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Think about it: Who are the consequential strangers in your life?

Today was the first I have heard of the new book Consequential Strangers: The Power of People Who Don't Seem to Matter. . . But Really Do. NPR just posted an excerpt from the book and, after reading it, I thought some of you might want to know about the concept of "consequential strangers." From the excerpt:

When humorist Joel Stein, a regular contributor to Time magazine, read the proposed 2006 list of influential people, he decided his editors should "get out of the building more." Chinese businessman Huang Guangyu, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, and Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere meant nothing to him. "What about people who actually affect us?" wondered Stein in his annual sendup of the Time 100.

He created his own list of 100 people who mattered to him. The "Joel 100" included his lawyer, his CPA, his renter, the man who delivered his bottled water, and the couple who sold him his house. Time included his list with Time 100. A few weeks later, a 75-year-old man wrote to Time to say he had been inspired to write a list of his 100. And eventually Consequential Strangers was published.

Who are consequential strangers?

[T]the countless everyday people who touch our lives and influence us personally.

...

They range from long-standing acquaintances to people we encounter on occasion or only in certain places. They cut a wide swath across our lives, and yet each is linked to us in some way and fills a specific need.

On the book's Web site is a testimonial about the book from Mark Granovetter:

This welcome antidote to hand-wringing about the “loss” of community and social ties shows in rich detail what a diverse and complex social tapestry we weave. Drawing deftly on both recent scholarship and riveting personal stories, Consequential Strangers pulls together the many social strands that other works distort by viewing one at a time. Neither mindlessly upbeat nor morosely glum, this is the essential guide to navigating our new twenty-first century social waters.

My reading list is growing daily. I think I will put this one near the top.

Buncha short, inspirational movies for you

They are here.

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Image credit: Image*After.

Grit, so important these days, is the focus of current edition of IN CHARACTER: A JOURNAL OF EVERYDAY VIRTUES

The Spring 2009 edition of In Character is the Grit Issue. I did not read all the articles but I am very glad I read those I did. Click on over and sample what you see. Tenacity, perseverance, hard work are all important and you will learn more about those states and traits in this Journal.

In Character has focused on other virtues in past editions. Examples:

• Courage
• Justice
• Purpose
• Loyalty

Click to see all the back editions of In Character.

Jackson went from lawyer to billionaire as wine industry patriarch

From "Wine industry patriarch still in full stride - Under Jess Jackson, Kendall-Jackson has grown from a small vineyard to one making 3.8 million cases yearly" (Los Angeles Times):

When Jess Jackson coaxed his family into helping crush a load of grapes some 25 harvests ago, he had no clue he was about to create one of the nation's largest wine empires.

"I was attracted by the lifestyle. I wanted to get away from law and become a farmer," said Jackson, a former property rights attorney from San Francisco.

Most of you have likely heard of his winery Kendall-Jackson? (His first wife was Jane Kendall.) He has done well since leaving the practice of law.

By volume, the company is now California's eighth-largest wine producer, according to Jon Fredrikson, a Woodside, Calif., wine industry analyst. But more important, it is one of the most profitable, he said.

Kendall-Jackson's Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is now the bestselling wine in U.S. food stores based on dollar volume ... .

Jackson has held many jobs in addition to lawyer. From "Chardonnay Crusader" (Food & Wine):

Before practicing law, he worked as a lumberjack, an ambulance driver, a policeman, a longshoreman, a teamster, a carpenter's apprentice and even a candymaker. "I made peanut brittle and those little mints with the green things in 'em," he says, laughing.

What motivates him?

"We are not looking for quarterly profits," Jackson said. "We want something to hand down to the next generation."

Denver musical Bubs accepted by New York's fringeNYC

Songwriters Doug Olson and Cy Frost got word this month that their musical Bubs (photos and reviews at that link) was chosen to be part of this year's fringeNYC in Manhattan. Click to see a short video about Bubs. The musical was one of only 200 chosen from 5000 entries. Congratulations to the writers and the fine cast.

It was at this festival that Urinetown! The Musical attracted its producers. From the festival, it went to Off-Broadway, then Broadway. The musical was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won 3.

fringeNYC runs during the last two weeks of August. I hope many of you will see Bubs. You can bet I'll be there.

"10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession"

Lots of old wisdom but some new research supporting it. From "10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession" (US News & World Report)

How can we truly feel happy right now, in this moment when our 401(k)'s and house values are tanking? When our jobs are threatened or already lost? U . S . News posed this question to leading happiness researchers to find out what tools we can employ to stay upbeat in gloomy days. While it's true that some lucky folks are born with sunny dispositions, others, according to the latest studies, can learn to be happy. How? "We need to move away from the concept of trying to fill our days with frequent pleasurable moments and fewer negative moments," explains Todd Kashdan, a professor of positive psychology at George Mason University and author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. "What truly provides satisfaction is having a meaning and purpose in life, which is doubly important in the midst of this current economic nightmare." Ten other secrets:

Click to read the rest.

Something else uplifting on Easter: The movie THE WAY WE GET BY and the grace of "showing up"

Have you watched the trailer for the inspiring movie The Way We Get By? ("sometimes all it takes is a handshake to change a life").

From "‘We Get By’ with a little help from our friends" (Bangor Daily News):

“The Way We Get By” is the story of [Jerry] Mundy, Bill Knight and Joan Gaudet, three area residents who have become involved with the troop greeters since passing retirement age. All three have their own life struggles that are portrayed in the movie, but they continue to greet troops in part because of the boost it provides in their own lives.
...

“I think the troop greeters really helped to set the tone for the entire country,” he [Maine Gov. John Baldacci] said, referring to supporting troops without necessarily supporting the war. “They really represent each and every one of us.” U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud has been to BIA [Bangor International Airport] several times to watch the troop greeters in action and also attended Thursday’s premiere.
...

Asked what message he hopes people get from “The Way We Get By,” [Director Aron] Gaudet said: “I hope it inspires people to get involved in their community.”

And from "The Way We Get By: Movie Review (2009)" (Week in Rewind/Movies):

Aron Gaudet’s terrific documentary, “The Way We Get By,” explores the best of Maine, certainly the best of those who reside in the Bangor area, and it does so with such skill and insight into the human condition, it’s no wonder it’s winning awards, from a Special Jury Award at the influential SXSW film festival to recently winning the 33rd Cleveland International Film Festival.

...

The movie focuses on events that continue to take place at the Bangor International Airport, where dozens of troop greeters have greeted nearly one million troops since 2003 as they return from or leave for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the wrong hands, exploring such a topic could have been sentimental dreck. It could have been mishandled. It could have been overbearing.

It's none of those things.

Have you and your firm asked these five questions?

These questions are richer than they may seem after just a first reading. Spend some time with these questions presented by Margaret Wheatley in an exclusive for the Berrett-Koehler blog. They have a depth and breadth that I find rare in this age of lists of questions that often hold little value because they are obvious or in the style of Mother Bloggers.

Excerpt from the post containing Wheatley's questions:

Margaret Wheatley is an internationally known bestselling author who has spent a lifetime studying the nature of human interactions and the impact they have. In an exclusive for the BK Communique, she contributed the list below for the five conversations she feels we must have with ourselves as well as with others for the sake of our future:

...

2. How can I cultivate curiosity rather than judgment? It’s not our differences that divide us, but our judgments about each other. Are we willing to be curious to listen to the stories of those we’ve distanced ourselves from?

3. What is my role in creating change? We can no longer wait for leaders or laws to create the changes we need. It’s up to us, and it’s the only way the world ever changes--when a few friends start talking. Am I willing to assume the responsibility for creating the changes I want to see in the world?

Click to read the rest of The Five Conversations We Need to Have Right Now.

New book: Another one on designing your own funeral

Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow is what the title says: A book on how to plan your end-of-life event. Since I have written a book on that topic too, I like to follow what comes out on funeral designing. When I wrote my book over a decade ago, many people thought I was eccentric at best. Now that boomers are getting a tad bit older, I am guessing we will see more create-your-own-funeral books being published.

Click for a list of benefits of planning your own funeral.

Read an excerpt from the new book at "Funky funeral? ‘Recipes’ for your remains" (msnbc.com).

Note (added January 27, 2009, 11:30 AM Mountain): The book's Web site.

Wishing everyone a good Epiphany of 2009: What's Epiphany?

The dictionary definition of "epiphany" includes: "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience."

In the Christian tradition, Epiphany (January 6) is the 12th day of Christmas and the day on which the Three Kings or Wise Men visited the baby Jesus. They brought the child gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold symbolizes power, frankincense signifies strength or divinity, and myrhh mortality.

I use this day as the one on which to plan the coming year. In tearing open and laying bear these words drawn from the meanings of e/Epiphany:

• Intuition
• Essence
• Simplicity
• Wisdom
• Power
• Strength
• Mortality

I try to remain open to new insight to guide me through 2009. January is one of my most cherished days of each year. Today may you have a good e/Epiphany, if you so desire. No matter what else January 6 brings you, have an exceptional day.

Image credit: pixblix.