Helping Others By Telling Your Story

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I think the most humble and selfless act in life is to tell your story to help others. Whether that's to express the pain you went through to hopefully save others or enable those who've been through the same thing to feel like they aren't alone, that is true character.

A friend of mine, Matt Pipkin, was sexually assaulted when he was 5 years old. Just a child. A young boy. Many of you could never imagine such pain and suffering to hold something like that in for years and years. I can't even imagine it myself. However, he was finally able to open up about it two years ago and is doing really well!

The reason I'm writing about this is that he's flying for AT LEAST 65 days WITHOUT landing (world record) and somehow conned his dad to fly with him. Bathrooms and showers? Well, even I have no idea how that will work. The cool and most important part about this is the national platform he's flying for: childhood sexual abuse. 1 in 3 young girls and 1 in 6 young boys have been sexually assaulted prior to the age of 18. It's a serious problem and Matt has taken it upon himself to raise awareness to show others that if it happened to them, it's not their fault.

But he needs your help!! Share his story on facebook, twitter, to your family and friends. Watch him on the Today Show, follow his story as it unfolds. It's such an inspiring story and I want you all to get engaged!

The easiest thing for you to do is spread the word! If you feel so inclined to help financially, that would be amazing as well! He has 53 days left and needs to raise $50K. Every dollar counts!

Of course, I can't give justice to his story. Watch this short presentation to hear his story in his own words!

So get excited and help stop this national tragedy!

Visit http://commit365.org/ for more information.

Matt Pipkin

Twitter: @commit65 and @themattpipkin

Facebook: search “Commit 65”

Matt's email: purduepipkin@gmail.com

Matt is Boldly Challenging Status Quo. How about you?

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Semiotics of Advertising

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Pandora current song: Some hearts, Carrie Underwood

Let's dive into what ads really try to tell us. This is something I worked on in college and thought it was interesting enough to post. Enjoy!

Simply stated, DKNY is the energy and spirit of New York. International, eclectic, fun, fast and real. DKNY addresses the real-life needs of people everywhere, from work to weekend, jeans to evening. Both fashionable and friendly, DKNY consistently delivers its unique mix of style around the world. The mission of the Donna Karan Company, as a design driven company, is to represent the international pulse of New York in the design, marketing and delivery of a complete lifestyle system to a global customer. We will apply the highest standards of creativity, integrity, quality and innovation to our products and concepts.

Jeans - US - February 2006 - In a Daily News Record report, one DKNY (Donna Karan New York) sales executive explained, “We’re moving away from rips and tears and holes. The trend is toward more-subtle embellishments—such as back-pocket embroidery.”

Why do we do the crazy things we do?

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Pandora current song: Breathe In, Frou Frou

Self-presentation and perception. This is a major theme of thought in peoples’ minds whether directly or indirectly. What we do, how we do it, what we wear, what we say is all a part of identity for ourselves in others’ minds. It is in our culture to come up with excuses for things done wrong. Who wants to take the blame and be the dimwit who made the mistake, especially if it wasn’t even our fault? Humility and honor is a characteristic we put on the shelf when we really need it most. Yet, it is good for our identity to admit mistakes and show our vulnerability. Actions we take also account for our impression on others. If we trip on a root or stumble as we walk, we look back, say “Oops,” laugh it off, and then keep walking. If we didn’t look back, people would think we were strange. Another example is when we forget things. We start walking to our destination and when we remember what we forgot, we snap our fingers, and say, “Oh crap,” or other choice words. If you just saw someone walk by and then all of a sudden turn around in the opposite direction without any indication of a mistake, again we would think something was strange about that person. In both instances, people most likely are not paying that close attention to you, but ultimately we are all observant people. If something out of the norm occurs, our eyes follow that.

My Take on Social Media

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Pandora current song: Just a Dream, Nelly

What is social media?

Social media has infiltrated our lives and taken over the way we communicate information. It has become grossly popular with highly accessible techniques and spread virally through multiple channels at once. It’s free, extremely easy to use, and it’s reach is endless. It’s completely revolutionizing the way we do business. Free, easy, endless. You can’t beat that.

We as consumers are starting to genuinely trust third-party content far more than corporate-produced content. This means we look to other consumers for their advice more than going to a corporate website for their highly sculpted, one-sided story. Social media is “people-powered advertising.” Real people transforming real messages to other real people. It “seems” less invasive and more acceptable. The old saying “keep personal out of business” is long gone. We are naturally social butterflies and want people to enjoy and experience what we like and love. But the social interaction comes as a multi-way street with endless means to spread the word whether it’s Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, blogging, Twitter, or any other social sharing. Social media can interlock everything we do, so be careful how you use it.

How are You Dealing with Change?

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Pandora current song: Praying for Daylight, The Fray

How are you dealing with change?

On Wednesday, Sept 22 I took the NCTA student senate leadership to a conference in Lincoln, NE. Why, you ask? Well, even if you don’t care, let me tell you.

Back at WSU, I was a part of the Services and Activities (S and A) Fees committee where we allocated over $7M to organizations on campus to broaden their reach or event success for an overall better student experience. The money came from fees charged within the student’s tuition. When I came to NCTA, there was no help from the college for organizations and no way for new ones to start.

I was appointed at the Student Union manager with over $60K in funds available to it for student activities, maintenance, and salaries. I decided this would be a great opportunity to utilize the funds to bring fun entertainment as well as allocate funds back to the students. Why not?

I took everything I knew and created the same kind of committee on this campus with three staff members and seven student members. The committee has to be heavily student weighed because the students need to decide what they feel is important for the entire student body. Old farts like us as staff don’t necessarily “know” what they want.

Anyway, all student organizations who wanted money had to send student representatives to present what and why they wanted the funds. Student senate requested funds to attend a leadership conference for their leadership. So long story short, that’s why we ended up in Lincoln.

The keynote speaker was Gary Bradt, who is an endorsed business speaker who has spent 20 years consulting the nation’s senior business leaders, advising them on how to thrive in the constant change that takes place in today’s business world.

Read on because I promise you’ll be inspired.

My Adventurous Bucket List

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Pandora current song: It's My Life, Bon Jovi

(in no particular order)

Adventures

1. Run more half marathons 
2. Sky dive 
3. Bungee jump off something tall 
4. Learn how to rock climb better 
5. White water raft a crazy river 
6. Ride the tallest roller coaster 
7. Ride the fastest roller coaster 
8. Watch a NY Broadway show 
9. See the Lion King on Broadway in NY 
10. Swim with dolphins 
11. Swim with sting rays 
12. Swim with sharks 
13. Climb/hike to the top of a mountain 
14. Go on a cruise 
15. Hike the Appalachian Trail 
16. Cycle through Provence 
17. Climb Machu Picchu 
18. Swim in the Great Barrier Reef 
19. Bike the Golden Gate Bridge