Denver doesn't seem all that safe of a place at night. In fact, if you regularly read the news it seems like there is nowhere that is safe. It can make some people (including me) uneasy. So I did something about it and over the weekend, I attended a class on RAD (Rape, Aggression, Defense) held by the Denver Police Department. It was an invigorating experience and when I say I practiced kicking the crap out of men, I mean literally, kicking the crap out of 3 250+ lbs. 6'4" men. What better way can you learn to gain the confidence of doing something when the circumstances require it than actually doing it? It got me thinking of all the other learning experiences I've had that made that much of a memorable impact on me and why.

1. Nothing teaches better than the real thing (or near real thing)
• When I turned 15 (waaaay back then!) my parents signed me up for Masterdrive. The most memorable thing was the 20 minutes of skid pad practice to simulate hydroplaning. The loss of control is scary! And then you can slowly work past the fear and survive. It was the same thing at RAD class: if someone grabs you, first you scream and freeze; but then you bust out your muscle memory and hit them! I don't think all of the textbook knowledge in the world can teach you how to react in those situations other than practicing the actual thing.
2. A majority of participants have to be really into it
• With over 25 attendees all shouting at the top of their lungs "NO!", there was no doubt in my mind of the skills we were gaining. The confidence in our defense skills grew because the attendees had a desire to be there. Not every class is like that (you've all probably experienced rolled-eyes or intentionally long breaks) and so I encourage everyone to be that classroom initiator. Physically and vocally display your reason for spending your weekend learning an optional skill.
3. The passion starts with the instructors
• The teachers at Masterdrive and RAD are doing this for a reason and they deserve to see #2. They truly believe that preparedness is the best way to stay safe and so they train people to be self-sufficient. It is the same philosophy of giving a fish or teaching to fish. I'm thankful for those that are passionate enough to pass along their wisdom and commit to doing these activities on their days off.

I'm prepared to knee, kick, and punch some "aggressors"!

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
by: Charles Duhigg

Did you know that Target knows when you are pregnant? Or that the memory loss victims in the movie 50 FIRST DATES could psychologically create new habits? This book breaks down the way our brains react to habits and cause us to do things methodically. We do every day things without thinking like the route you drive home, when (or if) you eat breakfast, or what you say when you hang up the phone. Our brains strive to create habits out of everything we do because then it frees up our brain to think about other things. In fact, 40% of what we do is habitual!

Duhigg talks through the habit loop that consists of a cue, a routine action or behavior, and a reward. There are tons of examples in the book, but one of my favorites was the story of how Febreze became a popular product by studying the habit loop of the house cleaning process. Taking habits a step further Duhigg applies the same concepts to noticing cultural patterns such as marketing techniques for selling shampoo. The bubble-filled orgasms in shampoo commercials are actually appealing to our neurological expectation that suds (cue) equates to clean (reward).

If you are like me, you have many bad habits that you want to get rid of. For me, those top 3 are: hitting the snooze button, nail biting, and the non-stop excuses for exercising. This book doesn’t suggest a step-wise solution to start/stop a new/old habit but it does cause you to be a bit more aware of the way you do things every day. I recommend this read: The Power of Habit!

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time
by: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

How can you change the world? You start by finding something worth changing. This biography of the Eastern adventures of Greg Mortenson sometimes caused me to sit in my car in the parking lot to keep listening to the audiobook. It is an amazing tale of bringing education to rural villages in Taliban territories in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Education can truly change a life and whole societies as noted in my review of Half the Sky. You can hear the passion in Greg’s story of a mountaineer turned entrepreneur in three ways:

1. It comes from within
• No two dreams could be more different than walking into Pakistan to climb K2, the world’s second highest mountain, and walking out promising to build a school. Sometimes chance encounters change you for the better and take you to the next step of your life like it did for Greg. Nothing else was causing him to take this challenge except himself and that is the most powerful motivator.
2. He sacrifices everything
• Greg has the drive to keep going through every loss I know. He gives up his mountaineering passion; he loses his career, his friends, his love, and pretty much every penny to his name. It is just a heart-wrenching story that keeps you rooting for Greg like a hero.
3. It strikes a chord with his followers
• Sometimes you fight alone, but slowly people start listening. When there is a cause worth fighting, all it takes is just one person that is influenced (as Greg learned presenting at an empty auditorium on more than one occasion). That one person then repeats the story to his/her network. It becomes contagious and soon Greg is running a multi-million dollar organization!

Greg’s life story is a true story of overcoming the odds and never giving up. His frugality and perseverance were admirable traits that made his efforts successful. It is hard to imagine how he staying positive through all the difficulties and naysayers. This book left me with a new drive to demonstrate the same passion in my own efforts to “change the world”; no matter what comes my way.

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you all enjoyed a little break and some time in the sun over the holiday weekend, as did I. I find it kind of ironic that most of us dawn our red, white, and blue pride only a few times a year. What about pride for your company? Do you ever dress for success complete with insignia as a loyal employee? Maybe it is a fashion statement, or maybe you have one foot out the door...

1. Loyalty doesn't stop on the weekends
• Are you a workaholic? Why? Is it because you believe in your work, a task (any task!), or trying to escape another problem elsewhere. On the other hand, you could be biting at the bullet at 4:30 waiting for the clock to skip by the minutes. Believing in your work means you put your full time in and deliver results that matter, even sometimes above other things.
2. Pride doesn't choose its company
• If you are with coworkers, home with friends and family, or at a conference abroad, true pride shouldn't waver. If you are proud of what you do and what your company stands for, than the message should never change.
3. It is a long term commitment
• There is usually a reason you became enamored with a company, cause, or person the first time. But once the honeymoon phase wears off, true commitment is what is left. Loyalty usually means you are in it for the long haul and will stick it out through a few ups and downs.

There is a circulating theme this month that may have stemmed from Google no longer hiring based on GPA (which I fully support) and one of my favorite blog posts about how being stupid is a good thing. There are many opportunities that we give and receive information: school, news, parenting, on-the-job, conferences,  etc. Which would you rather be, the smartest one or the dumbest one? Here are three arguments as to why it might be better to be the latter.

1. They Ask First
• If you don't think you are smart enough to answer something on your own, you usually ask a lot of questions. Whether for understanding, clarification, or just to know what your boss really wants, asking is the fastest way to the answer. Smart people usually figure it out on their own and that means you might get a different conclusion, it might take longer, or you have to redo work!
2. They Offer to Help
• One of the best ways to become smarter is to learn is from someone else. Watching someone that is an expert and being a copycat is a fast way to get better at a new task. Even if you aren't very smart, you still seek recognition and therefore offering to help work on projects that the experts are running gets your name out there. These people become friendly and reliable colleagues rather than introverts working solo.
3. They Are Kind
• I find that those that aren't proving to the world that they are super smart are happier and supportive people. They give words of encouragement, congratulations, and praise. For example, "Wow, that's a great idea!" because they genuinely wouldn't have thought of it themselves. Instead of trying to share your knowledge with the world and argue with those that disagree, having less smarts means you receive advice all the time, listen to it, and appreciate it.

It takes a while to readjust after an amazing 2 week trip to China with 15 of my MBA classmates. Touring to Beijing, Shenyang, and Shanghai, I learned some fascinating things about the Chinese culture, companies, and emerging market opportunities. I have not really been out of the country before, and so I had no expectations going in and I had a wonderful time. Here is a short synopsis of fun facts, traveling advice, and professional information that hopefully give you some insight into China.

1. Socialism is very visible in China. You can see the economic and social standards are very controlled and respected by each citizen. The Chinese are very nice to each other and foreigners. Taxi drivers are the safest drivers, no road rage even with 3,000 new vehicles a day in Beijing and frequent blaring of car horns and constant traffic. There are street vendors everywhere and thus lots of bartering on anything from fruit to jewelry. Everything is clean and there is little crime. You see street sweepers with homemade brooms everywhere. Street vendors track you down for a sale and to give you the correct change. Taxi drivers are patient and safe so they don’t lose their license. The subway systems are very impressive! Past government mandated exercises are still practiced by older women in the streets of Shanghai regularly.
2. The most interesting part of socialism is the public healthcare system which we learned a lot about by visiting multiple new hospitals. No matter your income, age, or illness you must stand in line all day for 2 minutes with a doctor. Thus, many Chinese gain immunities due to overdose prescriptions. Private healthcare for those that can afford it is just now entering the market and is a great opportunity for domestic and foreign investors.
3. Another interesting government control is limiting the movement between cities. Each citizen has a location card which ties them to a region and it is near impossible for paperwork to be approved to move into a big city from a rural area. In response, the government is developing Tier 3 cities into Tier 2 and Tier 2 cities into Tier 1. These tiers are based upon population and Shenyang is a smaller Tier 2 with “only” 9 million people. The amount of construction in Shenyang versus Beijing and Shanghai (both Tier 1 cities) was very evident. And apparently all construction projects must be completed within 3 years which also contributes to the fast industrial growth since the Cultural Revolution only 20 or so years ago (1979). It will be interesting to return in a decade and see how the country has dealt with the challenges of development.
4. I seek out the green spaces in the busy cities and each of the tourist attractions had tons of shady, evergreen trees. The Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and Beiling Park were definitely the places to play chess or go on a date. I found it surprising that even the campus of Bao Steel has 60% trees. The Ring Roads in Beijing and The Bund in Shanghai each had tons of roses lined along the way. It didn’t quite balance out the smog that stuck to all of the tall buildings and your nose though.
5. The food in general is definitely not like Americanized Chinese food and honestly you had few options since every restaurant had similar items.  However, the jiaozi (also known as gyoza, pot-stickers, or dumplings) are delicious and I highly recommend ordering them anywhere. There is no difference between meals: breakfast, dessert, dinner, all any time of day. On a regular basis you could get food from street vendors who had Durian fruit, lots of melon, candy-covered strawberries on a stick, and grilled squid. You could get “Hot Pot” meals similar to fondue. And of course Peking Duck in Beijing is a do not miss treat! If you need your American fix while in China, KFC is the most common followed by Pizza Hut and McDonalds.

Me at Badaling, The Great Wall of China

General Q&A: