If there wasn’t a World War II, I wouldn’t be alive. (My parents met in a refugee camp.)

If there wasn’t a Korean War, my wife wouldn’t be alive (Her father was in the Air Force in Korea.)

If I didn’t win the Green Card in the Visa Lottery, our kid wouldn’t be alive. (I wouldn’t have moved to Los Angeles and never met my wife.)

Think about all the little things that had to happen for you to be here. When you regard the million things that had to go your way to become that beloved, screaming bundle, we all should feel like we won the lottery. The odds were slim, but here you are.

The question is: What are you going to do about it?

Many people spend their entire lives doing things they really don’t care for. They get through the week, endure their lives, waiting for the weekend, the vacation, retirement.

Death.

A recent Gallup survey shows that 71% of American workers are not engaged in their current position, 19% of the workforce actively disengaged. Is it an exaggeration to believe that more than 90% of us just get through life and don’t create one?

We create our own lives

It’s the gift of human life that you don’t have to be committed to one course. You can change course. In the beginning, it might be good enough to be competent at something. Over time we learn that we need to love what we’re doing or we never excel at it. In the end, you need to know who you are. Once you know who you are, you can find purpose in work and life.

As Sir Ken Robinson says, the problem is not that we aim too high and fail. It’s just the opposite – we aim too low and succeed.

Nobody needs to be victim of their own biography.

What are you doing with the gift of life?

Are you still unwrapping?

Did you put it away, collecting dust, while you pass your time?

Did you throw it away?

Or are you realizing your true potential?

via Brainpickings

Yesterday we drove by the battlefield of Verdun, site of one the most devastating fights in the history of warfare. Surprisingly, World War I was also a place of amazing humanity. As Maria Popova wrote:

“In December of 1914, a series of grassroots, unofficial ceasefires took hold of the Western Front in the heat of WWI. On Christmas, British and German soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and sing songs across the trenches, some even walked over to their opponents bearing gifts. The incident became one of the most heart-warming displays of humanity in the history of human conflict and was dubbed the Christmas Truce.

This lovely short film captures the story and spirit of this symbolic moment of peace, grace and humility amidst one of modernity’s most violent and disgraceful events.”

That’s what Christmas is about: Even in the darkest hours, there’s a light in all of us. We just have to discover and live it.

Yesterday we drove by the battlefield of Verdun, site of one the most devastating fights in the history of warfare. Surprisingly, World War I was also a place of amazing humanity. As Maria Popova wrote:

What a beautiful insight: For kids, Christmas is all about waiting. While we adults know how to deal with it, kids are stuck and have problems understanding days, hours and minutes.

My favorite Christmas commercial of the year.

Thank you for visiting this blog and happy holidays to you and your loved ones.

It’s the time of the year where we reflect on the year almost passed and, at the same time, we are in desperate need to find last-minute gifts. Below are a few of my favorite books of the year, insightful readings that shaped my year. (All links are non-affiliate)

Shift & Reset

Brian Reich, SVP/Global Editor for Edelman, is not happy with the state of non-profits and how many brands utilize Social Media to advance their objectives. Brian reveals a deep narrative that gives you a better understanding why the current methods of marketing increasingly fail and how to embrace the new paradigm. What I especially liked about this book that he doesn’t leave it to theory and big words. The book is filled with inspiring and clear action steps for non-profits and commercial brands.

The Flinch (Free)

Need a swift kick in the butt? Get this book now. It will kick you into action.

So, what is “The Flinch”? As author Julien Smith explains: “It’s a reaction that brings up old memories and haunts you with them. It tightens your chest and makes you want to run. It does whatever it must do to prevent you from moving forward. (…) Whatever form it takes, the flinch is there to support the status quo.”

The Flinch is not a marketing book, it’s a personal improvement book. When you read this book, you will learn something about yourself. And, who knows, you might just discover you have more guts and gumption than you ever imagined.

We Are All Weird

Any book list without mentioning Seth Godin’s work is not a complete list. Part of the Domino Project, “We are all weird”, nails what many have been saying is broken about marketing. The old days of blasting out your message to the masses and having it succeed are doomed. People don’t want mass marketing, they want me marketing.

Sure, mass markets will always exist and generic products and services will continue to garner profits, but they will become a minority and be outgrown by the new norm of being weird.

“The weird set an example for the rest of us. They raise the bar; they show us through their actions that in fact we’re wired to do the new, not to comply with someone a thousand miles away.”

It’s a quick read but one that will stick with you for a while.

Read This Before Our Next Meeting

Let’s face it: We all hate meetings, dread the weekly status, the meetings that exist for no reason, just to satisfy a corporate agenda. This book not only taps into this feeling and our meeting culture, but also suggests how to make meetings more effective, efficient, and worthy of attending.

So, if you’re sick of feeling like your time is being wasted by pointless meetings or are simply looking for ways to improve your professional capacity and productivity at work, then I highly recommend getting a copy. Buy one for all your co-workers, you might just transform your company in 2012.

Lost Decades: The Making of America’s Debt Crisis.

As a marketing professional, you need to understand the mechanics and details of our global economy because they determine behavior of current/future customers. “Lost Decades” is a comprehensive exploration of the political and economic roots of the current crisis as well as its long-term effective.

The authors show how financiers, politicians, and ideologues ushered in the crisis, and highlight the challenges we need to overcome to avoid more lost decades.

It’s a not an uplifting book but it gives you an understanding how silly the arguments and positions of our current breed of politicians are. If we get policy right, we’ll be fine in 10 years. If we continue on the current path of the two-party system ideologues, we might be in a permanent crisis.

Before I Go to Sleep

Let’s end on a positive note: “Before I go to sleep” is my favorite fiction book of the year.

Imagine waking up every day not knowing who you are. All memories disappear every time you fall asleep. Your partner is a stranger, explaining your life each and every day all over again. You used to have a normal life and now a mysterious accident forces you to live this bizarre existence.

I finished this book in one reading because of the strength of writing, and the way the author is able to transcend the basic premise and present profound questions about memory and identity. For me, this was the book of the year.