Cinco de Mayo – Important to me because…

There are two reasons why Cinco de Mayo is important to me:

First, Cinco de Mayo is a significant Mexican holiday.

My dad was born in Mexico, and I have plenty of family that still lives there.  I lived in Mexico for almost two years and fell in love with a land and culture that is so often misrepresented and stereotyped it is disgusting. Living there helped me come to terms with a heritage I didn’t understand, and wasn’t proud of.

Wikipedia says Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday, and seems to indicate it isn’t celebrated much outside of Puebla (the state in Mexico where the events of May 5, 1862 made it a holiday).  Having lived in northern Mexico for a while, I can attest that it’s a BIG deal.  From wikipedia:

In 1861, Mexico ceased making interest payments to its main creditors. In response, in late 1861, France (and other European countries) attacked Mexico to try to force payment of this debt. France decided that it would try to take over and occupy Mexico. France was successful at first in its invasion; however, on May 5, 1862, at the city of Puebla, Mexican forces were able to defeat an attack by the larger French army.

The post also notes that May 5 is not Mexico’s Independence day, which is September 16th (although it is big enough that it feels like it).

Second, Cinco de Mayo is LinkedIn’s birthday.

This year LinkedIn celebrates it’s sixth anniversary (they launched May 5, 2003).  Last year at this time they had 22 million signups… I’m guessing they are over 40 million now.  LinkedIn isn’t my website, nor is it my business, but I wrote the only LinkedIn book I know of to have a second edition, and that has changed my business.

I have done over 100 webinars or trainings on LinkedIn, or including LinkedIn, and recently created LinkedIn for Job Seekers, a DVD that helps people go in-depth to get value out of LinkedIn.

Looking back on this journey, tying LinkedIn to my JibberJobber business, I have to thank Andy Sernovitz, for the kick in the pants to get my book written, Scott Allen, who introduced me to my publisher (and serves as my Executive Editor), and Mitchell Levy, who has put up with a lot from me as I have more demands of him than I should 🙂

It’s been a good ride!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

6 thoughts on “Cinco de Mayo – Important to me because…”

  1. Happy Cinco de Mayo to you too! It’s actually a pretty big deal here in Chicago too, though it has a ways to go before it catches up to St. Patrick’s Day. But as you know we have a big Hispanic population here, now substantially of Mexican origin (and surely not all from Puebla!), and the holiday is usually pretty well celebrated in the Mexican-American community, and catching on among us yanquis as well; we like to party here. (Though the big annual weekend festival at Navy Pier was canceled this year due to the flu scare.)

    Know what you mean about falling in love with Mexico. I don’t have family ties there and never lived there, but a week in Mazatlán a few years ago did it for me. (We stayed at Las Jacarandas south of the Zona Dorada, which at that time wasn’t trendy yet and was mostly popular with travelers from other parts of Mexico, and spent most of our time away from the spring-break circuit.) I’ve been to a few other countries and always got a lot from the experience, but Mexico touched my heart in a way that took me by surprise.

  2. Clarification: I mean Las Jacarandas wasn’t trendy yet (I hear it’s changed management since). The Zona Dorada, of course, was trendiosísima en abundancia.

  3. That is interesting that LinkedIn’s birth day is today. That is a fantastic place to search for work these days but it requires interaction with your connection list. Individuals looking for work need to get creative on that site right now.

  4. “Individuals looking for work need to get creative on that site right now.”

    A good reminder. I have a LinkedIn account that I haven’t been doing much with. (Actually, I have two LinkedIn accounts that I have to merge. LinkedIn object lesson: when someone sends you a networking invitation through an email account that is not the one you joined with, engage your brain before responding!) I can kind of feel my account (or accounts) right now, tapping on my shoulder and muttering, “Nu?”

  5. Feliz Cinco de Mayo Jason!

    As someone who has lived and studied in Mexico and visited many times, I SECOND your emotion that it is a very misrepresented country and people.

    I am sickened by the media coverage of Mexico and Mexicans here in Arizona. As my husband’s Navajo relatives are fond of pointing out, “Who are the illegal aliens?” LOL – it is all a matter of perspective.

    I know the country of Mexico to be bright, vibrant and creative, populated by people with huge hearts and a zeal for living.

    Sounds kind of like the Jason Alba I know and love! (are you Jessica’s brother? KIDDING!)

    Much happiness to you, and congrats on the growth of your business. I have loved watching you take risks and grow and develop yourself and your business, despite challenges.

    All the best,

    -Pam

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