A few notes from the Oscars

Must humble and heart-warming speech: Kate Winslet. It's not up on youtube yet, by I have my eye out for it. If you are ever going to receive an award, that should be your style.

From host: Tonight is about being a great actor, but in life all that counts is being a great human being.

From the producer of Slumdog: When we started, we didn't have the money or the power, but we have the courage of the team, our passion and belief, inspiration from our meaningful story, and brave supporters.

From Anne Hathaway on Barbara Walters: This year I understood that being vulnerable does not mean being weak and that love means not only giving but also receiving. I think back to the movie Finding Nemo and remember the line: just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

What are the details of your life?

Sundays are my me and family days. It also means I get to indulge and catch up on the blogs of some of my amazing friends. This time, it's a major shout out to Matt Corker, who really hit the nail on the head with this post.

"Details are there for a reason. Each person in your life is also there for a reason. Determining their larger role in your life takes patience and trust that there is a bigger picture and a larger purpose. It's masterpieces like you that are made of amazing details."

Because when it comes down to it, we're all parts of each other interacting together. One day will be a perfect day, the next day might be a little hard. But we are all here for a reason, and we are all here for someone else's reason. Not only do they play a great role in your life, but you also play that role in theirs, and if nothing is really going your way one day? It's ok, because the bigger picture is, and always will be, still there. Just reach out and hang tight onto it together.

Elizabeth Gilbert (yes, the amazingly lady who had me at the first few pages of Eat, Pray, Love) reminds us that we are all geniuses, But. Yes, it's a capital B but. But, we are only who we are and it is ok. Sometimes just showing up and doing what you gotta do is perfectly ok. Because the gods will send luck and genius over to you a lil' later. Check out her talk at TED here.

And for those amazingly wonderful days? ENJOY THEM! Cause they are awesome. Share them with those who are the bigger picture and you might just make their day a little brighter as well.

Lesson learned from Alaska Airlines

So part of this wonderful adventure I'm on with KPMG right now involves flying to some more or less middle of nowhere destinations, on planes so small that I would usually be highly uncomfortable on. I love flying and and everything that goes with it, but let's just say that I am a little more used to not seeing the plane blades so up close and personal.

My flight from Vancouver to Seattle, on the smallest plane I have been on in, well, ever (and trust me, I have been on many), was one of the most pleasant experiences I have had flying. The whole crew (consisting of a lady names Lisa and a gentleman named Chris) were the definition of customer service. They greeted us, they said hello, they read the safety instructions.

But...

They also went WAY beyond that. They sat down and chatted with every person on the flight. They asked questions. Real questions from how are you doing today, to how is your dog doing, to how has your day been so far, to where do you want to travel next to, to what is your BHAG is (yes!!! Chris had just finished reading Good to Great. Needless to say, I was impressed).

Guess what happened at the end of the 25 minute flight? (Yes, we arrived 45 mins early).

Customers were happy. Customers were grateful. Customers walked away with increased satisfaction. Customers were impressed. Customers gave unsolicited feedback.

Customers.

Isn't that your goal?

What's holding you back from greatly exceeding the expectations of your customers, friends, family, or yourself?

This short and small flight (12 customers on the flight) at 9pm could have been a write-off for Alaska Airlines. They could have just read the safety instructions and told us when to leave the plane. Instead, they made it an experience.

Take every moment you have with your customer/friend/family/yourself and turn it into a worthwhile experience. If every moment counts, then surely even the small ones can make a huge difference.

Great marketing, even better message.

http://www.girleffect.org

Jeff Jarvis, Google, How to do Business

In light of his new book, check out this great video- can you figure out how to apply it to your business/life? Which one is your favourite one?

How can you change the world?

I can't believe the amazing timing of this article. Seriously look through it and check out the similarities. I know the world is trying to tell us something... Please listen!! Thursday night's event for YWiB was absolutely spectacular, and I will soon be posting more about it. In the mean time, check out this amazing piece from Muhammad Yunus...

An excerpt:

“How can I contribute?” my answer is this: Start by designing a business plan for a social business. Decide which social problem you’d most like to tackle. Figure out what resources you can use to address it. Develop a plan for applying these resources efficiently and effectively. Then try turning that plan into reality. The social business you create based on your plan may be small, but if it works, it could end up being replicated in thousands of locations—and so end up changing the world.

It's your choice

You can wake up in the morning with a smile on your face.

You can choose to call up that friend you have seen in a while and catch up.

You can give up that 30mins of TV and go for that much-overdue run.

You can decided that today will be the day you want to make your dream come true.

You can make someone's day today.

You can say I love you, I forgive you, I miss you, I need you.

You can read that book that has been sitting on your nightstand for so long.

You can go out and just sit and enjoy the world around you.

The point? YOU CAN!!! Don't let the little things in life bog you down too much- every day will always come with a new to-do list, but you are your own catalyst. You can make the little things happen for you, and no matter how small they may seem, they will make a world of a difference. It's too easy to be concerned with what you have to do. Take a little time to be concerned with what you want to do.

It's Sunday today. What better way to start off your week? What can you do to make this week just a little bit better?