32 lessons learned in 32 years

1 more year, 1 more lesson.

Today is my 31st  32nd birthday. Yep, I’m on my way  2 years into a new decade and I think it is going to be a good one.  I wanted to take the time to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned in the last 31 32 years of my life. In no particular order of importance…

1. It’s your life.  No two people are the same. Embrace the gifts, challenges, and opportunities given to you.

2. Nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems.  The bottom is not that low and the top is not that high.

3. Family matters. At least to me. Good, bad, and ugly, I know my family loves me and this gives me strength. Find strength in your family.

4. Find your passion. Branding, fly fishing, water ….  Passions make life worth living and people with passions make the world go round.

5. Do what you love. This is generally the easiest thing for you to do. What you think about when you go to bed and what you think about when you get up? Do that.

6. Fill wasted time.  Road trip or long commute? Fill your Ipod with audio material you don’t have time to read.

7. Carpe Diem. I’ve heard for years: “you’re young.” Don’t wait for the perfect time, because it will never come.

8. Use your words. The brain is a powerful engine and words drive this motor. What you think and say is what you will become.

9. Stay on your feet. Run simple and stand up.

10. Make lists. Simple “to do” lists have become my greatest productivity tool. Email, call, errands, projects, media, etc., all have their own weekly “to do” lists.

11. Buy tickets not toys. I have no shortage of toys, but reflecting back, it’s the trips I remember most, not the “things” I purchased.

12. Nobody is watching you. I’ve always thought people were watching me. What will they think if…? Don’t make decisions based on what other people will think, make decisions for your best interest.  (The  18-40-60 Rule)

13. Do your best. Win or lose you did your best, what more can you ask for? You gave your best.

14. You grow in the valleys not in the mountains.  Times get tough, that is inevitable. As bad as they may be, these experiences craft our character and build our strength.

15. Continuously learn. Read, listen, watch, write.  Never stop learning.

16. Everything is relative. Everything. A 15-inch trout is a great catch, until you land one that is 20 inches.

17. Riches have nothing to do with money.  For example, I recently took a fishing trip with my dad.  At moments, it was impossible to be richer than us.

18. Set Goals. I set about 50 goals a year each divided into six priorities in my  life:  family, faith, fitness, finances, focus, freelance.

19. Tell someone the goals you set. This will increase accountability and likelihood of achievement.

20. Buy a dog. Health and happiness will follow. For sake of credibility, I didn’t make this up.

21. Eat right and sleep well. I used to think both were a waste of time and resources; I now realize they are two of the greatest inputs to energy and performance.

22. Be spiritual. Not offensive, wacky, sign-holding spiritual, spirituality that gives you peace and purpose. Spirituality that allows you to embrace your blessings.

23. Live where you want.   If fly fishing, running, riding, recreation, craft beer, and community are important to you, live there. If they’re not, live somewhere else.

24.  Love. Marriage is my most prized possession.

25. Don’t be a critic.  It’s easier to be a critic than correct; respect the man in the arena.

26. Find your happy place. Go there when you need to calm the inner beast.

27. Cheer for something. I always assumed I’d quit caring about sport when I hung up my high school cleats. I now relish the opportunity to cheer for my wife and cheer for the HOGS–Woo Pig Sooie!

28.  Keep a few friends. You don’t need a thousand friends, just a few really good ones.

29. You lose 100% of the races you don’t start. If you try, you’ll know. The “what-ifs” will haunt you, so you might as well try.

30. Measure. If you don’t determine metrics and measure, its impossible to gauge progress.

31. Have integrity. Without it, what do your really have?

32. Experiment.  “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

As a kid, I never understood the point in living past the age of 28. It appeared to me all the good stuff occurred before this age. Now that I’ve successfully surpassed this this mark by 3  4 years, I realize I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. So, take this post for what it’s worth. Regardless, I’m looking forward to the road ahead and would like to thank anyone reading this that has made my life, well, my life.

CHEERS!

I recently stated: “If I broke my leg and my iPhone, I’d get my iPhone fixed first." I was obviously joking, but not as much as  you might think depending on the severity of the break.  I can’t take pictures and make videos with my leg. 

The following is a Linsey Corbin “race day" video in a series of real-time marketing video experiments for 2012. So far, so good. 

What Makes Video Viral? 

This is the question I asked myself when I saw Buttermilk “plays” with her “friends” climb from zero to over 2 millions views in about 5 days. Using this video as an example of a viral video, here are my thoughts on what makes a video viral?

1. The title sets the stage. Buttermilk plays with friends is the perfect title for this video. If it was titled jumping goat, I’d like it half as much. The fact that the other goats aren’t actually playing with Buttermilk, makes the title that much better.

2. The story has a great character. Like all stories, a viral video needs a main character. The fact that this character’s name is “Buttermilk" and a 5-week old goat, only helps.

3. A great support team. This is true in almost all aspects of life, but also holds true in a viral video.  In Buttermilk’s case it’s the behavior of the other goats. If two goats were jumping, Buttermilk wouldn’t be cool.

4.  Something you’ve never seen before.  If you’ve ever seen something similar, it’s never as cool. I’ve never seen anything like Buttermilk.

5. You can think of at least 1 person that would really like the video.  If you can’t, the video dies with you.  Sharing is caring and the key to making any video viral.

6. The message is universal. You don’t have to speak english or live on a farm to get it. Everyone gets it.

7. Short in length. This video is 1:05 in length. Who doesn’t have 1:05, especially if it came from a friend?

8. It is real. I’ve said all along “authenticity is awesome" and viral videos prove it. This isn’t a high-tech staged production. This is a 5-week old goat playing with friends, a man in jeans, and another holding a camera.  The missed shots and jumpy camera only add to the beauty.

This is purely my guess, based on curiosity, of what makes a video viral.  I’d love to hear your additional thoughts or insight.

I wanted to share the latest in a series of iPhone Videos. I’ve been putting together, as touch points, for Linsey. I also thought you may enjoy some background that is less obvious in the video.

1. Song. Linsey and I first heard At Home, by the Crystal Fighters on our drive from Munich, Germany to Klagenfurt, Austria approximately a month ago. We both looked at each other and said: this is a great song.

2. Text. Because I’m a fan of the song, and wanted to listen to this tune uniterupted, I decided to communicate the dialogue of the video using text messages sent between Linsey and I.

2. Timelapse. This is my first attempt at incorporating time lapse video (00:58, 2:22, & 4:08), using stumps (no tripods for me, yet) and the  iTimelapse app on the iPhone. A blog on my favorite iPhone photo apps is coming soon.

3. Axe. I found the axe (3:41) collecting firewood on the way back from Storm Lake. As a big axe fan (yes, AXE fan), it was a great find. If it’s yours let me know, but you better hurry up, because I’m about to replace the handle and paint it.

5. Madison. The golden retriever in the video. I jokingly recognized Madison’s excitement for Linsey’s day job in this photo essay. After seeing Madison in action this weekend, I’m no longer joking.

6. Montana. Georgetown Lake is one of my many Montana Happy Places. It’s amazing what a place like this will do to recharge the batteries.

THE FAN

I’ve alway prided myself on being a fan. I love competition and embrace the energy sporting events bring. This passion was on full display in my first European Soccer experience last night in Klagenfurt, Austria. Miles from the actual event, the flags were flying high. I can now say I’ve watched my first soccer match.

Luckily, this was the Euro 2012 semifinals and the finals are Sunday night.

Ironman early and soccer in the eve.

Game on for this fan.

5 observations from austria

I’ve just completed day 4 in Austria–a day spent fly fishing in the Alps. This post isn’t about the fly fishing, it’s about observations I made during my time behind the wheel. In no particular order…

1. Be tidy. Driving the Austrian  countryside, I’m not sure I saw 1 misplaced piece of fire wood or 1 piece of trash. I’m not sure what makes people messy and what makes people tidy, but I appreciate the cleanliness and attention to detail of this place.

2. Cafe’s are for sharing. In the states, a coffee shop is filled with people glued to their electronics (me included). This isn’t the case in Austria. I’ve only seen 1 laptop/cell phone/tablet at a cafe and it was an American. Instead, Austrians use this opportunity to catch up with friends and socialize (in person).

3. Drink socially. I’ve seen more people drinking in Austria than any place I’ve ever been. Although, I’ve yet to see anyone drunk. I’m sure it exists, I just haven’t seen it. Similar to coffee/espresso, BIER also provides an opportunity to be social, but not belligerent.

4. Be active. Austria is noticeably thinner than the US of A. My immediate conclusion was portion size. Although this may be true, the portions we’re receiving are not small. However, the Austrians do live a very subtle and active life style. You don’t see the extensive exercise/weight loss gimmicks or number of gyms, but you do see a high portion of continuously active people. Walking and biking are preferred to the car and treading water is part of going to the beach. In my mind, this subtle and active lifestyle must add up. The equation remains the same: burn more calories than you consume.

5. Find your happy place. Whether it’s the Cafe, garden, gasthaus, motorcycle, or bicycle or wooded trail, I’ve noticed Austrians have happy places.  It’s easy to tell when and why they’re at this happy place. My happy place is streamside, which is why I skipped the “Castle Tour" in hopes to find a hungry Austrian trout. And I did. I also found a remarkable countryside and culture. I haven’t decided which makes me happier.

Maybe I’ll change the title of this blog to “iPhone  videos of my wife."  The latest is from her win and record setting day at Hawaii 70.3.  Here’s the article link. As I mentioned before, I shoot, edit, and post these videos within an hour of Linsey crossing the finish line–all from the iPhone. The idea is real-time content for the fans cheering from home.

I think this one was better than the first and # of views appear to reflect this as well. One challenge I’m having is with camera stabilization (i.e. jumpy videos). Any suggestions?

My first PODCAST

Last Friday, I had the fortunate opportunity to participate in my first podcast with 406startup. Even better, the topic was MARKETING and the subjects were Big Sky Brewing Company, Lotic Water, and Linsey Corbin – my three favorites. Here is the link to the show:

Episode 3; Chris Corbin of Lotic Water & Corbin Brands

If you don’t have 35 minutes to spare, which I completely understand, the three marketing lessons I presented are:

  1. You must start with a great product.
  2. Differentiate at all cost.
  3. Fail frequently.

And, if you do have time? Enjoy the show.

why I think klout is incorrect

As I was recently perusing the twitter-sphere, I came across two twitter profiles that made me question the validity of KLOUT - a supposed score of your social influence online.  Here they are:

1. Twitter Profile 1

2. Twitter Profile  2

So based on these KLOUT scores, it’s better to tweet 6X as often and have 103,000 fewer followers. Sorry KLOUT, I don’t think you’re korrect.  I realize you’re trying to measure:

  • True Reach: How many people you influence
  • Amplification: How much you influence them
  • Network Impact: The influence of your network

But, I think your algorithm is off. Way off.  Actually, upside down.

As for some background, Twitter account 1 and Twitter account 2 compete in the same market. Although only 1 of them has broad reaching social influence (a household name) that can dictate a twitter response.  The one with the lower Klout score.

REAL TIME MARKETING VIDEO EXPERIMENT

Attending the Wildflower Triathlon this weekend, I decided to try a video experiment with “real-time marketing." In addition to tweeting live updates as a ghosttweeter via Linsey’s twitter account (also real-time marketing), I decided to shoot and edit a video of the race via my iPhone. Granted, the video lacks plenty of polish–but to serve the purpose of a Race Day Video posted within minutes of Linsey crossing the finish line–I think it worked.

I’m still amazed by this little device we call the iPhone. I think I’ll try it again at the Hawaii 70.3.

More importantly, Linsey finished 2nd and continues to inspire me with every step she takes in her triathlon journey.