I order the Italian. Original Size. With Bacon. On White. It’s the same order I get every time. Every week. But this time when I got to the counter, I realized my wallet was still in my car. I quickly told the cashiers and started to move towards the door, when they stopped me. “Don’t worry about it. This one is on us.” I was shocked. Perplexed. “Are you serious?” They were! Shout out to the kind folks at Potbelly on State St. in Ann Arbor, MI, for making my day this past Tuesday! I thank God for your generosity.

I love New York. No doubt about it. Late in May, I made another trip to NY that not only included meeting Seth Godin, but all the wonderful things that are portrayed below:

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of meeting Bena Burda, the founder of Maggie’s Organics. Maggie’s Organics was founded in 1992 on the premise that workers should be treated ethically and that clothing should be durable, affordable, and constructed of environmentally sustainable materials. Yes, Bena’s been in the game for that long. And she was talking sustainability before sustainability was talking sustainability. It’s always nice to meet with entrepreneurs that have such a vast amount of knowledge and experience and I look forward to getting to know Bena more and more! Make sure you check out her company at http://www.maggiesorganics.com.

Bena Burda – Ann Arbor, MI
Every day. Someone. Smiles. Somewhere.

Melba Johnson
June 29, 1925 – May 28, 2012

My grandmother was an extraordinary woman. I thank God for the life she lived and the tremendous impact she had on those around her. I’ll never forget our “erasing” sessions (Nana was a master eraser and refused to leave any remnants of lead on the paper). I’ll never forget your amazing stories (Nana was a master storyteller). I’ll never forget you. And I’ll miss you. Indeed. Here’s a closer look at Melba Johnson’s life:

I attended Seth Godin’s, Pick Yourself – Live in Tribeca, event in New York on May 16th as referenced in my previous Pick Yourself post. People from all over the world came together this day to hear Seth Godin speak, in addition to asking whatever question they wanted to ask him (He was exceptional at finding the root of every question that someone asked that was personal to their business, lives, or circumstance). Over the past two years, I’ve become a fan of Seth’s blog, as well as, several of his books like Purple Cow and Tribes. So it was quite the experience to hear him in person and get to take in some of his knowledge as he answered countless questions from the audience.

The idea behind Unionmade is simple. It’s quality. The clothing, shoes, accessories, books, and grooming supplies. I had a chance to stop by the Unionmade shop a few weeks ago while I was in San Francisco. I love grabbing inspiration from flagship stores, garments, whatever. I was very close to grabbing a Golden Bear jacket or a Levi’s Vintage Flannel Shirt but I decided to keep those monies in my pocket. Check out Unionmade’s website or store if you’re ever in San Fran.

Ralph Waldo Emerson – American Poet
This is where you’ll find wisdom. Click “Read More.”

I attended Seth Godin’s, Pick Yourself – Live in Tribeca, event last week. I’ll be blogging more about it hopefully over the weekend. Seth gave all of the attendees a gift to go home with. I’m now sharing that gift with you.

Pick Yourself

Authority?

You want the authority to create, to be noticed and to make a difference? You’re waiting for permission to stand up and speak up and ship?

Sorry. There’s no authority left.

Oprah has left the building. She can’t choose you to be on her show because her show is gone. YouTube wants you to have your own show now, but they’re not going to call you.

Jordan Bradford – New York, NY
Every day. Someone. Smiles. Somewhere.