caffeine withdrawl

Image by terenceleezy via FlickrI have been having headaches for the last couple of days and had no idea why. It wasn't a hangover, I didn't feel sick, and I was well hydrated. After the third day I got worried, then i remembered that I had not had a cup of tea in days. While in Vegas I stayed away from energy drinks and tea because I was simply too busy.

I never considered myself addicted to caffeine so I was shocked to see how much it really effected me. This made me think about how you can get so used to something you don't even realize. Sometimes in life we just get so used to something that we don't even know how much a part of life it becomes. This doesn't always mean a bad thing. Sometimes you don't realize how much people become a part of your life. This happened to me when I left for home for my freshman year Christmas break. It was only until then I realized how much living with my friends in my dorm really shaped my life. I was so used to going back after classes and seeing them, that it was hard to be away from that comfort.

Its weird how some things can really connect in your head. It took me by surprise how a simple caffeine aversion lead me to realize how much I put my life on autopilot. I need to stop living by weeks and start living by day. Sometimes you just forget what you did yesterday completely, and that isn't ok. People need to live for the day.

Ancient ceremony, modern philosophy

Image via WikipediaWhen I was in Vegas over the break I went to a tea shop and participated in a gongfu tea ceremony. This is a Chinese tradition and it consist of many mall cups of tea and a very ritualistic way of drinking it. I have read about the method of tea drinking, and have always been intrigued to try it. But I got more from the people, and not the ceremony itself.

Before and after the ceremony I spoke with the main woman in charge. I was enthralled by her passion for her traditions. She brought this tradition with her from china with the goal of sharing it to the world. She didn't care about the money she made from the teas she sold, but instead, she cared about the people she sold to. She saw her job as merely a gatekeeper. She showed people the power of relaxation with tea, and would do anything for the customer to feel satisfied.

This drive really affected me because it was another true tale of happiness. She didn't need a huge paycheck or a nice car to be happy, she woke up every day with the goal to help people, and whatever else she got was extra. A lot of people could learn from her about how to enjoy life, and how to appreciate what you have.

Failure of cooking

Image via WikipediaIn my previous post I talked about embracing the fear of failing and just going on a limb and attempting. While that sounds great for writing your new ideas, it didn't apply too well to me and cooking. I have never been someone to cook, favoring eating out and easy make meals. But I decided to go to central market, buy some ingredients, and attempt to cook.

As I went through the store I was charged with energy because I was finally going to try to cook. I bought all the things I needed, a steak, oil, and a spice rub. I could see the finished product in my head and it was looking awesome. I rushed home, found a pan and began to prepare. This is where everything started going downhill.

I overheated the oil, and when I added the steak, it freaked out. I am not over exaggerating, the oil went from a calm liquid to a raging torrent of pain. Oil was flying everywhere with the loud pops of bubbles and surface tension. I quickly turned off the stove and ran to the other side of the room to avoid any more burns.

When the popping and hissing finally stopped I went in and surveyed the damage. The steak was the color of charcoal, and my kitchen was covered in oil. As I went about cleaning I thought "well the worst is out of the way, now I know what to expect". I took this failed dinner and turned it into a learning experience. I saw the extreme of error and can now work to get better. I mean, what worse could of happened trying to make a steak?

Fresh notebook syndrome

Image by edwardkimuk via FlickrI always have the problem of writing in a new notebook. When I go to a bookstore I always see moleskin notebooks and think "man I could really use that to jot down some ideas". So I buy them and then they just sit on my desk. Every time an idea pops up I think "is this really notebook worthy?". If you are a fan of Seinfeld then you can relate this problem to Elaine's "Spongeworthy" dilemma. I feel like this notebook will be a pristine record of my rise from college kid to millionaire entrepreneur and I want it to be perfect.

My friend told me her solution to this is to completely destroy the first page. Write anything that comes to mind, draw anything you imagine, and just fill the page. This will negate all of your worries and allow you to write freely. Now some readers may think this is just stupid and are thinking I should just write, but its not a uncommon problem. A lot of people are held back attempting something because of the fear of failure. A lot of bloggers put off posting because they want every post to be perfect, and in the end, end up abandoning the project entirely.

My advice is to just jump in and start writing. Notebooks are meant to be imperfect, and if you edit your ideas then you might lose a good one.

In the company of others

You are the median of your ten closet friends. This statement has changed the way I see myself. It also rings truer than the old proverb of “you are the company you keep”. It’s amazing how other people can influence your life.  

I have a friend who is the extreme bad example. He is a slacker and addicted to multiple substances, but he is still really close to me. We have a close bond some people just don’t get because we are so radically different. What I learn from him is what not to do. He treats life as an experiment, willing to do anything just to see what it feels like.  I take his mindset and try to incorporate it into my life, but just to a lesser extent.

Another friend of mine is a triple major here at SMU. I met her at AARO and ever since then she has been dedicated to the school. She is mock trial captain, a member of both a professional and social sorority, and still has time for grades. I look to her as a motivational person because she helps me keep my school in perspective.

My third friend is the idealist. Him and me can talk about new business ideas and theory craft them for hours. People say that when we are together we think every idea is the next google or Facebook, and its true. He believes in the “land of yes”. Which means you always agree until there is a good reason to disagree. This mindset is what helps me try out my new websites and business pitches. While others say “its already been done before” he says “yeah, but I can do it better”.

These are just a few of the reasons why I truly believe in the statement said above, and I think it relates to everyone. Friends are here to influence you through life, and shape who you are. So embrace it and enjoy the ride.

Food as Art

Over the years great chefs have made names for themselves not by the taste of their food, but the design of it. The last few years have been a boom for food creatives. These people are using food as a medium for their art.
After eating at a few high end restaurants in Vegas I realized how entertaining this could be.

At a sushi place named sushi samba, they use the dishes as a visual as well as taste experience. The sushi was placed in shapes, the sauce was used to design the plate, and the lighting all accentuated this. It's funny that this reminded me of advertising.

Advertising has a purpose, to inform. But it can also be a form of entertainment. Creative people have known for years that if a message is engaging and fun, people will pay more attention to it. This is a lot like the creative movement in food at the time.

While this fusion of form and function is good, it can be overdone. Some places I went to tried to hard to obtain the "wow" factor and ended up making the taste suffer. This can happen with ads; try something too experimental and the originals goal could be lost.

The key to the equation is balance. Create something edgy that grabs attention, but remember what your overall goal is.

When the scaricity model dies

Image via WikipediaI have been watching a lot of reports about the economic shift in the entertainment industry. People talk about howthe iPod, Netflix, and Amazon have drastically changed how consumers perceive entertainment. We used to live in a world dominated by hits. What I mean is that space was limited and retailers only wanted to stock products for the lowest common denominator for people. This lead to a lot of missed opportunities and products.

Now we live in a world run by hits and misses. Both take up the same amount of space so who cares how many each sell, they are now on equal ground. If you give the consumer the ability to choose and go as deep as they want, they will find new products and niches that can make you money. This made me think about comprimises in life.

People often compromise to achieve something or to stay 'in reality'. This could be as small as not being with friends to study, or as big as changing majors because you feel like your dream job isn't financially secure. That is the scarcity model, in today's world everyone's talents can be used to make a living. Look at how many people make money blogging passionately about their topics.I believe we are in the middle of the abundance economy, which means everyone has an outlet and a chance to do what they love.