What can you say in times like this? Recession? Increased competition domestically and internationally? Doom, Gloom, Sadness and Strife?

No way! I refuse to believe that.

I did NOT come over here, make this kind of a commitment of time and money to just lay down and let this negative attitude prevail. Then again, I can’t exactly ignore these things either.

So what to do?

This article would be pretty pointless if I just told you something about how you give a man a fish, and they eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat forever. That would be too obvious.

The question is “how do you teach a man to fish”?

So then I started thinking, the answer is right there in front of me. Staring at me in this plate of sushi. Why am I sitting here? I’m with friends, I’m enjoying the conversation, but I _really_ like the food. It’s good quality fish, diverse assortment, and presented well. I was willing to pay for that. I was willing to spend time on it. In essence, I was willing to invest in it.

Why not pursue my career in the same way?

No, I’m not going to become a sushi chef.

What if I focused on making sure my career search was high quality. What if my search was diverse? What if it presented well? Would my future employer be willing to invest in that?

In order to accomplish that, I have to learn – and much like I’ve said before, if you’re going to learn, learn from the best.

Turns out, I don’t have to look very far. The best people to learn from were sitting right around the table.

This story WILL have a happy ending.

Globalcitizen

… OUT!

You might know this line from the now infamous video starring T-Pain and cast members from Saturday Night Live.

However, this is my reality.

Many of you have been avid readers of this blog, and I appreciate that. I had initially started this blog to document my travels (many of you remember my 7 continents, 5 years, 1 message mission). This space then evolved to a house for my Notion to Motion project, where I talked about building a business based on passion.

48 episodes later, we are up and running and have come to the end of that chapter in the journey.

So where have I been? What have I been up to?

Well, some of you know that I took some time off of work, put the businesses on hold, and went back to business school. I am currently attending INSEAD. A <insert amazing adjectives here> business school with two campuses – one in France and the other in Singapore.

The curriculum is broken up into 5 periods, 2 of which I have already completed on the campus in France, and now I am beginning my 3rd period in Singapore.

While the weather is nice, the beaches amazing, and the travel plentiful — the task at hand is still quite intense.

Learn from some of the best and brightest minds in business along side some of the most intelligent people I have met.

So yes, I do have my swim trunks, my flippy floppies, and now, I also have a different learning perspective.

These changes are exciting, but some things don’t change. You know how we sign off here at globalcitizenexperiment. Globalcitizen…. OUT!

Well, if you’re a decendent of the Hakkas ethnic group, this riddle is not much of a challenge for you. But for the rest of you, let me introduce you to Thunder Tea Rice.

What is it? Check it out.. I’m paraphrasing from various sources… but the story goes something like this…

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there were these people (known as the Hakkas). War and strife was rampant in Northern China and the Hakkas were not having ANY of it. So they packed up their stuff, and hit the road. (Author’s note: I wonder if any of them were named Jack, because then they could sing “hit the road, jack.. and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more…” – but sadly that song wasn’t written yet)

Anyway, so the legend goes, these people got hungry. And, you know, when you’re an entire ethnic group on the road, you’re not exactly pulling the bus into McDonalds. They INVENTED food. Can you believe that? I mean, they opened up the ancient pantry, and INVENTED SOMETHING!

Here’s pretty much an exact recount of how that whole thing went down…

Tribal guy #1: I’m starving. Do we have anything to eat around here?
Tribal guy #2: Umm… well, we got some grains here.
Tribal guy #3: Yeah, I see some soybeans and nuts here too.
Tribal guy #4: Ooo ooo, I think I see some lentils here.
Tribal guy #1: Well, mash it up, and let’s go already!

And thus was born Lei Cha.

Since the people found it impossible to heat water, Lei Cha became a tailor-made product for the tribe-on-the-go. These guys ended up loving this stuff so much, that when they finally got to where they were going, they heated up water, made green tea, and poured it into a bowl with the mashed up contents and yumminess found it’s roots.

FAST FORWARD TO A FEW DAYS AGO

I have had this dish, and it is yummy.

Well, exciting stuff has been going on, and it means exciting stuff for the SHOW! (more on that later and SOON)

So I hope you all remember SM4SC, and the LIVE taping of Notion to Motion directly from The Roger Smith Hotel. Well, I donated one guest appearance on Notion to Motion towards the AWESOME AWESOME cause, and you will NOT believe who won. Well, you can guess it from the title of this post, but Karen Glidden (@blissspa) won.

This episode needs no more words… check it out…

So I promised some happy linkage…

1. Karen is an SEO person, you should contact here. Here is her info: http://twitter.com/vanillabean45
2. The new company she is working for is: www.venda.com
3. Bliss Spa is at: www.blissspaworld.com

Global Citizen… OUT!

Do you notice that there are no more google ads at the bottom of this post? DO YOU? probably not, because you didn’t click on them ANYWAY

And the latest contest is OVER! That’s right. Yet another gift from the Global Citizen, this one was just because I love spring. So who won?

Youtube user: MeetMojo won (@themaria) on twitter! 

YouTube makes it so easy for me to run contests! 

What should I do next? What to do, what to do… if you have suggestions, LET ME KNOW, because you know what is more fun that giving stuff away? Giving stuff away that people actually WANT. Last thing I want to do is give you a fruit cake during the holidays.

Happy Spring to MeetMojo, from the Global Citizen….

PS. If you entered this contest, and you didn’t win, stay tuned, I _might_ have a surprise for you guys as well.. because we are ALL winners really.

Global Citizen… OUT!

I woke up this morning, feeling the spring weather. I had a great night’s sleep. Everything was going well. So I thought to myself, how can I spread this lovely feeling around? 

Then it hit me! I want to pass this feeling on, why not give something away! I have had so much fun in the last few weeks giving stuff away, first the pass to web 2.0 expo in San Francisco, then the ticket to SM4SC. But what next? WHAT DO PEOPLE WHAT?

Why not ASK them! So I posted the question on twitter. Got some GREAT suggestions back, and then I synthesized and went to work! So here is it… the lastest GIVEAWAY!!! It’s spring, it’s fun, it’s time to explore, get out there, do something you haven’t done before… so HERE IT IS.. ENOUGH BUILD UP!!!

I, the Global Citizen, hereby have TWO tickets for THIS FRIDAY NIGHT SHOWING of STREB at S.L.A.M: CATAPULT… what is it, you ask? 

Oh man, it’s the goodness. it’s the loveliness. Some of you might know of the hashtag that I use on Twitter #bringiton … well, in this show, it has been B-ROUGH-TEN… You and a friend will each get tickets to the show, and thereby having an excuse to get to Brooklyn, and hang out with some of the coolest most limber, entertaining people I have ever seen… 

Just check out the write-up:

“Elizabeth Streb and her Action Faction take a closer look at the ordinary, inanimate things around us in STREB at SLAM: CATAPULT, their spring home season show at S.L.A.M. (Streb Lab for Action Mechanics) STREB’s spacious playground and launching pad for new ideas and new moves. David Van Tieghem’s sinuous, evocative soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to STREB’s ongoing romantic adventure with gravity.”

I’m sorry, was that word evocative? Yes it was. When was the last time you ever saw something that could be described as e-v-o-c-a-t-i-v-e? FOR FREE? Here is your chance.. .

How do you enter?

Same as always… just subscribe to my youTube channel by clicking on the yellow button!, and if you already have, leave a comment, I will get an e-mail, and you will be entered to win. Easy, Peazy, GET IT DONE, DO IT NOW.

Expand your mind, try something new.

Happy Spring everybody!

Global Citizen… OUT!

Global Citizen here…. and let me tell you, I followed your advice:

1. I tweeted
2. I created my facebook account
3. I added friends
4. I notified my mother that I’m on all these networks
5. I sold my soul to the SEO devils

And how do you repay me? you all decide to break on the SAME day! INTERMITTENTLY. Twitter is having problems. Facebook is having problems… HELP ME! I’m going through withdrawal? 

I’m hooked! I am so addicted to social media, that I just can’t take it, not knowing what all my friends are doing, if there are any parties that I’m missing out on! I _need_ to know!

I’m sure I’m not the only one, I just looked out my window, and THIS is what I saw.

no joke!

Ok maybe. 

You know what site didn’t go down? Empressr. Thank you Empressr for not failing me. Thank you Empressr for not telling me I’m more popular than I am. Thank you for being so reliable in a time when all of my other social media tools are failing me.

Global Citizen… OUT!

Have you ever wondered how companies establish an international presence? Who do they call? Ghostbusters? No. Try Berlin Partner. With amazing incentives to help you with your transition to this international city, Berlin Partner can help walk you through the process!

Who are they? What are they all about?

Berlin Partner (BP), the business development agency for the city of Berlin, partners with companies, providing one-stop service and support for companies considering Berlin as a business location.  Through its five service offerings, companies can receive ‘soup to nuts’ assistance in all aspects of establishing an office there.  The five no-cost-for-you (read.. FREE!!) offerings include:

1. The Business Location Center: a high technology, multimedia information portal that provides abundant information related to resettlement including sector-specific, regional data; real estate and labor market info, etc.
2. The Welcome Package: ‘test’ Berlin for 3 months.  BP will provide an office, an apartment, mobility, and consulting services re: legal matters, tax, business, PR, insurance, etc.
3. The Business Financing Package: BP will assist in developing a financial concept in conjunction with the Berlin State Investment Bank to secure: investment support; labor cost and innovation incentives; loan and refinancing guarantees; and public equity capital.
4. The Business Locating Package: BP will provide tools and resources to support your own real estate research, or the Business Development Team will conduct the research for you, based on your company’s criteria, and provide suitable possible options.  BP will also arrange tours and meetings with contract partners.
5. The Business Recruiting Package: BP will provide extensive services surrounding all aspects of recruiting employees and employee training, including receiving special incentives and financing.

Alex (who is also on twitter at @alex_koelpin) takes time out of his day at Web 2.0 Expo to walk me through the offering and the process. Check out the Empressr and the video!

Global Citizen… OUT!

What a blast it was on Friday, being involved with SM4SC in New York City! Just an amazing group of people coming together for an amazing cause, City Harvest!

As many of you might know, I have a video series called Notion to Motion, where I talk about starting a business based on something you’re passionate about. And rather than write article after article about it, I have actually DONE it… ON THE SHOW! I created a photography business, and as part of the donations to SM4SC, I donated photography and videography services for the event that SM4SC NYC hosted at the Roger Smith Hotel.

Here are the photos. Please let me know if you are interested in having a copy of the original of any of the photos, and I will make sure that we work it out!

Global Citizen… OUT!

On the road again between Washington DC and NYC. I have written about this mode of transportation before. I have mentioned that the Bolt Bus is the ONLY way to go between Washington DC and NYC.

The Bolt Bus is not the ONLY way to go, but it is my preferred way to go. As a global citizen, I have experienced public transportation on more continents than some people have teeth (nothing wrong with the minimalist look when it comes to teeth).

1. Internet access
2. Plug for my laptop
3. Plug for my iPhone
4. Friendly people that let me borrow their plugs also, to charge my camera.
5. Skype… skype… SKYPE on the road.
6. Catching up on all the e-mail that I would have had to leave until I was at the office
7. Adium running in the background
8. Tweetdeck to catch up on my tweets
9. Row all to myself
10. Prompt departures
11. Friendly staff
12. CHEAP!
13. Gives me a good excuse to eat fast food at places like Roy Rogers
14. I can practice my persuasion techniques to try to get the bus driver to stop for Roy Rogers.

Thank you again Bolt Bus for being so amazing, and continuing with such GREAT service. Also, my mom appreciates the fact that your newer buses now have seat belts in every seat. So thank you for making my mom feel good about your service also.

Global Citizen… OUT!