The Joy of Dirty Dishes (and passion people)

A couple weeks ago I had a joyful opportunity to hostess a small dinner party for a few friends. Once the wine was gone and the candles has been blown out, I settled down behind the laptop and spontaneously fired off the e-mail below to a dear friend… I hate it when people leave, but I love the silent hum and hush that fills the house after a happy evening with people you love. I spent my childhood sneaking peeks at my parents’ parties, trying to figure out where that magic comes from. To this day, I still haven't been able to find the right word for it, but I know what it looks like. Empty wine bottles, corks here and there. Layers of plates stacked on top of one another. Plate, wadded up cocktail napkin, utensil. Plate, wadded up cocktail napkin, utensil.  Stacks of dirty dishes in the sink - and for just one night, nobody cares.

It leaves the empty spaces between walls and floors, foundations and ceilings radiating with life.

It's hard for me to imagine many other moments in life when I feel more acutely aware of the passing of time than in the hum and hush. These moments leave me feeling deeply blessed, wishing for a bigger dinner table...and more minutes, more years, more dinners, more cheers, more refills and popped corks and cups of coffee (I won't drink) with dessert.

If I ever write a cook book, I'm going to call it "The Joy of Dirty Dishes."

And I will mean it.

That night, something unusual happened. For hours upon hours, I didn’t think about updating my status, checking in or tweeting. I don’t even know where my phone was, but I can tell you it wasn’t at the dinner table.

Real life happens offline. The people and things we love cannot be reduced to a series of ones and zeros shuffling around in cyberspace, any more than the value of our connections can be quantified by our Facebook fan count.

When I tell people I work at a place called “Brains on Fire” – they perk up. It’s not like saying I work for [name of regional bank] or [big name retailer] or [law firm of So-and-So and So-and-So]. Usually there is a brief moment of silence as they try to process what they’ve just heard. Inevitably, following up with something along the lines of “Um…what is that?” Which ultimately leads into a conversation about what we do.

I think the dinner party model says it well. On a very basic level, what we do at Brains on Fire is bring people together. And not just any people – passion people. The kind of people you would invite into your home to sit at your dinner table. The kind of people you want to share a meal and a conversation with. The kind of people with whom you share relationships that make you completely forget about the noise of the latest technology trends. The kind of people who inspire you to be present and passionate in the moment. The kind of people and relationships and conversations that leave a resounding hum in the hush long after the chatter has stopped.

Whether you're a brand, a fan or just someone who stumbled across the blog googling dishwashing tips, give it some thought today.

Who would show up for your dinner party?

Bring Your Heart to Work Day

I have recently fallen in love with StumbleUpon. If you haven’t used StumbleUpon, you should. But probably not when you have anything important or pressing going on (like running errands, getting to an appointment on time or remaining gainfully employed), as it is one of those amazing tools that can easily take you on a three hour journey down the rabbit hole. I know, because I’ve spent a lot of time over the past week doing just that. A few nights ago, I was stumbling along, and the story below popped up as a suggested read...

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, “To Meredith” in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, “When a Pet Dies.” Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays In your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am wherever there is love. Love, God

According to her mother, Meredith was comforted by the book and letter and was unastounded that God saw fit to write back. “She wasn’t surprised because she had such faith that her letter was going to get to God.” (The oldest of the Scrivener children, 6-year-old Andy, was impressed, though: He “thought it was pretty special his sister got a book from the angel,” says his mum.)

While Mrs. Scrivener considered asking at the post office about the package, she decided against it. “I kind of like not knowing,” she said. “I don’t know who took the time to do it, but it was an angel. We all think about doing these things, but no one takes the time to do it.”

Before you write off the story of Abbey and Meredith as another well-intentioned load of internet hooha, you should know that it has actually been confirmed as true by Snopes. As remarkable as the story is, what struck me as even more remarkable is that somewhere, someone working in the dead letter office took the time to perform a random act of kindness that changed a little girl's life. They didn't just do their job that day, they found a purpose.

Speaker Betty Bender once said, "When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home."

Most of us spend at least 40 hours a week at work. We may not all have an opportunity to write a letter on behalf of God, but we can all make a difference somehow. As we embark on a fresh week, I challenge each of us to bring our hearts along for the ride. Let's make every day Bring Your Heart to Work Day.

Have you ever been the recipient of a random act of kindness? Do tell.

Know the Cleaning Lady: A Lesson in People

Hello! (I say with a smile) Once in a great while, the magic of internet serendipity passes something my way that gives me pause to stop and think. The following story is one such thing. Like so many bits of interweb wisdom, it seems nobody knows exactly where this came from for sure.

Know The Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

A wise book once said "It's about people, stupid." We will meet many people this week - clients, customers, colleagues, the checkout girl at Publix, the guy at the parking garage toll booth. All are significant. Be on the lookout for Dorothys, quiet leaders and silent heroes. Remember that each person that crosses our path is an opportunity for a touchpoint. Even if it's just a smile and a hello.

Be present with your people - and passionate about them.

Happy Monday, friends.

Be Remarkable.

Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. | Wendy Wasserstein Last Friday, BOF kindred spirit (and resident massage therapist) Kim Herbert and I decided to venture beyond our usual dinner dives. Truth be told, Kim had a Groupon for a local Brazilian restaurant, so in the name of couponing, off we went.

The restaurant was modest, but it was filled with families and friends gathering to share a meal together. The staff was friendly, and clearly took pride in sharing the culinary traditions of their homeland.

After we had finished the last bites of our meals, the plates were cleared and we entered that strange post-meal phase when you're not quite ready to wind down the conversation, but feel like you're on borrowed time. Typically, it comes to an abrupt halt when the check is dropped on the table. A polite "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here" moment. You know the one I'm talking about - it comes with a dinner mint as a parting gift.

Except this time the mints didn't come. We continued chatting away. Eventually, the owner's husband came by to say hello, ask about our meal and inform us that they don't bring checks to the table. Why? Because they don't want to rush people out. They want their patrons to feel relaxed, unhurried and able to enjoy the company of their dining companions.

As delicious as my dinner was, the food isn't what I will remember a month or year from now. What I will remember are the ten extra minutes of unhurried time I enjoyed with a friend. What I will remember is generosity of time and spirit, clearing a space for friendship and conversation. After many a hurried experience, it was - in a word - remarkable.

It was an important reminder that being remarkable doesn't always have to cost a lot of money. It doesn't always require case studies and focus groups. Being remarkable doesn't even have to be a big thing. Many times, remarkability is in the little things. And more often than not, finding your remarkable is as simple as putting the focus on people - your staff, your customers, your fans and your friends.

Or as volunteer firefighter Mark Bezos says, when it comes to being remarkable: "Not every day is going to offer us the chance to save somebody's life, but every day offers us an opportunity to affect one." You can check out the rest of his TED talk below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAQfzHBpRsc

The Power of Pictures: A Social Scrapbook

There are always two people in every picture:  the photographer and the viewer. | Ansel Adams

I collect antique photographs. Old photos of strangers I have never met and have no familial ties to. I know nothing about their pasts. I don’t know their names or where they grew up. I can’t tell you their favorite foods or where they were born or buried. Despite the abundance of question marks punctuating their lives and stories, however, each photograph offers a doorway to the past; a split-second time warp, capturing a moment I wasn’t there to experience, but somehow feel connected to.

This weekend I watched NYC fireworks sitting atop the roof of a yellow taxicab. I met a pair of superhero dogs, dressed in patriotic superhero dog capes. I took a wild and windy ride on the back of a motorcycle. I cheered when a friend got engaged.

I wasn’t really there for any of it, but somehow I felt a part of it. All thanks to Instagram.

I recently stumbled across a blog post declaring Instagram “The Most Important Social Network I’ve Ever Used.” As a newbie to the iPhone world, it seemed like a grandiose and sweeping statement. Can a wordless social medium really connect people and start a conversation? And what, exactly, is the power of a picture?

In a word: storytelling.

Instagram (and photosharing) not only provide us with new and instantaneous ways to capture and preserve our stories and moments, they offer an outlet to illustrate our stories, too. We are creating social scrapbooks, and each photo has the potential to ignite sentiment, stories and conversation between the photographer and the viewer.

So what do we gain by tapping into our inner instartist? Some people suggest these apps are creativity and conversation catalysts with the power change the way we approach our everyday lives and world.

“Instagram is tapping into a creative yen that I did not know I possessed. I am starting to see the effects rippling through my everyday life. The desire to look for the unusual in the ordinary is beginning to permeate more and more of my thinking. There is a willingness to consider ideas that traditionally would have been way too out of the box for me. The act of looking at things in a different way is leading me think about things in a different way as well.” [full article here]

It's Tuesday. It feels like Monday. Most of us are back to work after a long (and hopefully happy) holiday weekend. We woke up this morning and went through the same routine we do each day of the week. We took the same route to work to return to the same office we inhabit 40+ hours a week. But somewhere along the way, I imagine we all bypassed something beautiful.

Maybe it's time to start seeing our same world differently. Today I'm challenging each of you to look at your day. Don't just look at it - really see it. And when you do, snap a picture and send it to me amy@brainsonfire.com. Let's practice the art of silent storytelling through the power of pictures.

UPDATE: Thanks to all our friends who submitted photos today. Tuesday was a truly beautiful day. We think you'll agree...

On Community Building: We're All in this Together

"The moment [laughter] arises, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place." -Mark Twain

A couple weeks ago a few of us were discussing the somewhat unfortunate relationship between airlines and social media. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go ahead and do a quick Twitter search for “airline” and you’re guaranteed to find a plethora of complaints.

“They lost my bag” complaint. “We’re still sitting on the runway” complaint. “Why can’t the plane take off with a crack in the windshield?" complaint. “How can adult humans take so long deboarding an airplane” complaint. “I don’t like peanut smell” complaint. “How dare you bring a baby on an airplane!” complaint.

The list goes on and on.

I admit it. In a moment (possibly multiple moments) of frustration, I too have turned to tweeting. And while I feel justified in doing so, (we were told our plane was held for over an hour “waiting on bags from a previous flight” as we peeked out the window to discover the baggage handler taking a nap on the bag trolley...) the airlines seem to take a particularly harsh 140-character flogging on a regular basis.

Perhaps it’s just the nature of a high-stress experience (travel) combined with the instantaneous gratification that comes along with unloading that stress on the world with the push of the button. Who can say?

But one thing is certain: travel brings out a side of many people you (thankfully) don’t see in everyday life.

Precisely why I was extra delighted to stumble across the new preflight video for Virgin America (in partnership with Method Products whose hand wash takes up residence in Virgin America restrooms).

This video does everything right.

It appeals to travelers of (all types) by embracing reality (of all types). It uses humor to boost customer morale. It creates a sense of oneness amongst strangers, if only from wheels-up to wheels-down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-sfzLRjocs

"Everyone knows you’re not supposed to stand up when the seat belt sign is on, get blotto on board or hog the armrest, but when a flight attendant snaps “Sir/ma’am, you need to [fill in the blank],” sometimes you want to do the opposite just to show who’s boss. The video uses the world’s best teaching tool, humor, as a reminder that behaviors like loud conversation, kicking the seat in front of you and dawdling in the restroom are, in fact, disturbing to fellow passengers.”

“There’s nothing in the video that says to our guests ‘you’re bad’,” says Porter Gale, Virgin America’s Vice President of Marketing. “We wanted it to be light and fun in a way that respects our guests.” [read full article here ]

Research has shown that laughter, among other things, lowers blood pressure, increases teamwork and helps people feel more in control of their situations, even if those situations seem out of control. In fact, even if you don’t get a giggle out of someone, the simple anticipation of a positive, humorous laughter experience has been shown to reduce stress hormones.

Virgin Airlines (and Method, too) deserves a pat on the back (and perhaps some love tweets) for displaying such an evolved sense of self awareness. There are always going to be flight delays. Luggage will get lost. People are going to be annoying. They might even kick the back of your seat.

But we’re all in this together. And with a dash of good-natured humor, one simple, powerful message (and a catchy tune that doesn't hurt, either) they create an insta-community at 20,000 feet - from New York to Los Angeles, Houston to St. Paul.

Learning to Listen

" Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." | Bill Gates

Before I begin this post, let me state one thing for the record: I love Netflix. I love Netflix to the point I no longer see a need for cable. I have watched just about every documentary in their stash. I love that Netflix knows my viewing habits, likes and dislikes. I love that Netflix knows to gently steer me toward my (apparent) interest in independent romantic comedies with a strong female lead. I love Netflix.

Having said that...we’re all going to learn something today, courtesy of Netflix.

A few days ago I settled in for an evening movie, and loaded Netflix to discover a new interface. It was a bit clunky. It scrolled funny. To be frank, it wasn’t great...or good, even. At first I blamed my computer. But after a few minutes of tinkering, I begin to realize...ick. This change was intentional.

Out of sheer curiosity, I headed to the interwebs to see what the masses had to say about this abrupt change to an otherwise much-loved service. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to step into the middle a firestorm - and what I expect will either become a shining example of hearing (and adapting) to input and feedback from  a loyal and loving customer fanbase or a case study that will go down in the hall of fame as a benchmark in customer disservice.

A few comments pulled from the Netflix blog:

“I would have commented on the Netflix blog, but the comment limit appears to have been reached (at 5,000).. I guess I am not the only one having issues. I read a few pages of the comments. The only one that wasn't wholly negative about the change said that they "will eventually get used to it" - not exactly a glowing endorsement.”

“Netflix, you have so many great ideas, and your old interface was amazing. This new layout makes me feel like I am shopping at a discount Netflix superstore.”

“I for one never asked for any update. This is just like another website where you push consumers the direction you want them to go. If Netflix likes the new design and blatantly ignores its customers than I'm going back to cable.”

"Don't you ever consult your users before you do these things? All that coding effort completely wasted. Your inability to think through the impact of design changes and talk to your early adopters before implementing them is stunningly amazing.”

For the purpose of this post, the design of the interface is really of no consequence. Love it. Hate it. Turn up your nose at it. What intrigues me about this situation is the fact that a very vocal group of users have risen up to voice their opinion - and Netflix seems to have no interest in hearing - or talking - to them.

Netflix VP of Corporate Communications, Steve Swasey did, however, have this to say in an interview: “We’ve tested this extensively, we know the vast, vast majority of people like this. It’s new, it’s easier, it’s cleaner.” He also went on to state that they were "absolutely" keeping the new interface. "We made it and tested it and researched it and tried it out and everywhere we tried it, it had a better reception. Otherwise we wouldn’t have made the change.”

“Change can be unsettling for some, but not the vast majority," Swasey said.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the interwebs (the Netflix Official Blog) 5000+ vocal fans and users beg to differ.

The Learning Opportunity

Three things we can learn from Netflix...

1. Your customers and your fans are your brand's greatest asset. Talk to them. They have opinions. They have thoughts. They have things to say and input to share. And it doesn't always take a fancy study or focus group to tap into their minds, needs, wants and thoughts. Most of the time all you have to do is ask. THEN LISTEN.

The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing.
 | John Russell

2. If you ask them, they will tell you. Don't assume you know what they want. Don't tell them what they want. Ask them what you can do for them...then do it.

Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer! | Gene Buckley, President Sikorsky Aircraft 3. The ostrich approach may work well for birds, but not so much for brands. It’s okay to make mistakes. Nobody expects you to be perfect. But they do expect you to be responsive, communicative and fix things when they go wrong.

Customers don’t expect you to be perfect.
They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong. | Donald Porter, VP British Airways

The Brand Humanifesto

In April, I wrote about letting your human show. It’s a novel idea for some brands. It makes others shake in their boots. For those that have embraced their humanness, however, there is no better place to share (or find) the core of a brand's spirit than in their brand manifesto. (Or perhaps it’s better we call it the brand humanifesto.)

We all use the word, but what is a manifesto, really?

The literal definition: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives or views of its issuer. A public declaration explaining past actions and announcing the motive for forthcoming ones.

So what makes a good brand manifesto? Where are brand manifestos born? And why even bother with a manifesto when you already have a vision statement and a mission statement working overtime for your brand?

First, I think it's important to remember a manifesto is not a mission statement or a vision statement.

“I think the big idea [with a brand manifesto] is that it's a public declaration, not something that's limited to employees. Everyone sees it. Customers, investors, partners...everyone. It doesn't feature vague, self-serving statements about being the "leading provider" or "market-share leader." Your intentions are written in clear and friendly language, and the manifesto contains proof that you're putting your intentions into action.” [read full article here]

What does that really mean? Its your brand. It's you. With no walls. No jargon. No mumbo jumbo. It's your sense of humor. Your sense of style. Your spirit. Your imagination and inspiration. It's you unfiltered talking to your friends. It's a kindred spirit rallying cry. Your team cheer. Your chant. It's the reason you get out of bed in the morning and the passion that energizes you long before the first cup of coffee.

Simply put: your brand manifesto is the real story of you.

Which begs the question...how does a brand sift through their entirety to distill down to the best bits of human inspiration, intention and injustice within? By the power invested in question mark, of course.

"If you were on a protest march in the street to fight against something, what would you write on your banner? And if you were to flip this into a positive and fight for something, what would you write?

What is the bigger role your brand can play in everyday life? What sort of "legacy" would you like to leave behind after 5 years on the brand?

Ultimately, a manifesto needs to put a stake in the ground - what do you stand for? What do the people who subscribe to your vision believe in? What world do you and they want to see?" [read full article here]

And now for the fun – meet a few folks who are doing the brand humanifesto well.

Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optum Health Procycling (What if we all rode bikes? We'd all look good in lycra. And our carbon footprints would be reduced to the size of thumbprints.)

Bacardi (We are all meant to be together.)

Method (good always prevails over stinky.)

Amana (We believe guest towels shouldn't be so fancy the guests are scared to use them. We believe in proudly displaying personal tchotchckes, even if we don't know how to spell it.)

luluemon (Dance, sing, floss and travel.)

Chipotle (Food with INTEGRITY)

Pacifica Perfume (Fearlessness is our most valuable natural resource. Great waves make for great days.)

Roux Maison (We believe a cashmere sweater should last lifetimes. We believe the dryer eats one sock. We believe in making future heirlooms out of what we love today.)

SheWanders (We believe in pictures of cocktails and pictures of people with cocktails. We believe that backdrops are for pin up models and smilebooth.)

So. What's your humanifesto?

The List

I think I am ramping up to a pre-midlife crisis. Or maybe it’s a delayed quarter-life crisis. Or maybe it’s a one-third-life crisis (do those exist?) I can’t be sure. What I do know, is this: I am turning 30 in a few months. Admittedly, I overdramatize my pending 30. In a way, I think it’s a bit like psychological flooding. I’ve joked about it so much at this point, when it actually happens I should be long-immune to any kind of shock, horror or despair that accompanies a hop from the 25-29 checkbox into the 30-35 checkbox.

Having said that, last week I was working on some copy for one of our clients, and in order to get “in it,” I had to think back to my college days. Somewhere between the mental time warp and putting words on paper, I found myself longing for late-night cram sessions, weekend out-of-towners crashing on sofas, the sublimeness of Saturdays during football season and the sinfulness of a 3:00 a.m. run to Pita Pit. This sudden onset nostalgia, however, was followed by an immediate wave of reality: I’ll never be 19 again.

I know, I know. It sounds dramatic, but for the first time in my life, I became acutely aware of the fact that at some point - as I’ve had my back turned, busy living, up to my elbows in NOW - one chapter of my life has ended, and another has begun.

I have nearly three decades of snapshots and slides behind me. If you loaded them into a player, you’d see Easter egg hunts and Sunday dresses, a few generations of beloved family dogs, bedtime stories and family vacations, a few leftover shards of broken hearts, a lot of laughter and one minor incident that involved a handful of my closest friends, a 24-pack of toilet paper and my one (and only) run-in with “the law.”

Tonight I found myself flipping through XM channels. I happened to stumble across a radio talk show and the host was talking to his mother. She had managed to score tickets to Oprah’s last taping. She talked about the milestone show for a few minutes, but eventually the conversation turned to why the opportunity had meant so much to her. Her response was simple: attending an Oprah show was an item ticked off her “Bucket List.”

As the conversation went on, the host’s mother encouraged listeners to make their own Bucket List. “Just write it down somewhere. That’s very important. Then go back in a year and you’ll be surprised how much you’ve done.”

It reminded me of a long-forgotten list I started a few years ago. I revisited the list last night, and just as foretold, I was surprised at how many of my To-Dos had been checked off the list simply by living.

As I scanned the list, it read like a clairvoyant friend who had taken a peek into my future...

• Item #2: Write my grandma a letter (I did, thankfully. She passed away in February)
• Item #8: Share a moment with beluga whales (Georgia Aquarium, September 2010)
• Item #15: Do some freelance work (The path that brought me to Brains on Fire)

There are also a handful of To-Dos still dangling out there, waiting patiently...

• Item #14: Volunteer somewhere outside my comfort zone
• Item #27: Take THE Great American Roadtrip
• Item #32: El Camino de Santiago
• Item #36: Karaoke (God help us all...)

As I perused the internet tonight, researching bucket lists, I caught a glimpse of a side of humanity that made me smile. A few random pulls from Bucket List blogs dotting the internet:

• Find a pen with brown ink
• Meet Chuck Norris
• Sleep in a heart-shaped bed
• Be happy for one whole day
• Get an octopus tattoo
• Make a perfect snow angel
• Get drunk with my mom
• Own a beagle
• Drive the Golden Gate Bridge ( http://www.vimeo.com/11642661 )
• Make guacamole
• Hug a koala bear

The great Charles Bukowski once said, “Too often people complain that they have done nothing with their lives and they wait for somebody to tell them this isn’t so.”

And herein lies my challenge for you. Quit waiting. Write it down. And go do it.

A good place to start: http://www.43things.com

So...what’s on your list?

It's Monday. Let's all go MAD!

Let’s be honest. Monday is nobody’s favorite. When someone is crabby on Monday, we accuse them of having a “case of the Mondays.” The Cure suggested Monday was the perfect day to fall apart, The Bangles accused it of being the most manic day of the week.

Just when the future of Mondays was looking pretty bleak, along came a group of people on a mission. A mission to do what, you ask? A mission to make Mondays matter.

And just like that, MAD (Make a Difference) Mondays were born.

MAD Mondays are a weekly excuse to “Go MAD” by participating in random, simple acts of kindness that make a difference in someone else’s life - be it friend, family or a stranger.

The Every Monday Matters website even offers 52 suggestions (one for each Monday of the year) full of inspiring ideas on how to celebrate and elevate your Mondays. The ideas range from showing your smile to adopting a pet, giving a hug to creating (and enjoying!) art.

A quick Google search reveals countless stories of people on both the giving and receiving end of the Monday MAD-ness... “Several months ago a coworker and I went through a drive through for lunch.  When we got to the window, we were told by the cashier that the gentleman in the car ahead of us had paid for our meals.  He said he was in the military and just arrived home from being overseas.  He explained that he'd been so blessed by acts of kindness while he was away that he wanted to begin returning the favors as he could.”

"I have a neighbor who leaves her trash bags in the hallway of our apartments. Yes I could report it. Yes I could ignore it. But this morning? I just carried the two full bags to the dumpster when I was walking to my car I went past her open window. I could hear her crying. She seemed to be talking on the phone, because I heard no one responding to her. I did not linger to hear the details, but it seems her teenage daughter is in trouble. I had just been feeling annoyed that she had left her trash in the hall. And now? I hope that somehow my little act of kindness helps her feel even the slightest bit better."

Going MAD is simple. Opportunities abound. Buy someone a cup of coffee behind you in line at Starbucks. Send a letter of gratitude. Bake cookies for your local fire department. Help someone. Share something. Choose to begin your week by making someone else's week just a little bit better. Become an active and frequent practitioner of good karma building, smile inducing and world betterment.

It's Monday. Today you have a few options. You can embrace your case of the Mondays and wallow under a little Monday raincloud. You can throw yourself into neutral and try to just survive the day. Or you can make your Monday matter by making a small contribution to the world that leaves it a slightly better place than when you rolled out of bed this morning.

I vote for the latter.

How will you go MAD today?