I’m beyond excited to tell you about a new ebook that I had the privilege of contributing to, along with several other amazing people. If I Would Have Known Just One Thing is the brainchild of Shane Mac (aka @shanemacsays). In this free ebook, 30 leaders share one thing they wish they would have known…anything from the one thing they wish they knew when they started in business, to one thing they wish they’d known during a specific experience in their careers.

As a storyteller, I connected with the vision of the concept and jumped at the chance to be part of it. I love the idea of 30 people from all walks of life sharing the lessons they’ve learned along whatever path they’ve been on; and I love the fact that no matter who you are or where you’re heading, there’s something of value to be found in other people’s stories. So you should definitely check out the ebook and tell your friends about it. It’s really easy to share the whole thing or tweet specific pages if you find one you think your friends would resonate with.

If you don’t know Shane Mac, you should. I met him through another Twitter friend, Andrew, aka @wordpost (another contributor to the ebook, and also a really cool guy), and both Shane and Andrew are the kind of people you find on Twitter who go beyond simply tweeting at people. They both engaged in conversations with me and have been a source of encouragement and help when I needed it.

So make sure you check out my story from the ebook, and pass the whole thing on to your friends!

That’s the subtitle for the latest book from Seth Godin, Linchpin. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this book before it’s actually released (because Seth offered a limited number of pre-orders in exchange for a donation to the Acumen Fund and a review of the book). I’ve been a fan of Seth’s writing since Purple Cow. His thoughts on marketing, business, and life have challenged me and people that I’ve worked with for several years. So naturally, I jumped at the chance to read this book early, and am humbled to share my thoughts on it.

So of course, Seth doesn’t just want me to blow smoke about how wonderful his book is. So I really tried to read it with a critical eye…but honestly, I just found myself scribbling note after note, marking up page after page, and tweeting quotes that really jumped out at me. At the heart of the book is the message that we are all geniuses with the potential to create great things–to be artists rather than cogs in a machine. Though I’ve been writing (and getting paid to do so) for more than eight years, I’ve never much thought of myself as an artist. Seth really challenged me to look at everything I do–even the stuff that doesn’t feel like creativity or art–and figure out how to do it differently, better. And the reality is, with Seth’s definition of artist, no matter what you do or who you are, you have the potential to be an artist:

“Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done.”

See, artists are the linchpin in an organization. They’re the ones who are indispensable because they “bring humanity and connection and art” to the organization.

The thing that stood out to me the most in Linchpin was the point that Seth made repeatedly about how our culture has been teaching us to be cogs and fit into the machines that are the factories (read: corporations). And while at one point in time our country was based on factory work and cogs fit very nicely, today what a company really needs in order to survive are the people who do not fit into a neat and orderly system–the people who are willing to create new ways of doing things, challenge the status quo, and shake things up.

Honestly, while I think everyone in business (and especially leadership) needs to read this book, an even more important audience would be all the school administrators who continue to crank out the same plans to create the same cogs to fit into machines that no longer exist. It’s a new world order, and in this world the linchpins will be the ones who rise to the top.

It’s only appropriate that since I’m in the City That Never Sleeps, I’m awake at 3:40 am the first day of the MediaBistro Circus. It was totally a last-minute decision to come to the event, although every time I got an email with a new update about the event I was intrigued. For some reason, last week the email just seemed to speak directly to me, so here I am, in New York City (staying with my wonderfully gracious cousin, Joyce!), ready to be challenged and to learn a lot from the folks at the Circus.

I won’t be blogging from the event, although I will be tweeting, so you can watch my updates on this site or on my Twitter page. But at some point after the event I hope to sift through my thoughts and all the info to share some of the insights. At this point I figured I’d just mention a few of the parts I’m most anticipating:

• From Gutenberg to MovableType: Publishing’s Next Edition: I’m looking forward to this session, specifically as an author and as someone who has spent the last nine years marketing in the publishing world. As content continues to flow from every direction and readers can find what they want anywhere (or just generate it themselves), how can we as writers/publishers/marketers continue to offer compelling content and stay relevant as this world shifts?
• Marketing Renaissance: The Age of the Customer: I’m excited about this session because of the direct implications it can have on my business and how I can help my clients. The description for this one really speaks for itself: Social Media. Search. Customer Engagement. Word of Mouth. Authenticity. These terms are critical drivers in a new era of marketing and advertising strategies. This group of digital marketing experts will discuss how customer behavior is evolving around technology, explore emerging trends and business models that will shape marketing, PR & advertising in years to come.
• Branding, and more… Really, as I scroll through the schedule for the event, each session seems to offer something that will help my business or help me help my clients. It will get mundane if I continue to blather on about each of the sessions and their descriptions. Instead, I’ll take great notes and share insights with you when it’s all said and done.

Until then…

First, let me say that I’m not getting paid to say this. (Although, I’d happily work for Apple if they wanted me to!) I should also say that I’m not a techy geeky kind of girl. So for something involving technology to get me excited enough to blog about it, that’s sayin’ something! However, when I find something I like, something that makes my life a little easier, I like to tell other people about it. Especially as a busy, working mom, anything that saves me time or helps me with day-to-day stuff is worth shouting about! So here are ten reasons I love my iPhone…

10. The cute Paul Frank case my girls picked out for me. It’s rubbery, so each time I drop my phone I can trust it’s relatively protected…and it’s just cute!

9. The iPod comes in handy when I get to the gym & realize I forgot my iPod…or when I’m in the car and I’m tired of whatever CDs are there…or I’m sitting with a group of friends in a random place and the need for music arises.

8. YouTube on my phone! Not only is it great for those times you hear about something “everyone is talking about” and you just have to see it… It also comes in handy when you’re sitting with kids in a doctor’s office, or any other place you have to sit and wait with kids. Even just pulling up their favorite cartoon opening theme song/video makes everyone a little happier.

7. Game apps are great–espcially the FREE ones! My current addiction is Solebon Soletaire (specifically the Baker’s Game Easy), but I also love games my kids can play too, like “Catch A Mouse” and “Whack’em All!” (The only games I’ve actually paid for were for my kids. Again, the doctor’s office waiting rooms are a lot more manageable when they can be playing games and learning their letters & numbers while we wait!)

6. Twitter on my phone has connected me to the Twitterverse in a way my old phone could never do. As the owner of two different Twitter accounts, I use both TwitterFon and Twitterific on my iPhone. Honestly, I like them both (especially after Twitterific’s last update). There are things about each that I like better than the other, but they’re both good enough that I haven’t switched to just one app to manage all my twittering.

5. GroceryZen is one of the few apps I’ve bought. (What can I say, I’m cheap!) However, as a mom, wife, and business owner, this one is a time saver! I can create my lists and even email them to my husband when he does the shopping! I can input my own recipes, and with the click of a button, I can have the whole recipe on my shopping list. There are definitely ways I’d improve this app (and I’ve even emailed the folks to tell them how), but it’s a great app for my life.

4. The Zippo Lighter. Well, it really doesn’t improve my life at all, but when I’m showing people (especially older family members) the wonderful things my phone can do, this is always a big hit. Especially when I can flick my phone and open my lighter…and then turn it upside down and have the phone shake. It’s a real crowd pleaser and comes in handy at those non-smoking venues when you hear “Freebird” and really need a lighter.

3. The camera is great for so many reasons. First of all, the pictures are high quality, so I can actually do something with them besides look at them on my phone. Secondly, my kids love the scrolling action as you look through the photos.

2. Facebook. When the latest layouts for the new FB homepages came out and everyone was complaining, I had no idea what they were upset about since I have been using my phone’s FB app as my primary connection to FB these days. I rarely use my computer for it anymore. It’s just nice to be able to check in & see what folks are up to, and maybe update my own status from time to time…and upload pics!

1. Email. I can actually manage my inbox a little better since I can see my email on my phone throughout the day when I’m away from my computer. I can dump the junk, respond to immediate stuff, etc. For so many people who have had Blackberrys for the past few years, this is not seen as a new and exciting thing. But for me, whose last phone didn’t even have a camera in it, email on my phone is a godsend!

So there you have it. There are probably more reasons to love my iPhone, and I’m sure you have other reasons. I’d love to hear what you love about your iPhone & especially about your favorite apps. So let me know!