Monday, January 10, 2011

NETWORKING

In one of his several mentorship and life advice, this winter break my uncle gave me a book titled “The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today” by Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd, to read. I will recommend if you like this blog post take some time and read it. This book reawakens my thoughts and gives foundation to some of my beliefs about the relationships I build with the people I meet every day. Let’s explore that.

Networking……now depending on how you define it or use it, in this blog post we are talking about the relationship we build with people we don’t know, those we are going to meet and how we maintain those we already have. With the dawn of the computer age and the technology future I believe the value and importance of networking has become more important than most prospects. I want to think a lot of us are taking it for granted because we do not have to work for it as hard as we would have if not for these social network sites. I mean it is easy to find an old roommate or classmate on Facebook or delete and add friends anytime we want. Let’s take some time and look into the value and importance of networking.

For the non-believers allow me to use this logic; if you do not believe in befriending new people and getting to know strangers then we must respect that. Well consider that there is 6 billion and one person on earth, YOU are unique because you have a special quality that nobody on earth has, and YOU are special and have a purpose! Now with all your special qualities there are 6 billion other people who share similar traits give or take! Wouldn’t you want to get to know these wonderful people just like you? Don’t you think as much as you are too big or careless about these people they might have something you don’t have? Well the answer is YES, 6 billion people have something you don’t have and whether you don’t care you are already pursuing these qualities by living in the same planet as them, your alternative is DYING! Living on earth means you have to coexist, situationally we are born into families but when you think of networking consider the whole world your family! We sure do want different things in life but it’s homologous to assume whatever our pursuit is, building a relationship with a stranger is part of it. There is something you need and you do not have! The way you go about acquiring it then that might be debatable.

Networking has existed since the beginning of time; I think it has been the fundamental in building every great empire, nation and family. We are only emphasizing it now because with the technology age it’s importance and value has never been this high. Gosh! Smart young men have made a 50 billion dollars profit overnight using the concept and there’s still more to be done and improve on. Traditionally people have bonded with their ethnics groups and family, matter of fact these kinds of bondage has led to grave ills in our past history like the well-known RACIAL DISCRIMINATION and wars!! I want to encourage such bonds but promote networking; that is the inter-bonding between cultures or ethnic groups. In every blog post I have made declarations about things based on my thoughts and on this post I will do the same.

If you stay within your ethnicity or culture or family, you will NOT progress in this new era and things will only get worse for you and your community. In this era I don’t have to be a member of the African association, Latino group to know what they are about, what their projects are, what they share among them…..etc. NO! I don’t have to be one of them I can just “Google it” and their whole agenda is on my computer screen. See in the past communities who dominated succeeded because inter-communications with other groups where non-existent, it was treason to tell somebody the agenda of your nation, today it is all too common (Wikileaks!!), it was impossible to know what a country or group was up to today I can even see the visual on YouTube. So if you have an idea or a project and you think you will conquer and dominate by staying within a particular group you are mistaken! In this age the best way to accomplish this idea, project is to identify and cooperate with the best minds, search the best solutions and use the best people you can find. It is okay to stay within your community or group but at some point you must diversify your portfolio you must NETWORK! Yes you can network vertically (within your community) or horizontally (diversifying with other groups) but if you want to achieve measurable success you must network, by accepting and considering broadening your scope.

Let me explain; see in the past we have stayed within our OWN people and lacked behind some might argue different but in terms of measure those who have considerably succeed are those groups, nations, communities who have crossed cultural and ethnic bounds. I think China has always had the potential to be a great power they just did not know how to embrace other cultures or open up to different demographics, CHINA’s rise to power regardless of how you look at it is because they are now doing  NETWORKING!!! China has learned to expand beyond their communist ideology and now the world can witness them unveil their true power and they are not still doing enough and in my opinion will never truly be a world power!

In every new friend I have made in the last year I have seen them as gold mine regardless of who they are or what they do! You know it is amazing seeing people in this light, I have been networking and the treasures have been pouring in, I wish I could tell you my personal testimony on this blog post but I would not want to offend some people who helped me achieved it. When you see value in yourself then you are accepting the first principle of networking. If you see value in yourself then think of the billions of people out there that may have similar values or even better. Engage, engage, engage with other people there is no loss in investing in relationships, like most optimist even if some people let you down the experience will propagate you to move forward wisely! I might have over 1000 friends on Facebook, in a year I communicate with over 20% of these friends and in two or three years over 70%! With my networking believe I think someday our Facebook friendship might yield mutual benefits of any form. I am not obligated to these people but I value every one of them because believe it or not we are all USERS in this world, you might not know it but as much as you might have felt used, you are reciprocating it daily on somebody else. In my part I see value even in the least among us (which by the way is ME!) that’s just my opinion. Look even the people you despised may have some of the most valuable traits that if you can unravel will be your everlasting jewel. There is no success story or a successful man without a partner whether wife or friend.

The book I mentioned above reveals the treasures of networking although specifically to the workplace. You see employers have already grasped this concept of networking. By 2020 applying for a job will come with your qualifications and something called your “network portfolio”. Your membership in Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Hi5, LinkedIn, Ubuntu etc. plus if you have a blog, website, discussion group..... these things will be evaluated when you apply for a job and will be top priority! Among other things the theme of the book might be describing the nature of the workplace in 2020 but it basically display the importance of networking! Attend networking meetings, travel and above all be sociable!!

Six years ago I always use to hear people say the world will become one small global village. I believe that time is already here. People who still only mingle with their own kind might not get it but it’s just a matter of time before all what we knew about our difference becomes reduce to ashes with the dawn of the new era of technology and no country will be a great power but every nation will be good enough because it will be a mutual power share, where we all depend on each other for something! If you don’t believe this then consider this, not paying attention to networking now, will greatly affect you in less than five years remember you read it on this BLOG!!

I feel like there’s much to say but I will let your comments bring out the rest. Please feel free to comment about this post and as always I will be more than grateful to hear your own thoughts!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

LIFE, NATURE AND DEATH

I don't want to die……please…. I want to live. There is still so much I want to do and will do them.  I think staying alive on this earth is the most beautiful, most rewarding aspect of our existence in this planet. Life is too beautiful to go. I do not want to leave. Can I stay?

Tonight I stood by the college bus stop at 12 midnight. It was too cold but I was dress warm. At the bus stop there is a couple of shrubs and one tall tree. I cannot recall if it was the cold or the reflection from the fading light but under that tree I saw the most beautiful array of light following a blowing leaf in the cold breeze. It was magical and solemn and peaceful and so beautiful. Earlier this day I had gotten some beautiful news from my professor so I guessed I was in a very good mood. I stood under that tree in the cold looking at that leaf then it hit me…..I don’t want to die…..please! Life is too beautiful to leave.

Isn’t it funny how we cannot enjoy this life without thinking about death? Take a second and think about what you like the most about this earth, I’m sure by the time you are so sure about one thing the next thing will pop up and even more and more. Life might be hard but oh it does have its moments and when you experience any of them, the feeling is indescribable! I wonder and I’m amazed sometimes how beautiful it is and interestingly when you look at panoramic views of other places it makes you want to go there and experience their brilliance-we all most want to travel because of that. I do not think there is anything ugly on earth. Our planet, earth is pure and when you experience it at its purity you discover true happiness, inspiration, beauty and LOVE! The ugliness that exists on this earth comes solely from one particular occupant-HOMO SAPIENS! We are not even going to discuss about our man made destruction. So by that principle; beauty created by humans is artificial, it will look good but it will never surpass beauty created naturally. So therefore by process of elimination it will be more fulfilling to go for beauty created by nature. And I urge you reading, to look for your next natural beauty, it is right outside you house, car, office, shop, (man-made)! I found mine tonight under a tree at the college bus stop!

I do not want to die because I enjoy living here, in this life! I have had my fair share of complaints and even though I do not regret them I look forward with much joy living in this life. We are all surrounded by astounding problems and obstacles, but to whatever gods or deity we worship I will urge you to start giving them prayers of thanksgiving instead of prayers for help, why? Because you are living on this planet and have a chance to experience this one LIFE at every single breath! You know earlier before this night when I look at my life every good thing that had happened to me made me scared. I always feel like I do not deserve them. I feel like I’m being set up for a huge future disappointment. I keep waiting for the shoe to drop because I don’t think I deserve any luck or blessings. I am not in a life of sin but I have done terrible things that bother my conscience day in and day out.  Every single time that my life has been in a bind, somehow, someway there always comes a solution, a positive one that leaps me forward and somehow makes me feel invincible. In this era of invincibility my fears become dominant. No fears!

I want to enjoy this life. As I grow older I become more attached to my family and recognized how important bonding relationships are. I love my family so much that every friend I make these days becomes like family to me. I believe I have a great support system in my friends and family. I have great plans for my life and still see more possibilities to add to them every single day. Life is very different when you enjoy it this way-enjoy life with invincibility! I was always fond of nature, I spent this past summer at a ranch, even learned how to ride a horse! The feeling you get looking at nature’s beauty takes you back to the true essence of your existence, PURITY! The solemnity drives peace and a lot of other positive emotions and desires through your body. I’m sure those who study nature and other natural beauty must have very profound way of looking at human life. Also I think animal lovers connect to these animals because they exhibit that glow of purity in them. It is very difficult to escape such emotions. How I wish I was reminded everyday of how magical nature beauty is….but that does not happen because we are always drawn back to our daily struggles.
(please take a second to stop the music player at the bottom of this page to enjoy the video)

When I think of death, I think of my dad passing away. I have lost a lot of people in my life but my father stands out the most. I must confess that up till date I have not shed a single tear for his death. Psychiatrists may sum up their theories and I respect them but I still can explain why. As I ponder life, I wonder how my dad’s life was. Did he enjoy it? Was he happy till his final day? I know he was always very proud of me and will beamed up with smiles every time me and my siblings will do something great, he also fell so sad about our obstacles and lived a life of PRAYER. I sometimes tell my friends, all my blessings come from my dad’s prayers because they all know how seldom I pray or even go to church. Now you see how unbalanced this is; life takes a great deal of time and death happens only in a split second! So unfair that that split seconds ends such an enormous thing. Based on your religious beliefs you might assume there’s life after death and so on, but whatever your belief is you must admit that this one that we all share is where you will make the magic happen? Death is so unfair but if you have lived a fulfilled life it will come as a reward. you must enjoy this life the best way you can.



I don’t want to die but if I was to die I will hope to reflect of my life as one that I really enjoyed the moments and made my duly contributions! I have nothing in this life and I am sure I will return with nothing. All I have is my contributions, and I hope to contribute as much as I can to the people and causes that matter, so that some day when I am long gone they will remember how beautiful the times we spent were. And then they will smile thinking about those moments. I will love that.


thank you for reading.