SHARPEN YOUR WRITING SKILLS: Here’s haiku do it

Ever suffer writer’s block?  Naw-w-w-w, only about once a day for me.

But I started my rehab program for overcoming these dropped calls from my Muse.  Whether it’s a blank screen on your laptop, or a pure white sheet of nothing on the paper, start your composition with this exercise…a haiku.

Westerners often oversimplify this literary form, which is permissable.  Entry-level poets lay down three lines of words in a 5-7-5 form of syllable-count, which does constitute the basic haiku, as such:

         the skin and the bones

        of this middle aging house

        groan under grey clouds

But the Japanese discipline, which dates at least back to the 17th Century, includes influences and references to the seasons as well as Buddhist and Zen underpinnings.

I have liberated my own communications from blandness with the help of my personal daily haiku bootcamp.  Early mornings are more conducive for these:

                   my illusion breathes                          by trance I hear snake

                   in and expires possession                prints push branches of clover

                   I don’t own a thing                              toward the limestone

These came to me, almost in the manner of automatic writing, immediately after my morning meditation, as I attempt to remain still for 10-minutes or so, listening to my breathing pattern.

Seasonality in the haiku is more of a concern among the Japanese.  There is thought that a haiku should contain a word to refer to the current time of year, in nature.  In fact, the practice of haiku is precisely an observation of our natural surroundings, and the seasons reinforce the the nature of change as well as a balance of harmony and one-ness in our world.

I find that beyond the practical benefit of daily improvement in skills, a soothing fulfills my spirit.  Traditional haiku is nuanced in layers of spiritual foundation that escape through our mundane language:

     I breathe in breathe out             those puffy pink clouds

     I try to be here and now             hanging over the highway

     my morning worship                   do not know we’re here

A hike on a high mountain trail directly inspired this, which I titled:

                                              RED  HEAD

                             I recollect, the

                             pileated woodpecker

                             returns home with me

I’m a believer in the playfulness that is necessary in all art forms:

                if I could stand up

                side down like a boy in June

                grass stained in the yard

And, simplicity is another vital ingredient that the haiku simmers to perfection:

                                             we bow before black

                                              raspberries in the ripe breeze

                                              our summer bounty

Another benefit for me is that these daily capsules serve as a brief but germane journal entry that will spur my recall years later upon my re-read.

Finally, I can craft what surfaces from my inward development, to crystalize a particular spore of spiritual enlightenment before it dissipates:

                       the breath I expire

                       drops pantings of memory

                       on the path ahead

Obviously, a convenient social media channel in which I can perform my haiku workout is Twitter.  With the constraint of 140 characters, it’s a natural platform for tweeting haiku, #twiku.  Follow mine @Jim1Coe

My takeaway…after a short period of applying this writing exercise, I have broken through my blogger’s block and posted for the first time in weeks!

Please let me know how you deal with your slowdown in writing momentum.

A SEM/SEO Consultant, A Social Media Guru and A Spammer Walk Into A Bar…

…the bartenders asks, “What is this, some kind of joke?”

                                                                                                                                    

The SEM/SEO consultant says: 

 

 

 

The Social Media guru replies:   http://twitter.com/cherylharrison

And the spammer sputters, repeatedly:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/permission-mark.html

 

 

Now this might strike you as a flippant excuse for a blog posting, silly even.  But greet it as an interactive game that may be passed along from one blogger to another. 

You might consider cut-&-pasting this blog with your own answers to the bartender’s query.

Just what would you have in the conversation balloons of these three characters?

What would your SEM/SEO consultant have to say to a spammer?

Who would you link into the Social Media guru?

What would a spammer have to say to a bartender?  Would it be humorous?  This is basically an exercise in what fun we may continue to have using our social media channels.  Please pass it on, and comment to me if you judge it stupid or if you surmise its possibilities.  Thanks.

P-I-N-G 4-3-2-1 REDUX

Two weeks ago I posted P-I-N-G  4-3-2-1, a method I practice to stay in touch, to remain relevant.

 

Today, Seth Godin reminded me of just how applicable my PING-procedure can be.

His conclusion:  Friction rewards intent and creates scarcity.  Seth defines friction as the ease, or lack of ease, of communication.  If the channel is free, and easy to use, its usage grows, but then, paradoxically the  message is ignored.  As a Godin-esque exponent, it’s the difference between an e-mail message and spam.

Having said this, let’s return to my practice of P-I-N-G   4-3-2-1…scroll down to that April 21 post and you’ll see it refers to 4 phone calls, 3 e-mail messages, 2 personal hand-written notes and 1 in-person meet-up.  The aim is to reach out to others you wish to connect/re-connect/engage with by sending out these PINGS on a daily basis.  Notice that these are clearly four different media.  Marketers call this a media-mix.  Rather than rely on one method, you’ll have more success at reaching your target using multi-media.  That’s the REACH.  The day-after-day practice is the FREQUENCY.  Together, in weeks & months, they lead to ENGAGEMENT.

Keep it transparent, personal, sincere and trust-worthy.

The Zen of Networking

First…you won’t need business cards.  Well, not so many at least.

Prepare to attend networking events by tuning up your radar…sharpen your sensors and turn your awareness to the present tense.  I believe the behavior that will serve you most effectively when meeting others is the awareness of how you can help them.  Regardless of what ever widget you sell, or service you deliver, if you’re in the business of helping others succeed, you will be a success.

You get to the event…load up on the bagels/fruit/muffins early…secure your beverage in your left hand and meet someone.  At that point, the zen prevails…connect HERE…listen NOW…and ASK sincere questions.  Focus on your purpose for being here, to totally ENGAGE with this person in the PRESENT.  Don’t let your gaze wander.  Then, proceed to your next engagement.  Perhaps introduce one contact to another.

I find if I practice this zen, I have networked for quality rather than quantity.  And when I can help the person I just engaged with in solving their problem, I have helped raise the level of networking in the room.

GIVE, and GIVE again.  And as Keith Ferrazzi coaches…DON’T KEEP SCORE.

P-I-N-G 4-3-2-1

I’m trying to get better at this practice…PINGING.  You know, staying in touch, in a strategic manner.

Have you read Keith Ferrazzi’s NEVER EAT ALONE?  He invests an entire chapter on the practice of pinging, and the value it returns.       

Are you in sales?  Pinging is merely your unobtrusive manner of staying in contact with your customers and prospects.

You don’t need to relegate your pings to work.  Consider your family, your extended family, scattered all over the map.  How about your classmates…don’t wait for the reunion…get back in touch. 

 

Are you in transition?  Pinging is vital, it’s your first aid for relevance.  Ping with colleagues from every job you had a stake in.

Here’s my formula:  4-3-2-1

4 = the number of phone calls to make daily.  It even counts if you can’t speak directly and need to leave a voicemail message. 

3 = e-mails…send to someone you haven’t contacted in a while.

2 = snail-mail…a stationery greeting…your letter or greeting card, hand-written, with a stamped, hand-addressed envelope.  Your Hallmark Hello.

1 = meet someone in person…coffee, breakfast, a walk in the park…get out there and press their flesh.

And what does one say when they ping?  A sincere question…”What’s going on in your life?…Tell me a recent success story.”  Or even:  “What’s been eating at you lately?…Tell me how I can help.”      

Don’t wait…start right now and make it a daily technique towards staying connected with the marvelous humans who share this planet.                                

Lead From the Bottom, Lead From the Middle, Lead From the Top…But Lead!

What grade do you give your CEO, your manager, your mayor, your boss…on their leadership ability?

Not their management style…you manage THINGS and PROCESSES…you LEAD people.

So how is the leader you have in mind doing?  Do they inspire you to follow them?

Do you share their vision?…Enough to encourage others to work toward this vision?  Did the boss communicate this vision clearly enough?

As any combat veteran of the US Army knows, the slogan of the Infantry leader is “Follow me!”  Should you want to learn more about how vital clear communication is, follow the blog of my fellow Columbusite, Mike Figliuolo, at thoughtLEADERS, LLC.  But beware, some of Mike’s posts, practical as they may be, are also pithy, and often injected with snarky observations delivered with sarcasm.  And in his Army days, Mike was a tanker, so he radio’d “Follow Me!” from his turret.

Back to my point on leadership…we ALL can lead.  How, you ask?  Well, please understand this…leaders are MADE, not born.  May I refer to Seth Godin, in his latest book, TRIBES. All leadership calls for is a cause, a way to communicate your cause to others, and someone to do just that.  It’s “change you can believe in.”  You can also lead by following, inspiring others in your Tribe to “Follow Us!”  It’s easier to follow US than merely following ME.

But, you may ask, if leaders are not determined at birth, how does one go about MAKING oneself into a leader?

Another book I recommend, Stephen M.R. Covey’s THE SPEED OF TRUST, offers wisdom on leadership development, in the form of character and competance.  The integrity you have built personally, in addition to your intent, your capabilities and your successful results equal the sum of your TRUST.  This doesn’t require years…just a sequence of deeds, even little things, that contribute to your Personal Brand, your reputation, how we know you.

With your ability to clearly communicate change we can believe in, and your trustworthiness, you are a leader.

Tell your story, show us what change looks like, and we will follow.

Tweet-Up this Saturday, January 10

Yes, we’re tweetin’-up at the Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails this Saturday evening, 5:50-7:30, for some of downtown Columbus’ most imaginative edibles & highballs.

 

You know the Tip Top, don’t ya?

73 East Gay Street, one-third of the troika of bistros that include Betty’s and Surly Girl.  Pot roast, sweet potato fries, warm spiked cider, Great Lakes on tap.

Columbus Tweeple will be leaving social media cyberspace long enough to apply social media face-to-face and make friends.

Then, after we’ve nourished our bellies and wet our whistles, we’ll walk southward to the Riffe Office Tower, and into Studio 2 Theater to experience yet another comic drama produced by one of the newest professional theatre ensembles in Columbus… Available Light Theatre…as they entertain us with an original work by Anne Washburn…THE INTERNATIONALIST.

Then…after we’ve hung around the comedic thespians, back to the Tip Top we go for further engagement, discussion and dessert.

This will be one of those evenings we’d like to repeat, but let’s try it first on Saturday, January 10.  You know the place.

Sales Fundamentals Mini-Manifesto

Sales is not about Brilliance.

We leave Brilliance to Marketing, and on rare occasions some marketers approach Brilliance.

Sales is about Fundamentals.

The salesman/woman is not the fleet wide receiver or the Heisman-candidate quarterback.

Sales people are the offensive tackles, applying smashmouth in the trenches, doing the unglamourous deeds to help make the running back look so good.

These Fundamentals :  GOAL, a PLAN to funnel into the goal, WORK the plan, with discipline & consistence, daily.

and finally…ONE MORE…1 more phone call, 1 more e-mail, 1 more prospect discovered.

“Coffee is for CLOSERS!”

The SACRED and the PROFANE: What To Twitter

Twitter is yet another handy Social Media tool to help stay in touch and to lead the Tribe.

Like posting broadsides at the Town Hall and shouting in theVillage Square, these tools can be life-saving/historical

  as Paul Revere’s ride

or just rudely annoying spam.

Our BRAND  is SACRED as long as we continue to earn our reputation.

Our success in using Social Media will hinge upon one vital element…TRUST.

When your brand cannot be trusted, due to tweets of silly jabbering or self-promotion,

instead of giving value, you have squandered your reputation.

I hope what you are doing is what I try to do…GIVE VALUE.

 

And expand my network, my Tribe.

Series of Infinite Regressions, or, How I Enjoyed SYNECDOCHE NY

Still trying to get my mind back on a linear track after watching Charlie Kaufman’s SYNECDOCHE NY at the Gateway Cinema last night.

First, it’s without any doubt, the slowest pace of a film I can recall ever experiencing.

Altho slightly over 2-hours, we entered the theater Nov. 28, and as the closing credits rolled I wondered if it were December yet.

If you enjoyed BEING JOHN MALKOVICH or ADAPTATION then you might be prepared for SYNECDOCHE but I missed many nuances of this flick because I tried too hard to digest the scene I had just witnessed.

This story is tricky-dense, and generally I laughed out loud at my own incapacity to get it!

Philip Seymour Hoffman, of course, commands his character.  The cast sharing this trip with him is every bit as outstanding.

Kaufman’s storyline of our hero’s play-within-a-play-within-a-play brings to mind my boyhood discovery of a mental phenomenon that I believe is termed an infinite visual regression.

As a four-year-old living on the edge of Indiana I spied an empty beer bottle with an illustrated label of a bartender serving a customer a bottle of beer.  Of course, the label on THAT bottle showed the same image, a bartender serving a bottle of beer with the illustrated label…see what I mean?  On and on ad finitum.  Charlie Kaufman has made a study of these perplexities of the mind to present on film.

Go see SYNECDOCHE NY at the Campus Gateway Cinema in Columbus while it’s still in town…and don’t forget to pick up your jaw as you exit…it’s that puzzling!