Stop Debating Global Warming... Start Solving The POLLUTION Problem!

Climate Change, Global Warming... come on, those phrases just aren't doing it for folks!

Tell someone that the Earth is getting a couple of degrees warmer... meh. Show them those aren't fluffy clouds floating over Beijing, that it's a layer of pollution that is contaminating everything from the air, to the water, to the land. Demonstrate how carbon, chemicals, and China's smog doesn't just taint the surrounding areas (update: and kill 4,000 people a day), but leaves even small towns in Michigan worried about the mercury that is poisoning their lakes and making their fish dangerous to eat. Allow any area of our planet to get polluted and we all reap the consequences. And with more developing parts of the world starting down the road we have for decades it's only the beginning of an accelerating problem. If we don't act now we will have smog to breathe, a tainted food and water supply, and very likely irreparably damage our grandchildren's health and very world.

Politically it is ridiculous that we are still debating whether we are doing damage to the planet- there is no doubt we are. But in order to get moving on a solution we need to dumb-down-the-debate. I know it's sad but we can't talk facts and science we need to get guttural and go back to basics. Global Warming effects are too subtle for some people, so stop debating... go back to calling it pollution and no one can debate the visuals on that.

When I was a kid we had Woodsy the Owl and the Keep America Beautiful Indian- they worked. Kids bugged their parents not to litter. People wouldn't publicly throw trash on the ground or at least there was some shame attached. Let's go old school and get a cute mascot and talk about how bad pollution, of all kinds, is to our world.

The toxicity of our planet is not a cute, fuzzy, frivolous matter but science is not working and when something's not working you need to try a new game plan. We need to: promote the Pollution angle- it's simple and undeniable; come up with some cute polar bear who talks to the kids; and call out any politician who denies pollution is a problem.

Subtle slogans don't work, pound the Pollution Problem and I think we'll get at least a genuine conversation going.

Time to find a solution to Killer Pollution!! 

Huffington Post: News or NSFW?

Would you be proud to be seen reading The Huffington Post at Starbucks or heaven forbid work?! Or is it something you do in private because although there is some meat there it's also like being caught eating from a can of frosting?

Getting our news online has been a revolutionary use of technology and HuffPo was leading the way with its easy to read format and curation of the best political and breaking stories around the web. I was a fan. But somewhere along the way it went beyond political focus and got into click-bait as its dominant business model. Sad.

And the conflicting and annoying thing is there is still some great reading and information there but it is cluttered with crap.

Last month The World Post was launched and it made me wonder: are they in the news business or not? If HuffPo wants to attract world leaders (business leaders, political leaders...) to participate in their forum they need to clean up their pages and focus on being a respectable news source.

The day The World Post launched these were the FRONT PAGE right column entries along with that announcement. I am by no means a prude, but this is sleazy filler that they should know better than to feature on the home page, let alone on an important launch day.

If you have to headline a post NSFW (not safe for work)- guess what... it shouldn't be on your FRONT PAGE. Gratuitous nakedness, also not needed there. Anything Kardashian. Anything side-boob or wardrobe-malfunction related. Want to get eyes to the site- have a tab called THE DIRT and put all the tantalizing and National Enquirer-esque stuff there. I'll even read it... when I've caught up on actual news.

I just don't want to be embarrassed to say where I read something worthwhile on a site that is more and more becoming kinda trashy. When Comedy Central's Daily Show shows less crudeness than your FRONT PAGE maybe it's time for a new editorial direction.

Arianna Huffington is starting an important conversation about quality of life with Thrive and her Third Metric work and I sincerely hope she starts looking at her own HOME too because she's better than this and I 100% believe a higher quality site will THRIVE!  

💡Twitter [TV] Channels: Fun, Fans & Profits

Twitter [tv] Channels from Joy Meredith

The original post from 10/10/2013 has been replaced with above slidedeck.

View sample channels: [Scandal] [DWTS] [Shark Tank] [AMAs] [Nashville]

...and let me know what you think @JoyMeredith :)

Table TIME

I refer to Charlie Rose a lot- maybe weirdly too much. But some people don't know his PBS Show so I describe the gentleman sitting at the table and they instantly know who I'm talking about. Sure Charlie is delightful at his morning gig but his real element is the long slow interview where he actually has a conversation with someone and is not limited to 5 minute segments. This is the format that he has perfected and it's brilliant. And though it's 99.9% Charlie and his mastery of asking questions and steering the widest ranging conversations from politics to culture to brain-science-- there is that table.

Last week Charlie was finally interviewing Louis CK on his morning show (see previous post) but it was just starting to get interesting and he had to go- boo! Not only would I love to see Charlie talk to Louis for the hour (that's what he calls it when he has the guest for the full hour segment) but I also thought I would love to see Louis at the table talking to his idol Bill Cosby. How amazing would that be? I KNOW!

So this got me thinking... why not give Charlie a few days break a month and let some stars interview the people they admire ala Charlie-style at the table? Genius, right?

Table TIME: Star on star interviews at Charlie's table sponsored by TIME magazine. In return for sponsoring the show they would be able to promote the best of the interview in a few content segments on TIME.com. This would promote PBS, TIME, and the interviewees... win-win-win.

No one could ever replace Charlie but part of what makes him so respected is that he took a table and some lighting and made it the modern day interview gold standard. To give some interesting folks a shot at the table is a great tribute to what Charlie has built.

Louis, Mr. Cosby would you like to talk some TIME at the table?


[Other pairings I would love to see: Louis CK & Steve Martin / Jon Stewart / Billie Jean King ; Amy Poehler & Tina Fey; Sarah Jessica Parker & Anna Wintour; Paul Rudd & Albert Brooks; Justin Timberlake & Sting; Mindy Kaling & Shonda Rhimes; Robert Downing Jr. & Elon Musk; Keith Olbermann & Jeff Daniels; Ben Stiller & Ron Howard]

Capturing And Creating Your Genius

About every month or so I get asked what's the best way to get a book published? I am a published author sure but I have merely one book and I am the first to admit I was very very lucky in timing, idea, and most importantly getting signed with an awesome agent. That's to say, I'm not a publishing expert by any means. The second book I wrote instead of being published turned into a workshop- but the process I follow for any project I've worked on for the last 15 years or so starts the same way: Index Cards & Sharpies!

Above is what I refer to as my Writer's Kit, it consists of: a pack of 4x6 of index cards, an extra fine point Sharpie, a metallic package envelope from The Container Store, and super simple instructions: write. I give these out anytime I meet with someone who wants to talk about becoming a writer with the directions to just start jotting down any idea you have about your book/project. What stops people from doing anything in life is keeping things in their head and not capturing and working with their ideas. I can't tell you how many times someone has told me they really want to write something and then I see them a year later and they tell me the same thing having not even written one word. First step: get all ideas down in writing. 

The great thing about index cards is that you can write ideas on the front and sketch images on the back, they fit anywhere, are cheap, and you can shuffle and easily rearrange them. And the key is that you don't need to sit down and write everything all at once- just make notes as ideas hit you and eventually, even if it's a decade down the road, you'll have all the raw material you need to write something great (or at least concrete proof you shouldn't be a writer ;) ). 

I keep index cards and Sharpies with me at all times- they are in my purse, my nightstand, my car, etc. And whenever I come across anything that inspires me I write it down. Words, phrases, notes on articles I read, stick figures drawings, maps, all ideas go down on a separate card unless closely related. You'll also need a convenient and fun place to keep them- thus the funky envelope. I use a box but you'll get intimidated to fill a box so start with filling an envelope with ideas and then you'll be really excited when you're ready to expand. 

Next step is sketching out or combining ideas- for this I use a Canson hard cover artist sketchpad. I use the larger version for ME Mapping my life, but for my book and any other projects, including designing my workshops, I use the 9x12 size. I've diagnosed myself as a frustrated artist who really wanted to work with art supplies but didn't have the skills to draw so instead use them in any capacity I can even while I was working in business sales and training capacities. I've come to think of getting our ideas and life down in beautiful sketchpads as itself a form of ART. 

Once you have sketched out your ideas (or as in my workshop: your life) you are ready to use them as a blueprint for action and planning strategic next steps. Capture, sketch, plan, execute.

That's my process and so you can imagine how tickled I was when I saw the above video of Louis C.K. talking about his (@ 4:25). I adore him for many reasons but that he is a fellow i-card & Sharpie lover makes me swoon ;)

So no matter your idea or how it will be executed the small investment of a pack of Index Cards & Sharpies and in the words of Louis: 

LCK to Charlie

Now get going the world needs your GENIUS and all you need is a trip to Target to get started!!!!

______________________________

Update 10/11/2017: 

For the Love of Louie ...

💡OWNing TV Programing

Brene Brown & Oprah on Super Soul Sunday

Super Soul Sunday, Lifeclass, Oprah's Next Chapter, Our America... this is some of the best programming on TV. Oprah's OWN network has created a place where people can nourish their mind and spirits and it is a great space for the conversation of living our best lives. Well, mostly great. I know it is still in its start-up-ish stages and it takes time to build on ideas and there is the pesky issue of turning a profit and all, but I'm concerned.

I pay extra for the cable package that brings me OWN and it is well worth the price just to see the above shows I listed. But that said, as soon as I saw Life With La Toya as a featured program in an ad in this month's O Magazine I was taken aback. Oxygen was suppose to be a women's empowering station and now veering towards trash-tv. What kind of programming is OWN after?

My own OWN idea: Consider broadcasting high quality, well produced, online-originated, best life programming. My perfect example is what Jonathan Fields is doing with Good Life Project videos. In each 40minutes or so offering he interviews a successful author, business leader, or creative about how they're living a successful life. The videos are beautiful quality and really good content. Same thing with Marie TV with Marie Forleo who is helping people create businesses and lives they love. And it is amazing what Chase Jarvis is doing with creativeLIVE which hosts free online educational programming.

How could this work? Well bear with me I'm not a TV producer (but open to offer Sheri Salata :) ) but how about testing, with a profit sharing arrangement, already produced segments edited by OWN for time. Instead of running continuous Dateline six hour blocks try a Tuesday daytime schedule and expand from there. The content providers submit content that is keeping with living our best lives tone and Harpo Studios edits it for commercials and time.

Huffington Post became a huge success because it curated articles from outside sources. Think if OWN could be the go-to place for curating quality lifestyle content. And think of all the amazing conversations and video that is being produced by everyone from TED and the 92nd Street Y to Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. I'd watch that!

I would be so bold as to suggest that nothing should be on OWN that Oprah herself would not watch. I recall her mentioning she wants to be held responsible for the energy she is bringing into the TV landscape (ala: Jill Bolte Taylor). And although I understand that OWN needs money coming in to keep itself healthy I would suggest that quality best life programming is ultimately the way to do that and keep OWN the place to nourish our minds, hearts, and spirits.

Money & Power Aren't Enough; We Need The 3rd Metric.

Huffington Post

We've all bought into this male definition of success, money and power, and it's not working. It's not working for men, and it's not working for women. It's not working for anyone. ~Arianna Huffington

Arianna burnt herself out a few years ago- literally collapsed at her desk broke her cheekbone and required 5 stitches on her eye- so she was forced to look at what she had been doing to herself. She started a sleep movement and now is expanding this thought that life is more than power and money. Wellbeing is the missing element(s) that makes both men and women more joyful and therefore more successful in the end.

She recently held The Third Metric: Redefining Success Beyond Money & Power to introduce the idea and has been speaking and writing about it a lot lately and I applaud her message. My own burnout and that of many of the people I care about is the main catalyst for my work today. Exhausted whether we work inside or outside the home and even if we're successful in many areas of our lives we're often too depleted to appreciate the good fortune. And it's not just that we are doing this to ourselves, which would be bad enough, it's that we are parenting our kids that it is normal to be constantly busy and frantic. What kind of life is that for us let alone kids?

The graphic above was part of an infographic that was posted regarding this topic and what instantly popped out at me was how the new definition resembles a ME Map. Yup, I made The 3rd Metric about ME ;)    And while some might poo-poo the idea as fluffy and a luxury they should note how 8 out of 10 employees are experiencing workplace stress and it cost businesses $300BILLION a year. Gallup recently did a study that said only 30% of the US workforce is engaged with their jobs and that the cost is closer to $500B, but you get the point.

Something tells me this is going to be the hot new topic of conversation in business. The economy is starting to get better and whether next year or 5 years from now employees are going to start exiting companies that burn them out. The attraction for talent is going to include how they thrive and not just on the power and money that is offered up. If businesses brush this off not only are they holding back the engagement that could profit them now, they will be left with a stale and numb bench to work with then.

Loving Twitter & Busting Bullies

Dick Costolo is a good guy and the perfect CEO for Twitter. He's witty, smart, and uses humor he honed in his improve days to disarm and charm folks. And so it comes as no surprise that when I sent him my last post about Tom Peters' troll issue he quickly responded. But it did make me feel kind of bad that in only 140characters I didn't have room to address issue, make a suggestion, and tell him how great Twitter is... so let me remedy that:

I dare say Twitter it is one of the most important tools created in the last decade. Yes, some people use it for mere amusement which is still worthwhile but it also helped facilitate the Arab Spring and other political movements. It is priceless in weather, national crisis, and natural disaster situations when people are trying to get information and connect with their loved ones; I myself used it to find out information on a friend who was running the Boston Marathon. And for political and breaking news it beats all other media for speed and diverse points of view to pull from.

Whack-A-Mole! Now I knew when I alerted Dick to Tom's troll that it was an issue that is already top of mind for his team. And with all that is going on with running this company and expanding the service into other parts of the world Tom's little annoyance was not going to be a top priority but I sent it as a tangible example of how trolls can drive even the most accomplished folks away. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for the Twitter team to have to deal with spammers and trolls popping up all over the place and as soon as they kill one account 5 others pop up. Kudos for what they are already doing behind the scenes that is no doubt a huge effort.

I would like to suggest an unorthodox idea though... as good as the Twitter security folks are they are probably in-the-lines kind of people and some times we need to fight hacker with hacker or troll with troll. So, my idea is to put a bounty on an useable idea to stop trolling. Open it to anyone who can send Twitter a workable solution and heftily reward them, maybe $100K, for their efforts. Not sure if this is a realistic idea or if you'd need to know Twitter's code or other factors, but I tend to believe most every problem has a solution. And to clarify, I'm not talking by nefarious means but more out-of-box, non-corporate type thinking. If you have better ideas please list them in comments.

Tom sent me a nice tweet thanking me for my post and it's too soon to tell but it looks like his troll might have actually decided to move on to more useful and positive endeavors- fingers crossed. I want to thank Dick for all he is already doing to make Twitter great and thank his team for all the work they do behind the scenes. And to Tom: I hope this stands as a tiny example of the effort people are willing to go through to thank you for all you've done for us. You and Twitter are so great together so tweet on :)