Conversation

"It is not what we learn in conversation that enriches us. It is the elation that comes of swift contact with tingling currents of thought." -Agnes Repplier

Day one of @EMCWorld is complete and day two is well under way. As I sit in the quiet, relaxing bloggers lounge, it contrasts with the hubbub of activity out on the floor. If you have ever been to a large conference, the number of people flowing through it can be overwhelming at times.

For breakfast most mornings, I liken it to the "Running of the Bulls". At times it seems like a narrow Spanish street filled with people and bulls running through it. Then again, I don't mean to say people are running in a mad rush of confusion. What I mean is the well directed funnelling of people into a huge banquet hall. It is an amazing feat to pull off the feeding 10,000 people.

And in that crowd of walking, picking up food, finding a chair, and eating, there is conversation. There are people talking to each other about a wide variety of subjects. Since we are in Las Vegas, many of those conversations revolve around how much someone won or lost in the casino.

Others will be giving introductions of themselves, the latest sporting event, and at a conference such as this, technology. In the high level view it may seem like just a lot of noise. But listen carefully and you will hear people connecting.

People are talking and sharing with each other. They are learning something new or reaffirming something old, but they are talking. Folks will gather new friends and also touch base with old friends. And each of these connections will advance each of us even further.

By connecting with others you gain new insight that will lift your life even higher. By connecting with others we give them something new in their life. By connecting with others we strengthen the human experience.

Connect with others and see how your life will gain from it. You may think you are adding to the noise when in fact you are actually adding to your life. Enjoy the noise.

Viva Big Data

"All this technology for connection and what we really only know more about is how anonymous we are in the grand scheme of things" -Heather Donahue

Coming to you live from Las Vegas this week at EMC World. A gathering of over 10,000 people that have one thing in mind, data storage. This the premiere technology event of the year and its going to be another great one.

The articles this week are not going to be marketing introductions or specifications on data. What I want to bring to you is the human element of the conference. The connections people make, the interaction of different people from all around the world.

Here we have the chance to take all of this social media and actually connect face-to-face with each other. Scary for some, intriguing for others, but the great thing is making those connections to other people.

I will be offering small updates by means of Twitter and Facebook, so check me out on Twitter @jprimm or Facebook Joseph Primm.

So Viva Las Vegas from @EMCWorld, the world of big data and lots of fantastic people.

Hang tight, I think I just saw Elvis....

Your Journey

"Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country." -Steven Wright

How you get to your destination in life can take many different forms. The road may be smooth or muddy. The wind might blow in your face or carry you in its arms. It is impossible to predict what type of journey it will be.

The point is to carry on with your journey. Make a choice to pursue your dreams, your visions, and your goals. How you get there is how you live your life. Know that you will never get there by allowing grass to grow long and tall around your feet.

So instead of standing still, I write this blog and books. Attitude in Words, Changed Lives, and Live the Journey were never meant to change the world. They were meant to energize my journey and help chart a course of advice for my children. The pleasant surprise became the impact my journey has had on other people.

The wake of our own life spreads to others far beyond what we would expect. That is what I find so amazing about our lives. The road we take to reach some destination is filled with all sorts of surprises. Some of those things will be (simply put) absolutely rotten. Other encounters will be truly delightful.

No matter what type of circumstances you encounter on your own journey, enjoy and learn from each of them. Holding regret and pain only keeps you in one place. It prevents you from moving forward to a new and better place for your life.

And while I am not the most inspirational or motivational person, I am a person that wants myself, my family, my friends and you to have a great life. It may not be the life you first envisioned, but it will be your best life.

Keep moving forward, whether it be in the old broken-down jalopy or cross country skiing across a very small country; your journey is and will be amazing.

Binary Choices

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." -William Faulkner

In my profession we deal in the exacting nature of how computers work. This world of laptops, smartphones, digital watches and most everything else is based upon two digits. A one (positive) and a zero (negative) is where it all begins, traverses and ends.

If I add two zeroes, I get a zero. If I add a zero and a one, I get a one. If I add one and one, I get ten. Have I started to make your head spin slightly?

The reason I was thinking about this had to do with a quote I have heard frequently. Without going into details of where the quote has been used, folks have been saying, "two wrongs do not make a right." And in a binary sense they are correct.

Each of us make decisions each day that will result in either good or bad. You might say that those lines are blurred, but only if you let them. We can choose to correct a wrong or compound it with another wrong. We make these choices all day long. We let someone merge into the busy traffic flow, we fudge numbers on our taxes, we hold a door open for someone carrying packages; we make binary decisions.

And this is not a race to see who ends up with the most points. It is about moving your life forward in a positive way. It means creating a better you with each decision you make.

Choose to make the right decision with every opportunity. Choose to make yourself better then whom you were yesterday.