Category Archives: Motivational & Opinion
Time
Time and time again, I’m surprised by the effect of time on human behavior. Time is tracked and managed. Time heals wounds. Time is ever-present yet always passing. Driven by our watches, distracted by our clocks, time dominates our thinking. Yet half of the time, our focus on time distracts us from the beneficial aspects of time as the moments occur. So take the time this time around to spend a little more time smelling the roses. Time is money yet time is priceless. Time is ticking away so take …
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Prioritizing For A Less Than Ideal Economy
It would seem as though we are going through what could be a prolonged global recession. Banks collapsing, easy credit gone, rising fuel and food prices, the continually weakening dollar. None of these portend good things. If you haven’t already felt the effects of these less than ideal economic times, chances are you will in the near future. If you rely on subscriptions, sales, or advertising for your cash flow, less consumer spending means less money in your pocket. The entire American economy is something of a huge bubble right …
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OCECD & Reactive vs. Proactive
How often are you checking your e-mail? Is it the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night (not a good idea)? How does inbound communication, like calls, IMs, Facebook messages, tweets, and texts affect your daily schedule and productivity? If you’re like me, chances are you check your e-mail at least a few times a day and dare I say quite a bit more. I know I check my e-mail at least 20 times a day and on a slow day I’ve received at …
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Less is more, in life as much as design.
Design gurus often talk about simplicity in design. That by using less to convey your point you actually are able to convey your message to a broader audience. That you’re able to be more relevant with less rather than more. I think this idea would be better applied in our everyday lives. In my life the most fulfilling moments, the most life altering times, have happened when I cared very little for what I possessed, or what I wanted to posses. Since George Carlin died I’ve been watching quite a …
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How do social networks build community?
I’ve thought about this quite a bit lately. I’ve actually come to wonder if they do help build community at all. I seem to experience less community now than I did before I had a Myspace, Facebook, or Virb membership. I think part of this is because of the isolation that telecommunications seems to foster. Talk is cheap, we can talk with anyone we want to any time we want. Since supply is so high, we value people’s words and opinions very little. Community, real community that matters, that has …
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In the heat of the moment
When tensions rise, blood boils, and pressure mounts, a defining moment occurs. In your personal and professional lives and in all relationships, it’s easy to stay breezy when the waters are calm. When a storm hits, it’s a defining moment. It’s when a balance of in-the-moment thinking coupled with “zooming out” for a larger perspective is critical. During stressful moments, it’s critical to channel the natural physical and emotional reaction into energy that is effective and efficient. Yet, there is a huge difference between belief and action when it comes …
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Go the Extra Mile
When was the last time you saw something remarkable? When was the last time someone went the extra mile to help you out? We all know the feeling we get when someone goes above the call of duty to do something nice. Walter Levine built his security company into the largest in Connecticut by guaranteeing to “…deliver the service within 40 minutes after receiving your phone call, or you get it free.” Not too difficult to see the connection. In high school, Michael Dell sent welcome letters to new residents …
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Parasites, failure, and useful ideas
1. Dan Dennett: Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes: If you work with people on ideas, you’ve probably seen it happen many times before: a bad idea is introduced, the team goes with it, and somewhere along the line, we realize it’s all about to go very badly. Ideas replicate (especially bad ones) with a mind of their own. Kill the bad ones, and keep the good ones. 2. From J.K. Rowlings’ talk on the benefits of failing, and the importance of imagination: “Given a time machine or …
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Life is in the details
In this current era of economic hardship, it’s popular in the world of suits to cut costs and corners and in general look for ways to do less, yet make more (instead of doing more with less). Yet, it’s during tight times that ad spends are critical, when extreme customer service is crucial. It’s when things are tough that it’s necessary to step back and enhance an offering. And it’s the details that matter. Whether it’s: your business card your services your products your business dress your office appearance your …
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