I Wish I Had Invented That

I wish I had invented that. I could have. I should have. But I didn’t. But, oh, how simple it is. How brilliant, how clever.

I assume you have been there; a quick grinding of our teeth, clenching of our fist and shaking of our head.

Really, though, a simple invention can go a long way in shifting the pattern and mentality of our lifestyle and technology. Sometimes this development is the bi-product of common sense. Others, it’s studying the needs of mankind and the lack thereof and boom! A new bestselling product hits the shelves; a trend is set; a new standard must be met.

And after discovery I face-palm pondering, why didn’t I think of that?

So back to the original thought I miserably succumb to: I wish I had invented that.

The intentions of my inventions are always greener on the other side.

Green. 

We talk a lot about green here.

• The counterpart to our teal branding color

• The Couch

• The future spring color that will hopefully alleviate our cabin fever

• The nutrients found on our plates

But inevitably what I do not like to talk about – people, in general, avoid this topic – is the green-eyed monster. He doesn’t live under our beds. He doesn’t live in our closets.  No, this past week he was flirting with me through subtle winks.

It was the other day he made an appearance in the name of Ikea - but only for a few, brief seconds. Of course he pops up erratically like a meerkat guarding his domain: Inconsistent and inconsiderate to my best intentions. And sometimes it’s like Old Faithful: A geyser of jealously that is exploding nearly unstoppable and obnoxiously obvious.

But this green-eyed monster in the office was pretty subtle, although I worxed it out of my system quickly.

So, Laura shared a story about a girl whom for years upon receiving her Ikea catalog would lose herself in the pages by doodling picturesque scenes of people and the likes. The pages now had a new sense of purpose and life. When Ikea discovered this tradition of hers, they offered her a job. When Ikea discovered this tradition of hers, they offered a job. No, not a typo. I typed that twice for special effects.

When I heard this story, I felt shivers. I was like, wow. That’s cool. And then… Suddenly I got that bitter taste in my mouth. The "I wish I had invented it," taste. It’s akin to gum that has lost its taste. Like accidently inhaling shower water into your mouth heavily laced with shampoo. But at most it lasted ten, fifteen seconds.

Because I sat back, looked around the green office with its teal counterpart and thought, I love my job. I love my job! And I wouldn’t trade it in for a golden yellow and blue branded job for all the Ikea catalogs of my lifespan. (Now, had they seen my doodles in their spread and offered me furniture? Different story, different ending.)

So how can you come to the same conclusion? How can you give your green-eyed monster some shut-eye so you can enjoy and put to rest the, “I wish I had invented that” mentality when it comes to the job you are living?

Here’s two ways I’ve tackled it:

1) Walk Ahead of The Crowd

I wish I had invented that. Had, had, had. Should have, could have, would have. However, did not. All past tense. It’s time to move on and find your invention. Maybe what you do is crunch numbers. Then you need to find a way for your company to crunch more efficiently. Perhaps your job title encompasses the duties of folding the jeans at Gap’s display stands. As you listen to customer’s concerns, you could be the one who resolves the conflict of skinny jeans losing their skinny as the day elapses. For every invention, there are millions more crises that need a cure.

2) Talk The Walk

Learn to talk positively about what you do. One of my brothers says he hates talking about work, thus avoids small talk. That perfunctory question you are asked every time you talk to someone: The weather, your health and the dreaded, how’s work? Yes, same old, same old. And it’s the boring, mundane description; full of busyness, stressful complaints.

But rather, point out the positive, animated topics. Talk about the culture. Talk about the lifestyle. Don’t talk about it as if it's work. Talk about the walk.

The purpose isn’t to make others jealous, but to make others zealous to do the same: To walk ahead of the crowd and talk the walk. To inspire a generation of inventors that instead of having to stay I wish I had invented, they can confidently say:

I had a wish. I made it happen. I’m walking ahead. Because, I am an inventor.

Six Signs I Might Be A Social Media Addict (and all other things online)

Social media is the sweet ‘n salty of technology, and I’m absolutely okay with that. It’s the caloric and sugar cane intake that I have to watch. No, I don’t count calories. Portion control? Yes, that’s more like it.

Extremes are fatal either way. If you want to live off the grid and go all George Orwell 1984 on us, then more power to you, but I think I’m just going to cut back and be realistic.

But here’s six signs you, er I, may need to consider pulling the power plug and intentionally allowing the battery to die once in awhile.

1.    You’re on Your Mobile Device During a Live-Event

You’re at a concert but are catching it behind your 3.5-inch screen. Or maybe you and your friends are out for supper, and your heads are bowed in reverence…to wait, what...Yelp? Instagram? Fandango? Minecraft?

Confession: My life is pretty mundane, but the few times I hashed out my #livetweet I missed out the good, gritty content and guess what. I misquoted. Everyone else, millions, where tweeting that same message. What’s one more? Moreover there are the times I missed out on the real-time conversations around me because I had to check the virtual comments.

2.    You’re All About Numbers and Not the Names

You collect virtual people and care more about how many Facebook friends you have and only know Twitter followers by their handles. Did you know that LinkedIn has more security than Facebook?

Confession: I took a break from Facebook for awhile because it fed my ego more than Ensure fed my intestines could. Also, my posts were not that interesting, despite how hilarious I thought, um think, I am.

3.    You Use Your Phone as Your Swiss Army, E-reader Alarm Clock

Remember the days when the Swiss Army Knife was the all-in-one tool? Now you struggle to turn your phone off at night for fear you will miss out on an important message, will be unable to read from a print edition book or hear a traditional alarm.

Confession: I used to work at a Verizon retail store when Android first launched their smartphones. I had what I thought was a great idea to sell more phones: I took an acrylic display box and went on an eBay-shopping spree, buying an internally broken digital camera, keyboard, Kindle, mp3 player and flashlight. I threw in a couple of games: a deck of cards, scrabble, etc. and a few other gadgets. Ah, and then the crowning glory. Atop the lid I placed a sleek, new demo phone showcasing how everything in that box was in that phone.

Unfortunately, I’ve taken that a bit too literal. I have the world in my hands, on the go in my pocket that I can always be in the know. Thank you dear WebMD and Wikipedia.

4.    Thunder ONLY Threatens You for Fear of Losing Internet Connection

You dim the light on your phone and hoard it like it’s December 31st 1999. You perspire at the thought of not being able to Pin.

Confession: My life’s in my Mac. I like to say I’m married to it, to Him. One time when there was a terrible storm I woke up abruptly and within 2 seconds jumped up from bed like a mummy, unplugging my laptop from a non-surge protectant plug.

The next day I informed my family that one day I would make a great mom; should ever there be an event where I would have to save my kids first, I would do so. (They didn’t agree.)

5.    You’re a “Workaholic”

(When you just love having an excuse to check your emails and have them synced.) There is a certain thrill when a notification sound comes through your purse or pocket.

Confession: On a day off I felt I missed too many emails –both personal and professional - in 24 hours so I set my notification to push messages, vibrate, blink and ping with an almost obnoxious notification ringtone. I successfully managed to respond to every message.

6.    Everything Online Seems Pinteresting

Your browser bar has a widget, your phone has an app and you know how to upload a picture from your computer: you are a Pinterest ninja, and no one knows your likes, pins, boards and re-pins better than you.

Confession: I pin a lot. I say it’s therapeutic. Ipso facto, the sixth sign I might be a social media addict.

Instagram for Business

Instagram is popular for personal use, especially among the younger generations. However, if used effectively, Instagram can be a very useful imagery tool for businesses.

Flying Pie Co., a local client, is actively using Instagram to promote their new restaurant and build anticipation.

Each post starts with a single photo, either taken straight from the Instagram app using your camera, or you can choose any photo from your gallery. When choosing your photo, consider the following aspects of every photo: angles, lighting, content, and purpose.

What angle was your photo taken at? Cropping the image out of the window gives it an intimate perspective.

R: This photo is creatively cropped to show half of the item. It’s a tangible version of the symbol in their logo made with a pizza peel and metal.

How well lit is your photo? Make sure you can identify the subject of your photo, and that it conveys the mood you are intending to convey. Does it fit your brand? If not, maybe explore using the lighting effect tool within the app. If not, try re-taking the photo so that it can help you maintain brand consistency.

L: This photo of the lighting sets a mood that is consistent with the brand. It gives a sneak peak of the atmosphere and mood that customers can expect when this restaurant opens.

What is the content of your photo? Is it relevant and relatable to your brand? Will your clients, customers, and followers appreciate the post and find it useful and/or relatable? Does it fulfill the purpose of sharing this moment? Will this make your clients, customers and followers interact with your post and/or want to come to your place of business?

R: This slice of pizza is relatable content, because it is their main product. It also serves a direct purpose, to remind people that it’s Friday and that this is a convenient, tasty choice for dinner that night.

What is that # Symbol? Once you have successfully edited your photo and are ready to post, consider using hash tags in your caption. A hash tag is the # symbol followed by a word or words, with no spaces. They are free and increase your visibility on search engines. This can be useful to help gain exposure in many categories relatable to your business and/or product. You can add multiple hash tags to increase exposure in multiple categories. Try creating a hashtag unique to your brand, such as #yourbusinessname or #yourtagline (best thing is, you don’t have to register it, just start typing!)

You can also tag other Instagram users by using the @ symbol followed by their username.The most common reason to use a tag is to reply to a comment. First, tag the user you’re replying to, then type your message. If a John_Smith says: That looks tasty!, a wise reply might be @John_Smith We’d love for you to come in and try it!

B: This photo has the hash tag for the business #flyingpieco and also has 2 other hash tags to gain more exposure through the other keywords, #pizza and #dinner. You could even elaborate more and use #cheesy or #hagerstown.

There are many ways you can use Instagram to promote your business, including: new product offerings, featuring an employee, promoting an event, or general brand awareness.

Instagram and other social media sites are a great way to extend your brand reach, connect with customers and build awareness.