What I want the world to be like (Part 2)

There was a section in the book, "What Kind of World Do You Want?" (see my review) that spoke about a grieving wife. Two different people attempted to console her, one by quoting scripture and the other simply sat silently by her side. The widow knew that the first was going through the motions, but the second was a surviving widow herself. It was the act of knowing and the presence of a survivor that made the difference. She asked the first to leave and allowed the second to stay by her side.

It was a compelling section to me because I recently experienced a friend who abruptly left her life to be at the side of an ex-boyfriend whose father had passed away unexpectedly. Even though they'd been apart for a year and weren't that great together, she dropped everything in her life to be by his side because she knew that her presence would make things better for him.

Her actions made me think... my initial thought found it strange for her to do such a thing. My second thought was that she'd have to be careful about the likelihood that he will try to re-attach himself to her. But in my third thought, which was triggered by the book I mentioned above, was the one that made the difference.

I asked myself, "What kind of world do I want?"

I want the kind of world where people are willing to leave their lives behind for the betterment of others.

Yes, yes I do.

26/52: "What Kind of World Do You Want?" by Jim Lord

Book 26/52: "What Kind of World Do You Want?" by Jim Lord, 5/5 Stars
I will have to read this book many times in my life... and the version that I read was only the pre-publication one. If it gets better from here, then it will be on my list of books to read once per year.

There are so many quotes that I can take from this book, but the general take from it involves focusing on what you do right instead of what you do wrong. Take what you do right and do it more often.

"The key is how we look at the world, rather than the way the world is."

"It takes courage to break from our routines and bring our ideals, hopes, and dreams out into the open; to make them legitimate topics of conversation; to shift our sense of what is and what is possible by changing the way we talk about it."

I've struggled with this last quote because my dream is to become a writer. When people ask me what I do, I still too often tell them that I'm a "marketing guy." Is it possible that I will never be a writer until I believe that I am one? Yes, of course it is, and maybe that is the reason why it is taking me so long to finish my first book; the task of being something else keeps getting in the way.

"Small things influence the world more than we know."

Jim Lord talks about how it's good to make grand plans and dreamy aspirations, but let's not forget the little things, the person-to-person things that make up each and every day. I've really been focusing on this activity through asking those that look lost if I can help them find their way, even when I don't even live in that city. I've started leaving books in public places with notes that state they are free, please enjoy. I've asked those that follow me on Twitter (@zamees) to tell me about their #gooddeed.

"The ability to use our lives to say something important, however small or large--our actions, our contributions, or just showing up in our own way--can send a message that means something to others, and even to ourselves."

What kind of world to you want? And, what kind of world do you want to leave behind?

GOAL: 52 books in 52 weeks!

Book #25 = "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" by David Meerman Scott, 4/5 Stars
Book #24 = "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, 3/5 Stars
Book #23 = "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King, 1/5 Stars
Book #22 = "My Favorite Place on Earth" by Jerry Camarillo Dunn, 4/5 Stars
Book #21 = "Wisdom 2.0" by Soren Gordhamer, 4/5 Stars
Book #20 = "Oath Of Gold" by Elizabeth Moon, 5/5 Stars
Book #19 = "The Age Of Engage" by Denise Shiffman, 3/5 Stars
Book #18 = "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" by Tina Seelig, 4/5 Stars
Book #17 = "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, 4/5 Stars
Book #16 = "Divided Allegiance" by Elizabeth Moon, 3/5 Stars
Book #15 = "The Curious Incident of the Dog..." by Mark Haddon, 2/5 Stars
Book #14 = "The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" by Elizabeth Moon, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #13 = "Love Is The Killer App" by Tim Sanders, 4/5 Stars
Book #12 = "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk, 4.5/5 Stars
Book #11 = "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, 5/5 Stars
Book #10 = "The Finder" by Colin Harrison, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #9 = "Veronika Decides To Die" by Paulo Coelho, 1/5 Stars
Book #8 = "By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept" by Paulo Coelho, 3/5 Stars
Book #7 = "Stiff" by Mary Roach, 2/5 Stars
Book #6 = "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, 1/5 Stars
Book #5 = "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, 3/5 Stars
Book #4 = "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho, 2/5 Stars
Book #3 = "The Good Guy" by Dean Koontz, 3/5 Stars
Book #2 = "My Ishmael" by Dan Quinn, 2/5 Stars
Book #1 = "The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho, 3.5/5 Stars

READ MORE!

The #Freebook Experiment

Last week, when I was in Chicago's Midway airport, I finally remembered to test an idea that I'd had long ago--which is very similar to Book Crossing--to leave a book in a crowded place with a note that it was free for whomever was interested in reading it.

How that book ended up in Midway is quite the story; a journey in itself. I bought "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King in Kansas City and took it to San Diego about a month ago. I didn't finish it on my first trip there (in fact, I had a hard time getting into it), so it sat at a friends' house until my return when, again, I didn't finish it. So, it made the trek with me to Alaska's Glacier Bay and during my incredible stay there I forced my way through it to the end (read my review of Lisey's Story here). I had intended to drop it in the airport in Anchorage, but I was so distracted by the people and the noise that I forgot. So, the book traveled with me all the way back to Chicago. I'm sure it was as tired of being in my backpack as I was tired of lugging it around in there.

In the note that I left, I asked that the finder of the book please drop me an email or a tweet (follow me @zamees). Yesterday, I got an email that thanked me for the book and that it had made it's way to San Antonio, Texas. She also promised to leave it somewhere!

It kinda made my day!

BTW, I've been using the #freebook hashtag on Twitter if you're interested in following.

"There Goes a Special Person!"

In my travels, I sat next to a gentleman on an airplane that showed me a thought technique--one that I'd been thinking about for years. And though he didn't realize it, what he showed me was the simplicity of something which I'd always tried to make too complex. He was no master of thought; he simply found an easy way to deal with the world.

Whenever he runs across someone that does something that interrupts his day: getting cut-off on the road, waiting patiently for that parking spot that gets taken be someone else, the daily inconsiderations of people... when he encounters these, he says to himself:

"There goes a special person."

Then, he laughs aloud. The phrase reminds him that these brief impacts on his day shouldn't ruin his entire day. In fact, they shouldn't ruin ten seconds of his day. His phrase reminds him that he's a positive person, not a negative one. He doesn't need to call anyone a name, make a scene or flip a bird. He simply says, "There goes a special person," and has his giggle.

I asked him, "How do you define special?" And he said, "Someone that thinks they're special, not someone with special needs."

And then I giggled, too.

The PSA for Hand Washing?

As I entered Midway this afternoon for my return flight to KC (home, finally!), I was repeated reminded to cover my mouth when I cough/sneeze and to wash my hands after using the restroom.

Seriously?

I don't disagree that more people need to cover and wash, but do you really think that an audio PSA in a busy, noisy airport is going to help? No, I don't either. People need to, first of all, identify with the problem. When the swine flu first broke the news, I happened to be traveling that weekend and literally everyone that I saw in an airport bathroom washed their hands. I'd never seen a line to wash before, it was great!

I even sent a tweet (follow me @zamees) to welcome all the new hand washers to the world!

So, we know that we can create a connection with people, but swine flu isn't in the news much anymore and there aren't long lines at the wash basin either. Though we connected with people, there wasn't a long-lasting emotional that brought about a permanent change in behavior.

How can we make an emotional connection about hand washing?

We need to make the connection with people as they are in the act of hand washing... and, perhaps, make the walk past the walk basin as part of the process as opposed to an offshoot between the toilets/urinals and the exit. I guarantee that the unspoken peer pressure of being "that guy" who walked past and didn't wash would get more people to cave and wash.

Except that only addresses the public bathrooms. In order to create a permanent behavior change, we'd need to change behavior at home so that washing simply became second nature. I'll have to think on this one a bit more since I'd rather not enter a police state of hand washing at airports anytime soon.

What do ya think?