Reflection

What’s been most valuable to me in becoming a better writer, is learning how to convey a complex idea in the simplest way. 

 I learned that good writing is simple, confident, edited, and revised. I have accepted that I might not ever feel like I “finished” a piece. Everything is a draft. Good writing takes time. Writing short concise sentences takes more time than writing longer ones. 

“I have made this letter longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” -Blaise Pascal

In one of the earlier modules, I found a cure for my occasional writer’s block. I have to be brave enough to write “ugly” sentences. Through this course, I realized that all writers go through the fear of writing an imperfect sentence.

I’ve become aware that writing is both “what you say” and “how you say it”.  Retaining this information will make me a more concise writer that stands-out in a medium saturated with writers.

What She Has To Say – Revisited.

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is plagiarized. Every amorous word has been written. Every sweet nothing has been whispered into a receptive ear. I’ve been in love twice. I loved each man differently. I told them the same words, “I love you”. The words were not original but each experience was unique. The first time I fell in love, I didn’t realize it. My love-sickness went undiagnosed; I didn’t have the textbook symptoms. I could eat, I could sleep, and I could breath without him being near. I realized I loved him by how I defined his presence in my life. He added an unexplained element to my life, an indescribable flavor. If life was steak, he was that favorite hard to find seasoning from the small Bodega downtown. I couldn’t get the flavor from anywhere else. Everything “tasted” better with its presence. It was a memorable feeling and so was the hurt when it ended.

I learned from it. Every relationship leaves you with an invaluable lesson and new mindset. We reassess what it takes for us to be happy and what type of person it takes to make us that way. When it boils down to it, I’m interested in relationships because I care. I want to help.Relationships alter our lives. Choosing who we share our lives with carries more consequences than any career or residency choice ever could. A relationship influences all other significant life choices.

Over the years, I’ve read books, learned from my own relationship choices, and asked an exhausting amount of questions to the old & wise. My dad was 28 years older than my mom. They were not a storybook couple with a storybook romance. She met him after a failed relationship that resulted in two children and heartache. He first saw her walking solemnly past his auto maintenance shop. He remembered wanting to make her smile. Once he got a smile on her face, he committed his life to keeping it there. The best love stories aren’t perfect, they’re real. I will write about real relationships because that’s where real love starts.

Relationship Expert – (What WIKIPEDIA is missing).

A relationship expert or relationship coach is a person that specializes in providing advice, tips, and counseling for those involved in or seeking a romantic relationship.

Relationship coaching is a professional client-focused service, where an individual or couple is assumed to be healthy, powerful, and able to achieve relationship goals with effective support, information, and guidance [1]. Relationship coaching is sometimes confused with relationship therapy, which focuses on internal healing and psychiatry [1].

Successful relationship coaching often requires positive psychology, a field concerned with the scientific study of the strengths, capabilities, and virtues that allow individuals, communities, and societies to thrive [2]. Currently, becoming a relationship expert requires no official education, licensure or documentation.

1. Relationship Coaching Institute (http://www.relationshipcoachinginstitute.com/)

2.  Positive Pyschology Center. (http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/)

THE TALK: Multi-media Script

THE TALK:

(Sam is sitting on the couch in his girlfriend’s apartment. He is on his cell phone, speaking to a male friend of his.)

Sam: I don’t know….she said ‘we need to talk’.

Friend on phone: Uh-oh, you know what that means…

Sam: I know, I know…..duck, hide, and run for cover. Ever since her friend, Jessica, got married last month, she’s been dropping hints about marriage left and right.

Friend on phone: They all get like that, man. One wedding and they have wedding fever or something. How long have you guys been dating, 7 or 8 months?

Sam: I guess it’s been a little longer than that, but it’s felt like 3 or 4 years after that wedding. I’m not ready for marriage. I’m not even sure she’s the one.

Friend on phone: Well, you better decide. She’s probably going to give you an ultimatum.

Sam: If she does, I’m just going to walk. Things haven’t been that great lately, anyway. I don’t understand why she-

(Girlfriend, Kristen, walks in with a grocery bag, on phone as well)

Sam: …-Shiites don’t like the Sunnis. (*clears throat* then rambles quickly) Yeah man, we definitely need peace in the middle east. Remind me to donate, later. Bye. (He quickly ends call.)

Kristen:…yes, I’m home now. Ok, bye Mom.

(Kristen ends call and walks into the kitchen.)

Sam: Hi, honey.

Kristen: (unpacking groceries) Hey, Sam. I’m surprised you’re here so early. Did you get my text?

Sam: Yeah, I did. You wanted to talk and from your use of all caps and multiple exclamation points… it seemed important.

Kristen: Yeah, it is. (Stops unpacking groceries and takes a seat directly across from Sam). Well Sam, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about us and our relationship, since Jessica’s wedding. I’ve had wedding on the brain 24/7.

Sam: Really? I hadn’t noticed.

Kristen: Well, that’s the reason I wanted to talk. I want to get married someday, soon. So, I was thinking about us and where we were headed.

Sam: Kristen, you’re not going to give me an ultimatum are you because-

Kristen: - Please let me finish. I was thinking about us and marriage….and I just don’t see us going there. I think we should just be friends.

Sam: What? Friends?!

Kristen: Yes, friends. I mean, a relationship needs to grow and change. If we’re stuck in one stage, I guess that means that we shouldn’t be in a relationship.

Sam: Stuck? I wouldn’t say stuck. I thought we were just taking our time…

Kristen: (Ignoring comments) So, I’ve seen “He’s Just Not That Into You” enough times to know the signs. I’ll give you back your things and you can give me back the key to my place-

Sam: -But Kristen, you’re the one! I’m ready to move to the next step. I was just on the phone telling Greg how I am so ready to marry you! I was going to ask you to marry me!

Kristen: I don’t know, Sam. This sounds kind of reactional…….

Sam: I’m going to prove it to you! I have a ring, already! Wait right here!

(Sams runs to the door and lets it slam behind him.)

(Kristen quickly gets up from the couch and dials a number on her cell phone.)

Kristen: Mom? Yeah, it worked.

Social Media Campaign Critique

The best social media campaigns involve more than one social network. The best outcomes happen when a company uses independent networks, such as Facebook or Foursquare, interdependently to generate a following for each other. A notable social media campaign, would have to be that of GrenataPet food. This corporation took social media to the streets, literally. The company composed an interactive advertisement on the side of a building’s wall. Whenever someone would check-in using foursquare, the advertisement would chuck out dog food. Passers-by had no choice but to stop and try it. The company made a video of pedestrians reactions and placed it on YouTube. The video itself became very popular with a large number of views. It became a social media cycle that generated a lot of buzz for the company. You can find the video here.

This social media campaign definitely raised the bar. It shows that there has to be clever and original thought behind a wildly successful social media campaign. YouTube was a great tool in GrenataPet’s campaign, and the company used it well. In respect to YouTube, content is king. YouTube is not about starting a conversation, it’s about entertaining. As for me, I have not conquered that specific social network. I will be sticking to twitter. I like the conversation and immediacy of twitter. I also like the loyalty of twitter. Twitter garners genuine followers that check in periodically to hear what you have to say. Creating good and original content for YouTube can take an extended amount of time and the views don’t usually stick around too long after.

Pitch Presentation

My presentation is available for your viewing pleasure on youtube:

The transcript is below:

Even the most “picture perfect” romantic relationships experience the occasional disagreement. It doesn’t take much to start an argument, and it takes even less for it to escalate to an unthinkable level. An awkward run-in with your ex-girlfriend, Jenny, a disagreement about whether your first kiss was July 15th or August 23rd, or finding out that your boyfriend lied about working late to hang-out with his guy friends, can quickly turn a casual afternoon lunch date into World War 3.

Relationships can be a battle ground. You’re angry. You are on the offense. He or She is on the defense. The rules are out the window. Most of all, you’re irrational. Your mouth is open, your ears are closed. You never listen to the opposing party during a passionate argument. You’re usually too busy waiting for your partner to take a breath, so you can cut-in to launch your next missile. You are on the attack. You are committed to winning at all costs. Unfortunately, that cost is usually the trust and love in the relationship, or the entire relationship itself. These are the times you would benefit from third-party unbiased opinion to tell your girlfriend/wife she’s being irrational or your boyfriend/husband that he’s being insensitive.

With everything taking an instant-form these days, why not relationship counseling? If you and your partner are experiencing a disagreement, Pocket Relationship Counselor is a cell phone application that provides an instant referee. You can start an instant live chat or initiate a phone call directly from the application. You can explain his/her situation to receive an unbiased professional  opinion on the issue or conference in your partner for professional mediation.t’s like virtual psychologist office. There are licensed professional ready to listen to your problems and provide immediate resolutions.

The service is only a flat fee per session. So, there’d be no rush to explain situation. Your session ends when your problem is solved. You could just download the app and use it when you need it. There’s no waiting, no appointments, and no commitments. It’s a relationship’s 9-1-1. 

Executive Summary

Even the most “picture perfect” romantic relationships experience an ocassional disagreement. Relationships can be difficult, as no two people agree on every subject. The two opposing parties engaged in an passionate argument usually find it difficult find a peaceful resolution on their own. Either party aims to win at all costs. Unfortunately, that cost is usually trust, love, or the entire relationship. A couple in this situation would benefit from third-party unbiased opinion.

With everything taking an instant form these days, relationship counseling can easily follow suit. Pocket Relationship Counselor is a cell phone application that provides an instant referee. A person can start an instant chat session or initiate a phone call directly from the application. The user would explain his/her situation to receive an unbiased professional  opinion on the issue or conference in your partner for professional mediation. Through the application, I would be providing a licensed professional equipped to provide immediate resolutions. The service is only a flat fee per session.

The application download would be free and available on the android and itunes market. A person could download the application and use at his/her discretion. A nominal fee would be charged per use. The main selling point for this application is it’s immediacy, accuracy, and ability to resolve relationship issues.