2.21.2012

Pursuit one hundred & fifteen: Circle Brewing Company

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to volunteer at an Open House for a great microbrewery based out of Austin, Texas called Circle Brewing Company. Having stumbled upon the brewery and its owners due to mutual friends back in October, this company and its simplistic yet tastefully fantastic brewing combinations have definitely won me over. 

At this point in time their winter seasonal amber ale known as "Nameless" is rocking the charts for me. Sans the spices, this ale is hopped up with six different hops giving it the perfect winter punch to keep me trucking through the "winter" months in Texas. 


On March 10th, 2012 Circle Brewing Co. will be celebrating their one-year anniversary with an Open House at the brewery! They will also be debuting their latest brewing masterpiece, the Alibi Blonde (I am pretty excited!). So, if you are in their neck of the woods on March 10th you should definitely stop by and enjoy a sample or two of some Circle brews.

Following my pursuits,

Price

2.13.2012

Pursuit one hundred & thirteen: Learning From the Pursuits of Another ~ Anna Soliveres


Do you ever think about why some people do the bare minimum and some go so far above and beyond, they’re like a real life superhuman? These people seem to have an abundance of energy that the thought of just makes you sag with exhaustion.

After much thought, I've come to realize that it doesn't have much to do with energy at all. Sure your physical state helps, but these people seem to be driven with an unbelievable amount of focus and desire. The question is, why? What drives them to exhaust so much more energy when so many others spend their limited time doing just enough?

"We do what we do at the level we do it because of self-interest; we think it's best for us. Those who work hard do so because they believe there is a reward awaiting them that not only justifies their efforts, but demands their dedication" - says David Niven, PhD, author of 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People

These people who function like supermen/women know the value of the things they want and the level of commitment and effort that it requires of them to get there.

I meet some of the brightest students from all across the country. Their resumes could put mine and several of my colleagues to absolute shame! These students volunteer to help children in need, raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a good cause, have won every physics contest in the U.S.; they are working on their second masters or PhD, have their own start-up, written publications--the list is endless! And they tell me they're working towards something that they believe will make their lives amazing. So they work around the clock doing everything, competing against classmates, against themselves, pushing their limits trying to get ahead. They know the value of what they want and how much it will ask of them. So they do it. Whatever it takes. They do it.

So you have a goal--a dream. You're not there yet, but you want to be. It means that much to you. Ask yourself: how much dedication is it going to require of me to get there? Write it down. Make a promise to yourself--that getting there will make your life better. Lay out a timeline, set progressive goals to meet, and then make it happen.

What I'm telling you may or may not motivate you--motivation like this only works once anyway. It's up to you to keep yourself psyched and achieve the smaller milestones you set. This is the true measure of success, the propeller of motivation—reaching those small milestones one at a time. That's what will keep you motivated.

Have confidence in yourself that you too will succeed!

My name is Anna, I work full time as a relationship specialist for a leading software company in the Silicon Valley and I am an aspiring novelist. One day, my books will sit amongst the shelves of readers around the world. That's what drives me. Thousands of hours are spent on trying to achieve this goal, and I won't stop until I get there.

Follow Anna on her written journey to become published novelist at, If you wish to be a writer, write.


2.07.2012

Pursuit one hundred & eleven: VCTV - The VMware University Relations Program

This past Friday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dustin Stites, Sr. Manager of University Recruiting and Relations at VMware on the latest episode of VMware Careers TV (#VCTV). Not only did I learn what Star Wars character Dustin would be if he had the choice, but I gained some inside info that anyone interested in interning at VMware should definitely be in the loop about.


Seeing as this was my second time to host VCTV there is definitely still room for improvement on my end. Although this episode ended up being recorded due to technical difficulties with our equipment, VCTV is normally a live broadcast, so any hiccup is caught on film for all to see. 


For those of you who have been on a live broadcast before, what are your suggestions for staying on track and not fumbling your words? My thoughts would be practice, practice, & more practice. But, I would love to know what you all think!


Following my pursuits,


Price


2.03.2012

Pursuit one hundred & ten: HAPPY FRIDAY

In lieu of participating in The Color Run 5K tomorrow in Austin....

I give you this...


and this...


HAPPY  FRIDAY.

Following my pursuits,

Price

2.01.2012

Pursuit one hundred & nine: Try something new for 30 days

Yesterday at work I overheard snippets of a conversation that two of my co-workers were having. Phrases such as 30-days..., seeing what it would be like to live without ______ in life, etc., is all that I seemed to have derived from their conversation. It is funny thinking back on this now because while I was overhearing this conversation I failed to catch all of the important pieces of the story. One might think they were discussing rehab or a terrible event by the horrible relay of information that I just gave you...

Fast forward to several hours later and I was talking to one of the aforementioned co-workers. She brought up how throughout the past couple of weeks in this new year she has on more than one occasion run into people discussing trying out new things in their lives, or removing something from their lives, you know, to see what it would be like, and to ultimately test their will power.

She referred to Matt Cutts, an individual who gave a TED talk entitled: Try something new for 30 days, and how she felt compelled by his talk and her recent encounters with trying something out for thirty days to start implementing something like this in her life. She mentioned how Matt Cutts felt like time began to slow down when he started implementing these daily practices in his life for thirty days. Now if you are like me, I would definitely like to stop time to catch a breather every once in awhile. 

After speaking with my co-worker I began to think about what I could either bring in or take out of my life for thirty days. The first couple of ideas all seemed to involve me taking something out of my life, and the task already began to feel too depressing. So, I scratched the idea of taking something out of my life, and decided that bringing something into my life would be more enjoyable.

Above: Evidence of the books that I have either finished
 or let hit the wayside under my bedside table


Right now you might be asking yourself, "I wonder what Price decided to bring into her life?". The answer is READING. To tell you the truth I have actually finished two books within the past month. But that in and of itself is a rare feet for me. One of the books that I finished was one that I started reading last winter (i.e. March of 2011). However, I have noticed that my action of taking about 15-45 minutes at night during the past month to read has been extremely beneficial. It has helped me wind down from the day, focus on something other than work, and ultimately stimulate my brain (ALL GOOD THINGS).

So why not keep doing this? The answer is that I am. Well at least for the next thirty days. I want to challenge myself to take at least thirty minutes a day to read for thirty days. Whether it is right before I go to bed, or at some random point during the day, I will make this happen. I believe that it is going to be a good thing. 

Want to know what book I will be reading today?
Social Media 101 by Chris Brogan (Thanks for the book Will Staney)


The two books that I read in January were Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? [And Other Concerns] by Mindy Kaling and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I am almost embarrassed to say that I read those two books (because I want to appear like the intellectually superior individual that I am...just kidding), but hey, I enjoy a lighthearted read that either A) Makes me laugh so hard that I want to cry or B) Is a mother f*ing page turner even though it is targeted for the preteen audience.

I thought I could "get real" and on an adult level with my next read of Social Media 101 (maybe also learn a thing or two for work).

What is something new that you would like to try for thirty days?


Following my pursuits,

Price