Be happy!

I just funded this Kickstarter project: I’m Fine, Thanks, a documentary about life and how easy it is to become complacent and dissatisfied.  Life is hard, we have responsibilities, we have commitments, but our biggest commitment to ourselves and to our kids, is to choose happiness and find a way to spend our days smiling.

This is for my future kids, my family, my friends, but most of all, my little nieces and nephews that have a big bright future ahead of them.  And for everyone else, it’s never too late!

(Thanks Chris Guillebeau for the tip and the continued inspiration!)

So you’ve always wanted to go on a dig

While I meet quite a few people who have always been interested in archaeology and/or have always wanted to go on a dig, this blog post comes at special request, for someone wishing to tick a box on a bucket list.  (Good luck to your mom, Michelle!)

The best place to go on a dig, where you don’t need experience and you get to uncover amazing things, is with SVG Digs on the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Vincent.  Ha, that is a totally biased opinion.  Though SVG Digs is pretty amazing, if we run a third season, it may not be until March 2013 (stay tuned).

If you want to stay close to home and there aren’t any listings below in your local area, try your local archaeological society; they might run volunteer excavations during the summer.  Otherwise, there are a quite few options for volunteering on an archaeological excavation, depending on your interests, location and budget.  The things you will uncover will vary, depending on where you go, how old the site is and how great the site is; plus, you will want to consider location with regard to free-time activities.

1. Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin – The Archaeological Institute of America has postings of volunteer opportunities around the world, ranging in price, location and site type.  Browse this amazing bulletin and see what takes your fancy.

2. Past Horizons Field Projects – Similarly, UK based Past Horizons posts fieldwork opportunities for volunteers and budding archaeologists.  Posts are also international; some likely double up from the AFOB.  This site is also great for other info, i.e., recent archaeology news, a tool store, etc.  They also have a great article on what to know before you go (Dig Survivors Guide).

3. DigVentures – If you can make it to England, DigVentures has great rates on participating on a dig at the amazing Bronze Age site of Flag Fen.  They are currently crowdsourcing to raise funds for this project, so check it out; be a gold digger like me!

I hope this helps people fill some dreams.  If all else fails, Google can be your best friend.  Write me back and let me know!

Crowdfunding the Stonehenge of the Bronze Age

Crowdfunding is a growing trend; many websites offer budding artists and entrepreneurs the opportunity to get the general public contribute to their next project.  One great success (which I supported) is the Albatross bookmark, which raised over $45,000 with a goal of only $3,000.  Amazing!  When we attempted to crowdfund for SVG Digs, however, we were a little less than successful.  Reaching over 80% of our goal was fantastic, but the majority of those funds came from family and close friends.  And this was for a site that was under immediate threat, with the rarest of archaeological remains for the island of St. Vincent, as well as the Caribbean, that will help to rewrite their prehistory.  So, the question remains, “How do you get the general public to crowdfund for archaeology?”

(Photo of Flag Fen from DigVentures)

DigVentures might have the answer. Their first project will attempt to rescue and record the iconic site of Flag Fen.  According to Project Director, Brendon Wilkins, “…[Flag Fen] occupies a place in British public consciousness like no other. It is the Stonehenge of the Bronze Age, and only 1.5% of the overall monument has actually been excavated.“  Under threat by degradation, dewatering and drying out, Flag Fen will not survive like other buried sites would.  Experts believe it only has a few decades at most, which means this project needs funding asap.  Can crowdsourcing help?

Wilkins believes that the motivating factor behind crowdsourcing for archaeology is in actual participation.  That is, come and dig and experience archaeology for yourself!  Alternatively, have exclusive access to their Site Hut, and participate on their digital platform.  Currently, DigVentures is at almost 40% of their goal, with all money slated for the project itself (digging, specialist assessment, and a 5-year research design)… and there are only 31 days left.  So go and dig, at least dig virtually.  Plus, you get archaeology swag (always a plus) and, if you are on the British isle, you can go to their end of site party!  Do it.  You know you wanna.

“Just do it. Don’t be what you’re not.”

February 29 was a big day.  TED2012, Calgary iFseries Day 3, Women of Influence Luncheon with Sue Lee, and the 20th anniversary of my debut (my big bad 18th birthday party; it’s like a wedding but no groom, just a girl in a big white dress).  I was able to attend TED through TEDxLive, with a break for an influential lunch time speaker with WOI, all the while following tweets on the iFseries… and trying to forget about the fact that I just turned 38.  What a day!

You see, I need inspiration.  Every year around my birthday, I freak out about how old I’m getting and how little I seem to be doing with my life.  Though my best friend from high school told me that I’ve done so much and I’m so far ahead, I will seem to disagree.  But maybe that’s what keeps me moving forward.  Each success, no matter how small, is celebrated… but why stop there?  My parents came here from the Philippines so we could have a better life, but that doesn’t mean I sit back and reap all the rewards of their hard work.  It means I work hard too, and keep paying it forward.

So many people have a similar upbringing, with parents and grandparents who struggled to make a better life.  Yet there are still many who forget their stories, who sit back, relax, and wait for good things to happen to them.  No matter which mold you have found yourself in, watch this TED talk by Tan Le on her immigration story, and ask yourself which mold you want to be in.

Fears Schmears

This post is inspired directly from Chris Savage’s Savage Thoughts and it’s 7 months old.  Yes, I’m late to this party, but this party is more like a festival; it goes on and on.  I just felt it had to be shared, and not just with a simple Like or Retweet.  GO READ IT.

Everyone’s got fears, not just entrepreneurs.  Entrepreneurs are just a little crazier in that we face these specific fears on a regular basis, and continue to stomp them.  Savage’s thoughts? “It’s okay to be scared.”  And, more importantly:

“You have to embrace the fear. You have to try. And eventually, just trying matters. And suddenly you’re not afraid anymore.

Skull games! Courtesy of the Smithsonian.

Respectfully, skulls should never be played with.  As archaeologists, our minds are trained to see things as artifacts, but when excavating burials, we try to be as respectful as possible.  Playing with skulls digitally though – that ain’t so bad.  In fact, it’s very cool!

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a Mystery Skull Interactive, where you can learn the differences between different human species, teaching you to identify them based on certain characteristics such as the size of faces, brow ridges and brain cases. Good times for kids of all ages… Thanks to ArchTools for posting this on Facebook!

I wish there was a similar database for prehistoric Caribbean folks; it would’ve been a great tool for SVG Digs.  What do you think about this guy (see below)?

A return to the circle blog

When I started blogging almost a year ago (or so), I didn’t know what to write about.  I didn’t think archaeology alone would be interesting enough to draw attention nor did I think my personal interests were interesting to anyone at all.  After a while, I found that blogging was a way to organize my thoughts, making myself transparent so that even if only a handful of readers were figuring out who I was, at least I could look back and see who I was becoming.

Then I got busy.

Busy is good!  Especially when you are a start-up consulting company in archaeology.  The daily question was always, “Will I ever get another job?”  While that sentiment keeps one on its toes, it certainly does nothing for the stress level.  So, I relaxed a bit, learned to find balance in life… and then took on a bit more than I can chew.  There goes the stress level again!

On that note, what have I been up to?  Let’s see… Calgary iFseries (yet another inspirational day of speakers), TEDxCalgary (TED talks are the best), some fieldwork (hurray) and, of course, my personal project, The SVG Public Archaeology Program (aka SVG Digs).

I will not ramble or self-promote SVG Digs.  Ok, maybe just a little.  It is a not-for-profit program that brings anyone who ever dreamed of being on an archaeology dig to do just that… on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.  In a nutshell, we rescue and record some significant archaeology, while at the same time providing people with an experience; we just got back from our 2012 season, and for those that participated, we hope it was a good one.  Visit the SVG Digs website or Facebook page for more information… and keep visiting because we will be posting more updates as time goes on.

Thanks to everyone that made SVG Digs happen in 2012!  And thanks to Doug’s Archaeology Blog for listing us as one of the great archaeology blogs to follow!  We are among some great ones!  Guess I better write more often…

On the path to great leadership #TAOL

I recently attended my first “Art of” event and I must say that it was worth every single penny.  The Art of Leadership should be mandatory attendance, and not only for managers, CEOs, and top-rung corporate employees.  If I had employees (hey, I’m a young entrepreneur), I would make them all go.  Leaders are everywhere, can be created anywhere, and all of them can become better.

Now, I can’t give away the milk for free, but here are some of the key points that I took away from this conference.  In addition to these great tips, the speakers themselves were inspirational.  When you see real people telling great stories (rather than read it in a book), you are inspired.  So next time, don’t just read it here, go see it for yourself.  Then, as Ron Tite, host extraordinaire, said, “Make an action plan.”

“Life is about mastering the simple things.” – Patrick Lencioni
Is that Patrick Lencioni in a nutshell?  No way.  I am one of his biggest fans and really think you should all read his books.  And no, he did not pay me to write that; he doesn’t even know me.  But here is the core of what I learned from him that day: Much of what makes people great leaders is simple in theory but difficult to do everyday.  As a great leader, you need to be vulnerable, willing to trust, willing to ask questions, and willing to admit mistakes.  This will allow for accountability, and will essentially lead to great teamwork.

“What difference did you make?” – Robin Sharma
First off, thanks Robin for the book!  (We all got one.)  Robin notes that we are in the age of distraction; how true.  Things are changing at such a rapid pace that some of us simply can’t keep up; we’re too busy playing with our iPhones (guilty).  But, will you be a victim or will you be a leader? Victims are scared of change, leaders are inspired by change… and you can be a leader no matter what you do.  Leadership is about what you do when no one is watching. So don’t postpone: inspire, influence, make an impact.

“Success or failure happens one conversation at a time.” – Susan Scott
Susan spoke what I believe to be valiant truths… and truths are what people are often afraid to share when it is something negative or difficult to hear.  But people can handle the truth; we just have to find a way to offer it with respect.  This means being honest, open and transparent.  This allows us to make decisions and constantly move forward: “I want to be different when this conversation is over. Influence me!”

“Screw the 5-year plan.” – Leonard Brody
What, that’s crazy talk! Everyone has a 5-year plan! Okay, not me. I have a rough outline of what I’d like to see, but I don’t really have a plan per se… because things change and I’d rather adjust to change than be disappointed about what didn’t happen. I hope that’s what Leonard was alluding to!?  What he said immediately after the above screw phrase was, “What matters is the next 365 days.”  This is important because technology has allowed us to change and evolve at such a rapid pace; we need to continually adapt and understand changes in human behaviour so that we can build an environment that they can fit into.  “It’s difficult to know where we’re going without understanding how we got here… If you accept you are leaders, accept that you are students of your humanity.”

“Don’t think outside the box; define a better box.” – Stephen Shapiro
Through interactive exercises, Stephen Shapiro stressed the importance of asking the right questions.  “If you don’t have a well-defined problem up front, you won’t solve anything.”  Like the other speakers, he also stressed the importance of making connections with people… and people were certainly creative when he asked us to think of uses of a brick!

“If you’re a leader, it’s all about people.” – General Rick Hillier
This man needs no introduction; he commanded both respect and honour by his words and presence.  He had some great stories, some of which brought a tear to my eye.  His words were simple yet powerful. Inspire and be inspired; it’s circular. Without a vision, you will not have priorities and you cannot communicate anything.  Be passionate, be optimistic, be yourself.  With that, he got a well-deserved standing ovation.

“It’s all about relationships.” – Me!
This seemed to be a recurring theme at The Art of Leadership.  I certainly didn’t coin that phrase nor was I the first person to think it, but I do believe it.  So much so that I entered it into the Alberta Venture Small Business Advice Contest… and it made the Top 10!  If you agree, please vote for me!  It takes less than a minute and would mean the world to me.

Start with yourself, #occupy your mind

Amidst all the recent occupy movements, there has been increasing awareness with regard to financial difficulties amongst “the 99 percent” that are seemingly and abundantly different from those of “the 1 percent.”  I sympathize with many of the 99%; financial difficulties, especially due to rising medical costs (so glad I live in Canada), are very real.  But I would like to suggest that an unknown portion of this 99% is lucky and not so down on their luck; I am part of that percent, and WE can make something happen.  As Behance‘s think tank The 99 Percent says:

“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making things happen.”

Two great things (among many) are happening in Calgary.  The first is TEDxCalgary on November 18, which focuses on volunteering.  A higher than average number of Calgarians devote their FREE time to making things happen.  Be a part of it.

Second, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi recently launched 3 Things for Calgary, asking Calgarians what they can do about their city and their community, and encourages them to spread the word.  It starts by asking yourself 3 questions:

1. What am I good at?

2. What do I care about?

3. What do I have to say about it?

These aren’t easy questions, but coming up with answers and spreading the word is a start.  Stay tuned for my answers!  What are yours?

Apple Inspiration – Love What You Do

If you haven’t heard yet about Steve Jobs passing, then perhaps you haven’t yet been inspired by the man.  I believe him to be a true inspiration, somewhat of an icon.  If you haven’t heard his 2005 commencement address to Stanford, go read it or watch it now (below, from YouTube).  My favourite messages from it are about believing that one day, “all the dots will connect” and it will all make sense.  Part of this is believing that with failure comes success, so we shouldn’t be afraid of failing…

AND, love what you do:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Life is short, life is precious.  We should at least have fun while we’re at it.  Thanks Steve Jobs; life is more fun with my iPhone ;o)