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Class of 2013: You’ll Never Again Be so Unburdened; Do Something Bold by Sir Richard Branson (via @LinkedIn)
The best advice I could give any graduate is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life. If your degree was focused upon one particular area, don’t let that stop you moving in another direction. If college hasn’t worked out for you, don’t let that put you off. Virgin’s expansion into so many different areas is borne out of my insatiable curiosity to enjoy new experiences and pursue fresh challenges.
You may decide to take a break and consider your options. I would urge you to travel, take on new experiences and draw upon those when it comes to making the decisions that will shape your future. The amount of business ideas that people pick up from travelling the world is enormous. If you don’t want to reinvent the wheel, you may find a business that works in another market that could be adapted for your own. Gap years don’t only have to happen before you go to college. Actually, a good option is to travel instead of going to university. You can work and still have a lot of fun along the way: you won’t create as much debt, you’ll learn an awful lot and may come back with some great ideas.
Equally, if you spot an opportunity early on and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you have got. Be ambitious. There probably won’t be another time in your life when you have such freedom of opportunity. Grasp it with both hands. If you can’t find an opening that fits what you want to do, why not try to create one yourself? We always enter markets where the leaders are not doing a great job, so we can go in and disrupt them by offering better quality services. Until this week I had never had a boss in my entire life. I lasted about five hours before Tony Fernandes sacked me, after throwing a tray of drinks over him while working as a stewardess on a flight! (It was all for a bet to raise money for charity, so I wasn’t too upset.)
It’s pretty cool to be one amongst this crew of innovators and dream makers in the marketing social space. Check out the amazing thoughts, and accomplishments of Brand Innovators 40 Under 40, Class of 2013. Amen.
Six years ago, I picked up a two dollar painting in a market in Myanmar. I rolled up the canvas and carried it with me. I tied it to my backpack with a bungee cord, and made the cross continent commute. But it’s the piece of art, that now hangs in my house, in a frame I paid more than two dollars for, that connects me to that place.
“Two Planets/Village and Elsewhere is about the village (the here) and elsewhere (the there) and how stories link people across continents, cultures and even time-periods. Rasdjarmrearnsook brought some visitors from elsewhere to her village in northern Thailand. The visitors came in the form of unfamiliar paintings and they told stories from long ago and far away: of dances in Parisian cafés, nude picnics and haymaking. These paintings by Renoir, Manet, and Van Gogh prompted the villagers to share their own stories.” via Kholl
(Source: nathanguy, via trave-logue)
TripIt, I love it when you tell me what to do… or where to sit. Introducing Seat Tracker, now part of TripIt Pro. Tell the pros where you want to sit and they’ll notify you when it becomes available. Bam.
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I don’t know how Tippi alluded me all these years, but today, in a fateful Facebook message, we were brought together (Oren, I owe you big time). Say hello to my daughter, eh sister, eh, spirit animal, my idol…
Born in Africa to French wildlife photographer parents, Tippi Degré had what looks like the best childhood ever. The young girl grew up in the African desert and developed an uncommon bond with many untamed animals including a 28-year old African elephant named Abu, a leopard nicknamed J&B, lion cubs, giraffes, an Ostrich, a mongoose, crocodiles, a baby zebra, a cheetah, giant bullfrogs, and even a snake. Africa was her home for many years and Tippi became friends with the ferocious animals and tribespeople of Namibia. As a young child, the French girl said, “I don’t have friends here. Because I never see children. So the animals are my friends.”
Parents Alain Degré and Sylvie Robert documented Tippi’s life and relationships. Tippi of Africa, published in 1998, told Tippi’s story of she and her parents, and Tippi’s close bonds with wild animals made her quite famous. Her mother said, “She was in the mindset of these animals. She believed the animals were her size and her friends. She was using her imagination to live in these different conditions.” For more on the coolest chick in the game…
Ladakh on my mind… #YurtLife
Verboten just announced StageONE, a new summer music event series taking place outdoors on the Williamsburg, Brooklyn waterfront. The series will kick off its inaugural event on the July 4 holiday with Sasha’s Never Say Never party imported straight from Ibiza. The outdoor stage will feature global DJ talent, along with artisanal foods, and entertainment to the shores of the East River all summer long.
StageONE’s inaugural event on July 4 will feature Sasha’s much lauded Never Say Never party. Created in Ibiza in 2010, the idea of Never Say Never is simple: it’s Sasha in his finest form, playing music that he loves, with DJ’s that inspire him. Never Say Never is a party for party people, with its focus set firmly on the dancefloor, and known for featuring exciting, forward-thinking guest artists. The Brooklyn edition will feature Supplement Facts boss Guy Gerber, who will be taking off for his newly appointed Pacha Ibiza residency Wisdom of the Glove for the summer season. Additional special guests include queen of the underground Maya Jane Coles, Italian tech house innovator Davide Squillace, and underground stalwart from Berlin Bill Patrick. Did I mention Sasha?
I’m certainly not exempt from this categorization of a generation. Needless to say, I see it everyday. Just yesterday, we were discussing the change in internship attitude. When I was a ‘tern, it was stay later than your boss, do more than you’re asked, and never say no; Today, it’s leave at 5, do only what you’re told, and (no joke) a crazy amount of no’s. It’s a scattered, socially enabled generation. It’s a generation of a billion-dollar buyouts from a couch. Those who missed the tech bliss think we’re doomed, and those who are knee-deep in the socialization of thy self, can’t imagine a world without coded chaos and be a lazy-ass apps. So today, Joel Stein from TIME points out the facts: “The incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s now 65 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health; 58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982.” Read on… if you can focus for long enough.
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Travel Tuesday: The Bale, Bali.
Pavilions with pools and alfresco showers dot this sleek spa retreat, where the hip and healthy come together. The Indian Ocean is only minutes away, but it’s not really the main attraction at the Balé. This luxurious 29-pavilion retreat scores high on the hip factor, with its subtle attention to detail. Relaxation and decompression come easy here, especially at the spa, where world class yoga teachers share space with renowned healers. Geger Beach is within walking distance, but most guests prefer to stay on the property and lounge around the multilevel infinity pool, which has sea views. What’s your favorite Bali spot?
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