Month: July 2012

You Have to Ask.

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

What happens when you don’t ask? Well, one thing’s for certain: You won’t find out.

So, ask. Say what you want. Often you can’t get what you want until you put yourself out there.

Will you like my Facebook page? How about my new Swimming page? And will you come find me on Twitter, if that’s where you are? 

Sure, that’s easy, you say. Of course I will. (*Whew!* My brain thinks. Man, I didn’t want to ask–what if they said no? Ahh, the lovely fear of rejection.)  

We don’t get what we don’t ask for.

So, what are you asking for? What do you want? What are the questions you have for other people? Here are a few things you can ask: Continue reading “You Have to Ask.”

“Desiderata,” by Max Ehrmann (1927)

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

Wandering through the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, and overlooking the San Francisco National Cemetery. Each and every human, past, present and future: You are all loved. 

Desiderata (Latin: “desired things”), is a 1927 poem by American writer Max Ehrmann (1872–1945). It’s one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Sometimes I can sit and chew on each of these sentences a couple of times, soak them in.

Desiderata.

“Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.”

Much love,

World Domination Summit: Day 2 and Beyond

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

Sometimes I get caught up in the whirlwind of the weeks that it’s hard for me to find time to sit down and write my posts – it’s been about a week and a half since the epic second rendition of WDS concluded, and I went straight back to work,  followed by a  weekend spent with the Bold Academy teaching another storytelling workshop; This week I’m traveling to two of our seven SWA offices to interview the partners in a new project recording the oral histories of a 55 year old firm. But more on all of this later–for now, I’m backtracking and catching up on the part two of an epic weekend itself: a weekend called World Domination.

As Chris says, there’s more than 160 posts out there that have recapped the weekend, so I’ll focus on my take-aways from the sessions that impacted me: World Domination, Day 2 – Sunday

This year, I was picked to lead one of the workshops – an event both terrifying and immensely satisfying; as part of my long-term goals, I want to get more involved in teaching and public speaking again. While I’ve worked for years as a swim coach and teacher, as well as a private instructor, formalizing my experience in the architecture and psychology worlds still feels new to me, and I’m joining toastmasters, taking acting classes and generally nerding up on all things public-speaking in order to continue to get better at it (As with everything I’m doing – I’m sure I’ll have resources coming soon!) For anyone with questions about public speaking or presentations, leave them in the comments – it will help me get better at doing it! But back to last weekend…

WORLD DOMINATION: DAY 2

Chris Guillebeau kicked off the event by reminding everyone that inspiration is nothing without action – everyone who comes to the conference to get inspired must also leave knowing that they are going to do something to make change in the world they see.

Now that a week has passed, I wonder: what are you taking action on this week? Have you taken steps to make shit happen? Have you mapped out a plan to keep yourself accountable? I have one goal for the next three months – and it involves 12 steps (or, once-weekly check-ins every Friday). What about you? Continue reading “World Domination Summit: Day 2 and Beyond”

Reading: Creativity, Talent + Marissa Mayer. Also: Urban Revival and Adults Making New Friends

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

What I’m Reading – July 18, 2012. Here’s a list of a few things I’m skimming and looking at.

  • Why Tech Is Driving More Urban Renewal – by Mark Suster. The shifting trend sees startups–and tech companies, entrepreneurs, colleagues, and VC’s–pushing to locate back into areas of social density where people want to be. From Twitter’s move back to SF to trends across other US cities, will urban migration patterns continue? One VC weighs in.
  • Creativity: “Want to be more creative? Pick a problem you care about and get to work.” Scott Berkun.
  • More Startup Talent Needed in STEM fields:  How American Can Get More Startup Talent – from June 2012. It turns out we still need more people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs, and we’ll have a shortage in 2018, to the tune of about 250,000 people:

“This scarcity of talent has received a lot of attention in connection with high-flying Silicon Valley companies: Google threw around $100 and $50 million offers to keep their top talent from fleeing to Twitter, and some companies pay tens of thousands to recruiters for even junior talent. Startups feel the same pressure: TechCrunch describes a “war for talent” among young firms, and anyone who has chatted with the CEO of a fast-growing tech company knows how much time they devote to identifying and wooing top technical talent.”

  • Marissa Mayer was named CEO of Yahoo, which caused a flurry of attention, again, to the idea of women being at the top and the disparity between men and women in leadership; shortly after her appointment, she revealed she’s also having a baby boy this Fall. What do you think?
  • What about making friends when you’re older? The New York Times talks about the decline in making new friends post-college, post-summer camp, as a straggling adult. Is this true for you? I think it has to do with the sedentary nature of singular jobs and the lack of intermingling, and “networking” is today’s smarmy way of trying to figure out how to connect to other people. My opinion? It’s not just about getting people into the same room or location. We have to figure out ways to let people build trust through shared experiences—not necessarily easy ones, either—and things that change up the context or environment we’re in. Remember summer camp? Where’s summer camp for adults? (Don’t worry – I’m working on it).

100 Gratitudes, One Hundred Dollars, and the $29,000 Birthday Swim

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

We live in a world of abundance, and this is the year that I finally became worth nothing. Out of all the things that I worked through and built this year, the entire time I still had a bed to sleep in, a family close by, a job that I went to everyday and plenty of food to eat. A pool to swim in, places to run, a city to call home.

When I returned from WDS this year, I was humbled, quiet, confused, and a bit sad: despite all of the engagement, inspiration, and learning, I still wonder: Am I doing things worthwhile? I’m not sure yet. Is there more to do? Absolutely. Have I reached all of my capabilities? I don’t think so. Can I do more? Yes. There’s so much more I want to do.

But while I sit trying to figure it out, other people walk hundreds of miles trying to find the most precious resource of all – water. A drop of clear liquid, the power of life. Some people, however, don’t have the luxury of $100. Of food, water, or a roof over their head. Of a bed to sleep in at night. Of sanitation.

So today I’d like your help with a few things. Three things, in particular. Continue reading “100 Gratitudes, One Hundred Dollars, and the $29,000 Birthday Swim”

100 Gratitudes

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

“Dwell on that which makes you happy, and you’ll be happier. You are what you think.”

What are you grateful for? Here’s a list of one hundred things that I’m grateful for today; there are thousands of things.

Hugs
Unexpected generosity
Cities and the intricacies of urban fabric and invisible systems.
My hands
Thank you notes
The internet
Smiles from strangers
Refrigeration
Antibiotics
Conversations
Vulnerability
Kissing
Open spaces
Gardens
Old people
Wonderful storytellers
Good Great sex
Coffee
Spices
Handstands Continue reading “100 Gratitudes”

The Stories of Humanity and the Power of Connection: #WDS 2012 Recap (Day 1)

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

What does it mean to be human?

Humanity is what you say to someone when you think no one’s watching. It’s what you do when you’re all by yourself. Humanity is what you feel when you watch another person suffering, and decide to either do nothing, or do something. Humanity is the ability to reach out and hug someone. Humanity is being grateful for your family, your friends, and your ability to do something in this world.

Humanity is the ability to trust, the ability to connect, the ability to touch. To be human means we can move, create, love, share, and laugh. Humanity—the essential element or essence of being human is more than what you do. It’s who you are, and who you are able to be together. It is the ability for one thousand people to sing–as a group–the entirety of “Don’t Stop Believing,” and fill a theater with our voices.

It’s also not the collection of a bunch of items. It is not the last round of investment funding you raised, it’s not a job promotion, it’s not a cubicle, and it’s not making the fortune 500 list. Humanity is not the amount of accolades you receive, or the accomplishments you rack up, the number of subscribers you have, or the number of friends you have on facebook. It’s not about stuff, it’s not about money, it’s not about things. Humanity is not about celebrity or valuing one person’s life above another—we sometimes place an emphasis on success, defined as being the best or the most-est–and it’s not about any of that.

It’s about celebrating the act of living, and the value of all of them. Lives. Because people matter–all of them, the weird ones, the poor ones, the different ones, the enthusiastic ones, the quiet ones. And if there’s one thing I learned, again and again this past weekend, it’s that people are beautiful. All of them.

This past weekend, I voyaged to Portland, Oregon for my second trip to the annual World Domination Summit, an event and adventure created by Chris Guillebeau, JD Roth, Jolie Guillebeau, and the remarkable World Domination Team. The questions that Chris poses resonate with people everywhere, bringing together a tribe of individuals not defined by race, industry, location, income, or age–but rather, by a willingness to create, to innovate, to inspire, and to act. Throughout his writing and projects, Chris asks everyone:

How will you live a remarkable life?

What can you do that no one else can do? Continue reading “The Stories of Humanity and the Power of Connection: #WDS 2012 Recap (Day 1)”

World Domination in Tweets

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

It’s not a secret that I love twitter. It’s an incredibly useful place to find information (and people) around the ideas or projects that you’re interested in. Here are a few of the best tweets from this past weekend–what people had to say and share about the weekend conference #WDS in Portland. Recap(s) coming next!

Chasing Freedom: Independence, Adventure, and The Year-Long Secret Race to #WDS

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

INDEPENDENCE. WHAT IS IT?

A year ago, I went to one of my first conferences I’ve ever attended—aptly titled, “The World Domination Summit.“ (Try telling your parents and your colleagues about this one. Bemused looks and strange faces ensued.) I went anyways. As a slightly more introverted than extroverted person who struggles a bit with social anxiety and large groups of people, I wasn’t sure about meeting all of these new faces, or being part of a crowd. (There’s a reason I spent the majority of my childhood swimming, gardening, or reading–all solo activities. While I’ve shifted in my twenties and become much more of an outgoing person over time, I still find the solace of writing and blogging to be much more rejuvenating than large crowds of people.) In short, I don’t always like going out in public. I was especially terrified because aside from one or two people, I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t have a wingman.

At the conference, I met some of the most remarkable people I’ve encountered, from Nate, who was walking across America, to Nick, a fellow swimmer and comrade in adventures in New York, to JD, who has taught me so much: In one weekend, I made more friends and found kindred souls than the years spent in various jobs. The recap of the event took four separate posts (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Photos) – and Chris joked that I should become the “scribe” of future conferences because of my note-taking obsession.

This weekend, I’ll be returning to round 2 of the World Domination Summit (#WDS), as both a participant and a workshop leader. But even more than that, I’m excited because a secret year-long race is now coming to a closing point …

Because a year ago, I met three people who joined me in a secret race, and we made a pact that by this time, this year, we would all take strides towards creating freedom and big changes in our lives. Continue reading “Chasing Freedom: Independence, Adventure, and The Year-Long Secret Race to #WDS”

How To Live.

Posted on by Sarah K Peck

My grandmother,  7/20/1926 – 6/15/2012.

I write to you from a space of confusion coupled with adrenaline; sadness mixed with exhilaration; excitement tinged with the loneliness of loss. Over the past few weeks I lost my grandmother, spent time in the hot Arizona desert city Tucson with my Grandpa and family while laying a little lower under the radar, and when I returned found out that one of my mentors and close teammates from college was involved in a serious and terrible accident while competing in her first Iron Man in France. While on the bike portion of the race, she was hit by one of the emergency ambulances and has been in a coma with a broken pelvis and head trauma since.

If emotions are like the 88 keys on a piano, I feel as though my left hand is playing a slow, rumbling sad song as a background melody, while the opposite side of the same keyboard is dancing out a light staccato tickling, my right hand moving quickly and lightly over the upper sets of keys on the piano surface. Emotions aren’t simple, nor are they serial; part of the complexity of humanity is the ability to feel multiple things all at once.

The reality of death and dying makes me ever more curious about the act of living and the aging process. What does it mean to live? How will we design our lives, as Richard Wurman has asked, and what will our legacy be? I’m reading and re-reading some of my favorites, from Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning to a book by Sarah Bakewell on Montaigne and the art (and act) of living. Throughout it all I can’t help but think:

How do we deal with life, the precious, wonderful resource and thing that we have?

Or rather, how do we live? Continue reading “How To Live.”