Why You Really Need to Participate in the State of Now!!! #140conf #140confDM

I am sure you feel like you have heard everything there is to say about the State of Now 140 conference. If not, read these posts. And you’ll think you know it all, but I don’t think you will get it UNLESS that is, you have been to a State of Now conference.

Participating in a State of Now conference makes you want more…  There is a quote from Bill Murray’s character in Scrooged that comes to mind for me when I try to explain the feeling from the conference. I had to change a couple of words though to celebrate that several of us are thought to be tech geeks, agnerds, etc.  “if you give, then it can happen, the miracle can happen to you. Not just the geeky & the nerdy poor and hungry, Everybody’s gotta have this miracle! It can happen tonight for you all! If you believe in this pure thing, the miracle will happen and you’ll want it again tomorrow!”

If you haven’t had the miracle as Christopher Cross calls it, there are other events on the horizon. One event that everyone could enjoy is the big State of Now conference in New York, June 19-20, 2012.  The event focused on education would be awesome for parents, teachers, etc)You really should check into it or some of the other 140 events on the calendar.

Things to Think About:

• Each event is different based on the characters who share their thoughts and stories.
• Each of us have different mindsets from day-to-day and I think that can impact how you participate.
• The time spent in the hallway visiting during lunch can get you in touch with people one-on-one and take connections further.
• With other people willing to be vulnerable, to share their stories in a personal way, its easier to join in.
• There is usually another State of Now (or a few) on the calendar. What are you waiting for?

Presentations that Continue to Run Through My Mind

Jeff Pulver talked about life as he sees it. The strength of his ability to share his story was awesome. Jeff is like most all of us in that some things make it hard for him to fit in growing up. He talks honestly about how ham radio really helped him be social and how social media can let us connect with people. It is a chance to be real. Of course, I could go on and on about but if you’ve recently read my post about Jeff Pulver being a social media hero of mine, a lot of it would seem repetitive. There were a couple of times Jeff talked last week…. Life as I see it was incredible and is available on video and here’s a bit more from Jeff on listening and corporate policy in social media.

Angela Maiers, who will tell you You Matter, had a great series of presentations on education starting with what has been happening at her school. The students participating in the program BLEW me away. They held signs that said things like see me, trust me, hear me…. and as they spoke…. wow. They understand compassion and even offered Angela support when she was getting criticism for getting social media in the schools. They have done such incredible things as learn Hamlet by talking to people in that part of the world. Now how cool is that? There are so many options to really make a difference and shouldn’t we look for the positive ones for schools…. the negative ones always get talked about. Building more positives would be awesome! If you teach or talk to teachers, it would be great to get them up-to-speed on the kinds of things she shares on AngelaMaiers.com — the ideas are good starting places for people to look at getting more social in education. You can the video by Angela Maiers doing her presentation of “you matter” awesomeness and listen to the students as well see some of video of the students answering questions on the 140conf UStream channel.

Rachel Buse does a great site called HeavyHouses.com. She had handouts for all of us to make a little paper house art project. HOW COOL IS THAT? And I totally agree with her about the character of older houses being better than most of the new ones. The way she talked through it, you couldn’t help but agree with her! She celebrates pink bathrooms and formica countertops and disdains pergo flooring. I’ll admit I like a newer kitchen than Rachel, but the romance and character she finds in houses…. that’s something I celebrate too!  PLEASE WATCH HER VIDEO as she talks about heavy houses.

Laura Wynn is a bombshell from Kansas City who has had some really negative experiences based on some mistakes. Hearing her talk about how to handle cyberbullies…. well, the tips she gave are good in that you do not need to argue with the bully but you need to stand up for yourself.  The photo is her (red dress & boots) with the group of bombshells who talked about how women have a choice of supporting each other or tearing each other down… they are all about celebrating awesome women aka bombshells! Gotta love celebrating others! The video of Laura talking about cyberbullying is powerful

And of course I have to pick at least one favorite within the agricultural segment. Heather Lillienthal who talked about connecting to consumers and learning so much about the food sources folks like me have to learn about farms. Heather’s presentation is here for you to watch, you should also check out Larry Sailer, Shannon Latham, Darcy Maulsby, and even if she didn’t talk about agriculture, Tara Litzinberger. 🙂

Things I Won’t Forget Anytime Soon:

• Singing “Mustang Sally” iPhone karaoke with Jeff Pulver in the lobby of a hotel after he had sang quite a few songs by fellow Long Islander Billy Joel.
• That Cinch.FM rocks — thanks to a short conversation with Albert Maruggi of Provident Partners at a downtown brewery I have a new tool to play with!
• Tweetable quotes that include the word “bacon” get the most RTs and/or shoutouts.
• Jeff thinks St. Louis would be a great place to do a State of Now local…. I agree. Have already gotten in touch with my good friend Todd Jordan to see if we can make that happen.
• Liz Nead‘s presentation sticks with me. Her family is originally from Kerala, India which is one of the places near to my heart having visited a friend’s family there. Committing to do something daily for a month reflects a real passion around it. I am going to do a challenge myself… just still looking for the right one through the swirl of ideas I have.
• Getting to share the stage with my dear friend Chris Chinn where we had a chance to share some of the things I learned visiting her farm the day before.

I should have made it clear…. I love that my little sister can make that caramel cake! She does it absolute justice… Maybe I should try to learn too. Thanks Leslie for being the savior with that cake!

State of Now – #140confNYC

Got an email from Jeff this morning and had to add this absolute coolness quickly:

Early Bird tickets for #140conf (http://nyc.stateofnow.com) are available only until Friday, May 4th.

REGISTER today to secure your “Early Bird” ticket.

The theme of this year’s event is “Finding and Discovering Meaning.”

Our conference schedule has been posted and can be seen over at:
http://nyc.stateofnow.com/schedule

I am especially looking forward to having the Chopra Family join us this year for a special session, “A Conversation with the Chopras.” Deepak Chopra will be joined on stage by his son, Gotham and his daughter, Mallika.