I really want to encourage you to take a moment and check out this week’s blogs. I know I always say it, but I really do enjoy the two I wrote this week–one about how we approach this holiday season and the other about how we can approach this month. Short reads that I think will really help in this busy time. I’m also a big fan of the other posts this week. A few friends directed me to some great articles this week and I think you’ll enjoy them as well.

I should have a new video for you next week. Seriously.

Posts by Patrick
Advent Conspiracy
1 More Minute

Posts by Others
It is Time to Debunk the ‘Myth’ of Student Leadership by David Chambliss (USA Today: Opinion)
Face to Face is Making a Comeback by Scott Ginsberg
Creative People Must Be Stopped by Bob Sutton

Here’s a fun song from the people at Sesame Street.

Finally, I’d like to encourage everyone to live out aspects of the Advent Conspiracy regardless of faith this weekend. Spend TIME with people. On Monday, I’ll start highlighting some great charities.

The second is also wonderful, but it’s the last line that gets me:

“Cuz It’s Worth It.”

Watch the video and then continue reading.

Yes, the video is cute. Yes, the video is hilarious.

It’s the final message that gets me.

This little shell has a pretty tough existence. Just getting from point A to point B takes a great deal of effort. This little shell lost its sister.

And yet, it smiles cuz it’s worth it.

I couldn’t agree more.

Life can be tough at times. Life can be stressful at times. Life can feel impossible at times.

But smiling is worth it. Smiling helps bring us some perspective.

So let’s smile today cuz it’s worth it : )

SPECIAL BONUS: So my birthday just took place. I was thinking about how in elementary school you used to bring “treats” in for your birthday, so I thought I’d give a treat to all my loyal readers. If you would like me to speak to your group in 2012 AND are able to book a 2012 engagement by the end of my birthday month, I’ll do that event for 2011 prices (a $250 savings). If you want to save even more, send me an email (pm@pmaurer.com) and I can give you more ways to get even more discounts.

Posts by Patrick
Grammy
The Oath
Airport Encounters

Posts by Others
38 Ways to Stress Less, Achieve More, and Laugh Your Ass Off Doing It! by Avish Parashar
Execution Without Strategy by Russ Perry
Carrots and sticks: Procrastination Fix? by Daniel H. Pink

And finally, two great YouTube videos. First an incredible motivational speech by a kid who just learned to ride a bike…

…and secondly, a fantastic Harry Potter montage (we’re just over a month away, people!)

Have a great week. I promise videos from me will return shortly–just dealing with a few things right now on the personal life front. I’ve got some great things in store for June, July, & August that I can’t wait to share with you.

Posts by Patrick

Special Post: Happy Mother’s Day
Lose Like a Champion
Toolbox: Evernote

Posts by Others

Is Anyone Else Tired of Being Right? by Scott Ginsberg
Who Is Making You Uncomfortable? by Seth Godin
Lessons From a Carrot, an Egg, and Coffee Bean by Michael Josephson

Finally, here is just something I found ridiculously cute. It’s a YouTube video showing the first kiss of some young kids. I’m a big fan of the little boy’s reaction.

Have a great weekend!

TOMS: The Next Chapter from TOMS on Vimeo.

And the video left me curious.

I still have no idea what is happening on June 7th, and to be honest, I can’t wait to find out.

My alma mater recently did a similar campaign. While many thought it might be for new uniforms, no one knew for sure. The videos were rapidly shared amongst my fellow alums as people discussed and speculated about the upcoming change. Here is one sample of videos (there were several more).

Now, I’ll be honest and say I don’t actually like the new ASU uniforms, but I definitely checked in on the day “the announcement” was made as the anticipation had built up. Many of my friends from college spent that evening debating about the new look. There was no doubt about it–we were engaged.

And so that is what was on my mind when I received the TOMS email. Why don’t our student organizations utilize more of a “launch” campaign for some of our events and programs. Instead of just doing the standard morning announcement or mailer, couldn’t we do a bit of a youtube campaign similar to what TOMS or ASU did? Yes, the ASU one cost a bit of money, but look how simple (and yet equally effective) the TOMS ad is.

J.J. Abrams of LOST, Star Trek, Alias, Cloverfield, etc fame made a nice presentation for the TED conference in March 2007 during the run of LOST. He describes his love of the unopened mystery box and our craving to know more. It’s obviously an effective medium for storytelling and it can also be an effective medium for advertising.

So try it out on something this next year. Pick up an event or a new product. Provide a countdown for it. Build up the buzz before the launch. And then LAUNCH it.

It’s true that not everyone may like the actual event or product (again, I don’t like the new ASU uniforms), but if done correctly, you’ll definitely have your audiences talking and that is more than a lot of us can honestly say right now.

Build the launch.

(oh and when you do, please email me a link. I’m super interested to see this play out in a school setting)

Special Note: You may have noticed this blog is a little bit different than some of the other ones I’ve been writing recently. This is the third entry of a new type of blog post, The Toolbox. Don’t worry, I’ll still share stories and insights. I’m just going to try to regularly dedicate a blog entry to highlight new tools, technologies, resources, and/or approaches that affect the way you can serve and lead on your campus and/or in your organization. If you think you’ve got a great toolbox idea to share, please let me know at pm@pmaurer.com

But it wasn’t.

No, Rebecca Black’s Friday was unfortunately real, and it became a huge hit–or at least–widely viewed. People loved to hate the video making it the most disliked video on YouTube.

And yet people kept on sharing it.

Soon, Black was a guest on ABC, and the media raised the question of cyberbullying. Were people being too cruel?

(quick note: While I think the song is horrible and the video is ridiculous, I do think some of the online comments were beyond mean as people encouraged Black to kill herself. Wrong, mean, disgusting. But that is a different blog post).

Still, Black continued to appear in facebook newsfeeds and as a twitter trending topic. Reports of sales on iTunes became public. Was Black getting rich off this horrible song?

And then we come to today. The song really hit its stride just over two weeks ago and now there is hardly a mention of it online other than the publicized removal of the video earlier this week and its quick reinstatement.

I’ll admit I’ve wanted to write a blog about this video since I first saw it. Two weeks ago, I visited with several students out in Connecticut and we talked about the video before the start of a leadership conference. We all agreed it was a horrible song and video.

But it was published. It became popular.

Is this success? Is Rebecca Black a famous pop artist now? Will we still be talking about her a year from now?

My guess is no.

Rebecca Black’s family attempted to purchase instant fame. Pay $2,000 and record a music video. We’ll provide the music. We’ll provide the lyrics. We’ll upload it.

I don’t fault Black for a desire to be a performer. I don’t doubt that she loves to sing.

I take issue with the method that Black went about reaching this goal. A method we all tend to favor from time to time.

The Shortcut.

If Black really wanted to sing and perform, why did she write her own song? Why didn’t she wait for the right song? Why didn’t she take a few more vocal lessons instead of relying so heavily on autotune?

The answer: the shortcut is easier.

I watched the full ABC news story on her and listened to her acoustic rendition of Friday. Her singing voice isn’t perfect yet, but it’s definitely way better than my voice is even now. With some extra lessons, she might actually have a chance to one day do something although maybe not on a national stage.

Still, she (and her parents) picked this song and recorded this video and put their stamp on of approval on it. Sadly, she will be known for quite sometime as the Friday girl.

Contrast that with another YouTube sensation, Boyce Avenue. Their covers of popular songs have combined for over 250 million views on YouTube. They started posting in 2007. Their first videos lacked a lot o the polish of their latest, but their talent is present throughout. (Check out their recent covers of Just the Way You Are, Firework, and Fast Car.) During this time, they were also able to write and record their own original pieces. Now, they are in the middle on an international tour.

Long story short, there are far too many one hit wonders, and very few overnight successes.

Most people who achieve success spend countless hours perfecting their craft and enhancing their skill. Yet, we tend to get addicted to the quick route. We follow American Idol and cheer on the winner, but very few of those winners are still popular today. We want our path to success to simply be “fun, fun, fun, fun” but the truth is that while we may have joy during the journey, it tends to be a longer journey and it requires hard work.

We shouldn’t live the CliffsNotes version of life. We need to grow. We need to develop. We need to stretch ourselves.

It’s definitely difficult at times, but the end result is always worth it.

Enjoy your Friday!

I hope more of us can find these moments when things aren’t going well. I read deeper into the comments of the video, and the dad responds to a few talking about how much he loves his baby and his life. It’s that bigger perspective that helps in the long run.

So today, if you’re feeling a bit sad, frustrated, or disappointed, maybe this will help you smile just a bit.

While there have been some comments on whether or not it is a true Rube Goldberg machine, there is no doubt that the video is incredibly interesting. When I finally got around to watching the video on Saturday, it was close to over a million views on YouTube. It’s quickly appearing on facebook and Twitter feeds and becoming another viral hit. OK GO easily topped its previous treadmill filled video for “Here It Goes Again” which is currently at over 50 million views on the OK GO channel. In an age where MTV has abandoned the Music portion of its station, OK GO has remade the modern music video. It’s made sure it is the band that people talk about and the video that continues to be shared.

While at a conference last week, I had at least 10 different people come up to me and ask if I had scene it.

Can we achieve the same viral impact with our organizations? There are some bands that sit around and complain about the current state of MTV and the radio, and then there are others like OK GO who rethink their approach to it. Coldplay released a full album for free or voluntary donation. They remain a popular group. OK GO is exposing their music to a much broader audience than if they just waited for MTV to do it for them.

What can we do? I continue to hear about declining spirit and enthusiasm, poor attendance, and apathy in our organizations. Could a new approach revitalize perhaps remove those stale pieces?

One of my favorite quotes is by Rob Bell in his book, Velvet Elvis, when he asks, “Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it can be.”

We can complain about our current situations and struggles, or we can take that frustration and get widely creative.

Yes, I’m frightened like many of you are about the current state of our economy and how it may impact our lives, but I’ve come to the realization that if my ship is going to sink, it’s going to sink in style. If my speaking schedule is reduced because schools have less funds, I’m going to utilize that time to post more free videos on YouTube so that my message can still get out there. I’m going to try to find more ways to share ideas with educators assist more student leaders. I’m not going to do everything perfectly. If you’ve ever listened to an interview with OK GO, they talk about the multiple takes for the treadmill video and even several setups for the Rube Goldberg machine video, but did you watch those finished products? Seriously–did you watch them? I’m so glad they got creative. I’m so glad they thought outside of the box.

I also think they’re right. “This Too Shall Pass.” The question is, when it does, will you still be serving the best way you can?