Back in the Philippines

Today May 5, marks the first day back in the Philippines after 14 months. It's been a long journey. A year ago, I came with a simple mission: Reconnect with family for the first time in 28 years. My uncle gave me a tour of the school he runs in the outskirts of Manila. We walked the schoolyard full of children practicing for their year-end graduation ceremonies. I felt overwhelmed with the excitement that filled the air: the smiles, the giggles, and eagerness to start summer. My family was making a difference in the world by educating hundreds of kids each year, keeping them off the streets, building a foundation for success that might someday help these kids break the mold of poverty that plagues countries like the Philippines.

Little did I know, that day planted a seed within me to grow my desire to give back with my own passion: the love of storytelling and video. It's been a Since my first trip back in March of 2010, I've spoken with dozens of people about what will become the Thrivera project.

Today, I meet with the principal of our partner school (Immaculate Concepcion School of Baliuag) to design the curriculum of what will become our two week workshop teaching video storytelling to the youth of the Philippines. But first things first, we conduct a handful of home visits to interview the families of our youth. We'll have a chance to get to know who they are, their personal story, their hardship, their need. These kids will be the first class to go through the Thrivera project later this year.

What's Behind the Unrest in the Arab World

Here's a fascinating look at the factors at play in the unrest happening in the Middle East. Check out the economist's Shoe Thrower Index and see what country might be next?

Linchpin

I enjoyed reading Seth Godin's book Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? Godin's premise is that there's a new class of workers beyond the laborers and managers called the linchpins. Too many of us assume the role of a physical laborer which is nothing more than a replaceable cog or a wheel in a big machine. The truth is we are more like irreplaceable linchpins that bring emotional labor and humanity to our organizations.

I love the idea of approaching work as an artist with a passion to delight people. It speaks so much about the uniqueness of our individuality and the gifts we offer the world. Godin's gift to us is simply awakening us to our inner linchpin and changing our approach to work or life.

To be fair, it took me a while to get used to his writing style, because I was expecting another research based business book. Then I realized that it was more blog-like in nature with anecdotal thoughts wrapping around the linchpin theme. I suggest you just start with the simple insight that you are linchpin, and then enjoy the ride as you discover ways that you already are.

- Marvin