I attended my Grandmother’s funeral in Michigan last week. People tend to re-think their priorities and purpose in life after the loss of a loved one. The death of my grandmother reminded me that I need to look at life through my children’s eyes, instead of always from my own grown-up, stressed-out, cynical point of view. I spent a lot of time looking at old pictures childhood pictures and I remembered how I used to view the world. Ignorance is bliss, right?

In my last blog, I wrote about the beginning of summer with my brood of kids being out of school and the stress that I was in for. Well, I made it through, and even survived a road trip to Michigan with all 7 kids in tow for 2 weeks. But the difference this time, is that I am choosing, from now on, to focus on the highlights – the positives. I could go on and on about how things were stressful, chaotic, and inconvenient for me. Instead, I choose to reflect on the fun days at the pool. Eating popsicles and watching them melt and run all down the arm of my 3 year old into his armpit. Movie nights in sleeping bags on the living room floor while eating popcorn and not caring that seeds and kernels spill all over. Kool-aid stands and yard sales….Just a few highlights from our summer. I think these are the kinds of things my kids will remember about their summer. Not all the other junk that I would tend to focus on. It boils down to the old saying…”Is the glass half full or half empty.”

Well, I too will choose to focus on the positive, especially when it comes to my family. Time slips away too quickly. I will not let my circumstances dictate the quality of my experiences. Ultimately, its a choice.

What will you choose?

~Michelle

Lori Chalupny, Heather O’Reilly, Shannon Boxx, etc etc. These are just a few of my heroes. I get up early for them, I deprive myself of sleep for them, I travel distances to see them, I easily shell out hard earned cash to just watch them. My heroes.

Most of you are saying “Who are these women?” or “What makes them so special?” “Are they in the industry?”

Nope.

If I wrote the name Mia Hamm would that help?

Ah..now you got it!

See my heroes since the age of about 12 or 13 have been female soccer players. Julie Foudy, Carla Overbeck, Shannon Macmillan, Ally Wagner, Kristine Lilly, Tiffany Milbret, I could go on and on. I wanted to be like them, compete like them, learn from them.

Every four years (not counting the world cup, friendly games, and other tournaments they compete in) the women’s soccer teams get to compete for those coveted medals…working to bring home the gold to her respective nation.

Here at Sixthman we are in the experience business. We create opportunities to give people experiences with those people who inspire them, bring them excitement, or that they just plain love. We work day after day to bring unique moments for people to share with their heros. Well right now a lot of us here have Olympic fever. We watch the late night swimming to see if Hoff, Coughlin, and that little know swimmer named Phelps win gold. We hold our breath as our country’s team takes the court/field/table/pitch/etc and cheer for things like fencing, skeet shooting, or even rhythmic gymnastics (you know you watch it…)

We Tivo 8 hours at a time of basketball, swimming, diving, and beach volleyball and watch into the late night hours cheering on the television that is bringing it all to us.

But we all have our favorites. Those competitions that we wouldn’t dare miss. We would get up at 5am on a Wednesday to watch live. We yell a little louder at the tv when it is going our way or not. Don’t we?

I can only imagine being on the staff or a volunteer for the Olympics and how it must feel to help create the moments for people everywhere to watch or be a part of. But I also know that, even though we may not give gold medals at the end of our cruises, and healthy competition is left to the flip cup and Guitar Hero tournaments, we have your heros, we have the yelling, and we have the sleep deprivation. We even have a little fun. Now if I could just get Andy to put together a soccer cruise.

Feel free to check out the official blog of the US Women’s National Team as well…I know it is a daily read for me!

-Kelly

It’s not very often that I get nervous meeting new people. In fact, I typically thrive on it. However, I have never been more scared for a lunch meeting than I was yesterday when I met with Rick, an entrepreneur. This friend of Andy’s is very smart, very motivated, very creative, and overall, a very impressive guy. I couldn’t wait to pick his brain, and yet at the same time, I was terrified. Wouldn’t you be?

I have been in a position and attitude lately of yearning to learn more. I have been seeking new books, reading more blogs, talking to more of my peers, trying to learn from my team, and doing anything in my power to keep me on a learning curve. I feel that the minute I stop learning, and simply start doing, I need to move on. I’m definitely not ready for that yet.

So, I met with Rick. For a solid hour and a half, he told me stories, answered my questions, gave me advice, and even asked me questions, so he knew what to tell me next. I learned more in that ninety-minute lunch than I ever learned in any classroom. It devastates me to know I won’t be able to remember it all. Luckily, he left me with something great, and something I’ll never forget: the title of a new book to read, and some simple advice.

The book: Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

The advice: Think big. Think bigger than the current possibilities. Think of ideas that will keep your company in line with its mission, that you don’t think are ever possible, and then develop a plan to get there. The instant you say ‘we can never do that’, is the instant you are onto something great.

This idea reminded me of when Walt Disney once said, “it’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” It also reminded me of a time seven years ago, when Sixthman was told they’d never be able to sell a full ship; it’d be impossible. Well, we’ve been doing the impossible ever since then, and had a LOT of fun in the process. So, I’ll read this new book and soak in the marketing ideas behind it. I’ll begin my new challenge of staying ahead of the curve. And I’ll think bigger than I think I should.

Have any of you out there thought of the impossibilities in your job, environment, life? Maybe together we can learn how to turn those into realities. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

-April

Well it’s time for Sixthman to move from our beloved yellow house to a place with space big enough for the entire team to meet, and so we no longer have to rent out restaurants every two weeks for our team meetings.

We have found a great loft space and the ball is in our court to layout the floor space. I am fighting with all my might to prevent a traditional office space from happening with offices and cubes and other normal layouts. However, I am trying to be careful not to throw us all into one big loud space, setting the stage for one of us to go ‘postal’ in a year.

I keep hoping that I will stumble upon an office plan somewhere in my travels that will make perfect sense. Something open to promoting interaction and a feng shui balance without that Wall Street pit floor craziness. Our business is built on people and teams, not managers in offices waiting on TPS reports.

So, I’m writing you today to ask for help in getting us on the path to the perfect solution. We have to turn in a plan by the end of the week if we want to move in before Halloween.

Book of the Week: Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: I can’t believe I am just reading this. It was written a couple years ago and covers the evolution of the cruising industry, airing the critical moments and fierce rivalries between Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and NCL. Its a great story, even for those who don’t work in the cruise industry.

I was getting ready for work yesterday while listening to the television in the background. I could tell the news was over and I heard what sounded like one of the many talk shows. I didn’t really pay attention until I heard a woman talking about her Master’s Degree and Hula Hoop all in the same sentence. I thought to myself “hula hoop” like what we use to do when we were kids?

I went in to take a look and this incredibly fit person was on Regis & Kelly talking about her success with Hula Hoop dancing. Turns out she use to be an over weight, shy person that buried herself in her studies. She is now a professional dance performer and fitness expert. I was somewhat amazed with the discussion and her performance. However, I am not sure if I am fascinated more with her Hula Hoop dancing or the fact that she has two degrees and is making a living Hula Hooping around the world!

Check it out at http://www.hoopgirl.com

This now makes me wonder how many other “kid” games have been revamped for adults?

Nikkole

Anyone who has known me for more than a brief period knows that being contrary is a part of who I am. Co-workers who ask to borrow my stapler for instance are well aware that my first response will be to say “no.” Five seconds later I will hand you the stapler with a big grin. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even think about it. I’ve started worrying that saying the opposite of what you expect to hear will grow beyond general playfulness and one day become so visceral that I lose control completely.

I don’t know why I do it, except for maybe because I can. If everyone else votes for the pepperoni and white pizzas for lunch, I will vote for the vegetarian and Hawaiian pies. Are you hankering for Thai? I’m craving Mexican. Not because I am (although I do eat guacamole and salsa with damn near every meal), but you know because I could be. I am not the person you want to ask “do these pants make me look fat?”

The actual outcome of what some might call my stubbornness has very little importance to me. Everyone except for maybe my husband might even call me easy going. Challenge me, even just a little bit, and I’ll fold as fast as my OCD nephew faced with a basket of laundry.

This past week, my contrariness—more commonly referred to by my loved ones as my ass-clownery or jackassery—has made me rethink my fears of the need to always one-up with a joke taking over my life. This so-called jackassery has recently steered me into a whole new level of consciousness. I am speaking of course of George Michael and Journey, live in concert, in the same week.

No, I swear I’m not stuck in an 80’s time warp. Nor am I the owner of a “way-back machine” (although we do accuse Jana of owning one every time she changes into her Umbro shorts to play kickball after work). It all started early last week when Jill B. walked into my office and sheepishly admitted that she wanted to go see George Michael at Phillips Arena on Thursday. I know she expected me to tease her; I know she expected me to poke fun at her for being old enough to have seen Wham when she was in high school. I knew all of this so that’s why I said, “I wanna go with you!”

Even before George changed into his cop outfit to perform “Outside,” the last song before the encore, I was a convert and it took every bone in my body to force myself to wait for the weekend to make a run for the nearest gay disco. The man can still dance, he does what he does, he does it well, and I love him.

Without George paving the road for me to enjoy music that has a bad rap amongst the cynics and hipsters of my generation, I may not have been so enthusiastic to join Jill B. and the rest of the phone ninjas on Monday night to see Journey (not to mention Cheap Trick and Heart) under the stars at Chastain Amphitheater.

My karaoke song of choice may be “Don’t Stop Believin’,” but that only came about after a charismatic karaoke host at my favorite local dive bar threatened to “kill the next mother-****er that sings a Journey song on my stage.” Of course I grabbed my closest girlfriend and reached out to all the “street light people” immediately.” Miraculously neither of us sustained injury, although I wish I could say the same for everyone else’s eardrums. A few short years the karaoke incident I find myself arm in arm with Jana and May, tears peaking out from the corners of our eyes as we belted “just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit, took the midnight train going anywheeeeeeeere . . .” And guess what? Not a single note was sang with irony. And I wasn’t being contrary to anyone there. We all loved every minute of it.

PS: If you are unaware of the story of how they landed their adorable twenty something year-old Philipino Steve Perry replacement, check it out now!

Peace out,

Joy

You know what’s inspiring? Watching pre-teen and teenage girls pick up an instrument, and after just one week, rocking out on stage. Impossible you say? Its true, its true, I witnessed it! Girls Rock Camp (ATL) launched its maiden voyage a few weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. I was the daily check in person for the campers and each morning I saw the girls expressing themselves more and more. Crazy outfits, punk rock hair dos and a growing visible confidence built on day after day of musical instruction, self-defense classes, T-shirt screenprinting and the overall message; GIRLS ROCK!

The camp culminated with a hot and sweaty rock show on a Saturday night. (Just the way it should be!) Band after band got up on stage and rocked out on their very own original number that they had conceived, written and rehearsed in just one week. Most of the girls had no musical experience–meaning, they played a bass (or a guitar or the drums) for the first time on Monday and hit the stage on Saturday. And let me tell you, they owned it. It was truly, truly awesome. And the best thing is, this is happening all over the country. After starting out West, there are rock and roll camps for girls sprouting up all over the place. There was even an outstanding documentary made about the movement, its called “Girls Rock! The Movie!”

Although I didn’t go to camp when I was little, my friends who did were definitely impacted by it. Who has other great camp stories? I wanna hear them!

–Carla

SXM employees Steve,Lauren, and special guest Ashley take you through what’s new in the world of Sixthman.  Hear a clip from an unreleased song of Emerson Hart’s in his exclusive unplugged performance in Atlanta, special clips from the Sixthman Sessions in Augusta, GA, and each host’s desert island song.  Even “Monkey Butlers” make an appearance!  What the heck does that mean?  Listen and find out!

SXM Podcast 3 [ 15:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Kids have it made don’t they?

They go to sleep when they’re tired. They fingerpaint because they want to.  They jump in a puddle of mud because it looks like fun.  They get excited over the smallest of things.  They live in the moment.  They smile for no reason.  Remember those days?

In my search for blogs to read, I stumbled across this article by Evelyn Lim, who highlights 7 things that we “adults” (and I use that term loosely) can learn from children.

The 7th lesson in the article immediately caught my eye:  Absolute Faith In Getting Their Wishes Fulfilled.  Evelyn talks about “…the wishes of [her] kids to see the world. They talk about their travel plans all the time. There was never a shred of doubt that their wishes will be granted one day.”  How many of us growing up said they wanted to climb the pyramids, go to outer space, or circle the world in a hot air balloon?  Unfortunately, as we grow up, most of our dreams are put on permanent hold due to work, family, and other obligations.

Let me tell you about an guy named Matt who never gave up on his dreams.  Back in 2003, he was a video game designer in Australia.  After slugging through 80 hour work weeks and realizing his life was a giant countdown, Matt threw caution into the wind, quitting his job and embarking on a journey around the world that would change his life forever.  For some reason, he decided to document his trip by dancing in every location (with video evidence).  His first video hit the Internet and turned him into an overnight celebrity.  Soon after, he was approached by Stride Gum, who offered to cover all of his travel expenses as long as he would keep dancing and making people smile.  How can you turn down that offer?

He has now released three videos, and his most recent is displayed below. I guarantee this will make your day.  Who knows, it might even inspire you to follow a childhood dream you had previously abandoned.  This will be the best five minutes of your Tuesday:

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

There you have it: a man who followed his dreams, and now gets paid to travel the world dancing like an idiot.  And seriously, I truly believe the world is a better place because of it.  Just look at the kids in the third world countries who dance with him: they certainly don’t speak English, probably have never eaten a decent meal or worn clothes that fit, and yet they can’t help but smile, laugh, and dance.  Inspiring stuff.  You can read about Matt and all his crazy adventures at www.wherethehellismatt.com.  You can even track him on google maps and find out where the hell he is currently.  Matt, you are my new hero…sorry Jack Bauer and Optimus Prime, you have been supplanted.

What were your dreams as a child?  What are your dreams now?  Are you still chasing them, or have you thrown up the white flag?  Personally, I’d love to surf in Australia, play golf in Scotland, gamble in Monte Carlo, and eventually own a private island.  Crazy?  Yes.  Possible?  Of course, anything’s possible!

When I accomplish these dreams (and I will), I’ll be dancing too.

Thanks Matt, don’t stop.

-Steve

As promised, click here for a short medley of the songs created last week at Sixthman Sessions.

Is there a particular song you’d like to hear more of?

Enjoy…

Lauren