…And another thing

It is indeed. Knowing what you want gives you direction and helps you avoid dead ends. Often, when you are stuck and feel pulled in many directions and don’t know what to do, asking the question, “What do I want?” is the most important and useful thing you can do.

The phrase is deceptively simple, however. It’s a good idea to look at it more closely.

I said, “The main thing.” It’s not the only thing. It’s not sufficient, all by itself. After you decide what you want, then consider other things: obstacles, the effect of getting what you want on your relationships, how it might change you, what might happen as a result. These are important, too. They are just not the main thing, and not what you should worry about first. Often, we do put those things first, and get tangled up.

Then there’s “to know.” YOU have to know. Others don’t, at least right away. On a simple level, it’s not clear that everyone cares. And strategically, it often pays to keep it to yourself until you have thought it all out. You’ll need to do a lot of planning, once you figure out where you are going, and there will be a number of missteps and mistakes along the way. You can always involve others when you are ready.

Don’t forget that this is what YOU want. It’s very easy to blur in what others – your parents, friends, boss, spouse or S.O. – may want. That may be why you are asking yourself the question in the first place! Surprisingly often, it is not so easy to strip out the wishes of these people and to get a firm grasp on what you really want, minus the influences of others. They may well be fine folks. But they aren’t you.

And this is what you WANT. That’s not the same thing as what you need, or can afford, and there’s nothing that says you are entitled to it. The point is that if you know what you want you can focus your energies there, instead of frittering away a lot of time and effort. In fact, one way to be sure you know what you want is to see how much you’re willing to work to get it. If you really want something, you’ll put in the effort.

Answering the question, “What do I want?” is often much harder than it seems at first. But it may be one of the most worthwhile things you can do.

Announcing our new telepathy conferencing service, OpenMind! OpenMind lets companies and individuals hold meetings anywhere – no laptops or high cost data lines needed! When you say that you’re all meeting to share your thoughts, it will finally be true. Why bother with dial-in numbers and passcodes that no one can remember? How many times have you said to yourself, “I’d love to know what those clowns at headquarters are thinking!” Well, now you can!

No more worrying that your boss wants you to be a mindreader because that’s just what you’ll be!

We all know that great minds think alike. With OpenMind, ordinary ones can too.

If you check out InLiquid‘s website, you’ll see: InLiquid, a Philadelphia based nonprofit organization, shows an extensive online collection of work by local, national, and international artists to the public while serving as a comprehensive hub for visual arts information and resources. InLiquid also nurtures our creative community through a continuing series of non-virtual art exhibitions and events.

InLiquid, found at the Crane Arts Building at 1400 North American Street in Philadelphia, just held its 10th anniversary party with a fantastic event on September 29, 2009. Art on display, a silent auction, and the participation of many local organizations in Philadelphia’s wonderful creative community produced a remarkable evening. In addition to the PANMA, the Philadelphia Area New Media Association, the following organizations attended:

• Young Involved Philadelphia
• Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Urban Philadelphia
• Innovation Philadelphia
• Ladies Who Launch

Here’s a video with highlights of the evening:

IndyHall and National Mechanics Restaurant and Bar helped save lives this summer!

On August 17, 2009, when it is VERY hard to convince anyone to donate blood, these folks did it again. Jason Hill and Paul Brown of National Mechanics, and Alex Hillman of Independents Hall, held another blood drive to help keep our area’s supply where it needs to be. Thirty-one people donated at the American Red Cross blood drive at National Mechanics! I am proud to have been a part of this lifesaving effort and I hope you enjoy this short video of a few of the wonderful people who donated that day!

Once again, the people at Independents Hall and National Mechanics Restaurant and Bar demonstrated their amazing community spirit – by co-sponsoring a Red Cross blood drive. On April 6, 50 people signed up to donate at National Mechanics, and added 42 units of blood to our community’s supply!

This was the second year for IndyHall to sponsor a blood drive. Last year, it was held at IndyHall, when 22 people donated. To go for a goal of 40 donations, we needed more space. Jason Hill of National Mechanics really came through by opening up the restaurant space on a Monday (when he normally gets a day off!) to accommodate the increased flow of donors. Paul Brown made sure that all the tables and chairs usually there for restaurant patrons were out of the way so that the Red Cross could set up donor beds. The effort brought great success, as nearly twice as many people donated this year!

Philadelphia can be proud of people like Alex Hillman, Jason Hill, Paul Brown and all of the blood donors who make such a difference. Here are some of the highlights of this great day!