Today's Question: Did Curiosity Really Kill the Cat?

Well, if it did, then Mr. Whiskers has 9 lives. Curiosity is a driving motivation for nearly everything we do--what's more, the rise of social networks is helping us be more curious nearly every day.

Remember a time when we had brief and fleeting relationships with people? Maybe it was someone you met at a convention or on a family vacation; now we stay connected with these people through facebook, twitter, friendfeeder, myspace, linkedin etc. Why do we do that? Curiosity.

We now post photos of children, holiday parties, friends, relatives, random old school photos on our online pages. And we look at others' postings--even the "New Home" photos from the kid you sat next to in third grade. Why do we seek these people out? Curiosity.

We hate watching the news because it is filled with gloom and doom--recession, murders, fires, fraud, impeachment, etc. And we can now get it streamed to our laptops, sent to our mobile devices and emailed to our in boxes. Why do we keep watching 24/7? Curiosity.

This is an excitingly, curious time. Here, kitty, kitty!

Today's Question: Is Pitching New Business like a Snow Storm?

OK, it's obvious that snow is on my mind--we did receive a few inches in Central Ohio recently, but I started thinking--the process of pitching new business (whether you're at an agency or in a corporate setting) is similar to the strike of a snow storm...

We all wait in anticipation for the storm to start--meteorologists and local reporters diligently track the storm, trying to anticipate the storm's next move and getting viewers ready for the onslaught of snow, freezing rain and hail; in a new business relationship, we are excited for the opportunities that the new prospect will bring, the team anticipates the needs of the new client and prepares for the arrival date of the presentation.

The storm hits and it's often chaotic, typical, daily activities get suspended; getting ready for the initial meeting is always crazy--we stay at the office late, get little sleep and try not to put "normal" activities on hold, which inevitably happens.

The storm passes, some of us get the day off to drink hot chocolate in our PJs or make snow angels with kids; if we are successful in the new business pitch, we take a moment to enjoy the win--and then we do it all over again. I say, keep the snow storms coming!

Today's Question: Does Your Job Make You Happy?

Or are you just happy to have a job? Especially when you think about the 70,000+ Americans that have lost jobs in the past 48 hours. I am fortunate to both have a job and have one that makes me happy. I've been at SBC Advertising for two years. It's a great place to work with great people. As a member of the Public Relations department at this full-service agency located in Columbus, Ohio, I have the coveted opportunity to work with national brands every day!

And, every day I learn something new--and that's extremely important to me, because when you stop learning, what's left? It never ceases to amaze me when and where I learn new things--reading online articles, during meetings or even in the employee cafe. You just need an open mind and open ears!

So, what about your job make you happy?

Getting Started

After contemplating starting a blog, I finally decided to take the plunge--and I'm stuck at the office due to a massive snow storm that is hitting the Ohio Valley--so, there's no time like the present.

"Keep Asking Questions" came to me during my commute this morning. As I reflect on my 13+ years of public relations experience (which have been at various pr/ad agencies)--I've been struck by the fact that smart people are often the ones that "Ask the good questions". Whether it's preparing for a new business pitch, a client presentation or during the discovery phase with a new client, we're are constantly anticipating questions: How will you measure our PR program? What other experience do you have? What are your thoughts on social media? How about those Super Bowl ads? And in turn, we prepare questions to show interest in another's business model: What are your distribution channels? What marketing communications programs have worked in the past? What are your business goals and objectives?

Yet, the funny thing is, we've been stifled of asking too many questions. Remember how annoyed parents and adults got during your inquisitive phase--or perhaps, how annoyed you get now with your own children when they ask too many questions.

It seems to me that the questions keep the world running and keeps us all developing new programs, ideas and initiatives...so, keep asking questions.