek Clarity. You have to know (and be able to clearly explain) precisely who and what you are -- and are NOT. Too many try to be more things to more people, thereby diluting their Clarity and inadvertently extinguishing customer passion.

Second is Creativity -- almost by definition, Visionary Organizations are creative. However, the surprising part of my research is that they aren't creative in EVERY area...they SELECT just one or two points where they will be revolutionarily different from the rest of their industry.

Third step is Communication -- which is part of what I love about what you are doing at HungryPeople. The Visionary Organization communicates in STORIES, not in a recitation of facts and ratios.

Finally, it's the Customer Experience Focus...and it's vital to make the point that this isn't merely the old "focus on the customer" line. This is an obsession with how it FEELS to do business with you and your organization.

Another surprising part of what I discovered was that organizations have to follow these points in this specific order. Creativity without Clarity is devoid of distinction, for example. So, to become a Visionary Organization, begin with Clarity, and follow through with the rest.

YOU talk a lot about the 'platform,' how can social media enhance this?

Think of a band of musicians. In the old days, the key was to get on radio...because if you could do that, people would come see your concerts. You couldn't be a highly successful band unless you had radio hits.

The Grateful Dead came along and changed all of that -- in great part because they developed such a rabidly enthusiastic fan base. They created an intimate relationship with their fans that was so strong, they didn't need airplay to draw crowds.

Today's artists understand that they need Facebook, MySpace, iTunes, e-zines to fans, websites, online fan clubs, constant Twitter updates, and more...however, it really accomplishes the same thing the Dead was doing all those years ago with fewer platforms. It creates greater audience connectivity and intimacy.

One vital point -- if your band sucks, it really doesn't matter how many platforms you use to connect with an audience. Become great at what you do first...then expand it exponentially with the creative use of the platforms that social media provides.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

Zig Ziglar is a hero -- but not for the reason you may assume. Certainly he's sold a zillion books and has had an amazing speaking career, but the reason he's a hero to me is that he LIVES what he SAYS. It's amazing to me how many of the so-called "gurus" -- and the guru-wanna-be's -- talk a good game, but do not truly live what they are advising their readers and listeners to do.

There's a famous author/speaker, noted for shouting from the platform that we males should "seek the opinion of women -- and listen." Yet, my wife sat in his conference room for two days with only three other people at a meeting regarding his spouse's company, and not one time did he ask my wife what she thought about anything -- or truly listened to anyone else's opinion but his own. I still admire his thinking -- but he'll never be a "hero."

What are YOU hungry for?

Continued learning and growth...and relationships with people and organizations hungry for the same.

(Interviewer's Note: And here we get to the best part, I couldn't sleep after reading this.)

How can HungryPeople become a better experience for our readers?

Well, first off, you have an awesome start! I absolutely love what you are doing! It seems that you understand that wonderful combination of disconnection and symmetry about the point that you can change the world by providing resources to inspire individuals to improve. It doesn't seem possible -- what one person can do from an idea you've shared can have an impact on the globe -- but, yet, as has often been noted, that's the ONLY way it ever happens.

Keep relating to both the evidence and emotion, and you'll continue to be an "Ultimate Customer Experience" ^(TM) for those you engage.

About Scott McKain

He is Vice Chairman of Obsidian Enterprises, Durham Capital Corporation, and Co-founder and Principal of the Value Added Institute.

Scott McKain has attained significant success in several sectors:

As a professional speaker, Scott McKain has taken it to the highest level. Member of the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame. Platform appearances in all fifty states and fifteen countries before virtually every type of audience one could imagine. He is a member of Speakers Roundtable—an elite group of twenty business speakers and authors considered to be among the best in the world.

As an author, Scott McKain has sold tens of thousands of books, and has been quoted in the “Wall St. Journal,” “USA Today” and “The New York Times.” His latest, “Collapse of Distinction” has been called the best reviewed business book of 2009.

As a business leader, Scott McKain serves as Vice Chairman of a successful holding company owning nineteen businesses in widely diverse industries with annual sales averaging over $100 million. He is the Co-founder and Principal of the Value Added Institute, a think-tank exploring the role of the customer experience in creating client loyalty.

On social media, he is well-known and widely regarded. His blog, McKainViewpoint.com has thousands of subscribers and receives tens of thousands of hits weekly.

As a media personality, Scott McKain was seen by over two million people on television every week for a decade.

YOU should follow Scott on Twitter & Facebook:

http://twitter.com/scottmckain

http://facebook.com/scottmckain

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How to Take LEAP and Take YOURSELF to the Next Level

2009-11-11T07:14:00.001-08:00

An Interview with World50 Founder Rick Smith

Take us back to when YOU were starting World50.

I had co-authored a bestselling book on careers, and have been laid off by the firm I wrote the book for. I was exploring “normal” options, but began testing out the idea for the business. The customers took over.

What's the best way to gain experience and expertise?

YOU need to try many different things. There is little substitute for diving in and getting your hands dirty. The goal with all this is to better understand YOUR strengths and passions. (Go to the free online tool at http://www.primarycolorassessment.com to find out). Once discovered – steer in that direction.

What's the best way to manage my career?

That's a pretty broad questions. The two top things that come to mind are follow YOUR own unique strengths and passions, and set YOUR own definition of success – life on YOUR own terms.

How does one get out of a career rut?

First step – Get YOUR confidence back. Careers are like weather patterns – we all get rained on sometimes. Second, Find Ways to Steer Toward things YOU Love Doing and are good at. Over time, YOUR performance will take off and YOU will win.

How important is my Rolodex?

Networks are extremely important, but not necessarily your rolodex. The most important are those YOU are really close to – those YOU have gone out of YOUR way to help, and those who would do the same for YOU. Build these authentic relationships.

Do you think that passion is something that you can develop over time or is it just something that's innate in that some people have it and some people don't?

Everyone is passionate about something. In the workplace, what I am talking about are the types of activities, the types of challenges that really engage YOU. And, the good news is YOU can find those specific challenges in many different career paths.

What was a key turning point in your life and how did you deal with it?

I don't know if there was really one. In fact, I would say that there were really four major setbacks in my career that shaped things. They all led to significant major positive events. And they left me with the confidence that the worse it looks, the better the outcome is likely to be.

Tell us YOUR best LEAP moment.

It all started for me after I had just launched my new business. From my very first discussion with a real customer, developing our first logo, etc., I knew this what I was meant to be doing. I was leveraging my strengths and passions for the very first time, and it was as if gravity itself had been suspended. Find that unique role in your life, and follow where it carries YOU.

Who are YOUR personal heroes?

Lincoln. Silvia Lagnado (Dove Real Beauty Campaign). Janet Hanson (85 Broads). Many many more. It's not hard to find people who are living heroic lives.

What are YOU hungry for?

Actually, dinner! I had to skip lunch to work out!

About Rick Smith

Rick Smith is the bestselling author of The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great (Portfolio), and the author of the popular blog, RickSmith.me. He is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestseller The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers, which has been sold into 13 languages and remains one of the top-selling professional career books of all time.

Rick is the creator of the Primary Color Assessment, which has received more than 100,000 pageviews since July, 2009.

He is the founding CEO of World 50, cited as one of the world’s most influential senior executive networking companies.

A leading commentator on careers and professional and personal success, Rick has been featured by more than 50 media outlets, including CNN, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Sirius Satellite Radio, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune and Chief Executive.

Rick has amassed an incredible and eclectic personal Rolodex, having worked or collaborated with dozens of world, business and cultural icons, including: Bono, Alan Greenspan, Robert Redford, Francis Ford Coppola, Magic Johnson, Lance Armstrong, Larry Bossidy, Martha Stewart, Jon Stewart, Norman Schwarzkopf, Senators Robert Dole and George Mictchell, Steven Colbert, Russell Simmons, Sir John Major and many others.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

How YOU Can Be A Global Detective

2009-11-09T03:47:00.001-08:00

An Interview FastCompany Founder Alan Webber

Alan M. Webber is global trendspotter. He is co-founder of the innovative magazine Fast Company and has just launched his new book Rules of Thumb. In this amazing interview, he shares with us the key traits that have made him a global detective in a world that is swirling with new possibilities. Learn how YOU too can be a global detective.

How is change a math formula? How can someone become a real change agent?

Change happens when the cost of the status quo is greater than the risk of change. If you want to become a real change agent, focus on the real cost of the status quo: what are the hidden subsidies and social costs that hide the real costs of the status quo?

Tell us more about your philosophy that states “Teachers are Everywhere.”

Life is all about learning. But too many of us, after we leave formal school, (we also) stop learning, stop listening, stop paying attention to opportunities to learn from others. But the truth is, there are teachers everywhere! All you have to do is to listen, pay attention, and take notes on 3x5 cards when you hear something that makes sense to you or helps you see the world with new clarity.

Take us back to when YOU were starting the FastCompany magazine. What key lessons did YOU learn?

It helps if you know something about something: Both Bill Taylor, who started the magazine with me, and I had years of experience in both the subject of management and business and the work of putting out a magazine. Put together your best business plan, and then listen the feedback you get from the market—any idea can be made better. Learn to take no as a question: when someone turns you down when you ask for money, listen to their reasons and learn from the no. Build a great team--much of business, like much of life, is a team sport. And managing your emotional flow is more important than managing your cash flow.

How does one live inside their customer's skins?

Ask questions. Go visit your customers. Look at the world through their eyes. Try to imagine how they view the product or service you're offering. You may think you're selling one thing, but your customers may be buying something else. You need to listen more, talk less. Worry less about having right answers and worry more about asking good questions.

How do we keep track of changing trends? Can someone predict coming trends? Or is it something that we can only see when its already happening?

Trends are real, and if you can see them coming and get an early warning system in place, you have a real advantage: The difference between a crisis and an opportunity is when you learn about it. If you want to get good at sensing trends, you need to work at it. Read extensively, with an eye to data points that you can assemble in your own head. Develop a network of friends and colleagues who are attentive to developments in the world--and talk with them about what they see and hear. Begin to set up your own lenses that you use to analyze the world--test your theories about what's happening and the rate at which it is taking place against the data points you're seeing in the news. Like anything else, the more you do, the better you get at it.

You recently published one of the best books we've read, Rules of Thumb, what was YOUR inspiration in writing it? What's YOUR favorite rule of thumb among the 52 that YOU mentioned?

My inspiration was simple: I'm trying to start a conversation with as many people as possible to highlight the new practices and principles we need to adopt to create a better, more workable, sustainable future. Right now I think the world is short on leaders--and we need to create more leaders right away! The only way to do that is for all of us to step up and become leaders--and this book is a field manual for men and women who want to assume the job of leadership. My favorite rule? You've already touched on it: Stay alert! There are teachers everywhere! We all have a lot to learn from each other!

What's the best thing about being a global detective? What's a global detective?

I'm a global detective! And what I do is try to use my powers of deduction to solve mysteries: How do we do a better job of developing leaders? That's a mystery--until you begin to examine it. How do we do a better job of improving public education? A better job of eradicating poverty? A better job of social innovation and social entrepreneurship? A better job of creating a sustainable economy with companies that work? You can be a global detective too--just start asking questions and exploring new answers to old problems. The best thing about being a global detective? You meet fascinating people doing amazing work, you're always learning, and you're engaged with the real issues of our time!

How does one build experience and expertise?

Keep an open mind, meet interesting people and ask a lot of questions. Make mistakes--it's the only way to learn. Go out into the world and engage life as an adventure, not an exam. It's supposed to be fun, not a trial!

Why does a good question always beat a good answer?

Good question! Because if all you focus on is coming up with "the right answer" you ignore the importance of the learning process. You get caught up in being right--and you lose sight of the importance of how you learn in the first place. But just important is the simple fact that the questions we ask often determine the answers we get. So you need to pay attention to the way you frame questions in the first place: Are you trying to get the answer you want? Or are you asking an open question that requires an open mind to explore many different possible answers?

Who are YOUR personal heroes?

If you look at the list of people who comprise The Elders, you'll find some of the most remarkable people alive today.

What are YOU hungry for?

Change. New thinking. Innovative problem-solving. Courageous truth-tellers.

About Alan M. Webber

Alan M. Webber is an award-winning, nationally-recognized editor, author, and columnist. In 1995, he launched Fast Company magazine, a fresh, dynamic entry in the business magazine category. Headquartered in Boston, MA, the magazine became the fastest growing, most successful business magazine in history. Fast Company won 2 national magazine awards—one for general excellence, one for design—and Webber was named Adweek’s Editor of the Year in 1999, along with co-founding editor William Taylor.

In 2000 Fast Company magazine was sold to Gruner + Jahr for the second largest amount of any magazine in U.S. history. Last year Webber stepped down from his full-time editorial responsibilities, but has retained his title and contributing role as founding editor.

Prior to founding Fast Company, Webber was for 5 years the managing editor and editorial director of the Harvard Business Review. During his tenure, HBR was twice a finalist for National Magazine awards; he oversaw the journal’s visual redesign and created the architecture for the journal’s editorial performance that continues to this day. His articles and columns have appeared in The New York Times Sunday magazine, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Tiimes, among other publications.

He has also been active at local, state, and national political levels, serving as policy advisor for the mayor of Portland, Oregon, writing speeches for several governors, and working as special assistant to the United States Secretary of Transportation.

Some Rules from Rules of Thumb

Rule number 1: When the going gets tough, the tough relax.

Rule number 18: Knowing it ain’t the same as doing it.

Rule number 38: If you want to think big, start small.

Rule number 43: Don’t confuse credentials with talent.

You can find out more about Rules of Thumb by going to http://www.rulesofthumbbook.com.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

Great Ideas for Starting Things – Part II

2009-11-08T16:32:00.001-08:00

In continuing our earlier post on Great Ideas for Starting Things, we present today an illustration from Guy Kawasaki's book The Art of the Start. This illustration talks about the major differences between big companies and startups. There is indeed a huge differerence.

Any startup have to realize that they are creating meaning in a slightly different context than their already “big” competitors.

One of the best points here refers to Branding where Guy shares his view that Branding is actually evangelizing in the trenches.

At HungryPeople, we believe it's very important for any company or brand team to first evangelize the entire organization they belong to before going to evangelize the market. If your employees don't buy into the brand, how can YOU expect your “potential customers” to buy into it as well?

Do YOU have any stories that can inspire the world to start things?

Share them with us and we'll be happy to publish them.

Send them to people.hungry [at] gmail.com.

YOU should follow me on Twitter @jayjaboneta.

YOU should also watch Guy's The Art of the Start video at http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/06/the_art_of_the_.html.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

The Fun Theory

2009-11-08T13:04:00.001-08:00

This is obviously a form of advertisement. But what the heck, it's a great exercise in creativity. I hope they make more stairs like these.

Check out what the fun theory is all about in this video experiment.

http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=16297

Fun can really make the world a better place. Let's have more fun!

Any ideas? Send them!

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

Tom Watson's Formula for Success

2009-11-08T02:33:00.001-08:00

What did Tom Watson (Founder of IBM) have to say is the formula of success?

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success?

It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.

You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure — or you can learn from it.

So go ahead and make mistakes.

Make all you can.

Because, remember that's where you will find success.”

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

How Hot Is Hell?

2009-11-07T07:41:00.001-08:00

(photo courtesy of religion-cults.com)

This is probably geekiest joke we've read. But its funny! Read on. Thanks to Carmen over at fetchplus.posterous.com.

The following is a question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term.

The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over..

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.'

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

What do YOU think?

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

My Point Exactly

2009-11-07T02:12:00.001-08:00

A ninety-year-old man went to the doctor and said, “Doctor, my eighteen-year-old wife is expecting a baby.”

The doctor said, “Let me tell you a story. A man went hunting, but instead of a gun, he picked up an umbrella by mistake. When a bear suddenly charged at the man, he picked up the umbrella, shot the bear, and killed it.”

The man said, “Impossible. Someone else must have shot the bear.”

The doctor said, “My point exactly.”

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

How To Name YOUR Website That Catches Attention

2009-11-07T01:24:00.001-08:00

Back when I was in high school (that was 10 years ago!), the Internet was just new. But I had the foresight to look into my future and come up with possible names for websites that will sound cool (or so I thought they were cool). It amuses me to think that over 10 years have passed since then but the forces working today are somewhat the same. We may have Facebook, Twitter and Posterous now but 10 years ago, the Internet was already revolutionizing how we operate our businesses. And it still is.

As YOU can see in the names below, my last entry was hungrypeople dot com. I cannot remember what fascinated me about the name. But who would have thought that 10 years after, I would find this list while also reading Jonathan Fields' revolutionary book Career Renegade and got inspired to start my blog, right here, right now. And so I did. HungryPeople's birthday is October 4, 2009.

Again, it's kind of amusing to think of our blogs as our babies. But indeed they are. Like our babies at home or on Sims, we do tend to our blogs on a day to day basis. We enjoy writing our hearts' out and taking a peek now and then. We get overjoyed when people comment on the blog however negative (it means someone is actually reading it!). And yes, we try to edit as much as we can.

Blogging has become a way of life for most people. But as for me, I'm relatively new. My relationship to blogging has been on and off at best. I fear commitments. Something my friends would attest to. But hopefully, this time around with YOUR help I can build the HungryPeople blog to deliver something fresh, something unique and something compelling for YOU to read on and come back for.

Thank YOU for reading this far. YOU are free to take any of the names that YOU like. Just be sure to include me in the footnotes when YOU'RE building the site of YOUR dreams. As YOU can see with my example, it's never to late to blog.

Before I close, I'm actually going to talk about what the title above is all about. Picking HungryPeople was the best choice I guess. As YOU can see, aside from being on my list 10 years ago. In my readings, one of my favorites quotes came from Steve Jobs' speech during the 2005 Stanford Graduation and I never forgot how he ended it: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” HungryPeople is for anyone who is hungry for something in their lives – so the name is a match with a twist. But the clincher was having a short election on Facebook and HungryPeople won 2/3s of the vote. So there YOU are – the secret to naming a website that catches attention is to test possible names in YOUR community. They're the ones who's going to read it anyway. If it's good for them, it's good for everybody (or at least a majority).

Cool Names for Future Websites (circa 1998)

http://www.stupidmaniacs dot com

http://www.growlingmonkeys dot com

http://www.morons dot com

http://www.smellyshoes dot com – This is actually my favorite. =) Why? Because sometimes our shoes smell a bit but we still love putting it on anyway, am I right?

http://www.peoplewholovetofart dot com

http://www.peoplewholove2fart dot com

http://www.laughinghyenas dot com

http://www.laughinggods dot com

http://www.lifesavingbreath dot com

http://www.smellymouths dot com

http://www.badbreath dot com

http://www.anothercornysite dot com

http://www.coolcrazypeople dot net

http://www.jokinggorilla dot com

http://www.mockingbirds dot com

http://www.takeovers dot net

http://www.cornypeople dot com

http://www.hungrypeople dot com

What will YOU add to the list? We'd love to hear it!!!

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

YOU Can The Country's Ambassador Wherever YOU Are

2009-11-06T07:02:00.001-08:00

An Interview With 2007's Best Travel Blogger Ivan Henares

In our deeply engaging conversations with Ivan Henares, he shares with us the deep heritage of the Filipino. We are one of the richest nations (in terms of both natural resources and culture) in the world and yet we still have to reach our true potential. He has shown us that we can be our country's “ambassador” each day of our lives by being grateful and proud of our rich cultural heritage, and reflecting this attitude to everyone we meet. (Interviewer's Note: This goes as well for our readers from other countries. You don't need an official title to be an ambassador of your country.)

What's it like being included in the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit in 2008?

It was an honor to have been recognized as a Philippines 21 Fellow for 2008. That meant representing the country at the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit in Tokyo, Japan. We got to meet and interact with young leaders and professionals from all over Asia and the United States.

Take us back to when YOU were starting YOUR blog at http://www.ivanhenares.com. How did it come about?

In 2005, while on my first backpacking trip in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and Brunei, I decided to start writing a blog so that I didn't have to tell my travel stories over and over again. That started the constant documentation of my trips. And the blog took off from there.

How often do YOU update your blog? Do YOU travel to some exotic or interesting place every week?

I update as often as time permits. I've got a lot of backlog since I've been busy with work lately. My work entails a lot of travel in North Philippines. If I have both the time and budget for it, I try to fit in trips of my own, sometimes weekly, sometimes fortnightly.

What's one thing YOU love about being Filipino?

We have a really rich culture and heritage. Sadly, most Filipinos don't give a damn about who we are or our national identity, placing other cultures on a pedestal higher than our own.

What does a Vice-President in the Heritage Conversation Society do?

Aside from policy decisions and administrative stuff, I do a lot of advocacy campaigns for the preservation of our architectural heritage. The Philippines is so behind when it comes to the appreciation of heritage, particularly the economic value of it. Many countries have stringent laws and strict implementation when it comes to old architecture since they add character to a city and increase its tourism and economic potential.

We asked Chiqui Escareal-Go this before, but we want to hear YOUR perspective. If YOU were Secretary of Tourism, what would be YOUR top 3 priorities? What would YOU be remembered for after YOUR term ends?

Top of mind would be ensuring sustainable tourism development. It's not just about the money. Host communities must be properly educated on how to manage tourism and make sure the attraction is not damaged by greed. There should be a strong awareness on the proper care of heritage and the environment. Let's not destroy the very source of our livelihood in exchange for short-term gains.

Second would be to make sure the benefits of tourism reach the grassroots and not just the big players. The creation of backpacker trails that would link culturally rich towns and cities not previously found on a foreign visitor's radar would give an added boost to local economies.

Finally, I'd change the rating system for our tourism establishments which is based on a checklist that only considers the occurence of certain facilities, amenities and services, disregarding quality. For example, a hotel with big rooms can be rated First Class even if the quality of the rooms and services are horrible.

When my term ends, I'd like to be remembered as someone who changed the mindset of Filipinos towards our rich natural and cultural heritage. It's what makes us unique. That's what we should sell and market to the world.

How can each Filipino help the country today?

By voting for leaders with political will. Ondoy is a game-changer. For one, I'd like to see the Lina Law repealed. It's time to relocate those informal settlers our corrupt politicians have long coddled for their votes.

Who are YOU voting for President next year? Why?

I'm still undecided. But experience and track record both in the private and public sector will play a very crucial role when I select my candidate. While we may look at platforms too; then again, politicians can just claim anything to please voters. So track record is really important to me.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

I look up to a lot of people. As a lover of history, I've read about the lives of many of our heroes. What sets them all apart is their willingness to give up themselves for our country. Can we do the same today?

What are YOU hungry for?

I'm hungry for a Filipino nation with a strong sense of nationalism. We must be proud to be Filipino and of everything that is Filipino, and be willing to fight for what our country stands for. With love for country, every thing else will follow.

About Ivan Henares

http://www.ivanhenares.com

Ivan is a tourism manager, educator, travel writer, tour organizer and heritage activist. A feisty advocate for the preservation of Philippine architectural heritage, he talks about his personal travels and advocacy in his blog Ivan About Town, named Best Travel Blog at the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards.

He is Vice President of the Heritage Conservation Society, Expert Member of the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee, and Corporate Secretary of the Ateneo Alumni Association. He currently works as Deputy Executive Director of the North Philippines Visitors Bureau, Editor of Northbound Magazine and teaches at the UP Diliman Asian Institute of Tourism. Ivan is also one the movers behind the culinary and heritage tour experiences of Ultimate Philippines Tours.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

Brazil man appears at own funeral

2009-11-05T07:14:00.001-08:00

This is probably one of the funniest joke stories we've read. But wait a second... It's true. It actually happened.

It seems a man attended his own funeral. How can this happen?

"A 59-year-old Brazilian man has surprised his family by turning up at his own funeral, local media report.

Relatives of Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a bricklayer, had identified him as the victim of a car crash in southern Parana state the previous day. Police told O Globo newspaper that relatives had trouble identifying the corpse because it was badly disfigured." - from BBC News

Find out more here.

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

How The Philippines Became My Country by Tom Colvin

2009-11-05T02:38:00.001-08:00

An Interview With The TomCat

Today we caught up with the Philippines' adopted son Tom Colvin. Tom is a foreigner that's slowly becoming more of a Filipino. His insights into Filipino culture and our country in general are amazing. We could only wish every Filipino reads Tom and learns to love the Philippines like he does.

YOU spend YOUR time by splitting it between the Philippines and Mexico. Why do YOU love the Philippines?

I moved to Manila in 1986 to join the Information Office at the Asian Development Bank and have become a genuine American "expatriot." For me, the Philippines is my real home. Strangely, the Philippines is more like the environment that I grew up in, the American South, than is current-day America, which I barely recognize anymore since it has changed so fundamentally.

What's so special about the Filipino?

When I first moved to Manila, I decided not to run around in the usual ADB expat circles. I joined the Camera Club of the Philippines and the Makati Rotary Club, to make FILIPINO friends. Then I got into the alternative music scene, where I've met so many Filipinos. What's so special to me has been the REAL friendliness of the Filipino. Behind the famous smile is a truly warm heart.

What's YOUR job like?

Twelve years ago I was fortunate enough to step away from the 9-to-5 grind working for unimaginative bosses. Now I do what I love: music, research into Philippine history, writing. I'm a very lucky guy, waking every morning to a day [and night] full of projects I enjoy.

What's the key to being an amazing writer?

What's amazing is the fact that I do actually sit down from time to time to write. I think there is nothing more difficult or demanding than writing. I often resist, especially on the bigger writing projects. Once I'm seated at the keyboard, the words come -- but getting myself into the seat is a real challenge. I think most writers share this challenge, and the successful ones somehow develop the self-discipline to sit down.

Tell us something about us (Filipinos) that YOU know but we might not know.

Filipinos have a way of accepting the world as it is and still figuring out a way of living with a smile.

What are YOU trying to achieve in the Philippine Monument Project?

I started documenting Philippine commemorative statues and monuments in 1994, thinking that would be my contribution to the 1998 celebration of Philippine Independence. The project combines my interests in history, photography, writing and sculpture -- and it got me out into the provinces searching for little-known monuments, learning a lot of Philippine history and meeting many people. The project, still unfinished, has led to other even more-challenging history projects, all growing out of my fascination with the King Carlos IV monument in front of the Manila Cathedral. Those projects, actually, are now my major writing challenges: the research is mostly done; now it's time to write. The historical events that I'm now retelling are inspiring and show that the Philippines has, perhaps surprisingly, been in the mainstream of human history.

Tell us more about YOUR music.

For me, there's nothing more satisfying than playing music. Good fortune led me to Binky Lampano and Butch Saulog, who in late 1991 became my musical compatriots and mentors. My association with Binky and LAMPANO ALLEY is, hands down, the most exhilirating experience of my entire life. Not enough people here in the Philippines appreciate just what an astonishing musician -- and individual -- Binky is. And bandmates Simon Tan and Edwin Vergara too. LAMPANO ALLEY may be in hibernation now, but, trust me, we'll be back one of these days, with new material by Binky that will shake the rafters.

What's YOUR favorite book?

This is a difficult question for me. I suppose it's The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, which I discovered in my mid-teens. That would be followed closely by the writings of Thomas Merton and Alan Watts. Those choices are surprising, even to me, as I'm not known as a particularly "religious" person. But I do think they speak most eloquently about spirituality and the human condition.

Who are YOUR personal heroes?

Who are my heroes? The next people I meet in the street, that's who. In my life, I've met presidents and prime ministers, famous writers and musicians, and more -- but I've learned that all of them are just people. What I do admire are the ordinary people who get up early each day to face an uncertain and difficult world, and do so with a smile and a generous heart, who touch everyone they encounter with a positive energy that contributes to a better day. They are the true heroes.

What are YOU hungry for?

I'm hungry for a world where we ALL love one another and recognize and accept the godliness in each and every one, despite our individual flaws and shortcomings.

About Tom Colvin

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1939, Tom Colvin has devoted his life to working in the non-profit sector, first as a teacher, later as a professional advocating the causes of education and international development as a writer, audio-visual producer and media-relations specialist. He worked at the Choate School, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Occidental College and the Asian Development Bank. Over his lifetime, he has identified himself with the downtrodden, the outcast, the misfit, the misunderstood, seeing in all of them a potential spark and flame that can set them free and serve as a beacon for those who follow.

Currently he maintains his personal website at www.words-sounds-images.com, which captures the essense of his work as writer, photographer and musician. He also maintains a blog for aspiring and professional writers interested in improving their productivity: www.becoming-a-writer-seriously.com. This blog was chosen in 2007 as one of the top twenty websites by the editor of Writer's Digest and is currently ranked by Google as one of the top websites for writers.

In the Philippines, he is best known as "Tomcat," the harmonica player with the seminal blues band Lampano Alley. He continues to be active musically, performing as guest artist with various bands and featured frequently on RJ Underground Radio with his audacious blues originals with the project band Tomcat & the Dawgs. Currently, he is preparing a program to teach harmonica and basic music theory to Filipino youth.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

Bodega, The Next Best Thing?

2009-11-04T22:07:00.001-08:00

This is not a joke.

We posted this on Joking Gorilla instead of HungryPeople because we want it to be a light reading compared to the serious topics discussed in HungryPeople.

In our first article yesterday, we discussed ways on How To Become A Billionaire. Today, we show YOU one example that might just do the trick. If the management team of Bodega executes this right, they might be on to something BIG (hint: they might make big money).

There's a new exciting platform in town. Bodega hopes to help YOU turn your virtual goods into cash. Yes, YOU read that right. Bodega will work across different games and eventually most social networking sites to help YOU exchange or sell your virtual goods for the REAL THING – CASH.

This is actually the holy grail of the gaming industry. Though if YOU were a developer or new company, YOU would probably like to develop the next coolest game in town. Sooner or later, players will move on to the next coolest game and YOU need to come up with another cool thing.

Bodega is different. Whatever game players play, Bodega can help them transition by offering a platform where they can offer their current “status” and all that it entails to interested players and move on to the next catch. This will further enhance our gaming experience as this will enable “players” with cash to buy status or the virtual goods of already established players. Bodega hopes to be that platform.

This is an exciting opportunity and no company has yet gained market leadership on this point. Here's an interesting piece written by Jason Kincaid for TechCrunch that discusses this new gaming platform:

“As more games on the web begin to embrace virtual currency, users often run into the same problem: they’ve racked up mountains of whatever currency they’ve been playing with, but then don’t have a way to actually do anything with it outside of that game. Sure, they can always buy the latest tractor or weapon to arrive in their game, but at some point that gets old and they’re ready to cash out and move on to something new. Enter Bodega, a new platform that’s looking to help users swap virtual goods and currencies across different games, and even across different social networks.”

YOU can read the full article here.

One last thing, Joking Gorilla thinks the name Bodega is boring. Any suggestions?

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

Jay Jaboneta, Chief Storytelling Officer of HungryPeople

2009-11-04T06:08:00.001-08:00

Jay Jaboneta is a hungry man. He eats at least a 100 books a year, loves chocolate and sometimes can't live without coffee. He has worked for companies as diverse as Procter & Gamble, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (including Metrobank Card Corporation), and Diethelm Keller SiberHegner (DKSH). He has worked as a sales manager managing over 70 people, managed category management and retail operations for a range of brands for a national supermarket chain, as a portfolio manager getting cardholders to spend more, and has in many instances, climbed insurmountable “mountains.”

In his past life, he has graduated on top of his class, has built an entire organization of young entrepreneurs from scratch in his university, and was born again after “drowning.”

As much as Jay loves to read, he also loves to write. His main goal in life is to stay hungry, stay foolish (Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Graduation Speech). Learning comes as much (if not more) from mistakes and failures than from victories and successes. He believes in God and practices Zen Catholicism – his own brand of Catholicism. He believes life is a complicated phenomenal mystery and that it can never be explained in totality.

He believes powerful thinking leads to powerful action and thus, powerful results.

If YOU want powerful results, then begin by thinking powerfully.

What He Wants To Do

Jay loves to help people, companies, non-profits and brands breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable people and organizations deserve the attention of the world.

Jay Jaboneta is always hungry. He believes life is meant to be “eaten.”

Thus, HungryPeople was born.

When YOU are Hungry. There's always a table for YOU at HungryPeople.posterous.com.

Joking Gorilla

Yesterday, Jay got bored and so he built a blog on the FUN side. Thus, HungryPeople gave birth to Joking Gorilla - A Gorilla That Jokes. Let's Have Some Fun, YOU should visit us at JokingGorilla.posterous.com.

Posted via email from jayjaboneta

How YOU Can Be Awesomely Simple in Business (And in Life)

2009-11-04T02:27:00.001-08:00

An Interivew With An Awesome Man, John Spence

In our readings throughout the Internet and through countless of magazines and white papers, we rarely come to meet a man or a woman who promotes the idea of AWESOMENESS in business. A lot of experts think the term is for kids. “Awesome” is usually a term used by the youth. But John Spence begs to differ. In this interview, he awes us with his powerful and engaging answers on how we can build businesses and organizations that are awesomely SIMPLE yet EXCELLENT at the same time.

How can we make businesses AWESOMELY SIMPLE? Is there an AWESOMELY SIMPLE manifesto?

Actually, the book “Awesomely Simple” began as a manifesto on “Achieving Business Excellence,” but the key to making business awesomely simple is in relentlessly focusing on the core strategies that form the foundation for sustained business excellence. ”

Tell us more about Business Excellence by Design. How can we apply it in our daily lives?

Success does not come from hope, chance, fate or good luck… it comes through planning and working for success, as you have to personally define success in your life. The aim then is to create a design, a plan for life success and then follow that plan as closely as possible.

YOU read 100 books a year, what's YOUR favorite book so far?

I read 100+ business books a year (and have every year since 1989) and another 50 or so in the areas of history, philosophy, religion and science. But my favorite business book is “What Really Works – the 4 + 2 Formula for Sustained Business Success” By Joyce, Nohria and Roberson. Fantastic research – extremely solid findings.

In YOUR official bio on YOUR site, what was the “rocky start” to your college career?

I failed out of college on the first try – from a college where there was a building named after my father!!! But on the second try I graduated in the top three in the United States in my major, so I was able to turn it around. The key to the turn around? Study groups, read the books, ask for help – it was just that simple to go from failure to top of my class.

We read that YOU are on the road, 200 days a year, where is the best city in the world? Why?

Wow, tough question. I would have to say for big cities: New York. It is a incredibly vibrant, diverse, exciting city and a major global business hub. I get a little overwhelmed by the number of people, but am amazed at the endless opportunities for exploration, learning, connection and adventure. Form small cities: Crested Butte, Colorado – my home away from home.

What's the secret to creating the life YOU LOVE?

Focus, Discipline and Action. You have to clearly know what success looks like to you, how you define it, what you truly want to achieve. Next, you have to have the discipline to actually do what you need to do to make that vision of a great life… a reality. Lastly, the amount of action you apply determines the amount of success you achieve. The seems pretty straightforward, but very, very few people do it.

What's a key lesson you learned along the way?

The most important thing I have learned in my life so far is: “You become what you focus on and similar to the people you surround yourself with.” Whatever you fill your mind with, and whoever you choose to spend your time with – will in large part determine what your life will look like a decade from now.

Who are YOUR personal heroes?

I don’t really have any “heroes” == but I am deeply impressed by: Teddy Roosevelt, Peter Drucker, Gandhi, Victor Frankl, and the Dalai Lama.

What are YOU hungry for?

The opportunity to help many, many more people run successful businesses and create more successful, happy and balanced lives.

What's YOUR next book about?

I just signed a contract to write a book about the “Keys to School, Career and Life Success,” I am very excited to get started on it!

About John Spence

John is author of the book entitled: "Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action."

"Making the very complex...awesomely simple” is no mere catch phrase, it is truly John Spence’s mission in life. Driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand the fundamental aspects of what it takes to achieve and sustain excellence in business and life, John Spence has earned a reputation as a leading authority in the areas of Strategic Thinking, High-Performance Teams, Advanced Leadership Development, and Delivering Consistently Superior Customer Service, making him one of the most highly sought after executive educators and professional speakers in America.

For the past 14 years, John has presented workshops, speeches and executive coaching to more than 300 organizations worldwide including; Microsoft, IBM, GE Capital, Abbott, Merrill Lynch, Black Rock, NCR, AT&T, The US Navy, Alltel, Lanier, Verizon, Qualcomm, State Farm, and dozens of private companies, government offices and not-for-profits.

His main websites are http://www.jonhspence.com and http://www.awesomelysimple.com.

Be sure to sign up for his blog: www.johnspence.com/blog/.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous

How To Become A Billionaire

2009-11-04T00:46:00.001-08:00

Imagine seeing YOURSELF on the cover of Time Magazine or maybe YOU prefer Fortune Magazine or maybe in a future Joking Gorilla Billionaire List. It doesn't matter, the important thing is YOU imagine. Imagine YOU'RE reading about YOUR success and new billionaire status today.

“[Insert YOUR Name Here] is now one of the world's richest man. He/She built an empire covering the whole gamut of the computing industry. He is worth a cool $29 billion. He/She built an amazing array of cool products that redefined how we use computers, mobile phones and other computing devices... etcera... etcera... etcera...”

Now, snap out of it!

This is how YOU did it.

First move, be born to unknown parents. It might help if YOUR last name is hard to spell, common or unknown. (Think Gates. Allen. Ellison. Jobs. Wozniak. Zuckerberg. Page. Brin.). YOU get the point.

Second move, study until college then drop out. In the last 50 years, billionaires especially on newly-created industries like computing, software engineering, mobile communications, the Internet, etc. usually dropped out of college to pursue a great idea. (Gates. Ellison. Jobs. Wozniak. Zuckerberg. Page. Brin.). YOU do need to finish high school though. We still have to encounter a billionaire who's a high school drop out (If YOU know one, let's hear it!). This probably means YOU do need to master reading (comprehension), writing and speaking skills as well as knowing a little about history, algebra and physics.

Third, think and pursue a great idea that can change the world. Now comes the hard part. It's easy to say this. It's even easier to put this on a piece of paper and call it a business plan. But execution is key. Almost all the new-age billionaires started their startups on their own dime. They had to invest something themselves first. The best indicator if YOU have a great idea? There's none. If YOU believe in something so strongly and are willing to pursue it then YOU'D probably end up a billionaire. But that's a BIG IF. Remember, Edison did fail ten thousand times before perfecting the light bulb mechanism. And he didn't end up a billionaire but his name will live on forever. And Col. Sanders did get the door closed on him almost 2,000 times before getting the secret formula right for KFC. And even Kung Fu Panda had to fail many times before learning the secret of the dragon warrior.

Fourth and the final step, execute with uncanny precision. Gates hit it big when Microsoft licensed their software program to IBM and built in great functionality (yes guys, at that time Windows was cool and cheap) to it. Ellison when he got a big contract from the government and by focusing on the server market first. Jobs when he got fired from Apple. Sorry, that's not it. Jobs actually did it in two spades (or is it three?): with Apple, he made an amazing product (Macintosh, others) that the world adored and with Pixar, he built a different kind of movie/animation house. And with Apple again with the iPod and iPhone. Larry Page and Sergey Brin did it by creating an amazing search engine they called Google. Google continues to redefine the marketplace. Zuckerberg built a site for social interactions – he built a great one, cool functionalities, amazing design and easy sharing of files – photos, videos and links. Facebook is like the iPhone of social networking – it looks great, YOU can do almost anything with it, and it's not so expensive – it's actually FREE. Design Matters. Design in Outlook. And Design in Process.

Let's recap then:

1 FIRST MOVE, BE BORN TO UNKNOWN PARENTS. This is so true, it will motivate YOU to become known.

2 SECOND MOVE, DROP OUT OF COLLEGE. So far, that's how the current billionaires did it.

3 THIRD MOVE, DEVELOP A GAME-CHANGING IDEA. That will do it. Provided YOU succeed.

4 FOURTH MOVE, EXECUTE! Now this is the hardest part, but this is key.

There is in fact a fifth step. We'll let YOU figure that one out. There are clues in this article. But that deserves another post. We believe Guy Kawasaki has written extensively about that subject.

Let us know what YOU think the fifth step is. Email it to people.hungry [at] gmail.com.

P.S.

If all else fails, YOU have the following choices (in no particular order):

Marry a billionaire (YOU have to be a really hot!)

Marry into a billionaire's family (YOU have to be smart.)

Marry the ex-billionaire's spouse (Make sure they got at least a billion dollars after the divorce.)

Get YOURSELF adopted by the billionaire or the family (YOU have to be cute!)

Have any other ideas? Email it to us and we'll post them.

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

Joking Gorilla is coming soon

2009-11-03T10:47:00.001-08:00

Joking Gorilla is still under construction.

We'll update it soon.

Please check out our sister site in the meantime at HungryPeople.posterous.com.

Thanks.

Jay

Chief Gorilla

The Joking Gorilla Tribe

Editor's Note: We're currently borrowing the gorilla picture from www.jabernethy.com until our logo is done. Thank YOU Jabernethy!

Posted via email from jokinggorilla

YOUR Speech Can Change The World

2009-11-03T03:56:00.001-08:00

An Interview with Public Words Inc. Founder Nick Morgan

Nick Morgan is exceptionally talented at making magic as a speaker. He has worked with a lot of our leaders to improve their speaking prowess. He is also a great proponent for speeches that change the world. In fact, he has authored one book on the subject. Today, he's going to share with us some of his secrets to speaking success. "Listen" to him speak and YOU'LL be mesmerized! Read on!

What's the key to being a great public speaker?

Be passionate about your topic, be focused on one single idea, and realize that a speech is about the audience, not about the speaker.

How does one talk to his or her unconscious?

When you're falling asleep, or when you've got 'down' time, or when you're just waking up -- these are the times that your unconscious is most receptive. Keep it simple, and repeat over and over and over. It takes about 3 weeks of daily work to make a change in your unconscious.

Tell us more about YOUR work.
I run Public Words Inc. with 2 other great people - Nikki and Kate. We help people tell their stories. I coach people on speaking, on non-verbal communications, and on storytelling. I write books, blogs, and articles on communications. And I speak on the subject too.

How can the HungryPeople blog ensure that our story gets a chance to be heard by as many people as possible?

It's an 'ADD' world - people are overwhelmed with information. So keep it brief, clear, and compelling and keep saying the same thing over and over again. Eventually, people will hear you.

Can a speech really change the world?
Absolutely. President Kennedy did with his inaugural address. Martin Luther King, Jr. did with his 'I have a dream' speech. And countless others have inspired teams, started movements, and communicated passion around the world -- thus changing it.

Can my body language persuade others?
Yes! In fact, it's almost impossible to persuade others without persuasive body language. Every communication is two conversations -- the content and the body language. When the two are aligned, you can be persuasive. When they're not aligned, people believe the body language every time.

How can we develop a story line that can't be ignored? What do YOU think about the SUCCESs ideas from the book Made to Stick (by Dan & Chip Heath)?

By telling a new story about something the world needs to hear -- using one of the old, classic story structures, like the Quest. Dan & Chip Heath's book is great, and takes most of its ideas from the classic work by Robert Cialdini, Influence: Science and Practice. Everyone who is interested in persuasion should read Cialdini.

Tell us more about what's it like working with Sally Hogshead and Tim Sanders?

They're both incredible speakers with oodles of charisma. With them, I got quite specific and technical right away because their basic speaking skills were so strong. It was a matter of working on the finer points -- and bringing the story line of their speeches out so that nothing got in the way of their messages.

Who are YOUR personal heroes?
I've got so many: Winston Churchill, FDR, JFK, MLK, Jr., Ann Richards, Obama, Leo Buscaglia, Steve Martin -- I could go on and on....

What are YOU hungry for?
Universal health care, and serious progress on saving the environment. If we can be healthy, and if we can live on a healthy planet, we humans have a future!

About Nick Morgan

Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication and speech coaches. He has been commissioned by Fortune 50 companies to write for many CEOs and presidents. He has worked widely with political and educational leaders. And he has helped design conferences and prepare keynote speeches around the world.

Nick’s methods, which are well-known for challenging conventional thinking, have been published worldwide. His most recent book is Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, published by Jossey-Bass in January 2009. His acclaimed book on public speaking, Working the Room: How to Move People to Action through Audience-Centered Speaking, was published by Harvard in 2003 and reprinted in paperback in 2005 as Give Your Speech, Change the World: How to Move Your Audience to Action. Nick also served as editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter from 1998 – 2003.

After earning his PhD. in literature and rhetoric, Nick spent a number of years teaching Shakespeare and Public Speaking at the University of Virginia and Princeton University. He first started writing speeches for Virginia Governor Charles S. Robb and went on to found his own communications consulting organization, Public Words Inc, in 1997. He is a former fellow of the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Nick attributes his success to his honest and direct approach that challenges even the most confident orators to rethink how they communicate.

Posted via email from hungrypeople's posterous