Rock Stars, Sexual Discrimination & Quantum Physics

I attended Dreamforce, an annual conference held by Salesforce, in San Francisco late last year. Here are some nuggets to ponder from that event…

Alec Baldwin

Smart, funny and witty, Alec drew the curtain on what it’s like to be famous. Made me want to never look at another news rag in the supermarket line. It also made me ask myself, “Why are we so obsessed with movie stars?”

 

Green Day and Blondie

Blondie was great but Green Day was cursed by the rain. The electrical system suffered a blow and killed the sound system. After the band’s speakers sputtered to a dead silence, the lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, performed an intimate acoustic set for the fans up front. A real demonstration of passion and dedication.

 

Huey Lewis and the News

A surprise performance that made my week. They performed a few favorites during the keynote and then more outside. Is it even possible to imagine that it’s been 30 years? They transported me back to the days of waxing my first car in my parent’s driveway – not a care in the world other than, “Will he call?”

 

Sexual Discrimination

Sheryl Sandberg shed light on the sexual discrimination both sexes hold. She brought up that girls and boys are treated differently from the start. A young girl who takes charge is seen as “bossy” while a young boy is a “leader.” 

 

She made me realize my own discrimination as I’d exclaimed at the beginning of the conference, “Two young women are C-level officers at major corporations?!,” (Sheryl Sandburg is the COO at Facebook and Melissa Mayer is the CEO of Yahoo!). Sadly, I wouldn’t have had the same reaction had they been men.

 

Read Sheryl Sandburg’s book, “Lean In” to help bring about recognition and change.

 

Deepak Chopra

Deepak was THE anticipated speaker for me. I’ve read his books, blogs, and am generally awestruck by his viewpoint. He didn’t disappoint with insights on:

 

– The formula for happiness:

S (Set point which is determined from birth: 50%)

+ C (Conditions of living: 10-12%)

+V (Voluntary action: what you do with your time – it should include fulfillment, a creative outlet and make others happy)

 

– The two biggest questions:

1. What is the stuff of the universe? 

2. What is this nothing from where we all come?

I didn’t even want to breathe in this section of his talk for fear I’d miss something. It was spellbinding prose on quantum physics and recent discoveries. “There are 40 billion habitable planets in our universe,” according to a recent finding. 40 billion! 

 

– Deepak’s new program to bring balance between two alarming, contradicting health issues: obesity in the United States and starvation in other countries. Learn more.

 

His recommendations: 

1. Know yourself. What are your weaknesses? Do you eat when you’re stressed?

2. Love yourself. If I love myself, what choice would I make? Burger or salad? Treat yourself with the love and attention you’d give your child.

 

Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer sat serenely in his chair, as in a fireside chat, while sharing his insights on happiness and wholeness. He talked about how changing your thoughts changes your life, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” 

 

He asked, “What are the top three things Americans do for pleasure?” My first guess was alcohol, my friend’s was sex. She was closer than I. They are:

1. Shopping

2. Food

3. Sex

 

Unfortunately, these will not bring lasting happiness. Meditation, moving away from the ego, and embracing what makes you feel good are the things that do.

 

He also asked, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Wow. there’s a question that points to so many other books I’ve read. What would I do if I weren’t afraid? I’d do all the things I’d envisioned when I was an idealistic, optimistic, college student. I’d paint, write, make a difference in the world. I guess I’ve mapped out my to do list for the next 20 years.

 

David Agus

Dr. Agus shared the breakthrough “predictive medicine” concept – getting advanced insight into what diseases you may be apt to have later in life and taking preventative measures now. 

 

He also touched on the importance of schedules – for meals, sleep and exercise. In a clinical study, there is a 30% increase in productivity and retention in children with consistent sleep schedules. 

Have You Thanked Your Flight Attendant Lately?

I just returned from two back to back trips with a mere two days in between. This last trip reminded me a bit of the film, “The Sure Thing,” in which John Cusack endures an arduous journey filled with trials. My trip included long periods of sitting on the plane waiting for de-icing or simply to take off, running frantically through airports to catch connections (a good way to find out you’re out of shape, by the way), bouts of hunger, cold, thirst and long lines.

However, I realized something as I was flying home: there were SO many people working to get me to my destination. From customs agents to baggage handlers, air traffic controllers, mechanics, ground crew, flight attendants and more. Even folks that made and sold me sandwiches to stash in my bag or who cleaned the airports were helping make my journey safe and pleasant.

I witnessed countless acts of kindness, patience and understanding. So I’d like to say, “Thank you” to the staff of US Airways, Air Canada, United Airlines, and the airports in Denver, Philadelphia, Toronto and New York. Your hard work did not go unnoticed.