How well do we really know each other?  Well it’s my birthday and I’m turning 36.  I thought that I would give a glimpse into my life that some may not be too familiar with.  I actually wrote the list while I was out in Portland, OR last week.  It’s presented in no particular order.

photo taken at Timberline at Mt. Hood (Photo by Jesse Rowell Jr.)

36 THINGS YOU MAY OR MAYNOT KNOW ABOUT ME

1. I wanted to be an Astronaut or Baseball Player when I was growing up
2. I got robbed at gunpoint twice
3. I didn’t accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior until I was in my last 20′s
4. I went to school everyday but never went to class my freshman year of high school
5. I like people to use what they’ve got (don’t waste your talent)
6. I’m kinda stoic (blame my dad)
7. I get bored really fast with talk; I’m from the school of “so what are we going to DO.”
8. I believe in learning some things from experts
9. The earliest picture of me in a bow ties goes back to Kindergarden
10. In high school I did not get scholarship money as a senior because I wasn’t involved enough
11. I care about people
12. I “learned” a lot from being part of a Multi Level Marketing company
13. I have been working since I was 14
14. I like to think about, “What’s in it for them?”
15. I believe being exposed to different things makes a difference in how you see things.
16. Some say I’m picky when it comes to eating, but I think I just know what I like (and don’t like)
17. I’m not a big fan of wild animals and other peoples animals.  Ok, it’s less about being a fan and more about fear of being eaten.
18. I stumbled onto this thing called Life Coaching or as I like to say, “I found a label for what I always was.”
19. I love the ART of public speaking and helping others do it well
20. I have a masters degree in sport management
21. I could care less about the score, I care more about the impact sports has on individuals and groups in society
22. I worked with a stylist a few years back
23. I like beautiful things.  I know beauty when I see it.
24. I wrote a book
25. My secret purpose in life = Have my presence inspire greatness
26. I enjoy seeing 1st hand and talking with people as a source of information
27. If it wasn’t for my wife I’d probably live in a box.
28. I work at night doing something I’m not crazy about but I shaped it so it fits me.
29. I love solving problems
30. I used to be the youngest in the room on many professional occasions 
31. The Ambassador part of my name came from working with a mentor
32. Injustice makes me sad
33. Movies of people coming  from behind (like Rudy) get me all choked up
34. I’m sensitive to the human condition….I guess you can call it empathy
35. I’m a former athlete and don’t like to be in the gym; i’d rather have an active lifestyle
36. In 5 years I would like to have 2.5 children (1 boy and 1 girl)

Thats it for now.  Stay tuned for the extended remix revision that gives those who are interested a deep look into the 36 things I listed above.  Anything surprise you?  Anything you want to know more about?  Just ask a brother. 

THIS IS WHERE I SHAMELESSLY ASK FOR A GIFT

One of the things that is not directly captured above is my love for giving.  I do it in all kinds of different ways but for this birthday I’m giving by donating my birthday to Charity Water.  That means I’ve made a donation and I’m asking all my friends (yep, all of you who will wish me a happy birthday on Facebook) to consider donating my age ($36) or anything else you can.  It’s the gesture that counts more than the amount.  It goes to a great cause, it will be a great gift to me and others.  She more on my giving page here: http://bit.ly/brunybdaygiving 

Just in case I didn’t say it before; I appreciate you!

As always my goal is to help you Run the Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador,

Bruny

The video above tells you about why I’m giving my birthday (you can donate as well….please at: bit.ly/brunybdaygiving ) and 20% of my 2013 bow tie collection revenue to Charity Water.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE CHARITY WATER?

One reason I’ve made the decision to give to Charity Water is hearing the founder speak at a conference last year.  But after personally experiencing running out of water during a recent over night hiking trip, I have a new appreciation for what it means to have clean water. 

The cool thing is, you can help too.  Just go to my personal site that I’ve created at Charity Water: bit.ly/brunybdaygiving and you can help me reach my goal of raising $3600 for my birthday.

 HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE CAMPAIGN AMOUNT?

Campaign number of $3600 is the birthday amount I’m striving to reach (“YES,” I was the first one to actually donate).  My birthday is on May 9th and I will be turning 36.  I figured if I could get  100 people to donate $36 (my age) we could easily hit the goal and help bring clean water to people in Africa. 100% of your donation goes towards the water project. 

Thank you.

As always my goal is to help you run the point (take action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador,

Bruny

My buddies @ThisBrianShea and @Go4Joel_ imitate the ending of my videos.  How did they do?  Can you do better? 

As always, my goal is to help you Run the Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador,

Bruny

Video Link: http://youtu.be/fmY4iCFSHws

The Overview

We had 10 people show to our Icarus session last Wednesday and had a great time share.  Just in case you missed the last post telling you what the sessions where all about, you can find it HERE.  Here are a few pics from the event:

The Tear Jerker

If you are familiar with Seth Godin and his work around being an artist, you know that he does not use it in the traditional sense of the word.  That can be problem for some people.  That was the case with this message / interaction we had with a potential participant before our first event.  Here is a copy of the dialog (shared with the permission of all involved):

Now with such an exchange you would probably be a little hesitant to see this person sign-up to actually show up to your event.  We are glad he did.  Well, “why?”  

The answer to why is that Neil was an awesome contributor, asking great questions and providing feedback to the folks after their 140 second presentation.  Also, Neil decided to join in and give his own 140 second presentation which became with:

I almost cried.  Here I was being fearful about what was going to happen instead of embracing the possibility of what could happen.  Thanks Neil.  

What’s Next

The group of 8 (a few people had to leave early) sat around after everyone gave their talk (it was pretty cool that everyone gave a talk) and discussed what’s next and what this could become.  We spoke about having a meeting where people can come without the pressure of trying to sell anything and instead bring their whole self.  A gathering where we could talk about anything and provide feedback, guidance and support to one another–That does not exclude business, it just doesn’t always have to include it.

The folks who put on the event will be getting together to recap how everything went and see, what went well and where are the opportunities for improvement and go from there.  If you are in the Shrewsbury, MA area join our meet-up group to keep informed on what’s going on.  The link is here for you: http://bit.ly/shrewsburyicarus

A special shout out to Neil for letting me share his story.  Learn more about him below (click on the picture to be taken to his website):

As Always, my goal is to help you Run The Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador,

Bruny

I See You

At some point you have to stop hiding.  You have to acknowledge and find a way to express that thing that is inside you.  That thing that makes you an Artist (not in the traditional sense of the word) is what the world needs and you have an opportunity to share it at what is known as an Icarus Session.  It’s based on Seth Godin’s latest book, “The Icarus Deception.”  The video below tells you more about the sessions that are taking place at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, January 2) all around the world.  I’ll be hosting one with a few friends in my local area (Shrewsbury, MA) and invite you to come out to ours or the one in your local area.  You can find out more information at this site: http://www.meetup.com/sethgodin/

This video breaks down what it’s all about.

Video Link: http://youtu.be/vdxTLFTjCt0

As always, my goal is to help you Run the Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador…to Art

Bruny

“Thank you” to my friend Tony Brogna for sharing this funny and fantastic TED talk video by Shawn Achor.

I can get engrossed in building my business while working a full-time job and miss things that are right in front of me.  I get the feeling that happiness is something that comes after success–I don’t totally believe that, but boy do I act like it sometimes.  The video below challenges that notion and gives us an exercise that we can take on for 21 days to help us make a shift in our happiness and our performance.  

Below the video are some of the quotes I thought you would like and information on the exercise from the video. 

Favorite Quotes

The Challenge

2 minutes a day for 21 days in a row can change your life.  Are you up for the challenge?  Let me know in the comment section below.  

As always my goal is to help you, Run the Point (take action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador…to Happiness.

Mike Ambassador Bruny

What Happened After Brand Camp

The day following Brand camp U in Boston a small group of Blacks in Tech got together for breakfast and it was all sparked by the visit of Hajj Flemings.  The video below tells more of the back story and the connection it has to the day Steve Jobs died.

 Just in case you can’t see the video above, here is the link: http://youtu.be/kg-mEnp6PcI?hd=1

In the video I talk about pulling together a meet-up despite not having all the resources needed to make it happen.  What did I do?  I leveraged the resources I did have– my charm and boyish good looks.  On a more serious note, I reached out to people I thought may be able to help.  Some I knew and some I didn’t, but the mission was bigger than my fear to reach out.  The end result?  A group of pretty cool people got together for great conversation and the creation of some lasting friendships.

Found the video helpful?  Don’t forget to leave a comment.  I’d love to hear how you pulled something together despite not having all the resources needed.

As always my goal is to help you Run The Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador,

M.Bruny

I Thought You Would Enjoy This Case Study 

This case study is form my Conference Networking site, “The New Art of Conference Networking: #Hashtags to Handshakes.”  In it you will find 3 lessons that you can apply to your own networking situation.  Leave a comment and share with someone if so moved.  Here is the short link: http://bit.ly/casestudybrandcampu

As always my goal is to help you Run The Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.

Your Ambassador,

M.Bruny