Creating Community around LOST

My last post featured the story of my Dad's dedication to a single project for his entire career, and this post stays in the family, this time with my Brother and all that he put into his work covering LOST for Entertainment Weekly.  There must be something in the Jensen male gene that keeps us engaged in a single activity, and focused on seeing it through...from my Dad and his work as a detective, to my Brother and his commitment to LOST, to my own story of spending 10 years with a local technology company.  Either way, for this post I want to recognize my Brother and what he has done for Entertainment and the LOST community by providing his insights and opinions over the last 6 years.  His passion for the show, and his desire to try and determine what it all meant and to share that with the LOST community is a great example of "Making it Happen."

I have to admit that I am not an avid LOST fan.  I watched it occasionally, but as a result of infrequent attention to the show I was ironically "Lost" quite a bit.  For me, I liked the challenge of trying to figure it all out, when I had no idea what was going on.  The other attraction was trying to be somewhat informed as I followed the various online blog posts and videos under Doc Jensen.  So, when it came to the finale, I didn't camp out and watch every minute..in fact, I only watched the last hour.  It didnt matter though, because I knew that the next day I would heave Doc Jensen's recap waiting for me to help explain what it all mean...and I'm not alone in that.  As Jeff's reputation for thoughtful analysis and "inside scoop" emerged he started to have a very loyal following.  People eagerly anticipated his weekly breakdown of all the details from the previous week as well as what was to come.  Also, over time Jeff and his EW partner, Dan Snierson, stared to get active in Social Media to further their message.  On twitter, @EWDocJensen has over 21,000 followers. His Doc Jensen blog typically received many 100's of comments.  And their weekly Totally Lost videos I'm sure get a lot of views.  Given that I am in the social media/community space for my job, it is great to see how Jeff, and the EW team, have created a community around the show and have leveraged social media tools (blogs, twitter, video) to expand the reach of their message.  The LOST audience was eager for the kind of storytelling and insight that Jeff offered, and I think were entertained by the creativity that he and Dan put into the Totally Lost videos.  It provided an opportunity for the audience to see the "real" side of Jeff and the person behind the columns.

So, cheers to Jeff and what he did over the last 6 years covering the show.  I know it meant a lot to him, and he had a passion for delivering on what the entertainment world wanted...someone to try and make sense of it all.  As he moves on to something else, I'm sure it wont be easy to let go of 6 years of brain numbing analysis, but I'm sure he will Make It Happen again, just as he did with LOST.  

Great job bro!

Read More!

Dedication, Persistence and Patience

As I was reading through a random selection of tweets last week I noticed one from Washington State Representative Dave Reichert (@davereichert) mentioning that it was "Police Week" - a time to honor those that serve and protect us day in and day out.  In reading that, especially from Rep. Reichert, I immediately thought of my Dad, Tom Jensen, who has served in law enforcement for the last 30+ years, 25 of which have been dedicated to single case, The Green River Murders.  For all you Gen X and Y'rs our there can you imagine a) working for the same "company" for 30 yrs and b) on the same project (or case)?  In this day and age, it is unheard of.  However, for my dad it was necessary...necessary to see something through to it's completion, necessary to bring closure to families, necessary to help reassure the public that they are safe.  I can think of no better example of Making It Happen then my dad and his effort on this case that has been his career.

 

Like many people, including myself, my dad has his "quirks."  I think the hat he was given with the initials E.C. on it (which stands for Endearingly Crabby) a few years ago while working on the Green River case, pretty much sums it up.  That's just who he is.  Behind that however, is a person that was dedicated to his job, understood his role, and pushed forward amidst adversity, uncertainty, frustration, and near failure to help solve the most prolific serial murder case in the history of the United States.  For 11 years (1990-2001), he was the only Full Time resource on this "unsolvable" case.  He had every opportunity to give up, move on, and do something different.  Instead he persisted and patiently went through every tip and every piece of evidence, until there was finally a breakthrough.  DNA Technology had finally caught up and in processing a final piece of evidence, they were able to make a match.  In 2001, after all those years of uncertainty and frustration, he helped make the arrest of Gary Ridgeway.  It took another couple years to bring the case to trial, conviction, and final closure for families of the victims, and in that process, my Dad was again right in the thick of it doing everything he could to ensure that all the families and the public were served.

All of this hard work, dedication, persistence, and patience finally came in the form of formal recognition a few weeks ago when my dad was awarded the King County Employee of the Year for 2009.  Knowing my Dad this is not something that he wants a lot of attention on, and he will be the first to give a lot of credit to other involved, but I know he deserves it and he should be very proud for what he has accomplished.  He has definitely Made It Happen!  Since the case has been closed, my Dad still continues to serve, applying his skills to try and solve Cold Cases in the State of Washington...and trying to Make It Happen again.

P.S. - Stay tuned for another "Make It Happen" post down the road as my brother is working on a graphic novel that tells my Dad's story.  Here is an interview with him talking about what to expect.

Read More!

Teacher Appreciation

This week was Teacher Appreciation week, it was difficult for me not to write a post about teachers and how they Make It Happen.  Not only do I have my own personal experiences as a student when I was younger, but now as a parent, I have the opportunity to witness how each and every day teachers have a positive impact on the lives of kids.  So, this post is about teachers, and the three things that they do on a daily basis to "Make It Happen"

Patience

If you are a parent, you know that as much as we love our kids, they can push our buttons, right?  Well, think of someone that spends 6+ hours of the day with your kid...and dozens more...at the same time!  The second you think about how challenging it might be, step back and think of what our teachers face on a day to day basis.  There is an art to teaching, to engaging a number of kids, and helping them learn.  The patience that teachers must have to push through the day, face the challenges that pop up, and continue on is something we can all admire and learn from.

Service

With any teacher, but especially with the teachers that I have had the privilege to be around in my lifetime through private schools in West Seattle, the word service comes to mind.  They are dedicated servants to the kids, families and the community.  In the private school setting that I have been involved with, teachers are specifically trained in what it means to "serve" and dedicate themselves to that line of work.  It takes a special person to humble themselves day in and day out to serve.  It can't be easy, but through their service they make the world a better place for the future.

Compassion

What I love about the teachers I have had, and the ones now teaching my kids, is they have a level of compassion that I wish I could have.  They have the ability to embrace kids, and the challenges they might be facing, inside or outside of the classroom, and help them learn.  I feel fortunate the my kids are around teachers now that if they have a concern, or a struggle, that they will be understanding and generous with their time to get them through it.  I know for sure that this will only help my kids in their journey.

I came across a tweet from @shanuacausey the other day with a quote from Warren Buffett that said "Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."  When I think of teachers, they are planting trees today (through the education they give our kids), so that there is shade (opportunity) for someone in the future.  They are without a doubt making it happen.

What are other attributes of teachers you have had that make them special?

Read More!

Pushing Forward Change

Since we are all creatures of habit, guess what, we don't like change.  We don't like it when our normal latte stand is closed and have to try a new one a block away and we don't like it when the road to work is under construction and have to get there a different way.  For the most part, many like to hunker down and just do things they way they have been done..put the blinders up and just "be"..it's just easier.  As we all know this isn't how it works, things change, people change, technology changes, etc. and we have to adjust and adapt.  Along the road we come into contact with people, or companies, that seem to always push the envelope.  They embrace change, and rather than take the approach that "we hope it doesn't impact me," they force the issue, and get people moving forward.  They 'Make It Happen.'  In my opinion, Facebook, with the F8 event and the changes they are making to their platform, have done that. 

Even with the wild growth of their platform (400m users and growing), Facebook realized that a major change is needed to really move forward, and fully embrace the new/future web.  They announced a number of features, which I wont go into a lot of detail on in this post (look here for a great recap and commentary), that created quite a stir.  Why? Because it is change, and it is pushing the envelope on where the web and social goes.  Some call it "Transformational" while other feel that there are significant privacy issues (as noted in this great post by Robert Scoble.) Have they made people uncomfortable?  Yep. Have have they lost some users?  Probably.  I'm not even quite sure what it all means yet, but what I do know is that Facebook has a vision and in order to realize that vision, they understand that change is needed.  We have to accept openness, and embrace ways to tie our digital world together.  Could they have just stayed the course, added some cool features, and grown their user base at some percentage year after year? Sure.  Instead they decided to shake things up, ignite some ambitious change and move forward.  Are they trying to rule the web?  Hard to say, but I admire how they didn't just settle, they pushed forward with some big changes and made it happen.  In doing so, know we can engage in further conversations to determine where we go from here and I look forward to that.  

What do you think?

Read More!

Making an Impact

Day in and day out we settle into a routine...Get up, have breakfast, go to work, go home, do "stuff", go to bed...repeat.  As we get older, maybe get married, maybe have kids, we pack more and more in.  Then at some point we stop and say to ourselves, am I having an impact?  Is what I am doing contributing to the greater good?  Are my talents being put to the best use?  The typical next step is to think about getting more involved, volunteering here or there, and finding that thing that makes a difference.  The challenge is that we typically do a lot of "thinking" and not a lot of doing.  Well with this post on Make It Happen, I'm featuring my Uncle, who after retiring a little bit ago, asked him self the same question...but he is doing something about it.

Per his very first blog post my uncle gives a little background on his desire to answer the question "what have I done that is truly fulfilling and rewarding" If you think about that one for a bit, how would you answer it?  Have you done something that is really rewarding and made a difference?  If you have, awesome!  For many, like my uncle, I bet you struggle to find that something that truly has had an impact.  At a point in our life I think everyone desires to feel like they have left a mark and had a positive impact, in some way shape or form.  For my uncle he realized that nothing he came up with really satisfied him...there wasn't that "thing" he could point to and say, "I did that!" So, he did what I think many of us don't do enough of, he took the initiative to find something the might just answer that question...something that he can feel a sense of accomplishment about.  He Made It Happen by signing up for a month long volunteer opportunity in Morocco to help kids with their English and other comprehension skills.  Will it answer his question?  Time will tell if that will satisfy him.  Although I'm pretty sure it will, one thing is for certain, he can say that he tried to Make It Happen.

I encourage you to follow his blog at http://dechew.blogspot.com/ and see how he is having an impact.




Read More!

Community

Since my transition to a new role that is all about Community, I have used the phrase "Make It Happen" in a lot of what I do, mainly because I think that encompasses what community is all about...It's about going above and beyond to help, share, and give to support a need with the knowledge that you might not get anything back right away.  Rather it is just the right thing to do.  So, when all the buzz around Seattle late last week was how there was no money for Seattle's annual July 4th Fireworks show, I was one of the first to make the statement that this was going to be a case study for community...how people come together around a need to do what they can to Make It Happen.

I guess the initial kudos needs to go to Tom Douglas and Dave Ross for stepping up on their radio show to make some of the first pledges and to get things kicked off.  With the need identified, a goal in sight, and some initial support behind it, I don't think it was a big surprise to see businesses, big and small, as well as individuals make contributions to make the show go on.  Donations started to come in quickly.  $1000 here, $5000 there, until finally the big corporations in the area Microsoft and Starbucks said they would contribute $125k each in matching funds.  Before you knew it, the core $250k was there, combined with the $250k in matching funds, and the goal was met.

There were a number of comments out there about why this was so important...seriously, they are just fireworks, right?  Well, I guess not.  In a world where things are always changing, and things come and go, this community event was one that people said, not this time.  It showed how we have depended so much, and maybe taken for granted, what the big businesses do for us (i.e. WaMu/Chase being previous sponsors).  But in the end, I think it also showed that if we care enough about something we can make anything happen. 

So, what is your next fireworks show?  Something that you simply cant just let pass by and go away...something that you are willing to get behind because it means a lot to not just you, but to all generations, and to the entire community. Read More!

Have to vs. Get to

About a year ago I wrote a personal blog post about the awesome perspective that my wife has about the things we do on a daily basis.  The idea is this; if you listen very carefully to how people describe their day, what transpired, or what is planned I would bet that a very high percentage use the term "HAVE TO" a lot.  Q: What are you up to do today? A: Well, I have to take the kids to school, then I have to head over to a friends house to help them with a project, then I have to do some things around the house....etc.  For this Make It Happen post, I want to challenge people to replace the word HAVE with GET.  It changes the perspective in a big way.

Often time when we approach our day, the things we do, our tasks, more often than not people do those things because of a sense of obligation...it's what is required...and thus we use language like "HAVE TO" to describe it.  I think it was about a year ago, and my wife and I were talking about that very thing.  We heard ourselves talking about all the things we HAVE to get done, all the meetings for the non-profit work that HAVE to go to, when the light bulb went off.  For many of these things, because we were feeling an obligation, or the requirement, and by using the word HAVE to, we were starting to resent all these things.  All these things that we know are important, that we know have a positive impact, that we know help make our lives and the lives of others better...but that one little word put a damper on our perspective.   Think about it:

• I have to go to work - Are you really going to give it your all?
• I have to take the kids to practice - Will you really support them the way they need to be supported?
• I have to go to a meeting - Are you going to be focused on the topics being discussed?I have to help a friend move - Are you going to truly understand their emotions?

Just think if you flipped all the statements around with one little change:

• I GET to go to work - Doesn't this help you appreciate the fact that you at least have a job...and drive you to do your best?
• I GET to take the kids to practice - Doesn't this help you realize that the kids love it when you cheer them on...and makes you love your kids more?
• I GET to go to a meeting - Doesn't this help you keep the meeting on point..and make you engaged?
• I GET to help a friend move - Doesn't this help you treasure your friendship...and make you consider their point of view?

You could make an analogy to the whole glass half full or glass half empty argument.  When you use the word HAVE, your perspective is empty and not looking at the bigger picture.  Where as when you use the word GET, you realize that what you are doing has an impact, and through your engagement and involvement you have the opportunity to great things.  So, I challenge you to watch your words the next time someone asks you "What's going on" and see if you use the word HAVE.  Try to change that around and use the word GET...see how quickly your perspective on those things might change.  Even more important think about how the person's might catch on and say, "wow, that is a great perspective."  We all have gifts, and we GET the opportunity to use them on a daily basis to Make It Happen! Read More!

Encourage

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to attend the YMCA Alliance for Education event in West Seattle.  It was an event that brought together various people from the community to talk about the current state of student success in Public Schools.  There was a great presentation by the Alliance for Eduction, with some interesting statistics about graduation rates.  One of the stats that really hit me was the fact that if a student received a failing grade in a class, they are more likely to not graduate.  Some might say that this makes sense...if a student is failing they are more likely to continue to fail.  However, in our discussions I brought up the idea that I wonder if we shouldn't be more deliberate about helping those kids, encouraging them to do better, and giving them opportunities to make it happen (aka change).  I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what the process/protocol is for students that get a failing grade.  I would hope that there is a specific effort put forth to try and correct that, but based upon the statistics and the numbers it makes me wonder.  So, for this Make It Happen post I want to focus on Encouragement.  It doesn't matter if you are a teacher, a coach, or a manager, there is nothing more valuable to the people you interact with than to Encourage them.

I'm probably not going out on much of a limb by saying that everyone has failed at one point in their lives.  For students, this might mean a test or entire class.  For professionals, this might mean not meeting your goals or milestones.  I could go on and on.  For everyone, I don't think it is a question of IF you will fail, but WHEN.  It's going to happen..face it.  The challenge comes with you handle that failure.  Although interesting for another post sometime, I'm not going to get into how individuals can handle failure, rather this post is about if you see someone fail, what can YOU do for them.  If a friend fails a test or class, what are you going to do to pick them up?  If a co-worker botched an assignment/project, how can you help them on the next one?  I believe that biggest impact you can have on someone is encouragement.  Failing isn't fun...Most people don't set out to fail, but it happens.  By being deliberate in encouraging people that are struggling or have failed, helps build them up and makes them feel like someone cares.  I think a lot of times when someone fails, without encouragement from others, they figure what's the point.  As it relates to the Alliance for Education statistics, I cant help but think this is a big factor for why a failed class is a leading indicator to not graduating.  So, my challenge to you is that when you see someone fail, reach out and encourage them.  Let them know that it happens to everyone and find a way to help them recover.  In the student world, maybe this is offering to study with them.  In the professional world, maybe this is offering to meet over coffee for a few weeks to brainstorm ways to improve.  Granted, the person has to want the help and be open to receiving the encouragement.  But, what I know for sure, is that if you see someone fail, and do nothing to encourage them and support them, those statistics are not going to get any better.

Read More!

Generous

As you look through my various posts on the Make It Happen blog, I think the word generous could be (or is) used in all of the experiences I have shared.  However, it was at a recent 1/2 day conference with @IABCSeattle where I heard the word in action, and it really hit home.  The word was used in the context of engagement via the emerging (or now established) social technology tools.  It was used by Shauna Causey, a PR Manager for Comcast in the Seattle area.  After getting to know Shauna just a bit over the last couple months, and seeing the tremendous amount that she does for others in the "social media" space, it was fitting to have her use the word generous.  So, this post is about how through her generosity, she has Made It Happen. 

As I started to dive into social media, and began connecting with local people I saw Shauna’s name come up a lot in the Seattle area. In fact, I discovered that she was a member of the same local community (West Seattle). By following her on Twitter I have had the opportunity to learn a lot through the things she shares with the twitter community. Over time, I also noticed that her involvement in the social space was not limited to her role at Comcast, but extended to non-profits and groups like @SMCSeattle @TwestivalSEA and @Voluntweetup.  Given my involvement with non-profit groups I reached out to see if I could get feedback on where to start and how to approach and maintain a social strategy with non-profits. Without hesitation, she willingly agreed to meet with me, answer my questions and share her insights. From this I have been able to formulate some thoughts and structure to help the group(s) I work with.

To say that Shauna is generous might be the biggest understatement ever..anyone that knows her and is reading this is likely shaking their heads in agreement. From my interactions with her she has been a great example of generosity, through her giving of time and talents. What inspires me the most about Shauna is that she is consistent in her message about being generous, especially when it come social media. I have had the chance to see or hear her speak at a few other events and she is continually driving this point home. What I love about this is that it clearly extends beyond social media, it is a core value of life and leadership….be generous, help others be successful and good things will happen.

Thanks Shauna for being so generous and Making It Happen!

Here is a link to a lot more info on Shauna and all she does! Read More!

Learning

Over the last couple months I have been introduced to Social Media Club of Seattle (http://www.smcseattle.com/). At a national level, Social Media Club helps create regional chapters focused on education, sharing, standards and general "literacy" around social media. For someone new to the space, I was immediately interested in how this local chapter could help me learn more and get a better understanding of what works, what doesn't, etc. As I have got into it more, and learned about the people behind the Seattle chapter, I quickly learned about how the drive of one person, Kevin Urie, to "learn" helped 'Make It Happen.'

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because the folks from @anotherpassion did a great job of that in a recent interview that went live on February 15th. You can click on it below for the entire story.
http://www.anotherpassion.com/2010/interview/kevin-urie-taking-social-media-offline/

What inspired me about the story was that Kevin took on this challenge as a learning oppportunity. Social Media was something that interested him, and this was a way for him to dive in..OK, maybe "cannonball" in. There are a lot of times where we evaluate what we will do, and where we spend our time based on the "return" it provides, typically financially. However, when I read this, and through my first few visits to SMCSeattle events, I can see how this is about learning and growing. It is about not only learning more for ourselves, but about sharing with others to help them be more successful.

So, I thank Kevin for having the drive to get the Seattle Chapter of SMC off the ground. Based on just my few interactions with Kevin I know he will give a lot of credit to the entire SMCSeattle crew, and rightfully so, but it was his initiative to "Make It Happen" that got it all going.

Here are a handful of links to connect with Kevin, AnotherPassion and SMCSeattle:
Kevin on twitter at http://twitter.com/kevinurie
Another Passion on twitter at http://twitter.com/anotherpassion
SMCSeattle on twitter at http://twitter.com/smcseattle Read More!

Giving of Time

There are a lot of ways to give, the most common request is around giving of money.  Many non-profits and charities aks for it in order to keep doing the things they do.  However, in this post I am going to focus on giving of Time.  I read or heard one time, that Time is far more valuable of a gift to give then money.  Sure, money is important, but time is something you cant get back (at least until they invent some kind of time machine) where as you can always earn more money.

So, fresh off our recent trip to Portland to cheer on the kids school (www.hopeseattle.org) at the LEST tournament at Concordia University, I thought it was only fitting to recognize a great friend that coaches the 7/8th grade Hope Basketball team.  This is significant for a number of reasons.  First, this isn't his day job...this is 100% volunteer.  Second, he has been doing this for 10 years.  Lastly, this marks his last year of coaching.  I had the pleasure of working with him as an assistant for the previous 4 years, and with a number of new coaches stepping up to help, I decided to step away this year.  Given my assistant role for those 4 years I know first hand how much Time it takes to take on this responsibility.  From practices, to games, to tournaments, to traveling, to not being at work or with the family.  It takes a TON of time.  But 10 years of coaching and sacrifice as a volunteer is a long time.  The great thing is that in all those years I know that he feels it is 100% worth it.  Through giving his time, he was able to engage, influence and inspire 100's of kids...at an age where they can really use it.

This year was his last, and it although they didn't win any championships, I know he would say it was all worth it.  We should all thank and acknowledge people like him that give of their Time to help "Make it Happen!" Read More!

Stick With It

I consider myself a pretty humble person, and the intent for this blog is to really look for the people around me and see how they are making it happen.  However, on the anniversary of 10 years with my company, I thought I would tell a little of my story.  In this day and age, some might frown on the fact that I have been with the same company for 10 years.  Maybe so...but I hope that for many it is a sign that if you believe in something, and stick with it, you can make it happen.

It was the winter of 1999 and my old employer had just signed a big deal with a major outsourcer and plans were in the works that within a few months all us IT people were going to be merged in with this company.  At the same time, I had a brother-in-law who had just joined a cool new startup in Seattle.  One late December day I got talked into coming up to Seattle for a "usability study"..which back in the dotcom days meant a meet and greet.  Although I did actually do a usability study for them, I also had a chance to meet the CEO and others on the team.  After chatting for bit, the topic of possibly moving to a new opportunity came up and given my current situation, I figured what the heck.  A few weeks later, I got the official offer and oddly without much hesitation I jumped on the chance to make the move to something new.  At this point I could easily say, "and the rest is history!"  and it really is.  I cant/wont go into every detail of the last ten years...that will make for a good book someday.  As it relates to "sticking with it" all I can really say is that it wasnt easy.  There were a lot of good times, some not so good times, and some difficult challenges.  But heck, isn't that work?  Who said it was going to be easy...if it's easy, it probably isnt work.  Through those ups and downs, I have always had a can do attitude..I believed in myself, our team and our customers.  I knew what we had, and that it was awesome.

Along the way, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by great people.  People that also cared a lot about what we did, and how we could be successful.  I also was given opportunities... opportunities to learn and opportunities to lead.  Experiences that have truly shaped me into who I am today.  So, my advice to anyone that thinks they might have it tough, things aren't going well and might want to give up (believe me, it came to mind a few times) - stick with it.  Sure, there can come the time where enough is enough, and you need to make that call to move on. In my situation, I felt an obligation to see things through, to stick it out, and try to do whatever I could to make things happen.  The great thing is that when you have this attitude, you can always find new ways to be better, to learn more, and to do more.  I am thrilled to be part of such an awesome team that is doing great things!


Stick with it and Make it happen!

Read More!

Stepping Up

My last post for Make It Happen was about my wife getting it done for our kids school and driving fundraising effort.  Yesterday, I heard a story about a dear friend of ours that made it happen by stepping up.  Here's the story:

On her way to take the kids to school, driving down a busy street, she is shocked to see a man beating up a girl.  Shocked not only at what is taking place, but shocked at the fact that no one on this busy street was stepping up to try and do anything about this.  So, with 3 kids in her car, she took it upon herself to pull over, call the cops, and try and get this guy to stop.  Since yelling at the guy from the car wasn't helping, she got out of the car and then he finally stopped.  Now, some people might say "what was she thinking? he could have started on her."  True, but what touched me is that she didn't care about that...her heart felt more for this defenseless girl, then for herself, and she decided to do something about it.  

For some reason, the guy didn't run away, and the cops got there and hauled him away.  Hard to say what will come out of this for him, but I know for sure that she had a huge impact on a few people here.  First, all the other people who didn't stop.  Hopefully they saw a mother of 3, step up, get out of her car and make it happen.  Second, her kids.  Hopefully they saw how their mom stepped up, put the needs of a stranger above her own and made it happen.  Lastly, the girl she helped.  Hopefully, she know that not everyone is like the guy that was beating her up, that people do care..and maybe she'll make it happen for someone else someday.  

Thanks LE for stepping it up and Making it Happen!

Read More!

Get-r Done

I wast trying to think of the best way to title this blog post..so many thoughts come to mind, but "Get-r Done" seemed to be the most fitting for a variety of reasons.

This experience is all about my wife Stephanie (http://www.twitter.com/binkstwit) and her never ending willingness to give and get things done. Unlike myself where getting things done can take on a variety of shapes, for her, getting it done is about doing it right, and very well. She take great pride in anything she does, and does things with the state of mind where she wants to be proud to have her name attached to it. Before I  even go there though, what is so great about Steph, is her willingness to step up to get it done. In times where we ALL are stretched thin and pulled in a dozen or more different directions, she always finds a way to take on new things, do them extremely well, and deliver.

I can go on and on about her, and she will without a doubt be my inspiration for future posts, but for this I want to point out her leadership in organizing a major fundraiser for Hope School.  As with most private schools, the cost to educate a child far exceeds tuition.  With that, fundraising (or development) is a necessity.   This year, Steph stepped up to the challenge to lead the "Hope School Rocks" fundraiser, an 80's themed event with entertainment, food, and small auction.  This Saturday people will gather and turn back the clock, in an effort to help the school and the kids they serve.  Steph took the challenge head on and, as I have witnessed first hand, is "Getting it Done" big time.  It is shaping up to be a great event.

In encourage everyone to step up to the plate, take on new challenges, and get-r-done!  We will always be pulled this way or that way, but it take a special person to step up and "Make it Happen!" Read More!

Doing What You Need To Do

With the recent tragedy in Haiti, there has been a lot of news watching.  The news stories that we have been following the most recently are the ones where families in the adoption process are in search of their kids, to try and get them out.  Locally, there was on story of a family in Bellingham, where the Dad got on a plane right away and luckily was able to find his kids and it was simply a waiting game to get them out.  Today, all the waiting came to end when the Dad arrive home with their two new kids from Haiti.  As we watched this story today, I thought it was a great example of "Making It Happen"...This Dad knew what he had to do, and he did.  He Made It Happen!



Here is the whole story from King5 News Read More!

Time to Give

Although I have had a lot of ideas in my head about what to make my next blog post about, given the recent tragedy in Haiti it seems appropriate to talk about giving.  On a daily basis, we are asked to give, and on a daily basis it can at times feel overwhelming as to the level of need out there.  However, the recent tragedy in Haiti takes this to a new level.  Along with my wife, we have been glued to the TV to try and learn more about what is happening there, how the recovery efforts are going, and most importantly the possibility that people are being found alive. 

With that, it is clear that this country (and entire country) is in need.  A nation that was already "poor" by certain standards, is now facing their biggest challenge ever..recovering from a major disaster.  It has been amazing to see the outpouring of support already...From the 20m raised from Text Messaging, the various Corp donations, to the Clinton/Bush Fund...people are "Making it Happen" with their giving.  My hope is that we realize that this recovery, and thus our giving, cannot end here.  We are in Phase 0 of this effort, and although the money raised will have an impact, this nation will need help for some time to come. 

So, if you have not yet sent that text, written that check, or dialied into the telethon, I encourage you to do so...At the same time, there will be additional opportunities to meet the changing needs around this tragedy and to Make it Happen! Read More!

Reaching Out

As I have started to embrace the number of social networking tools out there, I have had the chance to reconnect with people from High School, College, old jobs, etc.  It has proven to be a great way to see how people have grown since the last time we even talked.  At the same time, it is a bit akward, especially with people that you knew, but werent "great" friends with.

Regardless of all that, as you make these connections, you have the chance to actually "connect"...so this last week when I learned that a friend from College was being inducted into the WWU Hall of Fame...I reached out to say congratulations..that's it.  Might not seem like much, but in this age of getting 1000's of followers on Twitter, and hundreds of "Friends" on Facebook, I challenge you to do something with those people.  Don't just just be a friend or a follower, Make something Happen with those connections.

Congratulations Gina on a great accomplishpment. Read More!

Make It Happen - Introduction

Welcome to my new blog titled "Make It Happen."  As the side bar describes, this blog is a way for me to capture the opportunities that are put in front of me on a daily basis to make something happen.  I am firm believer that everything happens for a reason, that there is a bigger plan for all of us and part of that are the daily interactions we have with others, the contributions we make to our companies as well as our families.

The inspiration for this actually came from an interaction that I had one day on my commute to work.  I have an awesome opportunity on occasion to commute to work via the King County Water Taxi in Seattle.  This is a 200 person capacity boat that take people back and forth between downtown Seattle and my "hometown" of West Seattle.  It is a lesiurly, relaxing 15min boat rid on beautiful Elliott Bay.  One sunny summer day (yes we have those in Seattle) after arriving at the dock I overheard a passenger as they exited tell a crew member "Have a good day!"  OK, nothing special, but the response grabbed me.  Instead of the standard, "You too" or "Thanks" the crew member replied with "Make It Happen!"  Not your ordinary reply to an everyday greeting, but it really hit me...he's right.  Not that the gesture of telling someone to have a great day isn't a good thing, but the chance to have a great day is all in our hands.

So, as this little saying has sat with me over time, I have tried to apply it not to just how my day goes...but to go beyond that in everything I do, and every interaction I have.  I have a chance with every interaction to take the initiative...to Make It Happen!  With the New Year, I have made "Make It Happen" my theme for how I approach my family, friends, co-workers and even strangers.  In addition to relationships, I am going to apply this to what I do and how I do it...my work projects, my home projects, etc...Stuff that needs to get done!

I hope you enjoy the things I share, but more so, I hope it might inspire others to do the same.  Treasure the opportunities you are given every day and Make It Happen, not just in big ways, but in small ways too. Read More!