Matt Corker » Bloggers

The Freedom To Try

Matt Corker — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:43:21 +0000

My friend Lindsey got me hooked on a website called tinybuddha. While the content on their site is great (“simple wisdom for complex lives”), the additional musings they add for their e-mail subscribers is what always makes me sit back and think. For example, a few weeks ago my inbox smiled when they sent me this:

Let’s call a spade a spade: there are some things you cannot do, even if you think you can.

Despite delusions of grandeur, none of us can grow wings and fly, teleport across the planet, or walk on water. That being said, there’s something to this idea, also stated eloquently by Henry Ford as “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

Your beliefs can either limit you or allow you to flourish.

If you don’t think you can run a marathon, you won’t even start training. If you don’t think you can start a business, you won’t even consider doing initial research. Instead, you’ll stuff your dreams under a pile of can’t happen, and spend your hours in self-imposed mediocrity.

The belief itself can’t create your future, but it gives you the freedom to try – and as long as you’re trying, there’s no reason to believe you won’t keep learning, growing, and impressing yourself.

*oh snap!

Pick of the Post: Carl Henry – Dim the Lights

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Divinity in Simplicity

Matt Corker — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:34:20 +0000

Getting internet in the new pad two days before a long weekend is like having a birthday two weeks before Christmas. You get so excited about one new gift, and then ten more just come flying at you. Needless to say, offline living has created tons of posts in my head that I can’t wait to share with you now that I am back on a (more) regular schedule.

This weekend was packed with good times. Again, I missed out on all the Vancouver Pride festivities [read my post from last year re: Pride], but instead filled the weekend with the simple joys of life. These being moments in life that bring back waves of happy memories and fill your present with a smile. For me, these included:

Eating a delicious meal at 2 am.
Tiptoeing around sleeping people.
Hiking up a mountain with my sis.
Eating berries off the vine.
Playing UNO.
Falling asleep in the sun.
Dancing to new tunes.
Learning the answers to tough questions.
Sleeping in a tent in too many layers.
Waking up by laughing.
Dreaming of the future.
Telling the world what you want.
Singing in the car as we drive home.

Great evenings out followed by early morning hikes with my rockstar sis and camping festivities with the lovely LaPorte are to die for. I’ve been rejuvenated and totally inspired.

So now the real questions are: what creates simple joy in your life and what are you doing to ensure you get more of that?

Pick of the Post: Kevin Rudolf (ft Flo Rida) – You Make the Rain Fall

What Linchpins Read

Matt Corker — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:16:40 +0000

Yesterday was Worldwide-Meet-The-Tribe-Of-Linchpins Day according to Seth Godin. Seth fans gathered together at over 790 meetups around the world and talked about his books/blog, shipping ideas, and many other topics of interest.

Chris Coldeway, another UBC Sauder alum and creator of redrovr, organized the Vancouver Meetup. My sis got up there and shared a bit about her time in NYC with Seth as part of his nanoMBA program. She was rad – as per always. Chris then led the attendees in creating smaller discussion groups where we talked about whatever topic someone wanted to take the lead on discussing. Didn’t like the conversation in that group? Implement the 2 feet rule! (You have two feet, so use them to walk to a new group.)

I wanted to know what these linchpins were reading so was excited to get some really rad folks at the table. This was the list that the 8+ of us created. I tried to organize them into some categories to help you pick out your next read:

Economics

Superfreakonomics – Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Startup Nation – Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Fiction/Memoirs:

Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls

Blogs:

43 Folders
Brains on Fire
Life without Pants
Backpocket COO
Freshness Factor Five Thousand (Jason Mraz)
Blocquote
Chase Jarvis
The Art of Non-Conformity

… as if my to read list wasn’t already long enough! Happy reading linchpins!

Pick of the post: Hannah Georgas – Bang Bang You’re Dead

There’s Nothing Wrong With You (or Me)

Matt Corker — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:55:11 +0000

There’s nothing wrong with me.
And there’s nothing wrong with you.

Here’s how I know both of these statements are true:

You’re playing the game of life as best you know how, and trying to get better every day. You can’t possibly do someone else’s best, so there’s no point in stressing about it.

You make mistakes like everyone else, which allows you to learn as you go. That means you’re doing what you should be.

You’re unique, whether you’re introverted or outgoing, book smart or street smart, creative or technical—the list goes on and on. You’re the world’s only opportunity to know a person just like you. The only hope to share what only you can.

There’s no such thing as the way you should be. If you do what you enjoy and don’t harm other people, you’re living a beautiful life.

You will never become someone—you are someone right now, whether you influence millions of people or mean the world to just one person. Your impact is powerful, whether you realize it or not.

If someone hurts you, you don’t deserve it. No one does. End of conversation.

You feel emotions and respond to them. That’s the way this whole humanity things works. If you could stand to improve the way you respond, newsflash: you’re still like everybody else.

You have a pulse right now, and it’s your choice what you do with it. There’s no right or wrong answer.

You choose what you think is best, or else you wouldn’t choose it. As you get new information and grow stronger and smarter, you’ll make different choices.

You are beautiful, inside and out.

- Lori Deschene, originally posted at Tiny Buddha

A big thanks to Lindsey for sending this to me the other day. It totally hit home.
Hope you all have your Friday smile on!

Pick of the post: Taio Cruz – Dynamite

You, less than, is a lie

Matt Corker — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:23:01 +0000

Circumstances can cause you to question who you are.

A boss writes you a stinging performance review.
A reader leaves a bitter comment on your blog post.
A vocal audience member questions your authority in the middle of your presentation.
A publisher sends back your treasured manuscript with a crass note.
A spouse berates your manhood, or womanhood.

And you go from You, The Champion of the World, to

You, less than.

You, squashed.
You, angry and off-balance.
You, the misfit.

- Hugh MacLeod (via)

I was reminded of that post from Hugh when talking to a rad colleague of mine a few months ago. We were talking about the difference between being guarded and being genuine – and if one could be both at the same time. My answer was no. To me, guarding oneself implies keeping part of you at bay. You, less than.

You, less than, is a lie.

Some may argue it to be true. After all, the part you are showing is 100% genuine. But 100% of your 70% is not fully you. Being genuine is being 100% you – weird freckles, strange habits, amazing talents and all.

Time to drop the excuse of why you’re you, less than. You were designed to be you, more than.

Pick of the post: Toni Braxton – Make My Heart (official music video)

Making a difference

Let Out Your Creative Beast

Matt Corker — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:48:20 +0000

The Imaginary Foundation is a think tank from Switzerland that does experimental research on new ways of thinking and the power of the imagination. They also have a pretty rad blog where I found this great presentation that I just HAD to share with you.

Isn’t it about time you let your creative beast out?

Let Out the Creative Beast

View more presentations from Betsy Streeter.

Pick of the post: Kate Nash – Do Wah Doo (official music video)

Thankful for 50 Things

Matt Corker — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:47:34 +0000

For Christmas in 2006, my sister gave me a great travel journal that I wrote in (almost) every time I left British Columbia. In the past 3 years, it has hit the streets of New York (twice), hiked mountains around South America, gallivanted through Europe, road-tripped to Colorado, biked around Hawaii, survived in Hong Kong, and even made it back to Ontario to say hello to same familiar faces.

Needless to say, it’s been around.

On the way back from New York City in 2007, after giving out Free Hugs on Wall Street with Melinda, we started a tradition of gratitude. Every year, we’d write down 50 things we were thankful for. I kept this tradition alive and did it once a year while I was traveling. My little orange book becoming the beneficiary of these lists. There were only 2 self-imposed guidelines:

Answer the question: What 50 things are you thankful are in your life? They could be neccesities, luxuries, philosophies, etc. However, the listed items shouldn’t be encompassing places (e.g. Europe, UBC) or names of people (Jason Mraz, Steph Corker Irwin). Try distilling those down to specific locations (e.g. my cottage) or things you do with people (e.g. riding bikes with Steph) to help clarify what you are truly thankful for in your life.
You can’t re-read previous lists before creating the new year’s list. You had to write what you were thankful for that year.

While in Hong Kong, I wrote on my last page of my travel journal. Volume 1 officially done! On the plane ride home, I re-read all my stories, adventures, and sometimes painful memories that were captured in her pages. I also got to re-read 3 years of lists of thanks. What was most interesting was that several items (19/50) remained unchanged since 2007 – same wording and all. They were:

Maps
My iPod
Marshmallows roasted on a campfire
Roadtrips
Vests
Fresh, clean air
Ocean shorelines
Leadership theory and literature
Creative marketing/advertising campaigns
Good manners
Well-composed photographs
Ice cream (Pralines’n'Cream and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) [same flavours too!]
My Nana’s baking
Chasing sunsets on a plane
Laughing until you cry
Warm hugs
Intellectual conversations
Snazzy ties
Sincere smiles

If you, in this moment, stopped to think about what you were ACTUALLY thankful for – what would make your list? What if you did this every year at roughly the same time? What pattern would emerge? What would this tell you about yourself?

If nothing else – it would remind you you have LOTS to be thankful for! Happy writing.

Pick of the post: Charlie Winston – I Love Your Smile (official, totally appropro, music video)

What attracts people to you

Matt Corker — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:27:34 +0000

… are also the biggest threats to others.

Courage. Grace. Wisdom. Power.

Talent. Resilience. Positivity. Love.

All these things, and more, draw people towards us and, at the same time, push people away. Resilient people piss off those who would rather give up. Talented people are envied by those longing for some. And it can’t be denied that optimists and pessimists are rarely friends.

As Danielle once said: “If you aren’t seen as a threat, you don’t have much to offer.”

Pick of the post: Jamie Cullum – I’m All Over It (official music video)

Reading Great Blogs in 5 Minutes

Matt Corker — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:03:48 +0000

I love reading great blogs. It kick starts my morning, provides reading material at lunch, and is a great way to end off the day. However, reading the 123 blogs that I subscribe to could be quite time intensive.

But it’s not. I use Google Reader (a type of RSS Reader) to help me skim through all the blog posts in about 5 minutes. (Note: time varies depending on length of blogs I click on to read. I’ve never spent longer than 20 minutes reading blogs though.)

This weekend, I went through my digital life and made it a bit more organized – which included renaming and reorganizing my blog subscriptions in my Google Reader. The trick to fast blog reading: a really great folder system!

I organize my blog subscriptions into 10 separate folders:

Must Reads – The blogs that have posts worth reading every time. (e.g. Steph Corker Irwin, Jason Mraz)
Creativity – The blogs that get my creative juices flowing – a mix of marketing, advertising, design, music (e.g. Canadian Marketing Association Blog, Creative Criminals)
Change Makers – The great companies that blog about how they are changing their world (e.g. Brains on Fire, All Things McNak, Inc)
Personal – The personal blogs that follow the lives and ideas of great individuals (e.g. Callum Ng, Justin Ritch)
Movements – The bloggers who write about ideas bigger than themselves or their company (e.g. SuperForest, Five Rules for Life)
Digital – Blogs that keep their finger on how the changes in the digital world affect our offline life (e.g. Mashable, Community Organizer 2.0)
UBC – Blogs about the inner workings, events, great ideas, and people that make UBC worth reading about (e.g. Student Blog Squad, Terry*, UBC Admin Blog)
Vancouver – Like my UBC folder, but expanded to check out what’s going on in my lovely city (e.g. Vancouver Observer, Beyond Robson)
Travel – Great people who are traveling around the world and writing about their experiences (e.g. Backpack with Brock, Geoff Cox)
Perspectives - Blogs that share news and views on conversation starting topics (e.g. Overcoming Bias, TED)

With one click and I can search through them all or just get a dose of the info I need (a jolt of creativity, a thought to ponder, etc). It takes reading over a hundred blogs from a daunting task to a enjoyable past time.

Good systems to organize your online life help you get the most out of your offline one. Happy reading / living!

Pick of the post: MSTRKRFT – Heartbreaker (official music video)

My “5 Rules for Life”

Matt Corker — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:19:52 +0000

Since August of last year I have been following a great blog called Five Rules For Life. Essentially, readers submit to the author what their five guidelines to leading a “happy, successful, and fulfilling life” are.

In December, I decided to commit to determing what my five rules would be … and I just finished now!

Over the last two months, I asked myself some questions like: What values shape the way I think? How do I want to live my life? What are the rules in work, love, family, community? (…and, the big one) What five lessons would I want to pass on to my children?

So, without further adieu, my five:

Say please and thank you. I agree with the SuperForest Humanifesto when it says that these three words will save the human race. Some may chalk this up as having good manners, while others could categorize this as being respectful, having compassion, or showing gratitude. Those three words encapsulate all of that for me.
Make positive changes. Simply stated, it is our responsibility to leave this world a better place than when we first arrived.
Invest in people. Put your energy, time and money into developing great leaders and citizens. No other investment will ever provide a greater return than this one does.
Be an explorer. Discover new ideas, landscapes, and yourself.
Enjoy it.

Nailing down only five from my looooong list was a tough process. That being said, I’m amazed at how refreshing it is to look at these ones. It signals to me that the nail has been hit on the head. Boo yah!

If you had to write five rules to life, what would they be?

Pick of the post: Needtobreathe – Something Beautiful