2/21/12 – Quick Thought #28 – On The Power of Chaos

‘The Real Story’ Interview Series isn’t just an interview. It’s an experience. Join me as I explore the lives and stories of influential people in many different industries. I believe that everyone has an amazing story to share; full of ups, downs, twists and turns. And I know that you will feel exactly the same way, after listening to these interviews!

 
Melissa Villasenor is great at what she does. And what she does is spread positive vibes through her comedy routine. She doesn’t just make you laugh; she has a very positive aura in her comedy videos. It’s inspiring, and that’s why I wanted to interview her. She does Celebrity Impressions, Songs, and Original Sketches. You’ll definitely be hearing more about her in the future! Watch her videos, and see how talent + work ethic can culminate to create inspiring results.

Here are a couple of awesome clips on Youtube of Melissa Villasenor doing what she does best. ENJOY!

Melissa’s Impressions (including Britney Spears, Owen Wilson, Michael Jackson, Norah Jones, Wanda Sykes)
Florence and the Machine – The Dog Days Are Over
Stand-Up: Justin Beiber and Shakira

Here are some of the things that Melissa shared in our interview:

*How Growing Up in a Strict Environment Influenced Melissa as a Person and a Comedian

*How Melissa’s Eccentricities were used to her Advantage as a Comedian

*How Melissa found her passion for Impressions/Comedy at the Age of 12

*Why Social Support Can Only Take You So Far (You have to put in the Work!)

*How Learning to Crochet Inspired One of Melissa’s Eccentric Comedy Sketches

*Why Melissa Decided to do a One-Woman-Show called “I’m Not Myself”

*The Frustration and Sacrifices Needed to Become a Comedian (this applies to pursuing ANY passion)

*The Emotional Impact of Getting a Standing Ovation, and Why Melissa wants to Connect with and Inspire Her Audience

*Melissa’s Message for People who Haven’t Found their Passion Yet

*How Melissa REALLY Went After Her Passion in Her Free Time (including doing free shows for YEARS)

*The Importance of Getting Rid of Negative Influences in Your Environment

*And much more!

You can find out more about Melissa at her website, Melissa V Comedy. Check out ALL of her Comedy Sketches/Videos on Her Youtube Page! HERE. Thank you so much for the interview, Melissa!

Other Video Links:
Vimeo

2/20/12 – On Accepting Criticism and Praise – Quick Thought #27

2/19/20 – Quick Thought #26 – On Receiving Praise

What makes a meaningful life?

This is a question that has been perplexing human beings ever since the Ancient Greeks got some free time to think about it.

I don’t believe this question can ever be fully answered, because we’re all so different. That being said, a few aspects are nearly universal. Today, I’m going to talk about Kizuna, and how you can develop the habit of cultivating Kizuna in your own life.

Kizuna is a Japanese word that translates to “bond”

It refers to a bond that is shared between friends/family. It’s very much a concrete word as much as it’s an ideal concept. It’s practical, but I could go on philosophizing about it forever. That’s not what I’m going to do, though.

I’m going to give you some practical tools for Kizuna that you can start using TODAY.

Kizuna is the art of forming bonds, and it is worth it to spend a significant amount of time cultivating these bonds. Upon first glance, the previous sentence seems like a no-brainer. But as I am beginning to consciously form great bonds with great people, I realize how little time I spent doing it before I decided to focus on Kizuna.

Best ways to start the practice of Kizuna:

• Reach out to a cool new person every single day via E-mail. Don’t be so rigid and formal when reaching out to people. This is Kizuna we’re talking about. Not a structured and boring business relationship. Some cool lists of people:100 People Doing Extraordinary Things
  20 Bloggers to Watch in 2012
  Inc. 30 Under 30

 

• Have a phone call every. single. day. And not just routine phone calls, but calls that actually involve connection. Now, an important distinction: It’s important to make sure that you don’t stagnate. It’s so easy to keep your call list few in number. But talking to people on the phone that you don’t know very well will help you SO MUCH with your kizuna forming skills!

 

• If you have Facebook, go on facebook chat and message someone you don’t know very well, but would like to get to know better. This step may involve anxiety, but that’s okay.
  

  Just know that you cannot form genuine bonds and cultivate Kizuna without going through and confronting many fears of your own.

 

• Twitter, when used the right way, can be a beautiful tool for building connections. Me and Max Dubinsky were recently having a conversation, and we agreed that RETWEETS CHANGE LIVES! I met him through his wife Lauren’s retweet, and he met his wife through someone else’s Retweet. Unbelievable, huh? It’s true, though. When you are actively using a medium that has potential for connection, amazing things WILL happen. The more you reach out, the more this effect is compounded. Twitter for Kizuna. Who knew?!

 

An Important Note

You will not be able to cultivate Kizuna with every single person you reach out to, via phone, face-to-face, and/or e-mail. This is absolutely okay. When you try to figure out why you can’t seem to connect well with a particular person, it may sting a little bit. But over time, the feeling will become more tolerable

There is no secret to connection. However, If you want to know a little more about the right way to develop Kizuna with people, check out these 3 resources:

• Never Eat Alone – by Keith Ferrazzi

(affiliate link) This book is the granddaddy of Kizuna. I’ve read “Never Eat Alone” twice in the past 2 months, and I plan to read it again later. The book is filled with practical tips for building relationships, as well as the backbone philosophy of relationship building. It must be read.

• How to Network with Busy People – Steve Pavlina

Steve Pavlina wrote an excellent series about how to connect with busy and influential people. It’s a great read, because Steve stresses that genuine bonds should be the backbone of every relationship. He gets rid of the line between business and personal relationship. And he gives a TON of practical tips.

• Why Your Networking Sucks — And the Secret to Doing it Right

Therese has a great knack for condensing big topics and getting their message across in an engaging and entertaining way. This networking post sums up many of the concepts in “Never Eat Alone” in a very quick and easy read! Check out Therese’s blog over at The Unlost, because she’s doing amazing things over there.

If I could give one tip for Kizuna, it would be this:

Practice it.

Every.

Single.

Day.

Other Video:
Vimeo

2/17/12 – Quick Thought #25 – On The Challenges You Have Overcome

2/16/12 – Quick Thought #24 – On Storing Ideas and Being Prepared

2/15/12 – Quick Thought #23 – On Max Dubinsky

2/14/12 – Quick Thought #22 – On The Origin of Human Language

‘The Real Story’ Interview Series isn’t just an interview. It’s an experience. Join me as I explore the lives and stories of influential people in many different industries. I believe that everyone has an amazing story to share; full of ups, downs, twists and turns. And I know that you will feel exactly the same way, after listening to these interviews!

 
Max Andrew Dubinsky pours his soul into his writing. Reading Max’s site, you will see why this is apparent. His writing style is impeccable, and you can see the hard work he puts into his craft. He is also a great person to interview, with a lot of incredible insights to share. This will be apparent when watching the interview. Here are a couple of my favorite articles from Max’s website, that I HIGHLY recommend reading. His writing is filled with humanity:

I Want Something Worth Getting Angry About
A Gentleman’s Guide to Staying Cool in the 21st Century
The Truth Will Wreck This Place

Here are some of the things that Max shared in our interview:

*The philosophy of “Dive Deeper,” and why it’s essential to trust God + use faith dive deeper into our lives

*Why the media image of Los Angeles is completely wrong, and the truth about the darkness that lies “behind the scenes” in the City of Angels

*Why the question shouldn’t be “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Rather, “Why does anything good happen to anybody at all?”

*An inspiring story of a man who chooses to be homeless, and dedicates his life to helping others

*How Max does his best to help homeless people, and stories of his experience helping them. “My abundance is someone else’s necessity”

*The serendipity of chance encounters

*Why the only reason we don’t fear God, is because we don’t KNOW God.

*Why Max went on a 7-month road trip across America to “find faith in the streets”

*How you can REALLY know a person

*Why Max believes that “The Truth will Wreck this Place”

*The real meaning and purpose of Religion

*Max’s personal struggle with addictions in his life

*Why Max writes about the “Darkness” and the redemption that comes from being in a dark place in life

*And much more!

You can find out more about Max at his blog, Make it Mad. You can get his collection of short stories for $.99 on Amazon: HERE. As mentioned in the interview, the stories are dark. They are heartbreaking. But through the dark experiences of the characters, you can find light in their situation. And in turn, find light in your own life. It’s tough reading, but it’s essential reading.

Other Video Links:
Vimeo