More Business Columnists

• Stacy Sacco: Savor 'Cheese' book's lessons on tackling change
• Randy Burge: Locally grown foods grow in popularity
• Stacy Sacco: Want to develop a situation card?

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

An earnest young Mexican marketing student, Felix Palabras, from Ciudad Chihuahua asked me to imagine a time machine of a sort. The machine would transport my present intelligence backwards or forwards depending on your vantage point, to inform his worldview of today.

His question was of the kind, "What would I do if I were him and knew what I know now when I was his age?" He was graciously, though somewhat formally, seeking my advice - younger person to older person - over a beer at Kelly's Brewery in Nob Hill.

A large group of us migrated there after the Coronado Ventures Forum meeting at the University of New Mexico ARTS-Lab last week. Bo Peabody, managing partner for VillageVentures.com, had just stretched our minds as he described the inspired past, present and future of our media-enraptured worlds. (Peabody also talked about his new book, "Lucky or Smart: Secrets to an Entrepreneurial Life," and gave free copies to the 100 attendees.)

Palabras is attending Monterrey Tech, one of the top universities in Mexico. He is visiting UNM for a three-week intensive summer marketing course as part of an exchange program between the two schools.

He and a number of other Monterrey Tech students were in tow with my colleague Stacy Sacco, uber-networker and fellow Trib columnist cum UNM marketing professor and banking executive.

Palabras' question impressed me with its pertinence, giving me pause. Which of my life-lessons-learned perspectives could or should be summarized to answer him? (Which of your lessons would you, or more important, do you share?)

After a moment, I suggested to him that he cultivate and maintain a deep curiosity about life in its many dimensions. Curiosity will take a person in many challenging and fulfilling directions, all the while being comfortable that the final answers to any of his or her questions will never be reached.

Know yourself. Be self-curious. Know who you are relative to other people in your life. The Myers-Briggs approach helps you comprehend your personality type, for starters.

The process was valuable to me for understanding my natural inclinations and how these traits synergize or clash with other people's senses of the world. You can check out PersonalityPage.com or HumanMetrics.com to get your free type-profile.

I lived a good part of my life with the assumption that people are similar and want the same things in general ways. Man, was I wrong. Before I can know others, I must know myself.

Palabras and I didn't get a chance to finish the conversation beyond a few of my homilies, but having the time to think more about it, I would add a few more insights to the list.

Having a healthy curiosity requires several other tandem behaviors. Embracing curiosity requires a practical grasp for the substance and momentum of change.

A young person who learns to surf the waves of economic, political and cultural changes in life, among many others, will lead a happier life, all things considered. In this sense, playing video games can be a good thing. The games present various scenarios and demand choice before any progress can be made.

Be prepared for change - to extend the Boy Scout motto - with curiosity as your gyroscope. Like a seaworthy sailor, be fluid with the rocking boat.

Being curious is also being open-minded. New information is available at every life turn, ready to influence who we think we are.

Sometimes the lessons we need most to understand are counter-intuitive to our present mind-sets. To grow, we have to see beyond our self-imposed limitations. Science requires such flexibility. Be scientific, or allow yourself to be influenced by the sciences.

Connect with and nurture meaningful relationships. Prosperous relationships require honesty, flexibility, adaptability and compassion, among other qualities.

Good relationships are our bulwarks against the inevitable storms on the seas of change.

Felix, these are a few of my life's insights I have to share with you, my friend. Thank you for asking, and godspeed to you.