Bury My Heart at Conference Room B was written by Stan Slap, of slap (company). Though a “New York Times Bestseller”, I hadn’t heard of this book or known of Stan’s work. I loved this book. I actually listened to it through Audible. I had the fortune of meeting Stan a couple weeks ago and talking about the concepts that are conveyed in the book and delivered through their services.
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Bury My Heart at Conference Room B – a book review
THIS is Burning Man – what I didn’t realize – 63 photos, 1 short video, 792 words
I’ve been wanting to go to burning man for 6 or 7 years – as long as I’ve know about it. For a number of reasons – kids, business school, family vacations back east, startups, life – I haven’t been able to swing it – until this year. Burning Man is a bunch of things to different people so this is just my view of what it is. To me, it’s the best of the best in a number of categories. It’s the best of sharing, community, partying, self-expression, art, creativity, friendship, giving, love, delivering on ideas and more. Having had the great fortune to enjoy TED and Summit Series a number of times, I see so much overlap with these amazing experiences. It is no surprise that a couple hundred people I know from TED and Summit went to the playa this year. 
I knew that I would love the playa, but it was so much more than I expected. I didn’t realize that there would be so many amazing demonstrations of art – in the thousands, not in the hundreds as expected. I didn’t imagine that there were so many incredible parties at any time of the day – I knew there would be some, but I didn’t realize that when I awoke at 5:00 AM to go to the Temple to leave behind clothes that belonged to my brother, having worn them the night before, that I would be enticed by a dozen dance parties in the playa (Robot Heart – you were everywhere).
I didn’t realize that people would be offering free coffee and cigarettes at 4:15 & G for those returning from a night of partying or that so many people that I had spoken with for only 15 minutes would give me gifts that I’ll remember for a lifetime, or that you could bike to deep playa for coffee and eggs at Dust City Diner at 7 AM. I knew that there would be generous offers but didn’t realize that there would be an invitation to dinner every night of the Burn and didn’t realize that I would build new friendships.
I knew that the Temple would be an amazing place for me with the recent passing of my brother but I didn’t realize that I would be compelled to spend 8 hours in there thinking, crying, consoling others, watching the sunset, enjoying the harp and other instruments which played constantly, partying as the man burned, and returning every morning to be comforted and comfort others who had suffered a recent loss. It was such an incredibly spiritual and moving place for so many – I can’t imagine a better environment to enjoy with my brother and the thousands who have last their own. The amount of love that went into the creation of that temple and that passed through the temple was incredible.
I didn’t realize that Center Camp would be so inspiring with talks at the level of TED or Summit, amazing music, yoga classes, drum circles, art projects, fashion shows and more. I didn’t realize that I would be involved in pulling a Trojan horse before it’s burn or an international talent show in the deep playa. I knew I would meet great people but it was more than I expected at every moment. I didn’t realize that volunteers would be giving tours of the art installations twice a day so that we can understand the artist viewpoint of their creation.
Burning Man was one of the most inspirational experiences of my life – (Photos here and short video here). I think that there is incredible resource in the community. To me, there isn’t a better example of delivering on creative desires – maybe others that compare, but none better. To believe in an idea and create something amazing for such a short period of time for others to enjoy is such a generous gift, so much so that it can be overwhelming as you ride your bike on the playa around sunrise or sunset. I believe that the resources exist in the Burning Man community to address some very serious global issues and deliver solutions that work. I believe this so deeply that I’ll be reaching out to the Board (whom I’ve met recently) to discuss my ideas with them. Burning Man is about self-expression and delivering on that expression – this is such an important resource.
I want to thank my friends, Philip, Tom, Sandra and Everett for helping to make this an incredible experience, and my wife, Luann, for making this happen by supporting me and taking care of the boys while I enjoyed this amazing experience. I love you. Burning Man is about giving and you gave me the experience of a lifetime. Thank you all very much! It’s good to be a Burner.
Generosity – the Power of Giving.
I’ve been writing about generosity for about a year now. I haven’t published much of it, yet. Most of the book interviews that I have completed are about people that are investing their time toward a passion that has the interest of others at the forefront. The people I have interviewed include teachers, religious leaders, leaders at non-profits, philanthropists and business leaders that donate a bunch of their time. The names that you may be familiar with include Gates, Zander, Sacca, Gupta, Hsieh, Benioff, Mycoskie, Bush and Harrison, among others. What they are doing is awesome. They all give their time or money, in some cases both, to serve extraordinary needs. They are helping in the areas of clean water, food for the hungry, skate parks for kids, music to the needy, health for the poor, and clothing for those in need. There are thousands more giving lots of time and money to causes of their choice.
There are millions of others that are incredibly generous that we never hear about. Heck, sometimes we know the person and we don’t even know the reach of their generosity. As many of you know, I lost my oldest brother Billy in a snowmobile accident on February 11th. Simply put – he was one of the greatest people I knew. He was fun, adventurous, smart, caring, loyal, humble and above all; generous. I always knew that he was generous to me and the rest of our family but I never knew the reach of his generosity nor how many lives he touched. I didn’t know that he had fans from 30 years ago, from a single interaction. Hundreds told me stories about the car he repaired, or wall he fixed, or the plumbing he installed, or the food he delivered; always refusing anything in return. We heard one story that he helped 6-7 families in need during one weekend working on houses, vehicles, helping them move, etc. He impacted hundreds of families and thousands of lives. Billy’s generosity certainly isn’t unusual but it is eye-opening. I think it would be outstanding if we could all be just a bit more generous with our time, even if to take the time to say thank you.
That said, I would like to thank the 76 people listed here, http://mycharitywater.org/brotherbilly, who contributed to my charity:water campaign in memory of my dear brother Billy. I will always appreciate you and your generosity. Thank you so very much.
With love and gratitude,
Billy’s little brother, Mike
What do Marc Benioff, Will.I.am, Ron Conway, Colin Powell and Neil Young have in Common? Generosity – that’s what.
Generosity. In June 2010 Lynne and Marc Benioff announced a $100 Million Gift to UCSF Children’s Hospital with the goal of not only seeing the new hospital built but significantly advancing children’s health worldwide. That’s pretty awesome. On December 8th, Neil Young headlined at The Concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. He did it for free – that’s also pretty awesome. He was introduced by Colin Powell who spoke about the importance of giving what you can to those less fortunate. Powell is a great speaker and very inspirational. He didn’t take a nickel to do this – he did it for free. That’s pretty awesome. Ron Conway hosted an after party with Will.I.Am, which was attended by MC Hammer and apl.de.ap from the Black Eyed Peas. The after party was on Ron’s nickel and the others didn’t charge a nickel – they did it for free – that’s pretty awesome.
It was all done to raise money for the Children’s Hospital, which is why they invited Paddy O’Brien, a 12 year-old cancer survivor and patient of UCSF, to join them on stage. You will see Paddy in the video. Colin Powell actually introduced Paddy in advance of Marc introducing Neil Young. The kid and bright, and now healthy again, thanks to UCSF.
Following a season of gratitude, please consider giving what you can to those in need.
Enjoy!
Food, Music and Sports – the business of Community.
I can’t think of many things that bridge gender, racial, economics, age and religious groups like food, music and sports. Recently, I attended an off-the-grid food cart event at Fort Mason. In addition to awesome food offered by 25 or so food trucks; my friends, kids and I enjoyed music by the Furious Few. I love these experiences. Not only did my friends and I have great conversation about our love for the food and music, but groups of people were drawn together and intermingled because our kids were dancing with each other like crazy. The night reminded me of how communities of all kinds are built around simple things – food, art, entertainment, sports, etc.
San Franciscans recently experienced the positive impact that sports can have on community with the fantastic accomplishments of the SF Giants. Without getting into the details of Giants love, I’m suggesting that you get out into the community and enjoy some form of outdoor local food, music or entertainment event. It’s not only good for the local economy, it’s good for the soul.
Enjoy!
