Sometimes it takes courage. Courage, persistence and determination that I couldn’t have imagined that I would have to muster in order to keep moving forward. Progression, with enthusiasm, can be exhausting. Don’t give up.
Apple Ipad Commercial and Why We Write Poetry Quote
I’m watching the NFL playoffs from the comfort of my living room, just like many other Pittsburgh Steelers players and fans. If you are too than you’ve probably seen the Apple Ipad Air commercial.
Cool. Inspirational. Creative.
We’ve come to expect cool from Apple. But this commercial is one I really like because it makes us think about how technology is weaving itself into the fabric of our lives. Right now it’s the tablet and the smart phone. Soon it will be a variety of wearable devices.
But that’s not all that’s cool. Robin Williams narrating the commercial with his classic quote from Dead Poets Society. Now that’s cool. It’s also compelling – daring you to live out loud. Williams character in Dead Poets Society is Professor John Keating, one of my favorites. And, if you don’t recognize it from the commercial then perhaps you didn’t see Dead Poets Society, or need to see it again or share it with your children.
O me! O life!
“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?” Answer: that you are here; that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
What inspires you? What will your verse be?
Do What You Love
It’s harder than it looks, right? Driving toward the center looks like a 2014 goal for me.
What’s your happy place? If you know someone who’s unhappy at work pass this on. Life’s too short. pic.twitter.com/HDLvZ1Ov6m
— Happy Startup School (@happystartups) December 23, 2013
What’s your happy place? How will you get there in 2014?
#musicmonday motivation [Video]
Does music motivate you? It’s an important part of my life. Recently we’ve been assembling playlists for different occasions on Spotify. My daughter loves her neon dance music list. My son is digging his “Action Cole,” list of high energy rock and roll. I like to think we’re a music family and I know the soundtrack of our lives influences our mood in a positive way. Continue Reading…
Be Vulnerable
I’ve given a lot of thought to vulnerability lately. The power of being vulnerable and the courage that it takes. Many of us believe the opposite. We protect ourselves with a shield of false bravado. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable means overcoming fear of failure or ridicule if we’re not accepted. Our relationships require it or they don’t succeed. We all make mistakes and have to apologize or we don’t move on. We perform better at work if we have permission to screw up as part of the process of learning.
The path to each other starts with our own vulnerability.” says Brené Brown in her talk, The power of vulnerability, from TEDxHouston. Watch it below…
Is there something that gives you courage? Or allows you to be vulnerable? Please share.
8 Exponential Trends That Will Shape Humanity: Century of the City State
LinkedIn gets me. Granted, I’ve taught it’s news aggregating algorithms a thing or two about me over the last ten years. This slide deck really struck me as it was presented in the recommended news on my LinkedIn home page. You didn’t think I got my news from an old media network on TV did you?
I hadn’t heard of Sparks & Honey, the New York advertising, marketing and PR agency that “Helps brands hijack, accelerate and ultimately ignite culture, ” but I’m following them now on Twitter and Tumblr. They produced the trend report below (that found me).
Cultural change is driving our revolution and evolution and we’re at the very beginning. 3-D printing, the city-state, morphing education systems. We are restructuring how we are spending our time. As most generations have said before me, what an amazing world my children will experience. If you’re as excited about the future as I am, you’ll appreciate this overview of trends with a detail on the “Century of The City State”…
What is driving your path to the future? How is your world changing?
Culture and Team Types from Dave Grey at XPLANE
Take a look at this great visual map of business cultures by Dave Grey at XPLANE. I like to think and talk about the change that new methods of communication are instigating in business. It’s interesting to overlay the challenges with communication and types of people and teams. Here Dave hosts a deeper discussion on the matter of culture mapping.
I admire Dave’s thinking and approach and always look forward to the great, share-able, relevant content that XPLANE develops.
Productivity Process and Tools
This week at C7group we spent a bit of time thinking about how David Allen’s system and principles coordinate with our project management, customer relationship management and document sharing. We mapped our tools to our favorite system for managing incoming information and processing it. Continue Reading…
Consistent Blogging Matters
Should you care to take a look at my blogging history since 2005 you’ll find some irony in the title of this post. Sometimes it takes a proverbial, “whack in the head.” to set me straight. In this case it only took three. Please allow me to explain. Continue Reading…
Celebrate Your Victories
Working, business, performance. It can be stressful. In a start-up or small business environment, it can be all consuming. This is
especially true if you are passionate about your work. If you work with purpose, and you care deeply about the outcome and how it affects your customers and your team, then you probably think about it in the shower.
