October 22, 2010
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I once jumped into a marathon to run 6 miles with a friend till the end.
I never run, so 6 miles was a big deal. It felt great, but for a week my knees felt so shot they would buckle as I walked.
I didn’t take up running again until now.
There’s a theory that modern shoes are actually the cause of many injuries such as knee pain. The idea is very simple… our feet were engineered to run. They are well-designed machine that takes care of everything, including shock absorption. Before the days of shoes (a couple million years worth of time in the history of the homo sapien) the bottoms of our feet were used to rugged terrain, and our toes were wide creating a stable base, so we could run on anything. Now our feet have the same design, but the skin is soft, so we just need a good cover for it and a way to spread out our toes.
Enter the vibram five fingers.
I bought the Bikilia model, named after Ethiopian Abebe Bikila who ran a world-record 2:15:17 marathon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome – barefoot. And I just went on my first run tonight. And all I have to say is holy shit. I usually have to take a break every lap and this time I kept going and going like I was flying. At times it felt like my feet barely hit the ground. I had to stop myself because I knew the muscles and feet have to get used to it (you run on the middle of your foot, instead of striking at the heel).
Beyond just running, it feels amazing for the real shape of my foot to touch the earth. It’s very grounding. I highly recommend it, even if you don’t want to run in them. (If you do buy them for running, read Tim Ferriss’ blog post first.)
I love simple solutions.
October 19, 2010
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I truly have the best team in the world.
After returning from my 30 day training / initiation, the team decorated my entire area, they all dressed up like me, and then took me out to roast me (yes, as in, I sit there and listen to them rag on me – in a pimp suit, no less).
This is my desk covered in hundred balloons, streamers and graduation hats.
This is half the team dressed up like me (I either wear blazer and jeans, or blue shirt and dark pants).
This is the actual roast, and yes they made me dress up in a full pimp outfit (though I seem to look like a Las Vegas Marachi player instead). Topics included of my obsession with raw vegetables and smoothies, the times I tried my Krav Maga moves on co-workers, and my overuse of the phrase “…and such.”
Thanks everyone for such an amazing return to the Zi Lounge. I’m so happy to be a part of this team.
October 18, 2010
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Dear iphone,
I hate to do this, as we’ve had so many good times. But I’m breaking up with you.
You see, the main reason I enter a relationship with a phone is… to make phone calls. And you’re just flaking on me constantly. I really believe I’ve tried here. Sometimes I’ll even completely ignore real people around me just to talk on you, and you drop me like I’m week-old Chinese food.
But I must say, I think I may never have the same excitement at the beginning of a relationship as I did with you. It’s like you’ve raised my standard for what a phone could be. And because of that, I’ve found someone new…
I know this must be hard for you to hear, but The HTC EVO really meets my needs. It has most of your apps, it has 4G cable modem speeds, and it’s a wifi hotspot. And on top of all that, it’s a lot less money every month.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. I told you I was done with Sprint and I’d never go back. But in all these years, Sprint has improved everything. They’re a totally different company now, even their customer service.
I have to let you know, I’ll be staying good friends with your family. I love your uncle Mac Book Pro, and your cousin iPad. And hey, if you’d like, you can stick around as my iPod with benefits.
Thank you for all the great years we had together.
-Robbe
P.S. – I’ve heard the rumors that you’re network-curious now. I’m glad to hear you’re so open-minded to change!
September 29, 2010
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4:30am. I’m up before my 5am alarm.
We have to be in our chairs, ready to start by 7. If I’m there at 7:01 I have to start the entire month over with a new class. It’s a brilliant accountability-building ritual that’s built into our training. Just one of many techniques to learn our culture.
And despite the ungodly hour to be awake, I’m excited to be a part of this group…
—————-
“Having fun?” I ask my classmate.
“All day, every day,” he says, without skipping a beat, in a tone of total confidence. I couldn’t help but smile.
I can see why some people have called the Zappos family a cult. Some find it jarring to see so many people smiling in one office. For others, it’s life changing… A few weeks ago I sat down with a world class journalist who said to me, with tears in his eyes, “I have reported on every major company and met with the heads of states, and I have never felt so welcomed and embraced as I have here at Zappos.”
“Zappos is a spiritual experience…”
I was completely taken aback when the head of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute (arguably the most successful institution in the field of modern philosophy) had this to say:
“Zappos is a spiritual experience. This is not hyperbole. After touring Zappos for three hours I immediately recognized the state of consciousness that the Zappos environment induces is the same as the deep meaning states of awareness that are often characteristic of spiritual events.” – Robb Smith
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” – Peter Drucker
Zappos has become well-known as the gold standard of customer service. However, what most people don’t realize is that the Zappos family culture is what powers the service. The idea is simple – treat your people well and make them happy. Happy employees then make your customers happy.
Of course, the process starts way before that…
“Harder to get into than Harvard.”- jokes COO Alfred Lin.
Zappos accepts 1% of all applicants. That’s less than Harvard University.
Then there are four weeks of training before the job even begins. Many people find that absurd, to invest that much time in employees who start at less than $12 an hour (and then offer them $2000 to quit, in order to make sure they really want to be there).
I am finally now going through the Zappos customer service and culture training, after being at the company a year and a half. I had come in as a consultant to re-launch Zappos Insights. And then I was always so busy running the business with Donavon, that I never had time to take the full-time training. But thanks to my amazing team, and Scrum, I finally had the time.
“I think this saved my marriage.”
I had heard that Zappos customer service training changes you as a person. I had no idea how much that was true until I started hearing my classmates’ feedback just a few days into the process…
“I’m able to connect with people in a totally new way. I used to just mind my own business, but now I’m looking people in the eye, saying hi, asking if I can help. I talked to an older gentleman in a wheelchair at Walmart and his entire face lit up.” – Eric
“I think this saved my marriage. I’m talking to my husband in a totally different way. We used to be so quick to get on each other’s nerves, and now I’m really listening, I’m not overreacting and I’m seeing him in a new light.” – Jen
Can you believe this was three days into the training?
We learned so much that by the time we finally got to the phones I was so excited I couldn’t stop smiling. This wasn’t just customer service. This felt like a performance. How could I wow people today. What are they going to throw at me? Bring it on!
Putting on the head set, I did not feel like I was in a call center. I felt like I was part of NASA mission control. It felt that important to me.
“…we just happen to sell shoes.”
If you’ve been reading my blog recently, you’ve seen how much I’ve been writing about dreams, Inception, The Matrix, and waking up from trance states. I’ve come to believe that’s what we’re up to at Zappos. We’re about waking people up to how they can be happy. (Insider’s Hint: To get happy, try delivering happiness). Yes, that’s a double entendre (see the second half here).
Tony, our CEO, is fond of saying, “We’re a service business, we just happen to sell shoes.” I didn’t realize how true that was until I started this training. We’re always looking for new ways to connect with people, to WOW! our customers and to WOW! each other.
What’s most interesting, is that this really doesn’t take much time or money.
It all starts with looking someone in the eye, and with the utmost sincerity, saying “Hi! How are you?” When it’s done right, you can really light people up.
September 25, 2010
Uncategorized
(Man, was I tired that day!)
For part 1, click here.
September 19, 2010
Uncategorized
In the default world, we’re in a trance. We move in lock step to each destination.. work, gym, store, home. And when driving in between them, we’re anywhere but here as our minds wander into whatever fantasy or fear is in our thoughts.
Now imagine if someone interrupts that trance… when a stranger walks up to you and starts talking to you. Suddenly we go into fear… “Who is this person and what do they want? Now I might be late to dinner. I gotta get outta here!” …and back into that safe trance.
But what if you knew it was all a dream? What if you knew that you’ll be waking up to your warm cozy bed later? Well that would mean you could simply explore, learn, play, have fun. Nothing really matters, so there’s plenty of time to just enjoy the moment.
This is what it’s like to wake up within a dream and know you’re dreaming. So back to Burning Man and the Advanced Dreaming Class.
How to Wake up in a Dream, and Take Control
Ever wonder why you could dream a pink elephant walks by singing Michael Jackson and you never think to yourself, “This is really weird. Maybe I’m dreaming.” It’s because despite the circumstances, you’re still in a trance. You’re still in the same state of mind as you are in the real world, which accepts everything at face value. So the only way to really notice you’re dreaming is if you start to question the real world.
You’re reading my blog post right now in the real world. Are you sure you’re not dreaming?
The Reality Check
Here’s how you question reality throughout your day:
If you’re in the real world, it will stay the same. If you’re in the dream world, it will change to another number, or perhaps change shape, or color, or turn into a muppet. Who knows. But it certainly won’t be the same. (Note: It’s important that you only use numbers. I’ve tried this with words and it does not work as well).
If you do this several times a day, you will start to do it when you’re dreaming. And it’s like receiving a message from yourself to wake up within the dream. Once you do, it’s like the holodeck on Star Trek. It all feels totally real, and yet you can do anything you want!
Ground Yourself in the Dream
Before you go flying, or talk to God, or whatever it is you want to do, it’s very important to ground yourself in the dream world. There is such a rush of excitement when you realize you’re dreaming that it’s easy to go into emotional overload and quickly wake up. The most advanced lucid dreamers are very good at tempering their emotions.
To ground yourself, pay attention to all your senses. What are you hearing, seeing, smelling? Look at your hands to connect with your body in this world. Take a moment to breathe. This will help extend your dream time.
Explore!
You can do whatever you’d like at this point, but here are a few interesting points that came from the Advanced class:
1. Nightmares and Dream enemies
These are often people who have a message for you. They represent something you’ve pushed out of your conscious. You might try asking them what they mean. Or give them unconditional love (Note: I tried this technique after Burning Man. My enemy turned into a child crying, but I couldn’t get him to tell me what he signified. Ah the power of repressed thought!)
2. Bring dreams into your reality
To become more aware, try telling people about your dreams. It’s important for you to be able to remember your dreams before you can try all of this. If you can’t remember your dreams, set your alarm clock to 4am, when you’re very likely to be in an REM state. Wake up, write down your dream and go back to bed. (Note: I like to record mine on the voice recorder of my iphone)
3. Supplements
There are supplements you can take such as Huperzine-A, Mugwort and Galantamine. There is a book all about this, as well as Tim Ferriss’ blog post below. Note that while these supplements are very safe, there may also be a downside to long-term use, as very experienced lucid dreamers have said that it can reduce your number of lucid dreams once you go off of it.
Best Resources for Further Exploration:
Best Book on the Subject: Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming
Tim Ferriss’s blog post
LD4all
I believe this is one of the best skills you can possibly learn, because you’ll be dreaming your whole life. In fact, I’ve begun to wonder… perhaps this entire world we’re in now is “one level deep” to quote Inception. Perhaps each earth life time we have is like one day in our lives as a soul. So when we die, we go back to the real world for awhile, and then dream into another life.
The Red Pill is real.
I got this email last week:
“Thanks for the playa gift! I’ve tried it several times and prescribed it to other folks, and it really works!
A friend of mine may be emailing you to obtain his own “prescription.”
After the dream class, I gave away 10 bottles, and 10 more people wanted them so they followed me back to camp to get their own.
Do you want your own? Email me your address. I have 10 left.
The Ski Party.
That night I waited for my camp to get ready to go out. This can take hours, easy. It’s herding cats in the real world, but add all the confusion of camping, dressing in the dark, creating crazy costumes, and hooking lights up to your outfit.
As I waited, I heard the most amazing music in the distance. It was a combination of bands like INXS with amazing break beats mixed in. Upon hearing the happy vibe, I got up and left the group to go out on my own…
I walked into a huge geodesic dome to an Apres ski party!
There was snow falling, everyone was in ski outfits, and I don’t know how to explain this but it felt like we all knew each other.
Next time:The utopian French Cafe, Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet, and Mental Foreplay.
