Be the CEO of You, Incorporated

Lisa Sparks

Success is not about your mindset. Rather it is about looking at opportunities instead of operating from fear.

As the traditional workplace is downsizing, we have to learn how to succeed in a different way, and most of the time that is a good thing.

+Lisa Sparks knows about what she speaks. After 15 years with Constant Contact, she took a giant leap and started her own business, Verity Content, which helps others tackle content marketing.

From Professional Athlete to Incapacitated in a Moment Alone

Imagine watching TV at home, then getting up to leave the room, and all of a sudden, without warning, you can't walk. Not just a blip on the radar, you're faced with a long and painful rehab, unanswered questions, and struggling to learn how to move, when it once seemed seamless.

That's the story of former professional lacrosse player +jim moss.

Moss was considered one of the top box lacrosse players in the world. He's been a member of Team Canada, had numerous all star appearances and accolades, and has been one of the game's biggest ambassadors. He won a Mann Cup with Brampton in 2002 and was inducted into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame.

While it is difficult to put ourselves into his position, knowing what it is like to be an elite athlete in one moment then have your legs cave in the next, what makes Moss' story even more remarkable is his attitude. He never looked at this situation as permanent.

The story gets better after he realizes that he is more than just an athlete, that his physical condition does not dictate who he is as a person. That's when he set off to inspire the world by sharing his gratitude for the little moments of happiness in social media. It's a concept that exploded, and then The Smile Epidemic was born.

He explains more in an interview with +Virtual Newsmakers.

Is the Internet a Right or a Privilege? California Trial Lawyer Mitch Jackson Weighs In

Given the speed at which technology and platforms are evolving, it may be difficult to imagine where the Internet will be in five years, but +Mitch Jackson suggests that it may be a place where governments can no longer use an off-switch.

"(The Internet) is a great tool for people around the world to connect. ... I would like to see it available to everyone with all propaganda washed aside."

While service providers determine if you can connect your devices to an in-home or telephone service, the neighborhoods are filled with shops and services that provide free wireless for anyone to hook onto.

It may be that the Internet is still in its wild wild west stage, but there are still do's and don't's that can have legal ramifications.

Check out more from Mitch in this interview:

A Pause for a Friend

Those of us who spend our lives strapped to a computer are really connecting with real live people. Still, it is not the only place we foster relationships. I want to take a moment to celebrate one person I did not meet online.

The blue toolbox -- I still have it

I can still see Doug Rooke sitting beside me in the second row of Doc Todd's Starcraft van as we embarked on yet another long seven/eight-hour trip home in the dead of night from Regina after another Calgary Colts junior football game, which was usually a loss. 

After taking care of the players, coaches, and trainers before they boarded the bus, and the locker room was emptied and swept clean of debris, "Dougie" could finally settle in and relax -- well, not really.

This is when he jumped into his next line of duty -- a self-imposed one: driver watch. Regardless of who drove the van, Doug slightly leaned forward in his seat behind the driver and kept a watchful eye on his alertness, keeping him awake, in case he got tired and his eyes began to droop.

What I remember most about Doug is his selfless and tireless giving of service, no matter what that might be. He was also the beacon of light, the person everyone came to air their differences, tell their good news, seek a shoulder to cry on, or just have company. His office (the equipment room) was open nearly 24/7.

Oh the stories, the laughs -- there are many. The conversations: years' worth. 

Some of the smaller moments end up being big ones, such as our stop at a Kindersley, Saskatchewan eatery. We were chowing down when looking down the middle of the aisle of tables was the biggest, fattest black cockroach we had ever seen, just motoring straight down the middle towards us like he was on a mission. I think we kept eating, but we lifted our feet up in the air and were kind of afraid it was going to come to our table. Back in the van, after the good doctor played up on our ewwiness, pretending that his takeout fries were crunchy, we were creeped out for the rest of the road trip, but laughed. We had eaten at that establishment many times since but never forgot that moment and laughed about it often. 

Then there was the tub. To our last days with the Colts and afterwards when I would meet up with him at the Stampeders, we couldn't think of or look at that white tub without laughing.

The Shack

It was a statutory holiday. The arena at Optimist Park in Calgary was closed. There were no games or practices on the fields, therefore no personnel at the facility. Doug and I were completely alone. Our equipment "shack" was situated beside the arena and we were loading up both our vehicles to take everything to McMahon Stadium to get ready for a walk-through and a game.

Dougie didn't have a very big truck, so the height to lift anything into the back wasn't too onerous. As usual, he checked his list to make sure everything was packed. It was custom that the tub would be packed with game jerseys, and it was. Most of the items were loaded and the tub was next. In a matter-of-fact sense of duty, we grabbed either end of the tub to lift and only needed to strain for about an inch to get it over the tailgate. We got it up and just as we were about to push for that last inch, we burst out laughing. Of course, we let the tub to the ground, shook it off, and tried again. One more time for that last inch, and just before, I saw Doug smile out of the corner of his mouth and down went the tub again. Every attempt ended up in laughter. It got ridiculous. We even started to panic and tried to think of anyone in the immediate area we could call to help. How the hell are we going to get this on the truck? We continued. I swear it took us at least a half hour, although seemed like more than an hour. We just couldn't stop laughing. I don't know how we did finally get it onto the truck, but we did. 

Over my 18+ seasons with the Calgary Colts, I probably spent more time with Doug than anyone else in my lifetime, as well as with our general manager Keith Evans.

While my heart is heavy with the knowledge that he has passed on to the next life, his gift of friendship is one of my prized possessions.

Dougie attending a player on the sidelines

Me with Keith Evans, Aubrey Cummings (Stampeder player), Doug Rooke, and the Grey Cup

Mr. Google: Martin Shervington

If anyone is ever stuck on how to use certain elements and recent changes in Google Plus, +martin shervington is your go-to resource.

This is perhaps the most generous and giving man on the Internet. If you can't get enough of his resources on his website, YouTube channel, or Google profile page, then there are more on his +Plus Your Life! community.

+Cynthia K Seymour and I had the pleasure of interviewing Martin on +Virtual Newsmakers on Friday. I'm sure you will find a wealth of tips to help you plus your life.

Savvy Business from a Gen Y Perspective

When two generations close their minds, nothing gets done.

That is one of the takeaways from a +Virtual Newsmakers Hangout with +Daniel Newman and +Cynthia K Seymour this week.

Technology and social media is no longer about a generation gap, as you will see in the mobilenomics video by +Erik Qualman.

If there are over a billion people on Facebook alone, and eight in ten social media users prefer to connect with brands in social media; if mobile devices outnumber toothbrushes in every household, then how disconnected is Corporate Everywhere if only one percent of firms spend less than one percent in mobile?

Newman says many companies may be technologically connected, but they are not engaging.

Bridging the generation gap is easy. It takes a willingness to learn, to communicate, and attempt to put yourself in the other person's shoes.

Can't Is Not An Option

There is a story in Alvin Law's book: Alvin's Laws of Life where he is a frustrated kid who was accompanied by his therapist to a Canadian Football League game. Not his favorite team, but he was thrilled to be able to attend a live event.

Alvin was annoyed because doctors and therapist had been trying to "normalize" him to fit in for years. Born without arms, he had actually learned how to use his feet for hands, and quite well, at that. Meanwhile, the medical experts were forcing him to wear prosthetic arms, which in those days were uncomfortable, heavy, and cumbersome.

To play along with his therapist, he used these arms to pick up a cup of soda, but as the cup got closer to his face, the arms stopped working. They were stuck. So instead, he took off his shoes and picked up the cup from the security of the prosthetic arms and finally took his drink.

I love this story. To read how he tells it is has me rolling off the chair laughing every time.

But this story is a symbol.

If everyone conformed to society norms, then there would be no inventions, technology would not have evolved, we would not have a lot of the comforts we take for granted today.

Sometimes, you need to make up your own rules, as long as they are not hurtful to others.

I encourage you to visit Alvin's website to get a copy of his book. It's a good read and it will inspire you, no matter what types of challenges you face.