Share Your Wealth

Contributed by Eric D. Lussier

To many, the definition of wealth is money. Being part of the 99%, I know that I most likely will never attain the financial wealth that places me in the 1%.  I’m OK with that, as I have other levels of wealth that I place higher than the financial side.

I have wealth in my work life.  I have a steady job with a consistent paycheck.  I have met incredible people over the last ten years and I deeply enjoy establishing new relationships and educating people on flooring and the systems that they interface with.  

I have wealth at home that includes a loving family.  I have a roof over my head, drive a safe and reliable vehicle and have a garage to park it  at night. I couldn’t be more thankful for all of these things.
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I also have access to a wealth of information.  I have always considered myself to be a fairly informed individual. I like to stay privy of cutting edge technology, trends and more.  I have always felt that one of the tremendous strengths of social media and especially Twitter, is the ability to acquire information instantly.  No longer do we wait for the morning paper, the 6PM news or breaking stories on CNN.  Now it is possible to pull out a device not much bigger than your palm and FOR FREE you have access to NOW. Sure, hundreds of thousands of news outlets are sharing on Twitter, but more so millions of individuals are sharing their knowledge and their now.  It is certainly not all ‘I’m having a burger for lunch!’ or ‘I’m out walking the dog and it’s cold!’ so, how come you haven’t given Twitter a whirl?  I find no better platform to accumulate and disseminate information and I really don’t envision a better medium coming along anytime soon, if ever.

What are you doing with your wealth of information?  I like to share mine, whether through Twitter (http://twitter.com/ericdlussier), LinkedIn (Connect with me! www.linkedin.com/in/ericdlussier/) or any of my other social media accounts (http://about.me/ericdlussier) and email.  Sometimes, I even use the phone. The latest way I share my wealth is with this blog, Let's Fix Construction.  I have used LFC to gather a stable of friends and allies in the construction industry who choose to share their wealth. 

Personally, I really enjoy adding to my wealth of information through CSI.  The Construction Specifications Institute is an organization that is 9,000+ volunteers strong that understands it is in no one’s best interest to hoard information.  Free sharing of wealth is abundant within CSI. Whether you are acquiring it a local level through a Chapter or seeing a CSI Speaker in person, at a National Conference like CONSTRUCT or through Twitter itself, you have direct (and most likely free!) access to building owners, construction specifiers, engineers, architects, interior designers, manufacturers and product representatives who share their wealth.  You don’t even have to be a CSI member to acquire knowledge from these outlets, but it certainly helps!

Today the Construction Specifications Institute rolls out CSI-Connect, an online community for CSI members.  The vision is that CSI-Connect will become the first place CSI members think of when they need assistance from their peers.  A place to share knowledge, get help, find solutions, and impact the future of the AEC industry

I do feel that the World is in a better place when you share your wealth.  I wish I could share more monetarily, especially come Holiday season, but for the time being, I share what is valuable to me: knowledge and information.  Have a question on indoor sports flooring or concrete moisture?  Ask away. Want to know my thoughts on craft beer or music?  I like those too!  And with baseball season here, I'm always willing to talk Yankees.  My sharing of knowledge is always free.

Want to share your wealth with Let's Fix Construction readers?  Learn how to do so here.