TED Tuesday: Life Is Beautiful (A TED Playlist)

"Herr lost both legs in a climbing accident 30 years ago; now, as the head of the MIT Media Lab’s Biomechatronics group, he shows his incredible technology in a talk that's both technical and deeply personal — with the help of ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost her left leg in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and performs again for the first time on the TED stage."

Good Morning Folks,

These TED talks will make your heart ache in the best of ways. Each is a wonderful reminder of the beautiful poignancy of life. How perfect for the season of gratitude and joy!

Playlist (10 talks): Life is beautiful

• 12:03
  

  Shane KoyczanTo This Day ... for the bullied and beautiful

  By turn hilarious and haunting, poet Shane Koyczan puts his finger on the pulse of what it's like to be young and … different. "To This Day," his spoken-word poem about bullying, captivated millions as a viral video (created, crowd-source style, by 80 animators). Here, he gives a glorious, live reprise with backstory and violin accompaniment by Hannah Epperson.

   Watch later · 678 comments 
• 20:27
  

  Andrew SolomonHow the worst moments in our lives make us who we are

  Writer Andrew Solomon has spent his career telling stories of the hardships of others. Now he turns inward, bringing us into a childhood of adversity, while also spinning tales of the courageous people he's met in the years since. In a moving, heartfelt and at times downright funny talk, Solomon gives a powerful call to action to forge meaning from our biggest struggles.

   Watch later · 194 comments 
• 19:23
  

  Anand GiridharadasA tale of two Americas. And the mini-mart where they collided

  Ten days after 9/11, a shocking attack at a Texas mini-mart shattered the lives of two men: the victim and the attacker. In this stunning talk, Anand Giridharadas, author of "The True American," tells the story of what happened next. It's a parable about the two paths an American life can take, and a powerful call for reconciliation.

   Watch later · 113 comments 
• 14:34
  

  Eric WhitacreA virtual choir 2,000 voices strong

  In a moving and madly viral video last year, composer Eric Whitacre led a virtual choir of singers from around the world. He talks through the creative challenges of making music powered by YouTube, and unveils the first 2 minutes of his new work, "Sleep," with a video choir of 2,052. The full piece premiered a few weeks later (yes, on YouTube!).

   Watch later · 265 comments 
• 19:00
  

  Hugh HerrThe new bionics that let us run, climb and dance

  Hugh Herr is building the next generation of bionic limbs, robotic prosthetics inspired by nature's own designs. Herr lost both legs in a climbing accident 30 years ago; now, as the head of the MIT Media Lab’s Biomechatronics group, he shows his incredible technology in a talk that's both technical and deeply personal — with the help of ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost her left leg in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and performs again for the first time on the TED stage.

   Watch later · 284 comments 
• 18:19
  

  Jill Bolte TaylorMy stroke of insight

  Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions — motion, speech, self-awareness — shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

   Watch later · 2806 comments 
• 09:47
  

  Louie SchwartzbergNature. Beauty. Gratitude.

  Nature’s beauty can be fleeting — but not through Louie Schwartzberg’s lens. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day.

   Watch later · 644 comments 
• 20:19
  

  Brené BrownThe power of vulnerability

  Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

   Watch later · 1794 comments 
• 20:43
  

  Benjamin ZanderThe transformative power of classical music

  Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it — and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.

   Watch later · 610 comments 
• 18:25

  Sarah KayIf I should have a daughter ...

  "If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing ovations at TED2011. She tells the story of her metamorphosis — from a wide-eyed teenager soaking in verse at New York's Bowery Poetry Club to a teacher connecting kids with the power of self-expression through Project V.O.I.C.E. — and gives two breathtaking performances of "B" and "Hiroshima."

   Watch later · 631 comments 

  
  

  Have a GREAT Day,

  
  
  
  Mitchell D. Weiner
  Chief Happiness Officer  

  
  
  

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  "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character"

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  Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  
  

  
  

Ted Tuesday: How To Spot A Liar

"All forms of self deception make us vulnerable to the scam, the con, the false promise, the bad hire, the unwise promotion, the faulty new product." ~~Portfolio.com

Good Morning Folks,

I am sure you can sense my passion and excitement as I looking forward to sharing another AMAZING TED!

People--friends, family members, work colleagues, salespeople--lie to us all the time. Daily, hourly, constantly. None of us is immune, and all of us are victims. According to studies by several different researchers, most of us encounter nearly 200 lies a day.

Social media expert Pamela Meyer can tell when you’re lying. If it’s not your words that give you away, it’s your posture, eyes, breathing rate, fidgets, and a host of other indicators. Worse, we are all lied to up to 200 times a day, she says, from the white lies that allow society to function smoothly to the devastating duplicities that bring down corporations and break up families.

Working with a team of researchers over several years, Meyer, who is CEO of social networking company Simpatico Networks, collected and reviewed most of the research on deception that has been published, from such fields as law-enforcement, military, psychology and espionage. She then became an expert herself, receiving advanced training in deception detection, including multiple courses of advanced training in interrogation, microexpression analysis, statement analysis, behavior and body language interpretation, and emotion recognition. Her research is synthesized in her bestselling book Liespotting.

Liespotting links three disciplines--facial recognition training, interrogation training, and a comprehensive survey of research in the field--into a specialized body of information developed specifically to help business leaders detect deception and get the information they need to successfully conduct their most important interactions and transactions.

Some of the nation's leading business executives have learned to use these methods to root out lies in high stakes situations. Liespotting for the first time brings years of knowledge--previously found only in the intelligence community, police training academies, and universities--into the corporate boardroom, the manager's meeting, the job interview, the legal proceeding, and the deal negotiation.

Check out her book and I guarantee you'll learn tons from her Ted Talk that follows.


There is so much excitement in all touch points of our business!! I'm SERIOUS about LIGHTING UP THE NATION. So.... please continue to help us spread the word about what an AMAZING opportunity it is to work with FSO.

We are pumped super excited and ready to rock.

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

*TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.  More at Ted.com

Enthusiasm Is a Priceless Commodity!

"He didn’t just blanket the market with a bunch of form letters. He researched and targeted. He wrote a brilliant, personalized and attention-grabbing letter. And it worked. Strategic chutzpah."

Good Morning Folks,

We had a busy work weekend and thanks to many for those efforts. 

My sales team has probably heard it enough from me though it's something in sales you can't stress enough: "We must propose. You must increase your outbound work through your personal database. Direct mail and more. You MUST create urgency in your prospecting and you MUST increase your overall volumes. Don't fool yourself with busy work. You have to pick up the phone and talk to somebody in order to get results."

Which leads me to a Steve Jobs story I was reading on A.J. Jacob's LinkedIN:

In a 1994 interview, Steve Jobs told a story about when he was in high school and, one day, just called up Silicon Valley legend Bill Hewlett (of Hewlett-Packard). “His number was still in the phone book," said Jobs. "He answered the phone himself.”

Jobs asked Hewlett if he had any spare parts for a frequency counter. Hewlett not only gave him the parts, but gave him a summer job at the factory.

“Most people never pick up the phone and call,” said Jobs. “And that’s what separates sometimes the people that do things from the people that just dream about them.”

I’m no Bill Hewlett, but the best hire of my career was someone with Steve-Jobs-like chutzpah. I call it “strategic chutzpah.” And I think it’s one of the best indicators of whether an employee will be a blazing success or a profound dud. (For those who aren’t familiar with Yiddish, chutzpah is sort of related to the Spanish concept of "cojones," but without the anatomical connotations).

It takes courage and confidence to pick up the telephone and succinctly request what you need and want. This is why the combination experience of start ups and large business are important. With the small business you learn discipline, the value of team and hands on and with big business you recognize everyone puts their pants on pretty much the same way so you make that call as an equal. You put forward your value proposition and more often than not you will get a positive response.

I have noticed that asking often leads to success. It's just like winning the lottery. You can't win, if you don't play. You don't get, if you don't ask.

It's your time. Don't let it pass you by. To my sales team: Find us folks and get referrals. Find deals in sales and you get paid. What else can you ask for?

Good luck folks and let's make it happen. Stay in touch. Mitch.  Good morning. :-)

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Ted Tuesday— Sally Kohn: Let's try emotional correctness

"We spend so much time talking past each other and not enough time talking through our disagreements. If we can start to find compassion for one another, then we have a shot at building common ground."

Good Morning Folks,

In this week's hand-picked optimistic talk, Sally Kohn shares what she learned as a progressive lesbian talking head on Fox News. 

"It's time for liberals and conservatives to put aside their political differences and really listen to each other," says Kohn. Sally searches for common ground with her political foes by focusing on the compassion and humanity in everyone.

Why you should listen to her:
Sally Kohn has a powerful vision for a more united United States. On Fox News, this progressive lesbian has sparred with some of the most conservative minds on television, and has sifted through hundreds of letters of hate mail a day. But she deeply believes in finding our common humanity, political differences aside. Before we can achieve political correctness, we must first establish emotional correctness — and this will ignite conversations that lead to real change.



Remember, challenges are there to be overcome and smashed to pieces. Believe in your leaders, follow their instructions, trust your teammates and know that together there is nothing we can't accomplish.  

We are pumped super excited and ready to rock.

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

*TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.  More at Ted.com

InspireME Friday: Remembering Steve Wow 'Em Every Time

"Every Steve Jobs  presentation builds up to one big scene. In past year's Macworld keynote, it  was the announcement of MacBook Air. To demonstrate just how thin it is, Jobs  said it would fit in an envelope."

Welcome to the weekend, friends:

Steve Jobs Sold the Steak, Sizzle and Wowed 'Em Every Time... whether you're applying for a job or about to introduce your company to a customer or your own new product to the world... here's how you can Wow 'Em too.

1.  Set the theme. "There is something in the air today." With those words, Jobs  opened Macworld.

2. Demonstrate enthusiasm. Jobs shows his passion for  computer design. During his presentation he used words like "extraordinary,"  "amazing," and "cool." When demonstrating a new location feature for the  iPhone, Jobs said, "It works pretty doggone well."

3. Provide an  outline. Jobs outlined the presentation by saying, "There are four things I  want to talk about today. So let's get started…"

4. Make numbers  meaningful. When Jobs announced that Apple had sold 4 million iPhones to date,  he didn't simply leave the number out of context. Instead, he put it in  perspective by adding, "That's 20,000 iPhones every day, on  average."

5. Try for an unforgettable moment. This is the moment in  your presentation that everyone will be talking about. Every Steve Jobs  presentation builds up to one big scene. In past year's Macworld keynote, it  was the announcement of MacBook Air. To demonstrate just how thin it is, Jobs  said it would fit in an envelope.

Thanks to Steve Jobs and Business Week and to you for listening.

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . ..  "“You have three names: One that you inherit,  one  that your parents give you,  and one that you make for yourself.” . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  .

RECRUITMENT OPEN HOUSE! 
Immediate openings: 
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Services Mailroom • Sales HR Operations • Record Management Marketing IT 

When: Tues. January 21st, 2014 7:00am – 5:00pm Wed. January, 22nd, 2014 12:00pm – 8:00pm 

Where: FSO 18-22 West 45th Street, 9th Floor New York, NY, 10036

InspireME Friday... IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER

"When loved ones come home, always run to greet them."

Good Morning Folks,

Time to go back to college philosophy course and reexamine the meaning in everything. You have to go outside your comfort zone for this one and have some fun.

IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER.....You would learn stuff like........

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let other people touch you.

Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.

On hot days, lay under water and lay under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how much your scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout....run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you had enough.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig into you find it (remember Lycos the fetcher?).

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Remember...... every dog has his day !

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . .  "Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail." ~~Josh Billings . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . .