I know… I know… I’m a natural.

Seriously though, after doing stand up a couple of times, I feel like I can speak in front of anyone, anywhere.

Stay tuned for my next performances, as well.

After reading the speech, I find it difficult to figure out what all the fuss was about prior to the release of the full text. Did people actually believe he was going to “brainwash” our country’s school children with his “socialist agenda?”

Come on people… This speech is about inspiration, talking to our nation’s young people about this land of opportunity and showing them that they are not alone in their everyday struggles.

We’ve heard about President Obama’s struggles growing up and he admits to not being perfect and to making some mistakes. Everyone in America can relate to that.

We’ve heard so much in the past few months about bipartisanship and the need to be on the same page for our country to move forward, but if we have half of the country questioning a measly speech to our children on the first day of school, how can we expect to grow?

The below quote is from today’s speech, but can surely be applied to not only the children of this country, but also the people who claim to be adults…

“So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?”

Imagine waking up every morning and asking yourself that question…

What is your answer?

When I was visiting him a couple of weeks ago, he received a letter from his home insurance company for the last 35 or so years saying that as of January of 2010, they will be suspending his policy.

Has he ever been late on a bill? Nope.

Has he ever bounced a check on the company? Negative.

So why would they be cancelling his insurance? It is added stress for a person who has enough to deal with as a senior citizen. For many senior citizens, day to day living can be difficult as it is, and added stress is totally unnecessary.

Add in the fact that Florida always gets hit hard by hurricane season and it would push any of us to our limit when hearing that our home owners insurance was being suspended (Grandpa’s insurance will not be up until January, but a hurricane or sever storm can hit at any moment)

Can this insurance company actually tell a loyal customer for the last 30+ years that they can’t help?

Guess what… They told him just that and didn’t help a lick.

Yes, it was nice of them to provide a Web site and phone number to call, but I think they owe more to their long time customers. Something as simple as helping their loyal customers find a new policy, vouching for them in terms of their good standing credit with the company or not sticking it to elderly customers in south Florida are just a few options.

So Liberty Mutual, get your act together and try not to leave your customers out to dry.

Especially my grandparents and their neighbors.

And one more question… is “responsibility” actually your policy?

I remember when my dad bought me Thriller when I was in 7th grade. I remember blasting it in the car coming home from Woodbury Commons after getting school clothes and loving it… Yea, Pac and Biggie were great at the time, and I love their music to this day, but Thriller is timeless.

We all have some memory of Michal Jackson. Him being the iconic childhood star in the Jackson Five, the barrier breaking “Black and White” video and many of his other hits.

As we mourn his passing, many of the news outlets are digging deep into his past. They’ll talk about his rough childhood, his “issues with the law,” and dangling his baby out of a four story window, but truthfully right now, all I want to hear is his music.

Michael Jackson will live on eternally on our iPods, stereos, and radios, and will be remembered as a true genius in the music world. His beats will be sampled for years, as they already have been, and everytime he is introduced to a new generation, it will be like we are hearing him again for the first time. Oh yea… he also revolutionized dancing.

Thanks for the memories, Michael. Your music has touched, inspired and influenced millions and we’re grateful.

What’s your favorite memory/song from Michael?

Here’s one of mine:

You may think you are dreaming but you aren’t. Charlie Murphy is in the building people!

He’s back as Leroy Smith, otherwise known as “The Man Who motivated Michael Jordan.”

You have to see the microsite that Nike put together for this. This one tops Lil Penny and the Lebron-Kobe puppets.

Keep it real, because Leroy sure as hell is.

Oh and by the way, the site was created to help push some merchandise for “His Airness,” Michael Jordan, who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

“Let the motivization begin!”

Well guess what? BusinessWeek has a whole section of their Web site dedicated to you.

I stumbled upon the site via the blog of Caroline Ceniza-Levine, a long-time executive recrutier, who I met a couple of weeks ago at an event with The Opportunity Network. At the event we gave advice to some bright college students, some grads, that were going on to their summer internships.

Caroline gives some great advice in this article, and there are some other interesting posts from Penelope Trunk, author of the blog The Brazen Careerist and career columnist at the Boston Globe and Dan Schwabel, an expert on personal branding, who actually gave me some advice via Twitter which inspired me to start this blog.

Listen to what these folks have to say. They know their industries inside and out and are seasoned vets, but they need our help too. They need to know if their advice is working and if not, what has worked for you?

Are you a Gen Y’er that landed a successful job recently? What worked for you?

Have you seen a “cupcake truck” driving around the city, yet? If not, don’t worry, because you will.

An old friend of mine from the good old days at Mark Twain Junior High School and Midwood High School, Lev Ekster, is a classic case case of a young entrepreneur doing his thing, just like my other buddies, Jed Hershkovitz and Ben Kessel.

He’s been written up in the New York Times, New York Magazine, CNN.com etc… and is already putting a “stake in the cake” of the NYC cupcake game.

Crumbs, Magnolia and Cupcake Cafe, look both ways before crossing. You never know when the Cupcake Stop truck will be roundin’ the corner.

Danielle makes a good point that we all can be creative at different times. Check out the examples in the post and in the comments.

People generate creative ideas first thing in the morning, just before they go to sleep, while exercising etc…

It takes a while to figure out the best environment and circumstances to generate creativity, but once you find it, it can be a key to many different doors for you.

When does the “idea fairy” visit you?

We are all on some sort of journey that makes us who we are. With every person we meet we can learn a different lesson and see a personality that is shaped by their past.

Just think about yourself. Who were your role models? What was the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life? Where have you been and where do you want to go?

We’re shaped by the answers to these questions, and we’ve learned lessons, skills, taken steps back and taken steps forward. Stop for a second and think about the amount of knowlege and experience the person sitting next to you may have.

I’ve met hundreds of people in my travels over the past few months and there is no way I can know all of them, but some stick out in my mind very vividly and taught me something about life. And you know what that is?

There are nice people out there in this world. Really nice people.

Am I saying that I trust everyone I meet and everything they say? Nope. Is everyone out there going to want to strike up a conversation with me?  I don’t think so (where is this clip from?)  Does it really make sense to talk to the guy that was screaming on the bus this morning when I was on my way home from the gym? Of course not.

But sometimes I may sit down on a plane or in an airport and for some reason begin chatting with a person I’m sitting near. Maybe it’s that you are in close quarters and you almost have to get along, but maybe we meet each other for a reason. Maybe we need to hear the things people have to say so we can learn.

It goes back to the principals of why we like social networking. We want to communicate with a vast amount of people (see this article for more details on the psychology of social networking).

Why not do it face to face?

Talk to the people around you. You may be working or sitting next to someone who has a lot in common with you, but dont realize it.

Who knows… You may find the Power of the Six Strip on your next departing flight, sitting right next to you.

Take it or leave it is what I say, but then again, this is coming from a guy who takes directions from Turtles.

Kinda looks like this picture, doesn’t it?