Social Media Serendipity – Lunch with Lotay Yang & Surprise Guest Mariel Hemingway

Today was the best day ever. (Many reasons, but here’s one of them)

When I started the Social Media Adventure I had one simple but powerful purpose:

To prove that social media has the power to develop authentic, genuine in-person relationships and help bring people together to make the world a better place.

Since then, I have been a passionate advocate of the belief that amazing things happen through social media that could not have been possible in any other period of history.

Today was a great example.

Lunch With A Hero

Nearly anyone who is active on twitter is familiar with Lotay Yang (@Lotay).

I met Lotay shortly after I got on twitter. His giving heart and poignant spiritual insights were inspiring and engaging. After we were both featured in @2morrowknight‘s Huffington Post article: 16 People on Twitter Who Inspire the World, we got to know each other even better.

Today I finally got to meet him in person, over lunch at True Food in Phoenix, with Beverly Kidd.  He is someone that I respect and appreciate… not only for what he does online, but how congruent his online and offline personality is. He is authentic & sincere, demonstrated by his genuine question across the lunch table: “How can I serve you?”

More About Lotay Yang

Lotay Yang - Black Card Circle Foundation

Lotay is the founder of the Black Card Circle Foundation, a philanthropic organization that raises awareness and capital for organizations that promote self-reliance and sustainability in 5 main areas:

1. Education
2. Environment
3. Health Care
4. Community Development
5. Poverty Relief

(For more information on the Black Card Circle Foundation, and founder Lotay Yang, visit BlackCardCircleFoundation.org)

Surprise Guest – Mariel Hemingway

Me & Mariel Hemingway in Phoenix @ True Food

Just as we sat down for lunch Lotay said: “Hey, isn’t that Mariel Hemingway?”  True enough, it was.

Through the restaurant I couldn’t tell if she was in a serious meeting or not, so instead of wanting to interrupt her, I sent her a text message to say hello. Not hearing back from her, we decided she was probably busy and left the restaurant.

Not even 2 minutes after leaving, she texted back saying she just got the message and “come back!” (Yes, that made me feel extra special)

She was having lunch with her boyfriend Bobby Williams (@bwillbe) and @Callaman who I met through @skinnyjeans & @1tap at my sister’s BBQ a few months back.

Small world, huh? (The correct answer is “yes”)

The Moral Of The Story

Not much, I suppose… this isn’t really a blog about teaching deep principles, just highlighting our adventures in Social Media.

There is an underlying principle worth noting, though:

Social Media levels the playing field.

It eliminates barriers of geography, age, race, money, etc. It gives us a chance to connect with “like-hearted” people from all over the world, and use those connections for good.

How can you use Social Media in your life – whether personal or business – to connect with others who share your goals & dreams?

If you look, there are more opportunities that you could ever find otherwise. I promise.

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