Steve Jobs on Not Settling for Less

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

Flashback: Daily Candy 2008 Halloween Lexicon

These are too good to be left out of the Halloween season, and a DC Lexicon always makes me chuckle.

boo-bies
n. The effect of constantly being startled by the number of revealing costumes surrounding you. (There’s so much cleavage in this room, I’m getting the boo-bies.)

candy rapper
n. The smooth-talking little kid who “trades” with all the other kids for the best loot.

costomb
n. The overcoat you inevitably have to wear every year, which totally kills your costume.

monster mesh
n. The effect of too-tight fishnets.

tramplify
v. When you decide to go as yourself, only sluttier.

vampire weekend
n. The massive 48-hour hangover that comes from attending too many Halloween parties.

veepie crawler
n. One of the hundreds of Sarah Palin/Tina Fey costumes you’ll spot this year.

wee-atch
n. That ho who copied your witch costume.

wicked witch
n. Just a regular witch. In Boston.

Red, Red Wine

Last Christmas, I finally broke down and bought a decanter since James and I have been enjoying more red wine. I love the decanter, despite its slightly awkward pour near the end of the bottle, but I have often struggled with cleaning it, especially if someone ::cough, cough, James:: didn't rinse it properly after use. After a bit of Googling, I found a solution that worked so well, it wouldn't be right not to share. A mixture of lemon juice and salt - I used about 1/8 c lemon juice and 1 tsp. salt -- gently swirled around the vessel took off the red wine reside without soaking for longer than it took to put the ingredients away. The directions cautioned against using too coarse of salt or swirling too briskly, for fear of scratching the glass, but you honestly don't need to. Definitely a keeper!

Steve Jobs on Print Media

"I don't want to see us descend into a nation of bloggers. I think we need editorial oversight now more than ever. Anything we can do to help newspapers find new ways of expression that will help them get paid, I am all for."

Lessons from Our Marketing Summit

Last month, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend my company's marketing summit, which included many types of marketers from around our business and the world. We had a packed couple days, and the time spent helped spark some new ideas and relationships. Some of the takeaways I felt most beneficial are below. I've been told before that you have to ask, and an important part of asking is framing up the WIIFM for the person of whom you're asking something. Our CMO presented a framework that puts more structure around the process of asking, and I like that it's direct and brief. I guess he wants us to spend more time actually doing something rather than just talking about if/why we can!

1) Frame It - so other people can understand what you're doing & what you're asking of them (it's about discipline)
2) Make It Better - solicit input and feedback from trusted resources (it's about humility)
3) Overcome Obstacles - What do you need to overcome and how are you going to do it so that you can gain consensus? (it's about persistence)
4) Sell It - the best way to persuade a decision maker (it's about commitment)
What other steps or information do you think are important to include when asking for something at work?

Other general ideas that jumped out at me included:
- Create experiences for your customer, client -- whomever you are serving. The speaker’s example was the Library Hotel in New York City, which seems pretty awesome if you ask me!
- To successfully offer mass customization, you should modularize your offerings. This way, you can build and deconstruct, almost as though you're using Legos.
- Logic => Magic => Ignition
- Good ideas aren't about the, "Ah ha!" moment. They come from slow hunches and require long, slow development and clarification.

Comments/reactions?

the product of limited time, well spent

Not that I was a Steve-aholic, but there has obviously been an outpouring of content about and from him floating around of late, and you'll see some of it surfacing here. I thought this post from John Gruber via Dooce provided a different perspective and a simple, powerful insight: we also should aim for our lives to be the products of limited time, well spent.

Steve Jobs on Innovation

"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it."

C-town of the South

We're headed to Chattanooga tomorrow to spend the night with friends/celebrate a birthday, and I am so excited. Chattanooga reminds me a lot of Akron, and I love going to enjoy the slower pace of life AND see Ruth! The birthday boy requested Halloween-themed beverages, so I decided to whip up some tasty desserts to compliment. How cute are these?

I'm so proud! And pumped for a fabulous weekend! xoxo

Note from the Universe

Absolutely fabulous is only ever a thought away. Think it!

Procrastination is a Dirty Drug

Since I have been falling victim to procrastination of late, I thought this article from the Harvard Business Review blog was quite timely AND helpful! Paraphrased....

Ways to Avoid Procrastination
1. Figure out what's holding you back
Ask yourself why -- is it something you don't like to do or something you don't know how to do? Once you've identified why you've put something off, you can break the cycle and prevent future bouts of procrastination.

2. Set deadlines for yourself
Create a schedule with clear due dates for each piece. Small wins make the work more manageable and contribute to your sense of progress.

3. Increase the rewards
Focus on short-term rewards and/or embed the reward into the task itself.

4. Involve others
Ask for help, turn to a trusted colleague or a friend or look for an example as a starting point. Share what you are working on and hold each other accountable.

5. Get in the habit
It's a habit you can cultivate.

Note From the Universe

It's as if before you there are countless doorways, all leading to new and different hallways. So you wonder and think, calculate and stress, over whether or not you'll knock on the "right" one.

But what you can't yet see, is that all of the hallways beyond all of the doorways eventually lead to the same great room, in the same great house, with the same great party.

So, may as well pick the one you want? Huh?

Note From the Universe

There is perhaps, no greater debilitating belief than thinking there are elements of your reality that you cannot control - be they fate, karma, the influence of other people, your stars, your palm, your loves, your looks, your personality, your intelligence, your sense of humor, or chocolate.

You simply decide everything, moment to moment.