The beauty sprouting out of Talentbridge, one of many communities within Ottawa, is the intelligence, the excitement, and dedication.  The youthful exuberance.  It is brought together, guided, and encouraged by Oak Computing’s Manu Sharma – the sort that asks the proper questions, regardless of the emotional state of the recipient; because not asking would detach Manu from the term leader, and those stumbling towards success – sacrificing, giving it a good go, and not caring about the naysayers after each moment requiring a quick dust off – need that.  And they will lead when their time comes.  Talentbridge is a community, after all.  It takes care of its own. 

But I am just cheering, of course.  My actions – result driven and economically inspired – have yet to come to fruition.  So these are just ramblings – biased ones. 

Yes, as a member of Talentbridge I do have a positive bias towards the latest news that Talentbridge, despite its initial squashing (which lead to a member sprinting after Margot Sunter, Vice-President of OCRI Finances and Administration), has found further funding.  How have I shaped such bias?  Well, I enjoy bright-eyed thoughts, purposeful debates, networking with purpose, idea sharing on steroids, and mentors that understand tomorrow requires youthful longevity.  So I enjoy Talentbridge.  I am biased.  We all have our flaws. 

But at least I do not need to say I enjoyed Talentbridge.  Past tense can be so very judgmental, so very open to critique – and what is a critique if it does not create a solution? 

There is so much more to come.  And no one respects a quitter.

“Why not,” the student writes below the question, turns over the final, and exits with a strut to its step.  The student gets %100 on the final. 

True story? 

Anyway,….. 

I day daydream because it makes sense.  To think off into the distance – the transparent and lucid distance of anything and anywhere – is a joy of a day.  My day, anyway.  It is where I think.  And I love to think. 

What is thinking? 

I am not sure, but I think it has various types: one-sided, two-sided, numerously-sided, and out to lunch.  This is how we get opinions. 

Opinions matter more and more.  They are everywhere – in speech, paper, blog, and serial form.  This is an opinion.  So am I thinking?  I hope so.  I love it.  It is productive. 

I want more people to think.  “WHY?” being answered is a beautiful thing.  It brings us places.  We may not always like these places, but at least we find out what we do not like and learn how to create a solution by asking “why not this?”  

And then on we go…..

I have been wrestling with all of that since joining Talentbridge.  Allow me to rephrase: “All of That.”  Things just happen to look better in quotes.  Anyway, I’m dealing with “All of That”, and it is not dealing with me.  It is controlling me.  But I do not mind.  I see the light, but not the end of the tunnel.  I am not sure if I ever want to see the end of the tunnel.  Probably not. 

I never had a template for a business plan, but now I have handfuls of them.  Everyone knows how to do them.  But there is not one made for us all.  So I am dabbling, right now.  It has been fun. 

I have been asking myself questions.  Is this it?  Where to?  How?  Really?  And am I ready?  I always answer in the affirmative.  But that is because I want to keep traversing the tunnel.  

Sorry, The Tunnel.  

The Tunnel is made of asphalt, grass, astroturf, gravel, sand, tissue paper, and cotton candy.  Seriously.  The Tunnel is always changing.  I am just trying to keep up.  We all are, I think.  And by all I mean young entrepreneurs. 

Sorry, Young Entrepreneurs. 

I want to write, try to, and intend to one day succeed.  And that is where I am: trying to succeed. 

In my trying, I may fail.  I think of this.  I think the hours I spend on my model will be for not.  Maybe.  I think the conclusions I contrive will be nothing but elongated jargon with no plausible end.  Maybe.  I think the hopes I leave daggling without explanation and execution will be holes that sink my ship.  Maybe.  I think I will want to keep trying.  Probably.  No, definitely. 

I am not sure who said it, and hope someone has: “In resigning yourself to failure, you have already succeeded.  So think.” 

I am off to go grab an oatmeal muffin and do just that.

Anyway,….. 

“Social” and “Organism” get along like John and Jane.  Social Organisms are great.  They thrive.  They are needed.  They drive success. 

Yesterday, a good ol’ chap of mine tweeted me a Mashable article (http://mashable.com/2011/11/30/drop-social/).  I read it because he told me it was meant for a progressive entrepreneur (these are Beasts, by the way.  See here http://thechameleonlife.tumblr.com/).  I read it, and now I will offer my opinion. 

The Mashable post – in my pristinely defined, well educated, and therefore irrefutable opinion – is aiming to be provocative.  Great.  Provocative gets attention.  It made me read the damn thing.  I slurped it up like Daniel Plainview.  And on came my thought: interruption is participation.  We all need to participate. 

Enjoy McLuhan?  You should.  If you do not know who he was, go read – at best, go watch his dialogue with Tom Wolfe on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkflL6PTmo8).  Anyway, in an ode to McLuhan, allow me to repeat myself: interruption is participation.  Our culture (because we need a different word so you will not be confused) has become accustomed to social media.  Parents, ripe off the typewriter, use Facebook.  Creeperbook is no longer the prime, free dating site.  It is both Creeper and Curfewbook (figure that out).  It is all social.  Interrupt it.  Participate. 

Be eminent (http://talentbridge.ca/ibm-and-smb-ottawa/) 

Foster growth. 

Do not be afraid.  Too often I hear the statement, “but what if I put it out there and no one reads it, or they do and they hate it?”  And I think: why not give it a go?  Why not toss it out there to be crushed, criticised, hated, and praised?  What is there to lose, except the complacency that sprung you to act?  Try it and feel better.  

The Social Organism is fertile soil.  Water will come by.  But it will be scarce, and you will need to draw its attention.  So go to work.  We all want to work.  Work, for us, will drive success, riches, and…do not say complacency. 

Be the 70 year-old in the next, next social organism.  Be the futuristic character I want to write about.

I want to reflect. 

I have been partaking in the OCRI community for two months.  I am a junior.  If this were hockey, I would be enjoying myself through fierce competition, the quick wit needed to jaw at an opponent, building camaraderie with my team mates at the gym, and the cliché puck bunny experience of a rookie party.  OH, to have practiced just a little more during my youth.  

But back to my reflection. 

My association with OCRI is through the TalentBridge program facilitated by Manu Sharma.  Talentbridge, for those unaware, is an educationally driven entrepreneurial incubator for all realms of the Ottawa populace.  It is a productive place.  Engineers meet other engineers, and then they learn business modelling.  Those familiar with business modelling interact with the engineers, and then they learn the importance of structure.  And I, the something, watch.  I have had the privilege of witnessing mesmerizing views. 

The sunrise does more than waken you at TalentBridge.  It liberates you, sets you on a course of anything and everything.  Its mid-day glow is not just for warmth.  It is for energy, exuberance, and curiosity – all things needed for future productivity.  And dusk is not just some casual goodbye.  It is an anxious time, fuelled by tomorrow – where we all see ourselves thriving.  Talentbridge is a full day. 

Full days can be tiring, and I must be honest: I have not slept this well since my years of dabbling at the Universityof Western Ontario.  TalentBridge has been a strain on the mind.  But a great strain.  The incubator has called on me to innovate so I am not left behind, and forced me to update my mind on matters I had previously glanced over – technological jargon, business acronyms, and networking practices.  TalentBridge, you see, has been very accommodating. 

So where is it going? 

Well, this is debated every time we TalentBridge folks, members of OCRI, co-locate.  Come find us.  The banter is not half bad.

Tomorrow, fewer boundaries will exist and more ideas will be heard. 

Tomorrow, inclusive will trump exclusive. 

Tomorrow, social interaction will be a larger organism. 

Tomorrow, The Holy Sh!t Moment will be part of the everyday. 

The above are hopes, like Annie’s thoughts of tomorrow.  But if the latest Social Media Breakfast Ottawa event taught me anything, it is this: intelligent interaction fosters the drive for success, and success is contingent on intelligently driven hard work. 

Intelligent creation is right there.  But it does not have to be the reinvention of the wheel.  It can be the wheel with a hubcap.  Some of the world’s greatest minds have understood this.  They knew the idea already existed.  But they were smarter.  They took the idea to its extremes, which is where success lies. 

So if it is success you want, just look towards tomorrow, analyze and be ready to make it your home.  But be ready to work.  And be ready to use your head. 

Thinking and creating might never have been this much fun.