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Burning Cool: Why Doing, Creating and Participating is the New Cool
Today, the platinum card of relevancy is Being Cool, Having Cool, Wearing Cool, Selling Cool and Explaining Cool. Arguably, Cool is one of the most powerful economic drivers since the evolution from the stamp pad to the mouse pad. It's about status; being accepted, elevated, rewarded, admired and recognized as something more than you are.
There are plenty of opinions out there of what constitutes Cool, but all tap into the nostalgic and wistful idea that Cool is still about attitude, autonomy and individuality. We are told to be Cool you have to be unique, have a degree of the renegade, and an "I don't give a damn attitude."
The problem is, it just isn't true anymore.
We can get Cool with dollars and eyeballs. We don't need to do more than follow someone who's going to tell us what to shop for, how to look, what shorthand language we need to use on social media and whom to follow. And there are plenty of brands, pseudo-experts and evangelists directing the traffic. But we're evolving. This is the age of doing, accomplishing, participating, creating.
The idea of Burning Cool is elevating and leveraging your power. It's about understanding that stuff is just stuff, and there is no magic logo or brand that makes anyone Cool. Living the verbs and consuming with consciousness is the New Cool. It's the things people do, and actions people take that have social value, clout, relevance and recognition.
A New Cool is happening, and you want to be part of it.
There are plenty of opinions out there of what constitutes Cool, but all tap into the nostalgic and wistful idea that Cool is still about attitude, autonomy and individuality. We are told to be Cool you have to be unique, have a degree of the renegade, and an "I don't give a damn attitude."
The problem is, it just isn't true anymore.
We can get Cool with dollars and eyeballs. We don't need to do more than follow someone who's going to tell us what to shop for, how to look, what shorthand language we need to use on social media and whom to follow. And there are plenty of brands, pseudo-experts and evangelists directing the traffic. But we're evolving. This is the age of doing, accomplishing, participating, creating.
The idea of Burning Cool is elevating and leveraging your power. It's about understanding that stuff is just stuff, and there is no magic logo or brand that makes anyone Cool. Living the verbs and consuming with consciousness is the New Cool. It's the things people do, and actions people take that have social value, clout, relevance and recognition.
A New Cool is happening, and you want to be part of it.
215 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2016
1 person is currently reading
241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 11, 2016
This is a Goodreads win review. This is an excellent book for 2016 where we are in life now. Burning Cool is about doing, creating and participating in life. I am older now and this book is so relevant to me, because I am in a different place and frame of mind than earlier in my life. This book talks about sharing, giving, participating, donating, connecting, supporting, protecting, inventing, cultivating and surprising. I have found I had not yet learned some of these things that make life worthwhile until the last two years. We are all cool in our own unique way and we all have a lot to give no matter our age.
February 7, 2017
So I've been trying to decide whether or not to leave a review for this book. I **hate** giving bad reviews of something. I won it off of Goodreads, though, and in the spirit of the giveaway, I thought I should. Someone also recently pointed out to me that since I gave it such a terrible star rating, it was my social responsibility to make sure others don't waste their time with the book.
While the book has a good premise - do good, pay it forward, help others, change the world - the writing is just so terrible I could barely get through it. Run-on sentences, poor grammar, and incomplete sentences made the book hard enough to read already, but the author seems to write in a stream of consciousness which made it impossible to follow. Little, if any, transitions between topics made me say, "What is she even talking about?" on more than one occasion.
The author also contradicts herself on what it means to be "burning cool." Apparently burning cool is supposed to be reserved for those actively changing the world, but then later in the book she says that everyone can be "burning cool!" simply by being conscious of all the ways to get involved, without actually having to do any of the hard work themselves.
I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1 because I applaud the author's attempt to spread goodness into the lives of readers, but the writing and structure of the book made me really drag myself through it and I just could not give it any more.
While the book has a good premise - do good, pay it forward, help others, change the world - the writing is just so terrible I could barely get through it. Run-on sentences, poor grammar, and incomplete sentences made the book hard enough to read already, but the author seems to write in a stream of consciousness which made it impossible to follow. Little, if any, transitions between topics made me say, "What is she even talking about?" on more than one occasion.
The author also contradicts herself on what it means to be "burning cool." Apparently burning cool is supposed to be reserved for those actively changing the world, but then later in the book she says that everyone can be "burning cool!" simply by being conscious of all the ways to get involved, without actually having to do any of the hard work themselves.
I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1 because I applaud the author's attempt to spread goodness into the lives of readers, but the writing and structure of the book made me really drag myself through it and I just could not give it any more.
July 23, 2016
Loved this book! It was a quick, easy read, but so inspiring! Elaine Joli made some great points backed up with facts. You can tell she didn't just dive into writing Burning Cool to express her opinions on the subject. She took the time to thoroughly research the subject, which would not be an easy thing for most to do, let alone write an entire book about it! SHE is cool! For the fact that she is going to inspire so many to stop listening to what society wants us to believe is going to make us "cool", and make us find what is within ourselves that can inspire us to do whatever we can to benefit the world. And that is what will truely make us stand out as Burning Cool, which is so much better than just wearing the latest styles to be 'cool'.
May 19, 2016
The message that Elaine Joli conveys in "Burning Cool" is excellent. This goes back to the whole, "it takes a village" mantra. If people work together; influencing, inspiring, and creating - benefiting as a whole, this world would be a much better place. Make something! Do something! Be someone! People need to stop being cookie cutter cut-outs glued to the technology and remember what imagination is all about, what life is all about. This book has some great examples of every day people trying to change this world and make it a more enjoyable place for not just themselves but everyone. I also love the idea of profit+purpose, I think that's a very humble way to run a business. (Per guidelines, I'm disclosing I won this book in a giveaway)
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December 28, 2016Interesting ideas.
I received this book free through a Goodreads Giveaway.
I received this book free through a Goodreads Giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews