Monday Musing: Creative Remix

{Book Release cabaret, photo by Nathan Lind}

You may have read that I wrote a book. (I wrote a book! You can buy it here.) I knew that I wanted to do a book release party of some sort, but I wasn't sure exactly what that would be. Then one day, going about the mundane business of my day, I suddenly knew what it needed to be: a cabaret of show tunes on the themes in the book. And thus the Urban Nomad Life Coach Cabaret and Book Release Party was born.

Yesterday, less than a month after having the idea, I had the world premiere of the event. Things can happen quickly if they are a creative remix of things you have done in the past. All of the months and years of writing, singing, coaching and creating events all came together. It also doesn't hurt that I had a team of amazing people offer to help in many and various ways. It was so much fun, and I can't wait to do it again in New York on May 7 and potentially other places.

How can you "remix" some of the things with which you are gifted into something new, exciting and life giving?

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To read a curated collection of posts from this blog plus other writings of mine, check out my new book, "Urban Nomad USA: Travel Sized Life Coaching for Journeys of All Sorts" now available for purchase! Better yet, get a signed copy at the book release cabaret in New York City, or contact Dawn to do the cabaret with your organization in May or August, 2012.

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Do you know an intelligent, creative, spiritually-minded person who might be interested in this blog post? Please forward it in its entirety, compliments of Dawn Trautman, Urban Nomad. Copyright, 2012.

Monday Musings: Founding Fathers

{Ben Franklin}

I love President's Day. It's well situated between Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Easter, providing a true day off without any specific religious or cultural celebrations.

One year on President’s Day weekend, I was invited to a party for which we were instructed to dress as our favorite dead president. While I don't really have a favorite dead president, there's no question about my favorite founding father: Ben Franklin. In fact, I probably could have gone to that party as Ben Franklin since I imagine there are a fair number of Americans who actually think he was president at some point in those early years of the United States. Had he been younger it may have happened, but he was 25 years older than George Washington and died a year after Washington took the oath of office.

My brother and I began to develop an admiration for Ben Franklin on a visit to Philadelphia when I was four and he was seven. Our parents took us to see every historical site in the city. This was back in the days when you could walk right up to the Liberty Bell and touch the crack for good luck. Ben Franklin’s hometown came alive for us. We learned about his diversity of talents as a printer, scientist, statesman, and diplomat. Not only was he one of the leaders of the constitutional convention, he invented practical items that ranged from the lightening rod to bifocals. He also started things we loved, such as America’s first public library and the United States Postal Service.

We didn’t learn about the questionable chapters of Ben Franklin’s life until much later, yet we also learned more about his courage and his virtue. Ben Franklin was committed to goals much larger than himself, even when it was dangerous. Not only did he believe in to American independence when it didn't seem possible, he also was part of sharing that vision with others and helping them to remain focused on the goal. Ben Franklin was interested in a wide variety of topics in which he didn't just dabble; he sought excellence.  Throughout his life, he created his own fortune through creativity, vision, resilience, and hard work. After establishing his wealth, he worked to systematically improve himself and to raise the standards for those around him.

It's almost like Ben Franklin was America's first life coach.

Who is your favorite founding father?

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Tuesday Travel Tip: Help Others Help You

{Photo found via orgsites.com}

I know someone who has trouble getting others to help with projects. He works at an organizations where volunteers could be doing many of the tasks, but fewer and fewer people have been involved. He thought it was due to people's busy schedules, the lack of commitment to volunteer organizations, or maybe even the economy. However, that would not explain why volunteering went down just as he took over the organization.

So I challenged him to ask a volunteer. The volunteer was polite and didn't say much. He had to ask more than one volunteer. Finally, a teenager told him she would no longer be updating the bulletin boards, and she told him why.

"You never like what I do. I think I'm done and then you come and correct everything, and tell me there's a better way. I feel like I'm doing it wrong all the time."


If you don't allow people to do the project their way, soon they won't want to do the project at all.

This leader narrowed things down to a few issues:

• He had a very clear vision for how he wanted everything to be done, and didn't always communicate that vision. 
• He had trouble allowing people to do projects and solve problems in their own way.
• He didn't always rank what projects were vital to the organization and must be done exactly right, and what projects were open to interpretation.  
• He was looking for factors outside himself to explain a drop in volunteerism, when really he had the capacity to improve it himself.

It came down to communication, trust, prioritization, and taking responsibility. Those are huge things to work on, but knowing what the issue is helps him start the journey.

Whether you are leading an organization or just need someone to transfer your luggage, allow them to understand what needs to be done and to accomplish the task in their own way.
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Monday Musings: Not a Match

{Photo credit: http://fortheluls.com/tag/bank/}

My bank decided to join the crowd and charge a fee to customers who do not have a paycheck automatically deposited into their account. This was a clear sign to me that they no longer want small business owners or freelancers as customers. I went in to close the account. They were very polite and tried to keep my business, but I told them we just weren't a match anymore.

I don't pretend to know what they need to do to stay in business, but they sent a clear message to me. I am no longer who they want as a customer. Sometimes there is no need to get angry or fight. Just recognize that you are no longer a match and move on.

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Leadership Matters

(Gregg Breinberg and the P.S. 22 Chorus, photo by Rosier/News, Linda)

P.S. 22 is a public elementary school in New York City. It's a regular school educating neighborhood children, just like schools around the country. In their midst, they have a great music teacher, known as Mr. B. If you haven't seen the videos of their 5th grade chorus floating around, you can view some of them on YouTube. What makes them different? Mr. B encourages the children to "not fake it, feel it." They have "felt it" all the way to worldwide fame. In fact, they sang on the Oscars last night. This group of 5th graders are getting a wonderful experience, but they are not just an exceptional class of 5th graders. Mr. B has been in this position since 1998, creating a wonderful chorus year after year.

Every leadership position matters. Every leader can have an impact on their sphere of influence. You don't need the most glamorous leadership position, you can make a difference where you are. It doesn't always lead to a trip to the Oscars, but it always had the potential to change a life. 

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