Trailblazing

A cool game to find out your strengths and weaknesses

Being a Trailblazer requires you to understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. You need to understand where your strengths are so you can use them to build a successful life or business. And your weaknesses? Well either you decide to improve them if it’s important to your life (I ain’t good at technology related stuff but if I want an internet job, I think I best be getting better at this) or forget them if it’s useless to your overall goals (I’m a terrible singer but I’m not trying to be the next Vanilla Ice so who cares).

But here’s the thing. I can only figure out my strengths because I know how great I am, no weaknesses here. I’m kidding… sorta. But it is hard to determine what they are because how I see myself is probably different from how everyone else sees me. And it’s important how others perceive me because my trailblazing journey depends on working, networking, and helping others.

So here’s my game. Email your friends or hang out with them over a coffee (or a beer for more honest answers) and ask them to tell you your strengths and weaknesses.

Here’s an answer I got from one of my friends I emailed:

Collonius Best Qualities:

- Innovation: Clearing the table and making things his own, rather than trying to fit it into someone else’s formula.

- Presentness: Always “there” with you, being fully present in the conversation/ situation.

- Interested: Collonius always seems to find the good in everyone, even when everyone else is throwing tomatoes (eg. Dev Chevendra’s speech)

- Ballsy/Adventurous: BodPod, running DOWN the Grouse Grind, etc. etc.

Quality to Work On:

- Hmm. I honestly sat here for 20 minutes thinking, and then I had to “Save Now” for later.

- Three hours later, and still nothing. Maybe you’re perfect? ….Awwwwwwwww, snugglebunny.

- Hmm. Something you could work on.

- Strange. I think this is probably the part you were looking forward to the most, for self-development’s sake, and it’s something I can’t even come up with.

- Maybe…..? I honestly can’t think of anything. What you’re doing, who you are, the way you’re building yourself… it all seems to be going in a very promising direction.

- It sucks that I can’t think of anything, dude. What’re your thoughts on what you could work on most? You seem very well-rounded to me, brother.

- Strengthening ties with the family unit? Like with your mom/pops/Russ? I dunno – even that isn’t bad in any way – I think it might just be strained temporarily ’cause cash is temporarily scarce for you, and your pops is getting money-focused more recently… but even that you’re making headway with, so I can’t think of anything, dude.

My head was slightly swollen after I got this.

I asked another friend and she said:

Best Qualities: “You’re driven”

Quality to Work On: “Being transparent and authentic”

This is helpful. I thought I was a transparent person but maybe people around me don’t think so? This is definitely something I can work on because being both transparent and authentic is important to my life.

Whether this exercise inflates your ego or gives you some practical to work on, it will be interesting to see how the people in your life perceive you. So send out some emails and see what cool answers you get back.

My favourite blogs

10 months ago I didn’t read any blogs. I actually thought they were kind of stupid. Who spends so much time writing online journals? Isn’t there more to life?

And it wasn’t until 6 months ago after reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Crush It that I actually got excited about blogging. By this time I was following Seth Godin’s blog and loved his insight but that’s all that I knew about blogging. Now I was ready. Crush It sold me on the idea that blogs were important and even gave me the basic knowledge of how to start one. For four months I played around with blogging on two different platforms, Blogger and Tumblr. Yet neither blog had any direction and it caused me to experience blogging high and lows – periods of time where I really loved blogging and I would write all the time and periods of time where I hated it and avoided it like a 9 to 5 job.

I’ve learned a lot since then. Mostly from reading other peoples blogs and actually understand why I should be blogging and how to do it properly. Blogs have helped me on my Trailblazing journey and I guruantee they will help you, too. So let’s share our favourite blogs. I’ll go first:

• Seth Godin This guy is a guru on life. His focus may be marketing but damn does he have good life insight, too. I honestly don’t know anyone in the blogging world who doesn’t read this blog. Nor do I want to. So you should read it, too.
• Dan Pink My favourite author. His book “A Whole New Mind” changed my life and has given me the courage to be a Trailblazer.
• Escaping the 9 to 5 My current favourite blog. I have a strong feeling this girl is going places and it’s exciting to follow along. And as she learns at rocket ship speeds she offers helpful advice to me about starting a business that will change your life. Good for all aspiring entrepreneurs and those unsatisfied with their day jobs.
• Life Without Pants Matt Chevy is young, transparent, and knowledgeable. He blogs about life, business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and how to get rid of your pants.
• Jonathan Fields The minute I read his about section, I was sold. I even emailed my business prof his blog ’cause I thought it was so cool. Follow this guy for a refreshing take on life, adventures, and business.
• Penolope Trunk Penelope is definitely a Trailblazer. She’s bluntly honest, a little distracted, and sometimes full of herself. But that’s why you should read her. Instead of follow the normal way to blog, she defines her own way. And it works.
• Exile Lifestyle This dude just has a kickass story. Colin Wright travels the world doing 4-month stints in random countries that his readers vote on. Do you want to participate in sending Colin to his next location? You can vote on his website. Not only is his story kickass, but so are some of his products. I just bought “Networking Awesomely” and love it.

But here’s a tip: once you start following along with blogs, don’t be the creeper who just watches from afar. The whole point of blogs is to contribute to the conversation. Let the people know that you’re out there and that you like what they have to say. Or offer up an opinion that challenges what they say. Or just write a bunch of !!!!!! in the comment section. I don’t care what you do, just stop doing nothing.

So, what are your favourite blogs?

This is one of my long-term goals

This is an email I sent to Maren Kate of Escaping the 9 to 5 this morning. After I sent it I sat back and thought how cool it would be to receive an email like this. Imagine the smile it would put on your face. This is my goal. To inspire and help someone so much that they are inclined to send me an email like this: Continue Reading This is one of my long-term goals…

Put yourself out there

I just applied for an internship with Maren Kate from the blog Escaping the 9 to 5. I came across Maren’s blog a little less than a month ago when I searched Google for top Gen Y blogs. It took me a couple of weeks to even have a look at the blog but once I did, I was hooked. Content is top notch. Her writing is silently funny and to the point. And she’s cute as hell. Plus she’s a fighter. Well, a freedom fighter: “someone who pursues a life worth living and refuses to settle for anything else.” Continue Reading Put yourself out there…

How emotion can make you more influential and memorable

I was fooled. Fooled into believing that I was truly attracted to a girl I had met several weeks before. But as I found out earlier today, I wasn’t. Let me explain…

Erin was hosting a party for my roommate Aeron’s birthday. Erin was staying at her parents beautiful waterfront condo overlooking False Creek, a prestigious area in Vancouver’s Yaletown, the yuppie area of Van. Being fairly new to town and wanting to get to know my roommate and her group of friends a little better I willingly accepted. That Thursday night I had previously signed up to go to an entrepreneurial networking event and told Erin I would arrive shortly after 9. Continue Reading How emotion can make you more influential and memorable…

Since we’re such good friends, let’s shoot a porno

That was the title of the email.

I’m not kidding. Seriously… it’s a fantastic idea, so hear me out:

That was the first line of the email. Not a bad email to get on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, eh!

I’ve had several emails from people asking if I want to collaborate on projects, to write books, or to discuss the next big idea. But no one’s asked if I want to shoot a porno. But before I do, I need to find out if you would buy it – would ya?! Continue Reading Since we’re such good friends, let’s shoot a porno…

The $72/hr lemonade stand

Yup, you read right. A lemonade stand that pulled in an average of $72 per hour. For 3 days, two girls set up their lemonade stand for only 3 short hours each day. And in that 9 hours, they reached their goal of making $650+ to go towards their choir.

They must’ve been charging $5 a glass, right?

Wrong. Continue Reading The $72/hr lemonade stand…

Why you should share your ideas

“You have a responsibility to become more permeable…. You should share ideas liberally – if not for the sake of your own success, then for the sake of society.”

- Scott Belsky

Giving away your precious ideas may seem counter intuitive to some. What if someone steals them? What if you don’t get credit for them? Surely protecting them is the smart thing to do. Just look at Steve Jobs – he hoards all his ideas very close and Apple is extremely successful. Isn’t that what you should do, too? Continue Reading Why you should share your ideas…

Summer time and the livin’s easy. Pt. 1: One Week Jobs, Ken Robinson, and the book

I can’t even begin to explain how great life has been since moving back to BC and into Vancouver. There’s mountains, oceans, beautiful girls, and tons of festivals, including the annual zombie walk, to keep you busy.

But a lot happened before moving to Vancouver a little over a month ago… Continue Reading Summer time and the livin’s easy. Pt. 1: One Week Jobs, Ken Robinson, and the book…

Creating your Creative Environment

“Creativity is more likely in places where new ideas require less effort to be perceived”

– Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

All innovation begins with creativity. Creativity is the first step to being an entrepreneur and becoming a trailblazer. But are you maximizing your chances of being creative?

A 2009 article in Scientific American Mind points to research that shows ceiling height has an influence on your creativity. The lower the ceiling, the less creative you’ll be.

I know, I know – you can’t change your ceiling height. Neither can I. But the important piece of information here is that your environment matters. You think your ceiling height is the only thing that matters? Unlikely. Continue Reading Creating your Creative Environment…