I think of that childhood song:

sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me

I remember my mom saying how that was such an untrue statement…..that sure getting hit with a stick and a rock in a playground hurts, physically…..but being called a bad word or laughed at by your piers is really painful….and changes us.

WORDS CAN HURT.

I think of Mark Zuckerburg and the Social Network, from the movie, he was somewhat of an outcast….not fitting in socially. Was spiteful for not getting into such exclusive Harvard clubs.

Don’t you think that was motivation, that was life changing….him feeling left out of the norm? He probably threw himself at his work, at programming, at finding a way to prove himself to those who didn’t deem him worthy. I’m sure words he received in his lifetime were hurtful, painful. And maybe he got out this pain by programming.

And then in the movie it talks about his ex-girlfriend who he blogged about in a negative manner when she broke up with him…..he took out his anger by programming….it was his outlet…as well as his blog. And yet, his ex was really upset about those blog posts….and said those are written in stone because they are on the internet….and cannot be erased.

Not to pick on Mark, I think many exceptional, talented people are this way because they may be genius’s. We all only have so much time on this earth. Some of us focus more on EQ (emotional intelligence) and others on IQ (intelligence).

I just wonder how early in our lives words we hear change us? I mean, I don’t really remember being 1 or 2 years old….yet many words were said to me. It was a blur….and there are some rather interesting milestones in my childhood that are burned into my memory: happy, sad, and just overall monumental in my development as a human being.

That is what makes us unique…..It makes me think HOW FRAGILE life is…..both in the development and shaping of our lives as human beings, and the ease of being killed so unexpectedly.

I am actually excited and honored that Cynthy could tell me my blog can change people’s lives. That is really awesome actually. I hope people can connect with these words….and its a positive effect and not a negative.

But we have to be strong….we have to expect people are going to talk down to us in certain times, and we have to build up a tolerance. I think living and working in New York City toughened me up….and yet at the same time I was told by girls when I was graduating high school not to change (well, that was what they signed in my yearbook)

NOT TO CHANGE? Is that even possible….we change every day, we grow, we adapt….

Anyway, just thinking outloud and brainstorming….words, blogs, stories, emotions, feelings.

Incoming search terms:

• words can change our lives
• how can words change people
• how words change our lives
• words that change people
• shaping peoples lives
• how can words change our lives
• change people
• can words change people
• words can change people
• words change people
• terms that people change
• what words change people

SWAT – is the basis of Mobile marketing – S being Sms (text messages), W being Web, A being Applications , and T being Togetherness to keep a  balance in all of this.

Other cool highlights:

• Turning apps on/off free at different times or seasons – so you can let users download it for free, but only can use it free at certain times of the day or under certain cirumstances, seems like a win/win.

• Mobile search is 1 person – so the search database knows more about you….kinda scary, but true to realize, the websites know more about  YOU by your phone ,because its much less likely people share 1 phone, but common people share 1 computer.

• Google is all over mobile, more then anything – they are buying up startups, and agressively trying to dominate the mobile web, because they think it is the future!

• 1/3 of android search is voice – that is pretty amazing, I have a android phone and I don’t do that, but they say that many people with android phones do their search  by speaking into the phone….and this will only grow over time (LONG TAIL search terms anyone…)!

• Don’t think of mobile, think of the idea the web is everywhere now….car, google AI driven cars – Google isn’t trying to take over the mobile internet, its trying to take over the FUTURE of search….and taht is VOICE, speaking outloud where you want to go, who you want to meet, what you want to buy, and it will deliver it for you….from driving your car to the place to buy it, or the place to eat, etc.  MINDBLOWING, but maybe its not as far away as we think….

• In store searching, buy online, showroom – i didn’t keep the statistics, but the idea is more and more people PRICE COMPARE in the PHYSICAL STORE…..maybe then they see it cheaper on amazon.com and then buy it online and ship to their house, instead of buying at the store their in.  THEN THE IDEA OF SHOWROOMS comes to mind, without inventory….going inside a showroom of the products you want, testing it out, and ordering it to  be delivered to your home (MAYBE EVEN SAME DAY DELIVERY BY COURIER) its just amazing, but why not, right?  Stores can be more personable, smaller, and there won’t be massive stores with tall aisles of inventory….it is more sales-person driven and user experience driven.

• Video, ppl can watch local news now on phone – children at college away from their hometown can now use their mobile to download an app to see their hometown evening news, to see how the weather is, the traffic was, the high school baseball games.

• Not just in customer mind, but in their heart – this isn’t really new, but its the idea that you don’t just want to BRAINWASH the consumer with the idea that they have to buy your product, but MAKE THEM BELIEVE IN YOUR VISION and your idea, and want  your company to succeed and support your company by buying your brand over the competition.  Obviously good examples are apple, red bull

• The phone will be more connected to us, it will read our temperature, our emotions, our location, our friends who are near us, and suggest friends near us we should meet! Its our virtual assistant.

To wrap things up we had mizmetro sing, and pitched her new mobile app coming out tomorrow that will promote her music, as well as highlight all the cool UNDERGROUND bars and hidden spots for tourists and locals alike to see in new york city!

And this all reminded me another good reason I feel I should stay in usa, specifically nyc – as it s the 2nd largest mobile user base (from what I heard, being after san Francisco , third is baltimore).  THE WORLD IS CHANGING RAPIDLY.  In China, the idea that I have to use these stupid VPNs to escape the GFW (great firewall of China) that is blocking my internet experience lost me there.  Sad again that it is holding back innovation, but anyway, this is the advantage of America – and marketing is still dominant in USA over the rest of the world.  I want to be involved in this mobile revolution!

LOCAL, MOBILE, SOCIAL.

Quoted from his blog entry:

Don’t Be Chris Brogan

Don’t be anyone else. When I started, I didn’t look at any one person and say, “I think I’ll do what _____ is doing.” I said, “Where are they right now, stat wise? Where am I? Whoa, that’s a long way to go.”

Its true, we have to stop worrying about what other’s think, about being afraid that we are too small or too insignificant to even try to be great! WTF!

So I am gonna keep going, keep on blogging. I’m on a roll, I may even do 2 blog posts a day. And I’m making more content then ever for other sites. I’m thinking this is the most important part, to get content out there, ideas, connect people, motivate people, it makes me feel good.

Blogging, bloggin’ bloggin!

Incoming search terms:

• short stories about being yourself
• stories about being yourself
• online children stories about being yourself
• short stories for children about being yourself
• stories on being yourself

57% Of Americans Have Googled Themselves: Pew Study

May 26, 2010 at 7:47pm ET by Matt McGee

The Pew Research Center has released a deep study today that paints an interesting picture of how U.S. adults use the Internet — search engines, in particular — to track their online reputations. One of the primary takeaways that contradicts previous research is that more than half of adult Internet users have “Googled” themselves. The study doesn’t actually use that terminology, but you get the point.

Or doing business….so many people check the name before hand. In various formats, keywords – by location, industry profession, etc. In google, I see so many people searching by name coming to my website, of course by my own name – but many times on my friends names.

I have even had friends from years back contact me to update information I have on this site!  Its pretty funny, sometimes its like “hey man, long time, I was googling my name, and saw  your site comes up – and you said blah blah – can you update it”.  Its a great way for me to stay connected to people.

I remember I bought this domain michaelmichelini.com back when I was working in kozmo.com (now bankrupt) as an database programmer in New york City.  Everyone there was IT and Techy, and buying their name domains before someone else did.  It was the first domain I bought, and then at my university, my fraternity brothers kept cracking jokes at me for having my own name as a website.

At that point, in 2000, people were HIDING their personal information from the internet.  But as time passes, more and more people BECOMING SOCIAL – and realizing its not about companies and websites online, its about PERSONAL people being online – I am noticing so many people buying their own name website.

Anyway, we’ll see how this develops, but this article was a good read and got my mind thinking, supporting the idea of the revolution of PEOPLE coming online, not just businesses.

Incoming search terms:

• google own name
• how many people google their own name
• how many people google their name
• how many people search yheir own name on google
• how many peopld google their names
• how many people google their names
• how many times did people google my name
• how many times do people google my name
• people search their own name
• people who google their name
• average amount of people who google their own name
• people who search their own names

But I say – THAT IS EXACTLY the damn point. I want to be a real human being. I don’t want to be some generic web author who doesn’t show his face online. I am a living, breathing person, who has problems, and faces them – so why not share that with the world. Maybe sharing these problems would help prevent someone else from having the same issue. To connect with my story, understand it, and then move forward in a more informed way. People say I shouldn’t share this problem so that others can have the same problems as me, so that they also have to pay the “initiation” or “dues” that I paid to get into this situation?
I wish I had someone to help me with all these crazy problems…..seems there aren’t any rules…international business. Between one country to another – there isn’t a rulebook. So IT IS CRAZY AND CHAOTIC. And for any businessman to say that it is “calm and cool” to do business internationally as a small, MICRO, business startup would be LYING, or HAS NO IDEA what they are talking about.
I have a chaotic life. I work all hours of the day, and night, and weekend. I live my business. And if any other startup small businessman can tell me that everything works out as planned, and they get to work only 8 hours a day….well, either they have tons of cash to cushion themselves, or they have an awesome business mentor, or they are LYING.
So I am going to keep blogging, telling people the crazy problems I get myself into. You know what – BECAUSE I DONT CARE – And I need to let it out, get it on paper. It makes me feel better, and I have to be more selfish. If you want to read this, then you can. If you can benefit from reading this, I feel better. If you are a competitor and are going to be able to take advantage of me from reading this entry, then , haha, I dont know how really – but be my guest. And if you’re an employee afraid about your job then I guess you don’t know me by now anyway. Because I try to be a straight shooter. And if you’re a customer, or potential customer, then yes, I am a crazy maniac. But I will try my best to benefit you in the product or service you receive.
Speech is over. Also, its 4am in china as I write this. I am just SO MOTIVATED. I keep on going forward. Sure, I see people around me fall, move on, give up, try different things. So what, you are you, I am myself. And life goes on.

Incoming search terms:

• telling people too much
• why is it bad to know to much?

And the name of the blog – Happiness in Pursuit, it comes from the OPPOSITE of the Will Smith movie “Pursuit of Happyness” because that movie is about Will Smith (or whatever his name was in the movie) trying to GET INTO CORPORATE NEW YORK AMERICA / WALL STREET.  This blog is me doing the exact opposite-  TRYING TO GET OUT OF CORPORATE AMERICA IN NY!  haha, that was the idea of the blog’s name.  for the blog name, I do have the domain  happinessinpursuit.com but still just use my personal name for now, blog.michaelmichelini.com – thinking to use the happinessinpursuit.com as a blogger network of those with the same goals and ideas.

I have about 3 paper journals I have back in my Florida that I was writing since 1997!  I flipped back once, and it was pure emotional about crushes on girls, disputes with people over gossip, hating certain classes…..but writing it down helped me.

But those paper journals I wrote as if no one was EVER GOING TO READ IT.  I even wrote in the journal through my university years, but once I got into corporate america….I stopped.  Well, actually a girlfriend in summer 2003 read them while I was in my New York job orientation meeting….and hated me for about 2 or 3 days….so that knocked the wind out of me for a few years in keeping a journal at all.  So most of my corporate america days aren’t recorded in any journal.

But now that I am being reminded each day of people being touched by my blog here, it makes me feel good, but it also adds a bit of pressure on me – should I worry about what I write for offending someone? Or should I tone down what I am writing for fear of it getting misinterpretted?

I always tried to write this blog as if I were writing my own journal entry back in high school, but having it published on the internet has to make me hesitate a bit.

I just want to stay genuine with this blog, and have to realize the reason people like the blog is because its REAL.  It isn’t some covered up, generic articles.  Its my real feelings, my real experiences, in almost real-time.

Strange thing is, I rarely had comments or interaction on my blog until maybe a year or so ago, and even lately its picking up even more.

I have to believe a lot of that is because of social media – and I integrated this blog into facebook, twitter, linkedin, and others.  People love reading motivational ideas, getting real life analysis, and there are MORE PEOPLE ONLINE then ever before.  Its just so true, the world is truly going cyber.  Cyber friends, cyber business relationship, What is real, and what is cyber?

Anyway, just wanted to thank you guys for reading, and hope I don’t let it get to my head too much, and can try my best to keep this genuine.

Incoming search terms:

• pursuit of happiness
• the pursuit of happiness
• the pursuit of happyness
• pursuit of happyness
• pursuit of happiness movie
• personal happiness happyness
• the pursuit of happiness will smith
• moral lesson of pursuit of happiness
• the pursuit of happiness movie
• pursuit of happyness movie
• pursuit of happyness moral lesson
• movie NAME OF HAPPINESS

Your life is a journey, not a destination. You should one day write a book about your experiences along the way. It could be a best seller. Your life is a story to tell, that many others would find interesting. You are ready for major moves forward. Refuse to be stuck in the past. Set a time limit. Let nothing hold you back.

I know, I know, many of your are saying horoscopes are just a bunch of B.S. But they are fun, and motivating. This one definitely does that for me, but each part I love:

Your life is a journey, not a destination. – exactly like the name of this blog – happiness in pursuit. We are not born into this world to get to one place and be over and done with. we are here on earth to share with each other, to live, to love, to learn, to pass along to the next generation.

You should one day write a book about your experiences along the way. It could be a best seller. – well, it started with this blog, and before this blog I kept a paper journal from as far back as 1997. May have to pull out those journals when the day has come to write a book…..Many people, family and friends – and random people I meet on trains and planes – say I should document all of this… plus it gets really tiring writing the same thing over and over in personal emails to different friends and family – i can just cite this blog url for people to read up.

You are ready for major moves forward. Refuse to be stuck in the past. – HELLL YEA!! never get stuck on the past. I have lost money, I have upset people at times – and yes I have benefited others when I should have received the benefit. BUT KEEP MOVING FORWARD. never give up. Like earlier in this horoscope, life is a journey, not a destination. Its not over, till we’re dead, and even then its not over – just who knows what the next stage then will be.

Set a time limit. – I’m working on this..my weakenss…. but I am making a better outline of a plan and goals…may blog them when ready more,.

Let nothing hold you back. – NEVER EVER – anyone anywhere in this world. A millionaire businessman or a broke farmer in inner china – don’t make excuses why you can’t achieve what you w ant. governments, family, friends, enemies- remember the biggest person holding you back is YOURSELF- if you believe you can do it, and keep working on it, it will be done. and if its not done, then you had one hell of a ride trying right – and that should be self fulfilling, right!

there, just got some motivational energy off my chest, phew! now back to work.

Unbelievable…
And there isnt anyone i can talk to…
And you know what is stupid, on the new domain website, i can never signup for a paid account, or if i do, i have to continue to pay baidu indefinitely, else they will remove me again…
so, if you start paying, you had better keep doing it……because once you start……
Comparing this to google, there is absolutely no connection with their paid (or sponsored) advertising program and their normal (organic) search results….
It just sucks that baidu had to play games like this….and its sad…
Sad because i am so often asked whats the differences between google and baidu….do i mention this in my answer…..????
Its just not fair to hard working chinese internet professionals….
i mean chinese government, so scared, they have to control information and manipulate search results…..why cant you play fair…it is embarrassing to the up and coming next generation of chinese professionals….
Times are changing….and hopefully baidu changes for the better too……
As i think its great to have a competitor to google, its market share is too big – but in thid case i have to route for google to continue to grow in the chinese market…..
And the other sad thing is, i can notice google.com search queries slow to respond or get a page not found error…and while i cannot confirm it, makes you think government is interrupting the service ….to swing people away from using it….
Facebook and twitter and others are blocked in china….imagine google.com
Then…there would be google.cn (g.cn)…..but…those results are monitored and filtered in china as well….but at least better than baidu
There….goes my complaining and whining….hope this blog doesnt get banned in china now for this….or punished by baidu and banned.

Again, I think in China, its normal to say you need to have special relations with governments and large cooperations to succeed. But with today’s internet age, it challenges the exact idea….allowing small companies and startups to grow quickly….Seems china traditions aren’t letting up.

Incoming search terms:

• baidu company
• chinese and baidu
• biggest internet companies
• internet and good relations between government and company
• government relation in Baidu
• good relations photos
• baidu chinese government relations
• baidu sucks
• baidu com
• relations with government

But right now, I am part of DBR Shenzhen Oy and I have been back from a meeting in Finland to discuss business. I feel like my ideas and strategic direction has not been put in place. But, unfortunately for me, I am not the majority vote, plus I am not the one investing the capital. So I have tried my best to work as hard as I can for the embetterment of the company.

I guess I have a strong personality when I am passionate about something, and I feel lately that I am being held back with office space, hiring / firing, and other decisions in the company. I try to understand all sides of the story, and I have considered that I am not the investor here. I have also considered others have to have a more clear idea and communication of how the operations are run….I really do. But I feel I was put into this group to contribute my experience in China and on the Internet. I do not feel those points were well taken, and my frustration has gone beyond what I can withstand.

So…a Fork in the Road, do I keep sucking it up, maybe not agreeing, and almost giving up my “backbone” and just accepting the current situation….or, do I cause a issue and make my voice heard.

I guess….I choose to speak up, and I am now caught in this tough situation…..to stay or to go….and how to settle the situation, current business, and everyone can live life happily afterwards?

The sad part is, these business colleagues have been or become my friends during these times. But business is business, and I have to speak up or just burst later……

But yes, I may be walking away from something big here……….I really hope it does become big. But right now, for me, I can walk away from money – I am not driven by money…..I left Deutsche Bank at 4.5 years, if I waited 6 more months, I would have been “vested” and I saw the money in the online profile in my HR online account….but I didn’t want that to be a reason I waited to make my move in my life / career.

These tough times makes us stronger, the more difficult conversations we have, the greater we become, and the wiser.

Incoming search terms:

• sometimes we have to make hard choices
• poems about difficult choices
• poems about hard decisions
• poems about tough decisions
• tough decisions poems
• poem about hard decisions
• tough decision poem
• poems on hard decisions
• fork in road finland
• poems about tough choices
• making us stronger poems
• poems hard choices

but with the overflow of bloggers today, and the explosion of content all over the web. Will it become to the point there is more content then can be read? meaning the supply overdoes the demand to the fact there will be content never read by anyone other then the author.

Content is created, and it exponentially grows and is stored on websites, blogs, and social networks. With anyone who can have a voice, will there every be too many voices and not enough listeners? I can assume that is going to increase more and more as an issue as the world and the internet evolves.

Just food for thought.