The Value of Laziness

What are you doing? Yes, you. You, who's reading this blog post right now on your glowing screen. Are you working right now? (Seriously, leave a comment.) Depends on your evaluation of what you are currently doing, a lot can be discerned about your attitude toward work and leisure.

There is a old question that people should ask themselves more often: "Do you work to live or live to work?" Both world views have their own unique pluses and minuses, but in this global free market consumption-driven time, the fervor of work has begun to take over the globe. Being a workaholic is often seen as a badge of honor.

But does the world still value slackers?

Laziness has such negative connotation in the English language. "Idle hands are devil's best tool" is another common saying that drives home the disdain for people who lay about. There is one nation that seems to symbolize this hostility toward leisure to the English-speaking world: France.

As I am writing this blog post, France is in the grip of a massive national strike because the government has raised pension retirement age from 60 to 62. Schools, trains, buses, government offices, gas stations and stores are all closed. As most nations are embarking on painful belt-tightening measures, much of the world can't quite understand why the French cannot work harder and sacrifice more for their future growth.

Yet, that accusation misses the point of the French strike entirely. It's not that people don't work hard, which they do. It's that work for most French is simply a mean to an end, which is to pursue leisure activities such as to read, to dine with friends, to enjoy a good glass of wine and to dream. "Work is the curse of the drinking man" says another sarcastic old saying.

In the French classic "Montaillou", the intruders to the small French village could not understand why the villagers seem to be laying about all day. The farmers worked the field for sure, but they only worked the minimum necessary to feed their family. Every chance the villages got, they sat about under the sun with their friends, laughing, drinking and eating. No matter how they were lectured by outsiders, the villagers refused to shift their priority in life, which was to enjoy life itself.

Idle day-dreaming plays an enormous role in shaping even scientific progress. Scientist Friedrich August Kekule dreamed two snakes biting each other's tail, forming a circle, which led to his discovery of the shape of the benzene ring. Archimedes of Syracuse was taking a leisurely hot bath when he came up with the framework of displacement and density of matter. Einstein took long naps to refine his thoughts for his general theory of relativity. Laziness can be surprisingly productive.

So, go ahead and turn off your glowing screen and take a nap. See where laziness takes you.

Tweeting Alone

Like many of the smartphone and social media out there, one of the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to check my Facebook news stream on my trusty Blackberry. Usually, it's filled with links to fun stories, latest life updates, etc. When I tapped onto Facebook yesterday morning though, I thought maybe I missed a memo from my alma mater. I had to rub my bleary eyes and do a double check.

You see, I graduated from University of Washington for my undergraduate degree, whose mascot is the might Husky and the school color is royal purple. This added to my confusion yesterday, because more than half of my friends on Facebook seemed to have changed their profile photo to purple and were making reference to a "Spirit Day". I thought this was the latest campaign to raise school spirit for University of Washington. I was happy and surprised to see such a large percentage of my friends are Huskies fan. I was obviously wrong.

It turns out that October 20 was coined "Spirit Day" and people were encouraged to use the color purple to show support for LGBT young people who are victims of bullying. It was first conceived by a teenager from Canada, Brittany McMillan, and it quickly gain momentum first through social media like Twitter and Facebook, then through various celebrities and finally through mass media channels. Within two weeks of conception, 1.3 million people pledged to participate in Spirit Day on Facebook, and it was a sea of purple on October 20, 2010 on all social media.

Does this story sound familiar to you? It should. We have all done this several times in the last couple of years. Do you remember people changing their Facebook profile photo green to show support for the Iranian election protest? How about when all the ladies were posting tweets and status updates about the color of their bras to show support for breast cancer research? Maybe you participated in these meme for social change online yourself, and it helped create a sense of participation and impact.

Malcom Gladwell's recent article in the New Yorker called "Small Change" questioned the effectiveness of such social media-only movements. He argues that social media gives people the illusion of actively engaging in civic society without actually having to do the heavy lifting such as actually participating. Is changing your profile photo and tweeting about things really sufficient to bring about the necessary change? Gladwell's article uses the civil rights movement to illustrate how sustained social changes need strong personal links in order to succeed. Social media is more likely to facilitate weak impersonal links that, while better than nothing, will require other social constructs to reinforce into a powerful force.

Gladwell's lament about strong links being replaced by weak links was echoed in Robert Putnam's 1995 article,"Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital". In his article and subsequent book, Putnam tracks U.S.' across the board decline in citizen's participation in civil society since the 1970s. Less and less of voting, running for office, Parent Teacher Association participation, block parties, writing letters to the editors and even sports organizations like bowling leagues.

The 2008 Obama presidential campaign illustrated the power of amassing and activating a large number of weak links. Using social media, millions of young people donated $20, retweeted campaign messages and voted for the first time. Then, we went home and waited for the "Change" with a capital "C" to happen. But without sustained nurturing and constant participation, the weak links dissolved instead of forging into strong links.

At almost exactly the same time as people are busy editing their profile photos to be something purple and clever to support LGBT spirit day in U.S. and Canada, on the other side of the globe, the Ugandan newspaper "Rolling Stones" published a list of names, address and photos of "top 100 homosexuals" on its front page with a yellow banner across the top that screams "HANG THEM!" At least four people on the list have already been attacked and many are in hiding.

Do you think tweeting about this will make it stop?

Random Acts of Paying It Forward: Give a Stranger 10 Bucks Day

How would you manage your finance differently if you lost your source of income? For millions of Americans and countless others around the world, this is not a hypothetical question. You might cut back on going to the movies. You might cook meals in bulk to stretch over multiple meals. You might look for cheaper housing. Many people will be forced to cut back on their charitable giving. According to Center on Wealth and Philanthropy's Individual Giving Model (IGM), individual charitable giving in 2009 was down by 5%.

Reed Sandridge's mother passed away in late 2006, and he lost his job shortly after. Many people would be tempted to withdraw from the world and look inward in self-pity. Instead, he felt like the best way to honor his mother's generous spirit was to embark on 365 days of giving $10 away to a stranger. He realized that no matter how little he had, there are always people who had even less. You could read his daily blog at "A Year of Giving", where he chronicles about each individual he gave to, what was their personal histories and how did they intend to use the money.

I came across Reed's story in March, 2010, and I have been an avid reader of his blog. The generosity and the humanity of Reed and almost all of the people were incredibly uplifting. It's not just about the money, since $10 is such a small amount for most of us. It's the fact that Reed took the time and effort to get to know each person he gave to.

Inspired by his effort, I created a Facebook event called "Give a Stranger 10 Bucks Day" for October 10, 2010. I thought that 10-10-10 would be an easy day to remember for people to try to replicate Reed's effort. It is also my 32nd birthday, and I have always hoped that my blip of a presence on this big green world might be positively impactful in some way. Asking my friends to give away $10 for my birthday seemed like a better way to celebrate than filling me up with alcohol. :)

Finally, the day of my birthday came. It was a typically rainy autumn day in Seattle. I hosted at home a small gathering of friends the night before, so I had a late start to the day. I have been looking forward to doing this for months, so I have had a plan in mind already. My plan was to go for a walk on Aurora Avenue and see what I see.

For those of you who do not know Seattle well, Aurora Ave. is located at the north end of the city and is a major thoroughfare for the city. It is also famous for its motels, fast food joints, transient population and all the down-on-their-luck people you would expect. On a rainy October Sunday afternoon though, it is quite empty. That's where I met Miguel.

Miguel was waiting for the bus to go downtown at 91st and Aurora. He told me that he was visiting friends by Greenwood, had some breakfast at Chunky Monkey, the near by Cuban/Mexican food stand and was heading to work on bus number 358. I walked past him at first, and then I doubled back to chat him up. Obviously, he was quite startled when I first tried to explain the concept to him. I showed him Reed's blog on my phone so that he could see the photos of all the people Reed has interacted with over the past months.

Miguel eventually agreed to accept the $10, but I was not quite brave enough to take a picture of him though. He told me that he lived by First Hill and worked as handyman. He was originally from El Salvador but had been living in Seattle for the last 20 years or so. He was visiting friends and wanted to have breakfast at Paladar Cubano, which was apparently replaced by Chunky Monkey now.

When I asked him what he would use the $10 for, he says that he would donate it when he attends mass next Sunday. I asked him why he would not spend it on himself or his family, he smiled and said he was doing quite well and do not need the money. The bus came, he waved goodbye to me and hopped on.

That was it! The entire encounter lasted no more than 10 minutes. Miguel was understandably distrustful of my intention at first but was quick to warm to the whole concept. My $10 would hopefully be a fun anecdote for him to tell and some Catholic church would be about to use that money for its social work.

I turned around and headed home. I thought about all of the US$10 bills in the world and what kind of intention and destiny are attached with each one of them. Thanks, Reed, for making my 32nd birthday such an interesting one. There are things I could still do besides volunteering my time with BEAN to make an unexpected impact in the world.

Living a Double Life: Balancing a For-Profit Job and a Nonprofit Aspiration

Is it possible to have your money cake and eat your fulfillment cake, too? Yeah, you betcha! Most people feel like pursuing growth in a for-profit career means that there is no way to find the type of fulfillment and meaning typical in a nonprofit venture.

I would like to offer myself as an example of being able to have both. I have been fortunate to grow professionally in my for-profit career, from software engineering at various startups to program management at Microsoft to product management at Amazon to being a senior manager of a significant business at T-Mobile USA. In parallel, I have been able to satisfy my nonprofit aspirations through volunteering through Seattle Works, helping with University of Washington Young Alumni Board, contributing to International Community Health Services, starting BEAN and serving on the board of Phinney Neighborhood Association.

So, what's the secret to having it all?

Make Giving Back a Priority in Your Busy Life

We all lead incredibly busy lives, yet we still find time for all the fun stuff, right? So, people who say "I would love to give back, but I just don't have the time." are really just saying "I don't want to give back." If you want to do it, you will allot time for it. Try committing a set number of hours each week that you will devote toward nonprofit charitable work. Think of it as your "volunteering quota" that you have to hit.

Give Money If You Are Too Busy and Stay Informed

If you are too busy right now, that's ok. It's ok to donate money instead. But, when you donate money, ask to be kept in the loop. Whether it's to receive email updates, follow them on social media or even join a non-demanding board of advisors, they are all great ways to stay informed about a cause. This way, when you do have time, you could jump in easily.

Use Your For-Profit Skills to Help Nonprofits

Many nonprofits would love to have access to your finely honed skills and experiences that you gained from your for-profit job. Use these great assets! Whether it is to assist with software projects, plan budget, craft human resource guidelines, or create marketing campaigns, your specialized sills might just be what nonprofits need the most!

Join a Nonprofit Board

If you really want to get involved with a nonprofit, apply to join their board of directors. It's an amazing experience to learn about the group and help shape its future. Seattle Works and many other groups offer courses on things you should know about serving on a nonprofit board. It's a great way to get started!

See Nonprofit Involvement Also as Networking Opportunities

Now that you have decided to donate your time and effort toward your favored nonprofit cause, you might ask yourself "I am glad I am helping out, but is there anything here that would help my career?" Absolutely! Volunteering is excellent networking opportunity with many community leaders that will definitely help your career prospects.

If You Can't Find a Suitable Nonprofit, Start Your Own!

For those you with entrepreneurial aspirations don't focus only on for-profit ventures. If you discover an area of service that is not currently being met, and you have an innovative way to fill the need, you should look to start your own. Starting BEAN is one of my most challenging and fulfilling ventures that I have ever done. Try to start your own!

Volunteering, DOs and DON'Ts

Maybe you are finally tackling your new year's resolutions or maybe you have been giving back all along, but you are ready to head out to a volunteering project. Easy, right? I can show up whenever and do a much as I want, since you are not getting paid, right? They should be happy that you have chosen to grace them with your mere presence, right?

Wrong.

Just like you would not do a half-ass job in other arenas in your life, you need to take volunteering projects seriously. The more you put into it, the more you will get out. I guarantee it. Here are some DOs and DON'Ts to look out for at your next volunteering project.

DO RSVP Ahead of the Time


The groups organizing these volunteering events usually need a reasonably accurate count so they can plan how much could be done, how much supply to provide, etc. If you don't RSVP and just crash the project because "My friend's going and I am just going to tag along", there might not be anything for you to do. It's just an unnecessary headache for the organizer.

DON'T Flake Out or Show Up Late

Did you totally mean to go to the project, but you were too hung over, or it was raining or you had a long week? Well, get your ass up and go! They are counting on you, and if you flake out or show up late, people who need help and projects that need to be worked on will go untended. It's all about managing your priorities, and shouldn't your commitment to help trump almost everything else?

DO Carpool If Possible

Carpooling is a good idea normally, but it's especially a good idea for volunteering projects. You can show up with a group of people you already know, it's a hedge against showing up late, and it's also a hedge against leaving early.

DON'T Be a Loner

When you are at the volunteering event, don't hide out in the corner and do your own thing. You are contributing toward the common good with other likeminded and passionate people. Mingle a little. It's great networking as well. Just don't let all the yapping get in the way of working.

DO Take Photos/Videos and Share Them

People take pictures and videos everywhere, yet many people feel reluctant to do so at volunteering projects. Bring you camera and share the moments. If you are comfortable with pictures of you being wasted at some party, you should be comfortable with proof that you are a decent human being who cares about others.

DON'T Drink on the Job

Many charity fundraisers will serve drinks. That's for the guests! If you are paying and bidding on things, then by all means, booze away. But, if you are there as a volunteer, trying to help that organization raise money from the guests, it will not help the event's success if you get wasted and go streaking through the dining hall. Save the drinking for after the event with your fellow volunteers.

DO Learn More about the Organization

Since you are there to help, find out more about what it is that you are helping with. Ask about the organization mission, history and goals. You will be a lot more satisfied with pulling up weeds in a park if you know that English Ivy is an invasive plant originally planted because it's pretty, and now this organization is partnering with the city to remove them and re-introduce native plants to restore habitats for migrating birds.

DON'T Ignore the Training or the Release Forms

The release forms and the training for a volunteering event exist for a reason. They are there to protect both you and the organization putting together the event. Sign the release form so that if you accidently stab yourself with a gardening sheer, the organization you are trying to help don't go bankrupt instead. Pay attention at the safety training will ensure that you don't stab yourself with a gardening sheer.

DO Plan to Stay the Whole Time

A lot of the times, people only plan to stay for an hour out of a three hour volunteering events. This is extremely annoying to the organizer, because there is then nobody left to do the work at the end of the event. If you could only attend a part of the event, you should definitely let the organizer know beforehand. In fact, try to attend the latter part if you only attend a part of it. Better yet, stay for the whole thing!

DON'T Just Slink Away at the End of the Project

Did you have a good time at the event? Good! Why just get in your car and drive away. Why not suggest to the people you meet to grab a drink, have some lunch or just to hang out. It's a lot easier to meet new people in this time of casual environment, especially since you just work side by side toward a good common cause. Take the next step and swap contact info as well. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

So, do volunteering projects sound like your cup of tea? Definitely check out BEAN then, the perfect group for young professionals looking for casual, fun and one-off volunteering projects.

Society = Morning Commuter Bus

I gave up my car a couple of months ago, and now I commute via bus for work. After 60 days of cramming myself everyday onto a packed King County Metro Bus #358 full of groggy people, I have come to the realization that an early morning commuter bus is the perfect microcosm for the society at large. Bear with me on this one.

People Tend to Ignore Each Other

Just like in society at large, people on the bus will ignore each other up to a certain point. I often don't notice people I know on the bus because I have my commute blinders on. You can pick your nose, talk on your phone loudly and have bad body odor. Up to a certain point, most people will just put up with it instead of making a scene. This creates incentive for some people to act obnoxiously, since there is no apparent consequence.

Proximity Leads to Sense of Community

People that are physically close to you, for that single reason alone, will feel more like you than people elsewhere on the bus/in society. Tribalism will quickly emerge. I have seen people in the aisle mid-bus collectively stand their grounds to push back on more passengers in the front. Just like in society at large, location plays a large role in how much you feel like you have in common with others. If a person's suffering on the other end of the bus/planet, it's much easier to ignore.

People Are Left to Deal with Their Own Problems

I have seen people cry on the bus, and even people sitting next to them will pretend they don't hear it. People will also sleep right through their stops and go all the way to the end of the line, and only the bus drivers will wake them up. We all live in our own little bubble on the bus, and we try not to interject ourselves into other people's bubbles.

People Without Means Are Segregated

Get on a bus and check out who are the people sitting in the back. Enough said. You should see all the nicely dressed white-collar professionals who would rather stand in the aisle than sit in open seats in the back.

People All Have Different Destinations in Mind

Everybody is trying to get to a different place, in life and on the bus. The destination seems more important than the trip itself, even though sharing the journey with your fellow human beings is a unique experience all by itself, especially when it comes to a morning commute route, where the passengers will most likely be taking the same bus for weeks, months or years to come. Looking back, would you remember the destination more or the trip itself?

People Come Together When Facing a Common Obstacle

There is one thing that will unite everybody on a bus/in society: a common obstacle. A clear and present danger to the common goal will cut through the general sense of apathy. I was on the bus once when two guys started a fist fight, and one of the guys started to spray the other person with pepper spray. The entire bus sprang into action. Some people rushed the guy. Some people dialed 911. Some people scrambled to open all the windows. Some people instinctively covered kids with jackets. It is the same with society in general. The immediate and clear the common threat is, the more united people are.

Next time when you are on a morning commute bus, take a look around. Is it the type of society you want to live in? Do you want to do something to change it for the better?

Networking 101 for the 21st Century, aka How Not to Come Across as an Idiot

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As a young professional, a large percentage of you most likely still don't see the value of networking. You might think "I am incredibly awesome, so people should make the effort to meet ME!"

Well, you are an idiot.

You need to remember that you are amongst the largest well-educated workforce in the history of humankind. You need to be smarter, harder-working, more resourceful and better connected than ever before to succeed in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.

So, how does one become better connected? Well, short of starting your own young professional volunteering and networking charity group, like BEAN, you are going to need to go out there and attend some networking/social/cocktail/happy hour events.

Have a Goal In Mind

Before you put on your event/crowd appropriate attire and heading out to shake some hands, take a few moments to think about exactly what it is that you want from attending a networking event.
Is it to find a new job? Is it to find employees/funding for your new venture? Is it to widen your circle of contacts inside/outside of your industry? Is it to make new friends? Is it to find people to date? Is it to get wasted?

Having a goal helps you evaluate whether an event is the right fit and also helps you with your overall approach to the people you will be meeting.

Prepare a Baseline Story About Yourself

I personally find it annoying that when I meet somebody new at a networking event, and he/she reacts to my opening questions with complete and utter astonishment. "What?!?! You want to know what I do?" or "What?!?! I have never thought about why I moved here."

It's a bit like people who react with panic at the grocery store checkout line when it's their turn and they are asked to hand over money in exchange for the goods they are purchasing. You know it's coming! That's why you came here in the first place!

Do everybody a favor and be prepared to talk a bit about yourself. I am interested, but not enough to watch you sweat and try to come up with a witty response.

Do Butt In to Other People's Conversations, in a Subtle Way

People at a networking event generally want to meet as many new people as they can. So, if you spot a small group talking, you should feel free to butt in. It's not high school clique, hopefully.

But you should do it with some tact. Hover at the edge for a bit and listen in on the conversation. If it's interesting to you, jump in with something related to the topic at hand, then introduce yourself. If it's obvious that these people are longtime friends and don't want to be bothered. Move on and try again later.

Offer Help Before Asking for Help

I know you think your job hunt/start-up/sales commission/fundraiser is breathtakingly interesting to you, but people you just met at a networking event isn't likely to share your enthusiasm.

If you are too aggressive with pursuing your goal (see the earlier point), you can come across as a used car sales person, which might be ok if you actually sell used car. Try finding out what other peoples' goals are first, see if you can help them, and then ask them for help for your goals.

Don't Get Wasted

This seems like less than a no-brainer. A negative-brainer, in fact. However, you will be shocked as to how often this happens at networking events. Drinks are often present at this type of events, and alcohol is an excellent social lubricant. Don't indulge!

You want people you met to think "Wow, what an interesting and fun person.” not "Wow, what a stupid jackass!" Hard to bounce back from that.

Business Card vs Social Media

Most young professionals are pretty familiar with social media tools like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Xing, RenRen and Orkut. That doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't come to networking events with business cards or networking cards. A cool service to aggregate your social media presence is Hi, I'm. Grab a handle and put that on your card. Whether to friend people you just met, that's definitively your call. Try to exercise best judgment!

Follow-up, Follow-up and Follow-up, but Not Too Much

I know that you are a unique and beautiful snowflake, but to somebody who just attended a networking event, he/she just stepped through a blizzard. To stand out, make sure you follow up the next day. It's not like dating, so you don't have to wait three days.

Extend your offer for help (see the earlier point) again and remind them what you need help with. If appropriate, schedule another one-on-one follow-up. If you don't hear back after three attempts to reconnect, move on. Don't be a stalker.

Volunteering/Charity Events as Networking Events

Not all networking opportunities require the presence of booze. Volunteering is actually an amazing way to network. People tend to be pretty relaxed and open. It's easier to get to know somebody outside of their professional mask while cleaning up a park or helping the less-fortunate at a soup kitchen.

As an additional bonus, you know that he/she cares more than just making money, and vice-versa. Isn't that pretty cool?

Are you ready to network (and volunteer) now? Join BEAN! :-)