let's talk about Books, baby

In the absence of thoughtful content, I'll talk about books.

A book that entered my life recently on loan from a colleague is In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the cult of speed. What is the Slow Movement?

It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.

It was a truly fantastic read, engaging the mind, senses, and emotions on a completely different level. The chapter on slowness in the work like, I found to be particularly inspirational.

Tonight, I went to Borders - on a mission to find periodicals that cater to the affluent (new business pitch). I wound up purchasing: Cigar Aficionado, RobbReport Sports & Luxury Automobile, and the RobbReport 21st Annual Best of the Best. There seems to be a deficit in magazines that cover "luxury," but my ignorant hypothesis is that the affluent don't read magazines.

Once I had the mags firmly in hand, I perused and bought (for my pleasure and edification) the following:

Turning the mind into an ally - (on the back) Strengthening, calming, and stabilizing the mind is the essential first step to accomplishing nearly any goal.

Messages: The Communication Skills Book - You'll discover new skills to help you communicate your ideas more effectively and become a better listener.

50th Anniversary Communication Arts - 38 Award-winning projects showcasing the best of interactive design

There's Treasure Everywhere (Calvin & Hobbes) - These two never cease to amaze me. :)

I'll leave you with a quote from Calvin:

"Why wait until I'm a teen-ager? I want to be idolized now!"

plannerly advice

My director and I went to launch a month ago so I could pick his brain about things to improve upon. Here are some of his advice clips on being a planner:

• The job of the planner is to be the most confident person in the room. If you think about it, we're the ones who actually make sense of why we're doing what we're doing, why we're talking to a particular target audience, why we're using this particular strategy, why this strategy works, etc. Knowing that all of the parts make sense should allow us to speak with confidence. :)
• With this confidence, planners set in place the backbone of an idea. Again, we're there to answer the 'why'? We need to sound like we're in control.

At times when I'm struggling for a new angle or maybe the day-to-day has caught up with me and my life feels like Groundhog's Day, I turn the planning discipline on myself. Where am I? Where do I want to be? How do I get there?

Ok. Go!