Author: Allison Heaps

The Third Metric: Beyond the Self

Posted on by Allison Heaps

In preparation for The Third Metric’s upcoming event Thrive in New York, D.C. and Los Angeles, industry leaders attended a special session at NYC Social Media Week. A diverse selection of startups, including GitaSutra, BRB, Casper, Greatest, Headspace, DonorsChoose.org, and Fueled, discussed the opportunities and challenges that exist for emerging technologies to improve individual growth.

Juice bars and gym memberships saturated the self-improvement movement of the past. The Third Metric’s mission to “redefine success beyond money and power” is rapidly rising in our culture. This month’s TIME magazine cover story even features The Mindful Revolution. Francis Pedraza, co-founder and CEO of Everest, observed in a Huffington Post article that human’s “social need” for connection, as described by psychologist Abraham Maslow in the 1940’s, has been satisfied by our hyper-connected lifestyles. Indeed, Facebook, Twitter, and texting, have created instantaneous human connections. Pedraza asserted, “with less of our time taken up by basic survival, our need to improve ourselves will move from the back-burner to the front.”

Self-actualization is at the top of Maslow’s needs hierarchy pyramid. Today, basic self-actualized peak experiences appear in many forms, whether it’s running marathons, pursuing advanced degrees, or achieving a “personal best” in a hobby. This intense focus on the self sometimes manifests as ego validation, so it is crucial to understand the distinction between the two. Whatever the case may be, the CEO’s from wellness startups who attended Social Media Week New York last week offered solutions to get you there.

While some are compelled to disconnect from their electronic devices, others prefer to remain firmly connected. CEO of HeadSpace, Rich Pierson, cleverly coined the phrase, “plugging in to unplug.”  

HeadSpace is a free guided-meditation app that contains bite-sited pieces to foster meditation, starting with 10-minute sessions. Derrick Flanzaich, CEO of Greatist.com, a fitness, health and happiness start-up commented, “I firmly believe that never has wellness been more important- I think there is a reason HeadSpace is catching on and picking up steam; we are truly changing in the way we prioritize how we spend our day and how we value success.”

Still can’t bear the thought of cutting the cord? BRB (Be Right Back) was conceived when the founders went to dinner and realized everyone was looking at their phones. BRB is a virtual secretary that will inform others that you are not available — but will Be Right Back, of course. “There is a constant social pressure to be on the devices all the time,” co-owner, Noah Levy added.

The expansion of Maslow’s self-actualization concept in 1971 emphasized a move beyond the self to achieve the highest level of self-actualization. For those who are “just too busy,” social media now facilitates such a pursuit. For example, Donorschoose.org is a non-profit organization that helps teachers acquire materials for their classrooms. By utilizing technology, we can create a culture of service and gratitude. Margie Cadet shared, “technology has made it easier for people to give and engage… 1.3 million people have given to the site Donerschoose.org, and “50% have given to schools in a 20-mile radius from their homes.”

For those who choose to “unplug,” Rasanath Das, an ex-Wall Street executive turned full-time Yogi, practices an in-person approach to wellness at GitaSutra using the Bhagvad-Gita and Enneagram as psycho-spritual development tools for executives. Classes are personalized and include, “Excavating your Ego Type” among others. Das very humbly prescribes an actionable daily program of service and gratitude, “At the end of the day, if you can spare fifteen minutes, and take of stock of one act of kindness that you did or one lesson that you learned, even by observing someone, and see how it has affected your life and store it inwards, keep it with you, and carry it with you for the next day. It’s those small things that make a big difference.”

Today, I challenge you live the mission of The Third Metric by redefining your success beyond money and power by embracing its mantras of Well-Being, Wonder, Wisdom and Giving.

Allison Heaps is corporate wellness advocate living in New York. In her spare time, she practices yoga, runs marathons, and sings jazz. She is a master’s candidate at NYU with a concentration is organizational effectiveness. Contact her here.

Getting Pinned

Posted on by Allison Heaps

`

In a cyber-friendly world, be careful what you wish for — you just might get it on sale.

This week at Social Media Week New York, Huffington Post’s  Bianca Bosker moderated Reading Is No Longer Fundamental: The Shift To Visual Vocabulary (hosted by JWT) by engaging industry leaders from JWT, Nokia, and Curalate. Among the various topics surrounding the visual vocabulary discussion was a new model of marketing utilizing visual social media images procured from Instagram, Pinterest, and Buzzfeed.

Apu Gupta, CEO and Co-founder from Curalate, stated that “the shift from people and places to networks about things” is now here. According to the Pew Research Center, the social media users behind the “networks about things” have been classified into three categories: the creators, curators, and online image creators. Creators take pictures of themselves, curators post pictures found online and post to sites used for sharing images with others, an online image creators are a little of both. Which one are you?

The endless surge of social media “exhaust” allows companies, such as Brandwatch, to work with more than 700 leading brands and agencies in monitoring and identifying key insights from text-driven social media. Indeed, the current visual images created by curators and creators presents additional opportunities for businesses to partner with social media. Target and Nordstrom have utilized specific consumer-driven images displayed on Pinterest. Nordstrom has effectively created store merchandizing displays based on those most frequently “pinned” items.

Simply put, brands now know exactly what you want because you have told them! This, of course, is based on the assumption that all the ‘pinned’ items are analogous to a Facebook ‘Like,’ as opposed to a snarky “OMG” or the elusive “dislike.”

Craig Hepburn, Global Head of Digital & Social at Nokia, observed, “The biggest challenge is managing the images themselves.”

Hepburn also asserted that even news articles are being written entirely around images, while Gupta added that that is now a necessary to restore ”context to content.”  Will Palley, Trends Strategist at JWT offered this advice, “Brands need to be judicious about the images they use.”

It is evident that we live in a transparent world — even President Obama was busted taking a selfie. So the next time you pin, post, tweet, your fabulousness consider what you have released to the cyber universe.  In a final comment, Hepburn conceded, the “Biggest challenge is going to be around reputation management and privacy.”

Allison Heaps is corporate wellness advocate living in New York. In her spare time, she practices yoga, runs marathons, and sings jazz. She is a master’s candidate at NYU with a concentration is organizational effectiveness. Contact her here.

Put a Little East in Your West: Morning Yoga with Breathe Repeat

Posted on by Allison Heaps

Keeping up with the frenetic pace of New York City can be exhausting. It was 5:45AM and my mind immediately started to race in preparation for my twelve-hour day.

How much snow is on the ground? Will the A train be running on time? Don’t forget bring the snow boots AND the shoes for indoors! As I proceeded to shuffle my way through the newly fallen city sludge, my Costa Rican yoga retreat bliss from a mere four weeks ago, seemed like a distant memory.

This morning I practiced yoga at the Highline Stages campus of Social Media Week. Historically, my yoga practice has been reserved for the evening. However, last year, I decided to begin the day with yoga and what a difference it has made! The morning yoga was taught by the very patient Joyce Englander Levy, from Breathe Repeat, and made possible thanks to Under Armour.

For those of you who have compromised schedules due to work or children, Breathe Repeat is equally adept at offering convenient tips and using social media resources (Twitter, Facebook, website) for the modern yogi and on-site services for businesses. I was excited to learn that, ” BR@W’s mission is to enhance the lives and well-being of as many people as possible! We do this by bringing intelligent, well-practiced, fun and accessible yoga classes directly to corporate and entrepreneurial America.”

Founded in 2011 by Joyce Englander Levy and Tracey Toomey McQuade, BR@W brings yoga to your workplace in a smart, yet lighthearted way. I would encourage everyone to check the SMW yoga schedule this week.

Another fun bonus is the ARMOURGRIP HEADBAND gift provided by Under Armour, and protective lip balm courtesy of Breathe Repeat. Be sure to look for these ladies and Jamie Lugo, who will be teaching and presenting at Social Media Week.

Allison Heaps is corporate wellness advocate living in New York. In her spare time, she practices yoga, runs marathons, and sings jazz. She is a master’s candidate at NYU with a concentration is organizational effectiveness. Contact her here.