“A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.” ~Author Unknown

At TJCC we achieve collective learning through the deep conversations and intimate connections that first germinate in our posts, then blossom through comments and emails. It’s a natural fit for us to have an ongoing feature where contributors and editors share those resources that reflect the more personal part of our cultural learning center.

Why Books?

Why didn’t we choose to highlight our authenticity by noting our favorite artist, our favorite film, our favorite cheese?

We might someday. But let’s start with books, the origins of our formal classroom learning. And mix it up with life lessons.

Books we love most tell the true tale of who we are. It is in between the pages where we can examine fragile thoughts without breaking them, or handle incendiary ideas without fear of getting burned.

Books have told stories, delivered valuable lessons and harbored the best and worst of humanity for hundreds of years. Textbooks, e-books, biographies and anthologies. Children’s books, language and poetry books.

Books are some of the sharpest tools in the cultural learning toolbox. By writing them, we create ideas. By reading them, we learn.

Books have the power to educate and unify. Regardless of cultural differences.

A List with Lessons

We went beyond listing the books; we wanted to share what our favorite books truly meant to us by way of the lasting impact contained in their message.

Through sharing, we initiate conversation – a single person, in small to large groups, and through societies scattered across the globe. We gathered our collective wisdom to teach one another – and share here with you.

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Frank Mundo

My favorite book is Ask the Dust by Los Angeles writer John Fante. Reading this book changed my life forever. I was 18 years old and I loved to read and write, but this book made me want to be a writer. There’s just something magical about the writing: it’s poetry and prose — it’s art and craft — even now. I read it every couple of years, and each time I find something new and more wonderful than the last. Like Charles Bukowski, Fante was my God in the darkest and lonliest time of my life. I can’t imagine a more important book to me than Ask the Dust.

Christa Avampato

My favorite book is Alice in Wonderland. For a recommended resource, I’d list a book I just finished: Inside Obama’s Brain. The book has incredible life lessons for everyone, no matter what we do for a living or how we spend our free time. Obama’s confidence and belief in his destiny are powerful motivators. I just spoke to the author for Examiner.com and what surprised him most about Obama is Obama’s ability to imagine how all the different routes he could take in life would manifest in the long run. A tremendous use of analytical thinking to build idealistic dreams.

Tara Joyce

The book is Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Why? As a kid, I don’t think there was a single book I read more. I would repeatedly take this collection of poems out of the library and pour over them like I was reading them for the first time. Reflecting on the emotions this book stirs in me today, I observe that Shel’s energetic, whimsical and hopeful writing-style, and the eccentric drawings that complimented his poems, connect with my need for authentic self-expression, support my belief that my dreams can be shaped into reality, and provide me with assurance that even in adulthood, I can still be child-like and fun-loving.

Sean Platt

I can’t possibly pick a favorite book, as I’ve been inhaling pages since I could string sentences together. However, I’ll pick a book by Mark Halprin, Solider of the Great War, since it was the first book that floored me with it’s poetic language. I remember reading it and thinking, How can anyone articulate simple thought with such majesty? But he did. I think in a quiet way, that book had something to do with my eventually moving my own pen across the page.

Elisa Philips

My favorite book right now is Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. Reinforced the need to think differently about the way we educate children and foster talents which take 10+ years to form. Every child should be educated (build more schools not jails) and the standards for schools should be taken up about 5 notches. Bridge the gap between public and private school. If kids in the Bronx can do it, anyone can.

Dani at Positively Present

As an avid reader, it’s really hard to pin down my absolute favorite book. It’s hard to even think of my top five favorite books. So, instead of discussing the book that’s my favorite, I’m going to talk about the book that’s influenced me the most lately.

On a recent business trip, I picked up a copy of Positivity by Barbara Frederickson. I’d been meaning to read this book for awhile, considering I have a blog that focuses on positivity, but I’d never gotten around to reading it. When I saw it propped up in a small bookshop staring me in the face, I decided it was high time I picked up a copy. And, man, am I glad I did. The book has impacted in more in the past few days that almost any book I’ve read. I can hardly put it down and my mind is racing with all of the great information, most of which I can attest to first hand. It’s the kind of book I believe anyone and everyone interested in changing their lives for the better should read.

I could go on forever about books I love (and for more on those, check out the “Brilliant Books” section on www.positivelypresent.com), but this one has had a tremendous impact on me lately and I would recommend it to anyone. If you haven’t already read it, pick up a copy ASAP!

Amanda Hirsch

Favorite book: The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron

What I learned: The Artist’s Way is my gospel – it unlocked the artist trapped inside me, and set me on the path of living my life as a work of art.

Kellie Fitzgerald

My favorite book is constantly evolving. Most recently, it is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. While reading this book, I was reminded that the female spirit and the relationships that we form with one another are incredibly resilient. I was moved by Mariam & Laila’s ability to find pleasure in simple things like a cup of tea or the moonlight on a warm night amidst their life of unimaginable loss, violence, injustice and suffering.

Stephanie Finigan

Fave book: (such a hard question!): A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. What did I learn: That geeks and misfits really do end up as the cool kids you admire and wish you were friends with. Oh and one more just b/c I loved this book so so much (who didn’t??): She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I learned: There is always hope!

Join the conversation! What’s your favorite book? What did you learn?

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Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter and read more about what she’s up to on her blog.

The biggest risk that companies face today is not the work of their competitors; it’s the loss of employee engagement and loyalty.

The cultures of many large companies are literally rotting from the inside out. Cultures that took decades to create have descended into ruins in a matter of 18 months. CEOs need to look inward at who’s still around in their corridors; they need to make re-building trust and loyalty among their people their number 1 priority if they are to survive in this new economy.

It’s through the lens of these corporate survivors that I considered the Rotman School Design Thinking Experts Series, hosted by Thomson Reuters. My former boss, Bob, invited me because of my interest in innovation and change makers. Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, Bruce Nussbaum, Design and Innovation Columnist at Business Week, Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School, and Will Setlief, VP of Marketing at Target, were panelists and shared their experience with design thinking and their outlook on the future of business.

I took away 5 main points from the talk that have been racing around in my mind ever since. As I was on vacation, I thought a lot about how I can take these five principle and encourage them in the large corporation where I currently work.

Here they are as food for thought:

1.)   The scientific method is about deductive reasoning. Design thinking is about expansive thinking. In companies, people need to receive training in design thinking, regardless of whether or not they are designers. Everything is subject to design and creativity. In our education system, children need to have the opportunity to create something new, not just analyze what’s already known.

2.)   See what’s really around us. Don’t think, strategize, and plan in your cubicle or conference room. There are no answers in your own four walls. The answers are walking around, living. Go out into the world, talk to customers, and watch them. Genius is in the doing.

3.)   Culture is derivative. You cannot change culture. You can change behavior, language, communications, and space. By creating new rituals, you can transform culture.

4.)   A well-crafted question is as valuable as a solution. Tim Brown talked about the black hole of design think – “where do the questions come from?” He advocates for spending most of our time on asking questions in many different ways. Every problem has its own solution baked in and it takes a lot of time, effort, and patience, to peel away a question’s layers to get to the solution.

5.)   Design thinking is never done. It is a process, not a goal or destination. It is a tool. Use it often.

Extra Reading For The Curious:

- To learn more, check out Tim Brown’s book Change by Design and Roger Martin’s book The Design of Business.

- Download IDEO’s Human Center Design toolkit and field guide free of charge at http://www.ideo.com/work/item/human-centered-design-toolkit/

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Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter and read more on her blog.

The first time I learned Spanish, it was to satisfy a school requirement in 7^th grade. The second time I learned Spanish it was for love – my first boyfriend in college was a Venezuelan and I wanted very much to know and understand his culture, especially the language.

Now in the process of learning Spanish for the third time in my life, it is to improve my own life and the lives of others.

I returned from Costa Rica through teary eyes and with a longing to stay among the people there. I was so fortunate to volunteer with a nonprofit called Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS), a U.S.-based organization that organizes volunteer vacations to different sites around the world. The CCS staff in Costa Rica is exceptional, among the kindest and most competent people I have ever worked with.

I chose a placement in the city of Cartago because I have wanted to see Costa Rica for many years and that site was one of the few programs with the start date I wanted. I was prepared to go there to help the community in any way that I could, though it turned out that the people of Cartago had far more to offer me than I had to offer to them.

Our group of volunteers and staff, composed of some of the friendliest, funniest people I could have ever asked for, spent mornings at a senior center in San Rafael, a small community next to Cartago. The residents, known to the community as “abuelitos” (which translates to ‘grandparents’), were so grateful for our company and time. We sang and danced and did crafts with them. We laughed and shared stories. My Spanish is incredibly rusty, though I was so happy to be able to practice after over a decade of not using it at all. My grammar is terrible and my vocabulary is limited, though with the patience and kindness of the people in Costa Rica (known locally as “Ticos”) I was able to learn so much about the culture, language, and history in just one week.

The people of Costa Rica taught me how little I need to be happy, how much I have already, and the beauty of small kindnesses – three lessons that are invaluable and for which I am beyond grateful. From the moment I arrived in this happy country, it was evident that they are a deeply relaxed, confident, and joyful people. They have a culture that appreciates the idea of having enough and no more; they embody a sense of generosity and concern for others that is awe-inspiring.

Wherever You Go, You Are Home

The week zipped by too quickly and before I knew it we were on our way back to the airport for our return flights home. Our expert driver, Allan, wound through the twisting, turning, traffic-jammed streets of Costa Rica without a single trace of frustration. I was getting worried that I might miss my flight; we were still in the car an hour before take-off. “Mi vuelta es a la una.” (This made no sense to Allan because ‘vuelo’ is the word for ‘flight’ and ‘vuelta’, the word I was using, is one of the conjugations for the verb ‘to go back’.)  “ ‘Vuelo’, Christa. ‘Vuelo.’ Tranquila. Es muy temprano.” (“Be calm. It’s very early,” he said.) I wasn’t even at the airport yet and already my panicked American ways were seeping back into my behavior. I followed Allan’s wise advice to calm down. He must have thought I was crazy to be worried about being at the airport an hour ahead of my fight – from the curb to the gate, it took 10 minutes and was the easiest check-in process I have ever experienced.

As I waited for my flight to take off, I was writing about my experiences, wishing so much for a sign that this is a country that I would return to again and again throughout my life. A moment later, they called my name on the overhead speaker. My immediate reaction was fear. A few years ago, my passport was stolen in South Africa and the U.S. embassy told me that I would have problems traveling abroad for many years because of that incident. I made my way to the front of the plane, panicked, and then I remembered Allan’s advice. Tranquila, Christa. Tranquila.

A very kind stewardess at the front of the plane handed me a new boarding pass with a wide smile. “Yo necesito tomar una otra vuelo, senora?” (“Do I need to take another flight?” I asked, a little proud that I used ‘vuelo’ instead of ‘vuelta’.) She just smiled. I looked at the new boarding pass – they bumped me to a first class seat. “No hay bastante sillas en coach.” (“There are not enough seats in coach,” she said with a wink.) As I sank into the comfortable seat, I realized that this was the sign I had just asked for, a perfect ending to a perfect trip. I look forward to returning to the Tico life very soon.

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Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter.

“Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen.” ~ Ambrose Bierce, journalist, satirist, as quoted from his “Devil’s Dictionary”

We know these people – those who talk for the sake of hearing themselves talk, who have no self-awareness, who spend 59 minutes of an hour long conversation talking about themselves and 1 minute hearing what others have to say.

A friend of mine was recently dating a guy who is the epitome of a bore – she is always out doing interesting things while he sits around in coffee shops thinking about doing interesting things without following through on them. I’m glad to report she’s moved on.

But what if you can’t move on from the bore in your life just yet?

Perhaps the bore is your boss, or a family member, of a neighbor whom you need to live next to for the next 11 months of your 1-year lease.

I’m glad to let you know that you don’t need to suffer in silence. Here are some thoughts and tips from my own experience:

6 Ways To Deal With Bores  (p.s. you might even learn something from them)

1.)   Ask questions, lots of clarifying questions. Bores love controlling the entire conversation, often giving obscure quotes and spouting off ideas that are not at all grounded in reality. Push them further than their own surface knowledge on the topics they choose. This will make them think twice before approaching you again on these topics. As a rule, bores avoid those with anything beyond surface knowledge.

2.) Offer to put them in touch with someone that is an expert on the topics they bring up in conversations. Or provide them with websites or book recommendations that relate to their comments. Again, real knowledge scares them and they’ll probably take the avoidance tact with you.

3.) Never look idle in their presence. They try to seek out those that they think aren’t that busy – it’s easier to use up someone’s time if they aren’t actively engaged in another activity. And using up someone’s time is what bores are all about.

4.) Be honest about whether or not you’re really interested in what they’re saying. Feigning interest will just get you more of the bore. You can still be polite, and by polite I mean figure out how to politely excuse yourself from their presence once they are on a boring rant.

5.) See if you can learn something. Let’s say you’re stuck with the bore – no way out at a particular moment. See if there might be something you can learn from the topic the bore is stuck on at this moment. Or take it as a lesson in human behavior. Everyone has something to teach us, and if we’re stuck with someone, we might as well try to salvage something from the conversation.

6.) There’s nothing worse than someone who uses everything you say as an opportunity to talk about themselves without any give and take. With the bore, the gloves are off. Feel free to interject with your own opinions and experiences during every possible moment. This annoys them, and sends them on their way with a taste of their own medicine. Who knows – maybe you can actually turn them into a better listener!

If you have other strategies for combating the bore, we’d love to hear them. Cheers to interesting conversations!

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Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter.

“Some people are making such a thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren’t enjoying today’s sunshine.”

~ William Feather, publisher and author

This economy is beginning to scare me. I’m not worried about me and my financial situation. I’m worried for our world, and I’m worried about what this latest economic downturn is doing to our psyche and our creativity.

Everywhere you look everyone is telling us to be afraid, to be very afraid. “Put aside your dreams.” “You can’t plan for the long-term when your very survival is at risk.” “It will be 2013 before we see a recovery.” We are scared silly, whether we know it or not. The people I worry about the most are those who don’t even know they’re scared and have altered their behavior based on subconscious fear.

I’m not advocating for foolish investing, quitting your job that you hate without a way to survive, or going hog-wild this Christmas or at the next Barneys semi-annual sale. What I do want all of us to do is take a deep breathe, calm down, and consider very seriously how we want our lives to take shape, recession or no recession.

Easy for me to say, right? I have a job that pays well, cash in the bank to last me a good long while, no family that I have to care for financially, no mortgage, and no bad debt. Basically, I need to feed myself and keep a decent roof over my head. All other spending can go by the wayside. I’m lucky, and I know it, and I count my blessings every single day.

So I’m not just going to leave you here at this juncture. I’m going to tell you, “chin up, folks” or “hang in there” or “just don’t worry so much.” Those are crumby things that people say when they don’t know what else to say. Here’s what I’m doing to get myself to peak out over the gloomy horizon, what I’m doing to take in the sunshine wherever and whenever I can.

6 Ways I’m Staying Positive

1.)   I’m taking steps to open as many doors as possible for my future career. I’m exploring PhD programs that would allow me to teach, write, research, and consult. I’m beginning my yoga teacher certification in February. I’ll finish in May, be fully certified, and immediately be able to take on clients. Laura and I are working on our own business plan that we can do on the side as we keep our employment. The future is about multiple income streams. Welcome to the new economy. I want to use this time to make sure I have as many employment options as possible down the line.

2.)   The worst thing we can do right now is let this stress rob us of our health. I’ve been making special efforts to exercise, cook more often, spend time with friends and family, and relax. I’ve also reviewed my health plan for ways to save money while still maintaining the best quality care my plan offers. I recently switched all my prescriptions to generics and am now saving about $70 per month.

3.)   I’ve upped my volunteer time. I’m working with Citizen Schools starting in January. I signed up to be a book buddy with a 3^rd grader through an organization called Learning Leaders. This winter I’ll continue my volunteer teaching through Junior Achievement. I feel good giving back and it reminds me over and over again just how good I have it!

4.)   Get educated on the economy. Knowledge is power in this situation. I read a number of magazines – Business Week, Fast Company, and Inc. – to get a better handle on the economy. I also read the New York Times, Financial Times, and a number of blogs – Maria Bartiromo’s and Jean Chatzky’s are particularly good. And I love Suze Orman, too. I watch the news every day – sometimes several times a day – and I also read and contribute to the site Daily Worth. These sources not only give you a healthy dose of reality; they also show you that there is plenty in our economy to inspire optimism.

5.)   I watch Sesame Street. I’m not kidding. Go ahead and laugh. It’s okay – I’m cool with admitting this. Those little monsters make me laugh and they remind me what’s important in life – friends, family, my community, and learning. They take me back to a time of simplicity and they get my creative juices flowing despite that the show is meant for those who are 3 and not 33. No matter. I love them, and I get them on demand through my cable TV. Find something that serves this same purpose for you. Sometimes we just need to escape!

6.)   I write about hope. At the end of 2008 I was feeling pretty badly about a lot of things. I got to a point where I realized I was running out of hope and I needed to replenish the well. I decided to embark on a year-long blogging journey to write about something every day that makes me hopeful. By blogging these experience, I’m hoping to inspire hope in others, too.

About half-way through the year, I realized that I could take all these posts and compile them into an e-book that I could distribute for free in 2010. Is this crazy? Yes. If ever there was a year that didn’t have a whole lot of hope, it’s 2009. No matter. I am discovering that actively looking for hope dramatically increases our ability to find it. Stay tuned for the e-book – we’ll make sure to push it out through TJCC. In the meantime, take a peak at my hopeful discoveries at http://www.christainnewyork.blogspot.com

What’s Your Story?

Would love to hear how all of you are managing through this tough economy and what you’re doing to stay positive!

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