Dusting off my resolutions

Three years ago I set off on a journey to devise 37 resolutions with the intention of completing them all in my 37th year.

I made them up as I went along and deliberately had a good mix of fun and serious ones.

I planned to document my progress against each one, explaining why I came up with it, what I found out about myself by attempting it, or who I met or what experience it had led to.

I was also keen for people to contribute their ideas for resolutions to consider. Although I made no promises that I would actually do any of theirs!

Anyway I was reminded of Resolution 37 this morning. When I hobbled out of bed, my calf muscles aching from some rather enthusiastic dancing at the office Christmas party on Friday, I resolved to book a massage after next year's party. Note I didn't resolve to dance less.

One day I hope to finish the book that accompanies all my resolutions, but in the meantime here are the first ten with a little update on how I got on.

Resolution 1: 
My first resolution of my 37th year was to stop defining myself by what I'd achieved or what I may achieve in the future. Instead I wanted to define myself based on who I am and what I stand for. The rest would be a consequence of that, not the other way around. 

It is fair to say I've done my best to live by this, but it's not easy. It is one to keep reminding myself of like a motto.

Resolution 2: 
I asked the five people closest to me (my mum, dad, brother, wife and best mate) to write down what they'd like me to achieve in the second half of my life.

Kinda contradicts my first resolution, but hey ho. 

I initially got off to a slow start with this one but eventually had responses from my dad, my best mate and Becky. I still need to chase my bro.

My mum bought me a book called the Little Prince with clear instructions hidden within. And she told me to read Karl Jung.

My dad told me that for every one person like me who was creative and good at coming up with ideas there were ten people who like taking ideas and making them into something. It was a powerful thing to hear from a multi-award winning scientist, who if I'm honest I always assumed thought what I did was fairly meaningless.

My best mate in a roundabout way pointed out how my life from his perspective looked very fulfilled. It made me appreciate what I had.

And my wife told me I was good at making trivial situations fun for the kids. Sounds innocuous enough but at the time was the kind of compliment that would never have come out in normal conversation.

Resolution 3: 
I was going to start a blog called Resolution 37, subject to that name not having some dark hidden double meaning i.e. a dodgy far right group. I checked and the only reference I could find was to a UN Resolution from 1983 - http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/37/a37r037.htm  

I then went on to set up http://resolution37.me - feel free to go take a look. This blog has since taken over as it's mobile friendly.

Resolution 4: 
Bit of an odd one, but I wanted to sing in public while sober. I'm not a particularly great singer, but I figured it didn't really matter. I wanted to either join a choir, or find a reason to do a public performance.I've not done this yet, I have 'swung' in public while dressed as a sh*t Elvis but I was far from sober.

Yesterday I met someone at BCB's AGM who had told me about a choir in Saltaire who meet on Mondays. So who knows maybe this one has some legs in it yet.

Resolution 5: 
I would like to learn French. I knew this was the most unlikely of my resolutions, so I tempered it by saying I would learn enough French so as not to be embarassed speaking what little I know at every opportunity while in France.

Normally I speak English there, with the exception of  a few "mercis" and "s'il vous plaits".

Resolution 6: 
I will go and see Test Match cricket and go to the races. At the time I hadn't been to either before. Easy enough but the resolution prompted me to actually do it.

Resolution 7: 
Going plural shouldn't just be the preserve of captains of industry, so I resolved myself to find out what it takes to be a non exec director or to volunteer my professional services to a charity or good cause (PR/Comms dear, nothing else more racy), or guest lecture at my old uni. 

Quite pleased with this one. I did a guest lecture at my old uni. Volunteered with Age UK, and as of yesterday am a fully fledged trustee of BCB. I'm also a trustee of the Asda Foundation. Bosh.

Resolution 8: 
This one was under wraps at first as it was about taking a career break and going travelling with the kids, but I had to keep it quiet at first until my work colleagues knew.

Definitely been the biggest and best resolution as it has enabled me to do so many others.

Resolution 9: 
I want to get to know someone in their 80s who served in the war. I never really knew any of my grandfathers, my dad's dad died when he (my dad) was only 8, and my mum's dad died when I was young. I want to hear their stories first hand before it's too late. This is linked to Resolution 7 above. I'm volunteering with Age UK in Bradford now.

Resolution 10: 
Resolution number ten was to meet Roland Rat in person. I did it via Twitter instead. But was pleased nonetheless.

Twenty seven left to go.

The million dollar question. Would winning a load of money make you happier?

It is often said that people who win the lottery don't feel any happier in the long run.

A year after the momentous event rather than enjoying all the trappings of wealth they are quite miserable.

Whereas people involved in serious accidents who have been paralysed are said to be more content a year later, even though they have lost the use of their limbs.

It defies common sense. Money would surely aid happiness? Pay off the dreaded mortgage. Buy a car that works. Go on holiday without worrying about the looming credit card bill. Not to mention being daft with some of it. Ever wanted a billboard with your own face on it? Or to record that song you wrote when you were sweet sixteen? Or publish that book you've been writing for years.

How could doing all that lead to less happiness? 

Not being able to walk again would be truly awful. If struck down by such ill fate could you actually find happiness? Really?

Of course if you take the time to read the actual scientific research the findings are more nuanced than is often reported.

C'est la vie in a world tweets and soundbites I guess (I include myself in that world btw).

But the million dollar question remains. Would winning a load of money make you happier?

My aim is to raise $1m to put the theory to the test.

If my Kickstarter project is successful I will film a documentary throughout the year and work closely with Leeds University researchers who will monitor my state of happiness.

The entire process is designed to understand whether the act of suddenly coming into a vast amount of money makes you happier or sadder.

Will I feel the need to give it away, or be seen to do good with it? 

WIll I gamble some of it or try to make a quick buck by investing it in other things?

What impact will it have on my home life, and will I remain motivated at work?

Will my friends change the way they behave around me?

Will I attract lots of new 'friends'?

These questions and more will be answered. 

Don't under-estimate how big a risk I am taking by doing this. 

As it stands today I am a happy chappy.

I am married to a woman I love. I have two beautiful children. I even have a pet dog.

We live in a lovely house. I have good work-life balance and enjoy my job.

You could argue I couldn't be any happier.Therefore 'winning' a million dollars could have dire consequences.

It could change everything and upset the happy life I already have.

It is a risk I am willing to take for you though.

If I am sadder a year from now the only satisfaction I will have to cling onto is that the million dollar question will have been answered.

Please back me if you feel you can. And spread the word. Should my Kickstarter project get approved I only have until 23.59 on December 31st 2013 to raise the funds.

Wish me luck.

Things that don't work annoy me

In the past few days I've tried to see a GP, but failed to get an appointment. The phone is constantly engaged.

I've tried to use my credit card but been denied for entering the PIN I've always had. 

I've tried to retrieve a password for my Oyster card but the email never arrived.

And even tried to lodge a claim against a company that owes me money but got stuck when the postcode I submitted was spat back at me for not being in England or Wales. Err, Brighton is where exactly then?

As a result of all this inconvenience my temperature is rising.

My debt is rising too.

Where's the app for sorting all that crap?

Life was meant to be simpler thanks to all the mod cons we now have.

A secretary. A personal secretary. That's what I need. 

I can but dream.

In the meantime I have set my heart on reading Oliver Burkeman's latest offering The Antidote. Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking.

So far so good. A full review to follow in due course.

My review of Brand Vandals

Stephen Waddington asked me (and a few others to be fair) whether I'd review his latest book Brand Vandals.

He co-wrote it with Steve Earl.

I have to say first I'm not sure where he gets the energy and enthusiasm to do his high powered job, to commute from Northumberland to London, to be president-elect of the CIPR 2013, chair of the CIPR Social Media panel and to have recently co-written and edited Share This Too (which I had a small hand in) and be a really nice bloke to boot.

If he wasn't so lovely I'd have to dislike him out of principle for putting the rest of us slackers to shame.

Anyway I was flattered to be asked. But that said I'm no push over so this is my honest view.

Brand Vandals is one of those books that you read with some trepidation.

As you turn each page and approach each new chapter you're secretly hoping your organisation or brand has already considered every unfolding eventuality.

I found myself mentally ticking off examples from my own PR experience thinking through scenarios and case studies that could easily apply.

It prompted more than one or two emails to colleagues as I stress tested our own thinking and made me healthily paranoid once more. Which is a good thing.

The choice of interviewees quoted is spot on and add further weight to what is clearly a well researched guide to best practice in this area.

The authors clearly speak from a position of authority, but do so in a conversational manner that not only makes a serious topic more engaging but also mirrors the careful balance brands now need to strike. Wanting to be taken seriously whilst not being labelled so corporate and dull as to appear anything but human.

By mastering the art of humour, candor and humility I think Brand Vandals neatly talks the talk and walks the walk.

Copies will be duly ordered and left on the desks of those who could still do with the wake up call.

4 / 5

The power of boredom

I have a low boredom threshold. This used to be a problem. I'd wander aimlessly as a little boy desperate for some stimulation. Never satisfied with my own company school holidays were often a chore as I yearned to be with friends all day every day.

Now I have the internet of course.

I remember reading somewhere though that kids being bored was a good thing. And that parents should resist the urge to constantly entertain them or fill every waking hour with activities. The mind in a state of boredom is forced to overcome the impasse by being creative. Solving the ultimate mind game.

My most rewarding solution is to write. Often with no real idea what topic I'll cover. Like now. The urge to pen something without knowing what will come out is stimulating by itself.

To that end whilst my seven year old daughter was bored at the dinner table the other night, rather than resorting straight to her tablet and the array of mind numbing games I encouraged her to write a story saving it to Evernote as she went.

Below is what she created. Please excuse the typos, she's only seven after all.

This is a story about a boy and a girl who didn't have a family. 

Once in a small igloo there was a girl who lived with her brother and the were very lonely without a friend or relatives just brother and sister together.

The girl was called Rebecca and the boy was called Dominic. They lived in the north pole where It was very cold and It was a hard life there because the igloo kept on falling down.

Rebecca soon got fed up with the igloo and was convinced that they have to move to a different country and see if they  could find some one who can look after them.

Rebecca said that they should leave just that minute " your  totally right Let's go and see if we can find a Better place for us to live and be happy all our life." Said dominic.

They set out thinking all about the people who were going to be looking after them and hoped that they could be able to find somebody who is  very nice.

Chapter 2! !!!! 
They were very nervous about this but they did it they walked all across  country's not be able to find there way.
When they got to a country Rebecca said "
"Right now Let's look in this small house and see if we could find someone who can look after us."

Dominic nocked at the door a little noise came from the house! It came nearer and nearer and then a little , old women in a tiny apron and that was very wrinkley stept out the door.

Rebecca and dominic were amazed ! "I think it's time to run" Said dominic  wait said Rebecca she  might be nice I'll ask her if she can look after us.   Dominic you you say something to her ok would you  spare some time to look after us ? No go away" The door slammed shut.  There was silence for a very long time. "

Oh that didn't go well said Rebecca no it did not i think we're going to have to go and find someone else who might be able to look after me and you.

They set out again looking for another home to live in. Soon they came to a big house. Rebecca said that they should leave "Dominic we should go " but by the time Rebecca had said that Dom Burch his  knick name was all ready opening the ginormous door" wait" Said Rebecca suddenly they heard big stomps and and a booming voice" if you have come to complain about the people in my land then shoo ." We have come to see end if you can look after us. Said dominic. 

Chapter 3!!!!!!!!!!
"You need to be looked after Yes we do oh well come in I have a empty place in my heart and you two could end it all   so you  can look after  us? Yes thank you thats the first time eny one has ever said that to me really really .

So you will look after us ? Yes of course I will.  What shall we do first

Let's play a game a game yes have you ever been looked
after? no really really. Oh right  Well I'll teach you some things that you need to know.

(To be continued...)

The day Youtubers took over the world

Last week I witnessed a once in a life time event. It was a seminal moment in my fifteen year career.

It confirmed a hunch I've had for some time. PR has changed forever. The power has firmly shifted. And there's no turning back.

No longer is the mainstream media in pole position.

The new kids on the blocks are native to the digital age.

They are young, confident, professional and on the cusp of not only rewriting how brands must now manage their media relations, but they are also redefining the cult of celebrity.

Gone are the days of the manufactured star. That's not to say they won't continue in some form or other. But the new stars are real, authentic, what you see is what you get.

Their fans, followers or friends are just like them - in many cases quite literally like them.

They are accessible and open. They interact and engage. They actually care.

They flourish because of, not in spite of, their normalness.

They're not perfect. They're not always the most beautiful.

They are certainly not polished, or made up, or lit in such away as to mask their blemishes or flaws. There is no behind the scenes glimpses because there is no behind the scenes. Everything is up front.

And their influence is growing and growing and growing. 

As a result we're now at an interesting cross roads.

Truth is some people arrived at that junction a long time ago and the rest of us are just catching up.

We're slowly realising what has been happening right under our eyes in full view we just weren't looking.

But even those who claim they get it, that they understand the brave new world, when you pick away at it you realise they can't let go of what they are used to.

They are still wed to the world they / we grew up in. TV and press. Gossip and gander. Fake reality and falsehood and the awful self loathing it often created. They want to poach these digital natives and use them (literally use them) to prop up the world they are from.

No doubt some will be tempted. Ego will kick in and cloud their better judgement. But in my view the ones who don't cross the divide will conquer. Will win out.

In the new world of real stars connecting with millions of others like them, and I mean millions, national broadcasting is no longer the preserve of ITV or Sky.

YouTubers are now in charge of their own destiny. Content is still king. Yet the content is unscripted.

Yes it's often vanilla. Yes it's only relevant to a cohort of the population. But in the next five years that cohort will be the majority. They will be the young families with toddlers. They will be the ones with a voice. With an audience. With a tribe of like minded influencers.

The wave they are riding now signals a tsunami coming that could wash away the structures of mainstream media, rip up how we're governed, and sweep in a more inclusive, more healthy and more sustainable relationship between what we see and what is actually real.

The cynics will say that's all a load of bollocks. And even if I'm right it could still all go pop.

The media moguls may move in and gobble them up one by one.

My hope though is those days are gone. I look forward to telling my grand kids what those days were like and how odd they really were. 

Mind bending fun in Silicon Valley

What a week it's been over here in the San Francisco / Bay Area.

Every time I visit I get blown away by the endless opportunities, the innovation, the sense of excitement and if I'm honest the coolness of being at the centre of the digital universe right now.

Silicon Valley is a melting pot of great ideas, extremely bright people and big investors who are prepared to go big or go home.

Perhaps it never really went off the boil, but either way it feels supercharged at the moment.

Every day a new start up comes onto the scene or an incumbent like Google launches a new product.

Nothing stands still for long.

Just when you thought traditional TV was dying along comes a group of smart college kids to save the day, ripping up the rule book once again.

The culture of doing cool stuff that matters (a Google mantra we heard about yesterday) resonates strongly with me. It's infectious. You feel like you can change the world for the better out here.

It was also fascinating to hear a little about Google X - the top secret team behind the Google car, Google Glass and Google Loon.

Their mission is to solve a big problem with a radical solution and break through technology.

Designed to launch businesses not just come up with ideas they operate with a longer time line than most companies.

The Google car has been five years in the making and is probably five years from launch. The Google X team want to make money, they just don't know when. That's my kind of team.

So what have I seen and learnt this week?
Here are my top ten:

1. Digital watermarking could be game changing in retail. Watch this space. And that space. In fact just hold your phone up to just about anything in the future. Boom.

2. Want to find something in a store or in a museum or anywhere for that matter?  Analysing changes in the magnetic forces of the earth will help. Bit Star Trek that one.

3. Facebook is growing up. They appear to be maturing and have a real confidence in who they are and what they can deliver. Measurement and ROI are at the heart of how they now interact with advertisers. Custom and lookalike audiences are changing everything.

4. Twitter is about to explode (in a good way) with some really exciting developments up its sleeve. Sorry, not saying more than that in case I get in trouble. Coming soon though.

5. Cisco is far more innovative and leading edge than I'd ever assumed. They bent my mind yesterday in their innovation lab in San Jose. Goes to show the original tech firms are still in the game.

6. Toothpick ball run sculptures of San Francisco that took 37 years to build are cool. And meeting the inventor at the Exploratorium was super cool.

7. Baseball isn't boring. In fact it beats going to cricket or football. There you go I said it. Shoot me now and take away my passport.

8. Jake Bugg is really good for his age etc (damming praise) but not after drinking 12 beers and suffering from extreme jet lag.

9. The weather in San Francisco in October is perfect.

10. I absolutely love it out here but I miss my wife and kids and pet dog Max and am looking forward to getting home. I'm not looking forward to the ten hour flight in British Airways economy class. Every day low cost baby - it's the Asda way :)