A Birthday Juxtaposition

On the day before my 35^th birthday, my primary task was to develop an ROI model. How do we determine the total cost of doing what we’re doing?

While thinking about this I read this article which suggests embracing chaos. It describes the current business world as being in flux.

Then I thought of Lady Gaga. The day before my 35^th birthday, was Mother Monster’s 26^th birthday.

What do ROI, Generation Flux, and Lady Gaga have in common? Hard to say.

Visualize It

There is a very talented writing coach I have been following for years who suggests mind mapping. For everything. Mind mapping generates ideas by locating connections and overlaps. So I mind map.

The links I find are between

Lady Gaga “learn, ask, see,” and ROI “proof, data, confidence.”

Then Lady Gaga “brave” and Generation Flux “courage.”

Then ROI “value, participation, contribution,” and Generation Flux “willing, available, opportunity.”

For a tutorial on mind mapping, proprietary of course and meant for reference purposes only, leave a comment and I'll send it.

Find Commonality

This mind map, with its three very foreign subjects, might put “Kasie” right in the middle. At 35, I find I am at times fierce and proud, willing to take risks, but preoccupied with evidence and security.

For example, I think lotteries are voluntary taxes. But Tuesday when Adam Levine re-tweeted a Milton Berle quote, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door,” I bought a Mega Millions ticket. I very rarely play, as evidenced when I needed help picking my numbers.

I did not offer to split my winnings with the clerk who helped me, just so everyone knows. Get in line, dude.

I am at once change junky and curmudgeon, social network surfer and paperback buyer.

What sort of profound life lesson has the juxtaposition of Lady Gaga, ROI models, and Generation Flux provided? Perhaps only this: I know Pandora has a station to match that.

And, we’ll need three more posts to tease out each subject and a fourth one to complete the analysis.

Later today I’ll post the Lady Gaga one. After all, it’s my birthday and I get to do whatever I want. Now off to work!