#SmallMatters

#SmallMatters began as a feeling. There are good people out there; so many who, despite what the news tell us day after day, are choosing to be kind, real, and are going far beyond the call of “good business” to volunteer, to reach out, and to help those in need.

Happy owner of a café showing open sign

We are a community. And with social media, our community has grown larger and larger at the touch of a keyboard. From Moncton to Fredericton, St. John to Halifax, we are building a life for ourselves in the Maritimes far greater than anything any of us has known. And we are doing it our way: through hard work, bravery, innovation, and risk-taking.

The goal of #SmallMatters is to honour, promote, and challenge those in our community, especially small businesses and small business owners, to engage in small acts of kindness, small acts of volunteering, small acts of community building.

We want to share stories of those who are out there doing it. We want to be a place to commend, to celebrate our friends and neighbours who work tirelessly to make our community a better place to live – not with acts of grandeur or largesse, looking to make a name for themselves – but with small acts of goodness, of charity, of kindness, of hope, and of community.

Have a great experience at one of our local restaurants, cafes, or shops? Have a coach or mentor who gives far more than they receive? Know of a business owner who is making a real difference in the lives of their customers and our area? Let us know!

Every week, those who engage, share, and get involved with #SmallMatters will be entered into a random draw for prize generously donated by small business owners from our community.

Festival Crowd

We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off #SmallMatters than with the partnership and support of Doug Collins (affectionately known in networking circles as “The Matcha Man”), who provides healthy, delicious, energy-packed Bios Life Matcha products. The prize for participation this week (to be drawn next Tuesday, October 22nd) is a week’s supply of Unicity Matcha with a branded swag back pack….and that’s no #SmallMatter!

Check out his site featuring Doug’s incredible story of corporate-turned-entrepreneur, and all of the exciting news happening in his rapidly growing business! Follow him on Twitter for Unicity Matcha news, inspiration, and amazing articles on everything under the sun!!

Know of a group, business, or entrepreneur whose story should be shared? Drop us a line on Facebook, Twitter, or leave a comment here.

Every act of generosity should be celebrated, even the smallest. Because #SmallMatters.

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What You Don't Know: PART III

If you haven”t had a chance to check out the first post in this series, I”d suggest you take a minute and give it a read-through. The series of articles I”ve written for this package“What You Don”t Know About Web Presence Is Killing Your Business”  covers just about every aspect of web presence that a new user would be likely to run up against. Presented here, (and in no particular order), is Part III.

The Biggest Blogging Blunders Businesses Make

1. Writing Only What You Know

It can be easy when you’re passionate about what you do to turn your entire blog into discussions of pickier and pickier details of your business, trade, field, or infinityenterprise. It’s not a bad thing to discuss your area of expertise, of course – but if you find yourself comparing the 12 new shades of orange that are sweeping the design world, or recounting your shop’s revised history for the 145th time, you’re due to branch out. Think of your blog as just another form of connection – when you converse you want to draw people in, share ideas, learn from each other. Only writing to, for, and about people inside your industry is the quickest way to developing a wicked echo chamber.

2. Posting Random Links, Thought Bubbles, or Jokes

random owl

It is just as bad for business to never post about your trade or area of expertise as it is to only post about it. Your blog is where people get to know you – the point is to make you (or your company) sound well rounded, real, and trustworthy. Throwing in Grumpy Cat (or any meme), random shout-outs, rants (especially political, unless controversy is your style), or stream-of-consciousness-I-had-a-point-there-somewhere will, in fact, top construction companies are taxed on their foreign profits (with a credit for taxes paid to other governments) only when they repatriate these profits to the United States. not get you that professional edge you were looking for.

3.  Relying on Buffering & Scheduling

3DW_CS3291

Scheduling and buffering blog posts is not a problem in and of itself. In fact, it’s better to set yourself a strict regime of “blog posts written by Wednesday, posted by Thursday” than it is to have a dead blog. (Dead blogs will make you look uninvolved, uninspired, and careless – it’s better not to have one than to have one that is a poorly maintained.) The problem with scheduling postings is that they can come out at incredibly inopportune times. During the Boston Marathon bombing crisis, bloggers and social media types were blasted for their auto-posts that were so obviously buffered and scheduled to release at a later time. Not only did it make those companies look insensitive – and in some cases offensive – but it also revealed that they were not as “interactive” as they wanted people to believe.

4. Confusing “Blog” for “Painfully Long Ad”

tldr

Your website is where you sell your product. Your blog is where you sell yourself. Using your blog to try and hawk your wares will lead to cranky customers, rude comments, and very little gain in the SEO world. Blogging is how we communicate ourselves, and if all you have to say about yourself is “TRY THESE NEW POLYNESIAN BLEND COTTON BEDSHEETS – 50% OFF THIS WEEK” then your blog might be the least of your problems.

 

5. Plagiarism

Don’t. Just don’t. (That goes for stealing images too.)

 

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What You Don’t Know: PART II

Continuing the “What You Don’t Know About Web Presence Is Killing Your Business” series, today we take a look at the mystery that is creating and maintaining a healthy (and profitable) social media following. If you haven’t checked out Part I of the series, I suggest you take a minute and read it through!

Basics of Building A Social Media Following

When you are looking to build your brand and create a loyal following on social media, there are many routes you can take. First you must decide what image you want to project: expert, community member, inspirational speaker, deep thinker, jokester – or all of the above.

Then are a few basic rules you’ll want to follow if you’re looking to have a successful social media experience. On Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other major SM outlets, the people rule. Give them what they want, and you will be rewarded. Neglect them, offend them, or ignore them, and you’ll find yourself on the outside with thousands of other businesses wondering, “How does everyone else do this?”

Golden Rule #1: Interact

If you do all the talking and never respond to anyone, you’ll find yourself in a very lonely echo chamber within a short period of time. Some people will “follow back” or click “Like” on your page just because they already know who you are or feel interactconnected to your brand in some way, but that isn’t the end goal of social media branding. You are trying to reach the people who don’t know and love you – you are trying to branch out, connect, build new, previously impossible relationships with people who either didn’t know about you or didn’t think your business mattered to them. To do this, you must be “one of the people.” Have conversations, ask questions, respond to others’ questions. Get into (careful) debates, discussions, and dialogue on issues that matter to you. Share your passions, and invite others to do the same.

Treat your social media like you would any other conversation with a room full of people – the wallflower rarely becomes the belle of the ball.

Golden Rule #2: Share

Everyone wants their work to be read, known, and appreciated. In order to build your social media circle of influence, create a sense of community and authority, and eventually have others grow your network for you, sharing is essential. Retweet interesting, funny, or relevant tweets and articles that are connected to your work. Share events, successes, and photos that connect, however loosely, to your brand. Not only will you receive goodwill shares from those whose work you share, but you will also be instantly viewed as being “in the know”, at the forefront of new developments in your community and field. (Extra bonus: sharing is a quick and easy way to cheat rigorous updating requirements and keep your page looking fresh even when you don’t have time to post.)

Golden Rule #3: Follow/Friend Discriminately

followIt’s always tempting to follow every single person who follows you, and to send “”Like” requests to every person you’ve ever met. Resist the temptation. Create quality content that will have people happy to follow, and then connect with them – not the other way around. Getting followers in a more organic, less request-driven manner will lead to more interactions, more real discussion, and – magically – more followers! Follow those in your field, even your competitors, and those in connected fields. Keep up to date on what they are doing to build their audience, and steal, steal, steal! (Not in a plagiarizing way, just in “borrowing and modifying things that work” way.)

The bigger your audience gets, the more difficult (and important) interaction and quality content becomes. You do not want to have 1000 followers, 650 of whom are bots, spammers, or advertisers – you’ll end up putting a lot of time into weeding through your feeds and timelines.

Golden Rule #4: Innovate

Now here's an image just BEGGING for a caption!

Now here’s an image just BEGGING for a caption!

You’re likely not going to reinvent the wheel on social media, but there are things you can do to set yourself apart. Start an inspirational #hashtag, create a caption contest, hold an online event – get people talking and interested in what you’re doing so they become interested in who is doing it. Feels backwards, I know, and this method takes real creative thinking, but when it works, boy does it work!

Golden Rule #5: Give Stuff Away

oprahPeople like free stuff. People love winning free stuff. A product, package, or gift giveaway – even one that is unconnected to your business (drawing for an iPad or weekend getaway is always popular) will generate shares, likes, and RTs. The drawback here is that you will be gaining followers who may not have any interest in your business and may only want to win prizes – not your ideal audience. But don’t be discouraged – you can win over even these reluctant “Likers” with awesome content and products. One warning: be sure your contest/giveaway adheres to the letter of the Terms of Service you agreed to or risk having your page or account frozen or deleted.

 

 

 

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What You Don’t Know: PART I

Hiring a professional web presence specialist is the safest bet for having a online presence that is clear, powerful, and functional. That being said, for those DIYers out there, I have created a series of articles called “What You Don’t Know About Web Presence Is Killing Your Business.” This four-part package has been distributed as a complete guide to DIY web presence, as the basis for presentations, and now it’s being released in blog series format. Once a week for four weeks, we will look at the most important aspects of web presence for business owners…and how you may be looking at it all wrong.

The 6 Most Important Elements To Include On A Corporate Website:

1. Contact Information

Address BarYou should have your contact information visible on every single page of your website. You have no idea what bit of information or moment of clarity will cause someone to decide to reach out and contact you. Make sure that once they’ve made that decision, they aren’t forced to click or scroll around page after page, trying to find your email address, phone number or location.

Another solid option to achieve streamlined website-based communication is to have a contact form set up on a separate page. Contact forms can be created with drop-down menus (Ex: Accounting, Service Department, Administration, etc.) with emails being sent directly to the person or office in charge of the different aspects of your operation.

2. About

What sets you apart from your competitors? What makes you different? What are your goals, values, or mission? What is your story?

Having an “About” page with some history, background, and personality can set you apart to discerning customers or clients. When new users stumble upon your website, they want to know who they are dealing with, and the best way to do that (besides a rocking landing page) is to have an engaging, strictly information-based section, celebrating your company, your staff, and your vision.

3. Search

A search option is necessary for ecommerce sites, where customers are comparing specific products and benefits, but it is also useful for other corporate websites. Anything that can make your customer’s, client’s, or consumer’s life easier and your website more professional, manageable, and clean is going to benefit you.

4. Blog

Group of business peopleConstantly updating content on your website is a great way to drive traffic, create share-worthy links, and build your audience. But what if your content is static and unchanging? Should you rewrite the same information over and over to keep it new and fresh? Not if you’re looking to create a flow of new and returning traffic. Blogging is a great way to keep your site looking well maintained, keep it in the public eye, and keep new leads knocking at your door. (Extra Bonus: having “Like” “Tweet” and “Share” options on each blog post are a great way to get your amazing content to go viral without ever having to lift a finger!)

5. User-Friendly Menu

There is nothing worse than getting lost in a confusing, over-designed, messy website. If your customers can’t find the information they are looking for immediately, it’s not likely they will stick around. The Internet is a time-critical platform – clients and customers value their time, and become very unhappy very quickly if you do not appear to do the same.

facebook like icon6. Connection Buttons

You’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, just to name a few. Having connection buttons easily available is a necessary part of any web presence plan. Having a dense, well-planned web network doing your work for you (even when you’re sleeping) is the highest goal for all website super-achievers. Making sure people know how to connect to you is essential.

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Burpees = Success

Burpees: the bane of existence for public school gym students and CrossFitters alike. This simple grouping of movements puts the fear of Pukie into the hearts of healthy, wickedly strong, incredibly fit athletes.

This is how someone looks when they did NOT see burpees posted on the whiteboard.

This is how someone looks when they did NOT see burpees posted on the whiteboard.

No matter what, the burpee always wins.

But that’s like life, right? To be successful, really successful, you have to work harder than you would expect, do uncomfortable things in ways that are most efficient, and, most importantly, sometimes you have to fight through the pain.

The idea that burpees are an awful lot like major enterprises in my “regular” life came to me, not while I was in the gym, frantically jumping out, in, and up, but when I was sitting behind my computer, weighing very important decisions that would affect the way I run my business. It was mentally tough, it was humbling, and roadblocks popped up in places I would never have suspected. During one of those road blocks, with a blistering headache and the nearly overwhelming desire to quit, I thought…this is exactly what 50 burpees feels like.

Then I thought a bit harder, this is exactly what one burpee used to feel like.

Then I thought just a bit harder, and it became clear: doing a perfect burpee, with intensity, form, and care, is the physical manifestation of what my brain is doing right at this moment.

I finished my task at hand, put the larger decisions out of my mind for a while, and considered the physical movements that make up the burpee. Then I considered the mental maneuvers that – for me – make up a successful venture.

It kind of blew my mind.

For those of you uninitiated into the Cult of the Burpee, here’s CrossFit Moncton’s Kevin Wood showing how it’s done (on the site, you can find demonstration videos of 4-5 burpee variations…each just a bit more sickening than the last):

(Doesn’t look too bad, right? Try doing 50-100 of these…for time.)

STEPS TO SUCCESS IN BURPEES, AND IN LIFE

  • BURPEE: Start in a standing position, ready to ROCK.
    • LIFE: You have an idea; you are poised to make it reality. You are happy, excited, with lots of confidence and hutzpah.
  • BURPEE: Put your hands on the floor and jump your legs out behind you until you are in pushup position.
    • LIFE: Feels good to be getting in there, doesn’t it? Getting some traction on your idea, putting in the work, sailing along. This is GREAT, you guys! I can do this forever!
  • BURPEE: Drop until your chest touches the floor.
    • LIFE: Oof. Ok, I went a bit too fast there, go a bit ahead of myself. But that’s ok because I can always pick myself up again. I am strong and capable!
  • BURPEE: Push back up into pushup position.
    • LIFE: That was unexpectedly difficult. What the heck? All of a sudden I’m not sure I can support myself here. What have I gotten myself into? No, no, I’m good. I can handle this. I’m good. I’m ok. Just gotta keep moving.
  • BURPEE: Jump your feet back up by your hands.
    • LIFE: Ow. OW. Why is this so hard? I’m not sure I’m cut out for this. This looks so much easier when other people do it. Other people are successful in this type of scheme. What’s their secret? What’s their trick? WHO CAN I PAY SO I DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS ANYMORE??
  • BURPEE: Stand up, and jump with hands over head.
    • LIFE: What?? I’m not done yet?? I’m tired. I have nothing left. I just don’t have it in me for one last push… Fine. Ok, fine. Stupid idea. You win. I’ll do it.
  • BURPEE & LIFE: Finally, that’s one more miserable, uncomfortable, SUCKY thing over and I am better for it. I did it! Holy moly, I did it!

What I’ve come to realize is that it takes real physical training to do a metric crap-ton of perfect burpees in a row. It takes real mental training to be truly successful in any aspect of your life. No one grows to love burpees (or if they do they know DARN WELL TO NOT TALK ABOUT IT), and no one loves the grind, the pressure, and the stress that comes with doing something of real value. The benefits are extrinsic.

In other words, the only way to reap extraordinary rewards is to embrace the suck.

(There are quite a few other similarities I thought of as I got into writing this post, but didn’t want it to turn into a novella. Can YOU think of any?)

That moment right after you finish your last burpee, before you realize you’re likely going to have to do this again tomorrow. HANG ON TO THIS FEELING AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

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This is how someone looks when they did NOT see burpees posted on the whiteboard.

My Internet Happy Places

Some days you just need to relax, laugh until you hurt, learn important and cool stuff (or sometimes useless and cool stuff), or celebrate creativity. Sometimes Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can let you down when your brain is craving something new, real, and captivating. When this happens to me, I have an ever-growing list of sites that have never, ever let me down.

I call these: My Internet Happy Places

Hyperbole and A Half
• Allie Brosh, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: The Alot, The God of Cake, The Sneaky Hate Spiral. I love you for teaching me about the horrors of a Kenny Loggins Christmas. I adore you for being one of the vanguards in the field of Awkward Situation Survival. Allie shares a brain with over half the Internet. Allie is the best of us.
The Bloggess
• Jenny Lawson, you complete me. Or rather, your text messages, , unicorn cats, and Zazzle store complete me. You complete Victor (or something more feminist

like you complete yourself or are the picture of completion.) I get it. I was too late.
The Oatmeal
• I never really considered myself a cartoon connoisseur until I found The Oatmeal who incidentally wins the award for MOST AWESOME CARTOONS ON THE INTERNET. Because this and this and this.a group of finger and community

• This is the most brilliant book marketing idea I’ve ever seen. It’s like I can take a million books on first dates without having to pick out a necklace or wear pinchy shoes. When I have nothing left in my brain and I’m sure creativity will never ever touch me again, I can go here and read the brilliance of others, feel even worse about my own prospects, and use that fear and misery to write a kickass chapter.
Thought Catalog
• Every thought anyone has ever had about anything. Except car insurance. I don’t think anyone’s written about car insurance. I might have to look into that. In the meantime, read through the list-heavy “most popular” posts…you will look at the world, yourself, and your life differently (unless, of course, you’re dead inside, in which case, I’ll just redirect you. Just kidding, they”re on there too.)
Lifehack
• This is the coolest site ever when you finally want to get your schtick together and make something of yourself. It”s exactly what I believe a realtime think tank should be. Single parent? Check out these money savers. Busy worker bee? Look at these time management tips. Person who breathes and/or eats? Check out ALL THE THINGS.
Tech Crunch
• These guys know their stuff. Seriously. And even if you’re not a technophile, they will teach you the lingo so you can totally fit in with the ITstartupgamingmobile geeks at the next party.

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a group of finger and community

7 Arcane Words – “A”

You know those moments, those feelings, those images that you want to express, but you just can’t find “the right word”? There’s a good chance that word exists in the English language, but is long-since considered “dead” – to the point of living only in specialty dictionaries and the memories of lexicologists. I’m compiling a few of my favourites by letter…today I start with “A”.

Enjoy!

1. aeipathy n. – unrelenting passion

Her aeipathy for writing encompassed her entire life.

BONUS POINTS: ALL THE VOWELS

2. alabandical adj. – barbarically stupefied from drink; often preceding “Go home, you’re drunk.”

Dudebro was totally alabandical at the club last night – he needs to learn to hold his liquor, yo.

3. amarulence n. – spite, bitterness, lingering ire

The amarulence caused by his first marriage has poisoned every relationship since.

4. antipelargy n. – reciprocal kindness, love children hold for parents

My mother often touted my antipelargy around her social circles.

5. aquabib n. – water drinker

One must be a devout aquabib to remain hydrated during a heat wave.

BONUS POINTS: SO FUN TO SAY

6. autexousious adj. – possessing and/or exercising free will

The autoexousious experience of the teen and early adult years are often not much more than illusion.

BONUS POINTS: HOLY MOLY THE SPELLING

7. avunculize v. – to act or behave as an uncle

Looking back, I saw how he avunculized us, the ever-so-slightly-younger generation of athletes.

I’d love to hear in the comments if any of you are able to work one of these into an everyday conversation!!

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What Is Humour, Anyway? (And should it be your content go-to?)

“Humour is when the other person laughs.”

Be creative. Be informative. Be catchy. Be pithy. If all else fails, be funny. Funny seems to be the holy grail of content writing these days. And why not? Funny works. Funny sells. Most importantly, funny keeps readers entertained and keeps them coming back.

Random Alpaca!!!

Random Happy Alpaca!!!

Looking at my own writing, I often start funny and then “clean it up” for public consumption. I’m often concerned that a) people won’t get my humour, or b) people will think I’m idiotic, immature, or unprofessional for writing even serious topics with a shot of laughter. And yet, the blogs and sites that keep me engaged, talking, referring, and clicking are the funny ones. I can get lost in wild stories of magical creatures that then become my spirit guide because, WHOA, like WHOA, texts gone horribly, horribly wrong, or the painfully funny side of depression. I spend money on these people, I follow links they recommend, I look forward with baited breath to their every post. When Allie Brosh reappeared in the blogosphere I squeaked and spluttered and jumped and flitted around like a toddler drunk on Redbull and meeting Dora in real life.

I’ve looked a lot at humour in content, probably for the most part to try and see how my particular brand of jocularity would work on a larger audience. I’m still not entirely sure that my world is ready for the random thought bubbles, delicately interspersed cursing, and ridiculous adventures that would come out if I shared more mobile.ae.org of my worldview, but I know that given the right space, humour works like nothing else. If your goal is to get more hits, more reads, and more face time with your Internet audience, then, darn it, loosen your tie and let the jokes fly. (Please don’t rhyme, though, that was entirely unintentional and was only left in as part of this leaf-turny experiment. Or if you do decide to rhyme, please don’t give me ANY of the credit. I don’t want it. Seriously.)

There are a few tried-and-true golden rules for writing funny:

  • Shorter is better. Yes, people, size matters. And a short sentence is almost always funnier than a long one.
  • Truth is funnier than fiction. I could point you to the Grand Starbucks Drive-Thru Debacle of 2012 to prove my point, but I’d rather you trust me on this. Be blunt and honest – no one will see that coming.
  • Exaggerate. Yes, I did just tell you to be honest and truthful. Can we try to be just a little bit flexible here, please? Comedy is hard, yo.
  • A teensy bit of swearing can help a slow story get moving. Watch the f-bombs, but consider words on the lower ranks of cussery. (And for those times when nothing but “mother****er” will do, use stars. Your mother can read the word “finger” instead, and the world will be a happier place.)
  • Write with a theme. Callbacks (repeated punchlines throughout an article/piece/routine. See Dennis Leary, one of the experts of the callback in stand-up.) are a great way to get the giggles going.
  • Stop reading the ENTIRE INTERNET looking for new ways to be funny. Because you’ll find them.  And 28 hours later when you get yourself out of the time-suck that is the blogosphere, you’ll realize something: it’s f**king tomorrow and you didn’t do sh*t yesterday but read THE ENTIRE INTERNET looking for new ways to be funny. (Interesting sidenote: my spellcheck allowed “f**king” but did not allow sh*t. Hunh.)
  • Don’t ever follow tried and true golden rules to be funny. They just don’t work.

    If you still can

    If you still can”t be funny, you can ALWAYS insert random cute animals.

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Random Alpaca!!!

10 Ways to Tell You’re a Writer

…GIRL EDITION

1. You cherish your 16th Edition Chicago Manual of Style more than you do your favourite shoes.

2. Driving/shopping/walking while figuring out dialogue (under the false impression that you are outwardly silent with a stoic expression) has created awkward “Stranger Danger” moments.
Young desperate girl writing with an old typewriter. Conceptual
3. You”ve asked your significant other to roundhouse kick you “For real this time!” so you know exactly where and how your character will land.

4. You still refuse to act out the sex scenes you”re writing. Some things are better left to the imagination.

5. Blurting out random thoughts (“Natalie Portman transdimensional space-time travel!!”) is so normal for you, it”s mundane.

6. You”ve killed off everyone who”s ever annoyed you – many, many times in many, many, many ways.

7. You”ve interrupted romantic dinners with, “Wait! Say that again! *INSERT CHARACTER HERE* can use that line!”

8. Your purse or jameshallison casino bag is way heavier than it should be due to the 14 project-based notebooks you just can”t leave home without.

9. Killing off a beloved character (or 10) can send you into a week-long grief spiral.

10. One of your most effective parenting threats is “Watch it or I”ll put this in a book!”

BONUS (Because writers gotta write, yo.) 11. Your inner life is more fun (and more populated) than the best party you”ve ever attended.

woman outdoors

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Gaming Is Life

We’ve all heard that kids spend far too much time in front of a screen (and yes, I believe this to be 100% true). As kids, I’m sure most of us exceeded the recommended screen times – especially when we moved away from ATARI toward SNES and other super cool gaming systems that have become available.

Looking back at my childhood, and listening to the stories of my contemporaries, and even watching gaming evolve through the eyes of my kids, I realize it wasn’t all mindless tapping of buttons, or even just basic skill development like hand-eye coordination in Frogger, or later, blood and gore in Unreal Tournament ‘99. We learned, and continue to learn valuable lessons in these games. (At least that’s what I tell myself.)

TETRIS (various)

Tetris teaches philosophy, patience, and the reality of life when you try to control your destiny within strict parameters.Abstract background oà color game figures

A few things I’ve learned from the game that has stolen countless hours of my life:

– One small move can drastically change your life, for better or for worse.

– Saving for “just the right fit” often (but not always) pays off.

– Mistakes linger on and on, while successes disappear almost immediately.

– We can transform our screw ups into a solid foundation.

– Just when we think we’re done for, sometimes the pieces start falling into place.

Mario Kart (Wii)

The ultimate racing game IMHO for all ages (seriously, I’ve watched a 54 year old take on a 5 year old…and lose.) This is a game of finesse, pure competition, and enough adrenaline to cause some of the best happy-dances ever witnessed.

Mario-Kart-WiiMario Kart is brilliant in its simplicity, clear in its purpose, and has valuable nuggets of truth buried under its tracks:

– Faster is not always better. (Seriously people, try beating Rainbow Road at breakneck speed. Let me know how that works out for you.)

– Look at the long game. It’s harder to come from 12th place than it is from 5th. Don’t go for broke when playing smart might just land you on the podium.

– Some gift boxes you will come upon in life may, in fact, contain bombs.

– Until you’re an expert, don’t try the short cuts. Short cuts are great and awesome in racing and in life, but they take more skill than the regular track. Do your time, put in the work…then tackle the hidden stairs.

Just Dance (Wii)

This is my daughter’s favourite game. She’s not the most coordinated child I’ve ever seen, but man, can she make that “scoring hand” go. Watching her brings me endless joy…and joining in with her has made us some irreplaceable memories.

Once you have truly embraced this game, apply the same rules to life, you will find happiness and peace…while dancing your ass off.just-dance-wii-u1

– Judgement happens. If we allow bystanders who aren’t even brave enough to join the game to dictate what we do, we will never feel the joy of that perfect set of steps.

– Passion and energy can overcome a paucity of talent.

– While passion and energy are awesome, focusing them on the task at hand is necessary unless you want to go through life like a whirling dervish on speed (which could be cool too).

– Use your whole self in what you do. While it’s great to get the high score by doing the minimum wrist action, only those who throw themselves in body, mind, spirit, and two left feet will reap the full benefit of the experience.

RPGs (various)

I had to lump these into one category, since there are so many out there to choose from, and this is the genre in which I have the least experience.

fantasy green knightAccording to my font of all gaming knowledge*, and in accordance with my own limited experience, RPGs have a wealth of knowledge just waiting to be unearthed:

– The Chosen One always wins. This is totally unfair, and can drive you crazy, especially when you see The Chosen One get promoted or get the girl or get the last cookie, but it’s true. The sooner you come to accept this truth, the happier you’ll be (eventually).

– You can never have too many health potions. (AKA veggies, fruits, and lean meats. Yes, I’m looking at you over there eating the chocolate bar for breakfast…)

– Team up with someone who complements your character. Too much of a good thing is too much when it comes to finding a partner, best friend, or lover. Find someone who balances you, is strong in your areas of weaknesses and whose challenges you can support.

– Never, ever, ever anger the character who growls a lot.

*MEGA thanks to @dhaelis for his help in this area. You rock, as always.

Minecraft (various)

In its continuing evolution, Minecraft has shown us the best of what human creativity, intuition, and hard work can do. Minecraft developed with sheer minecraft-housecooperation and brilliance – proving that by working together, people can create a world of beauty beyond monsters.

The only lesson to be shared beyond that bolt of truth is this:

– While the geeks will inherit the earth, they will voluntarily give up 51% of it to the engineers.

 

 

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