Apple Ipad Commercial and Why We Write Poetry Quote

January 19, 2014 in Blog, Creativity, Digital Marketing, Passion, Self Discovery with 0 Comments

Professor Keating_Robin Williams character

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

December 27, 2013 in Blog, Lifehacking, Passion, visualization with 0 Comments

 What’s your happy place? How will you get there in 2014?

#musicmonday motivation [Video]

November 25, 2013 in Blog, Focus, Music with 2 Comments

music monday jeff marmins

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

November 2, 2013 in Blog, Character with 2 Comments

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

April 19, 2013 in Blog, linkedin, Miscellaneous, Vision with 1 Comment

Sparks_Honey_slide_deck_cover

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

March 25, 2013 in Social Business with 0 Comments

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.

Source: flickr.com viaJeff on Pinterest

Productivity Process and Tools

March 17, 2013 in Blog, Character, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Planning, Self-Discipline, TED with 0 Comments

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

February 21, 2013 in Blog, Creativity, Digital Marketing with 4 Comments

The word blogging written in ink on a pair of side-by-sirde hands, one word per finger.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

September 17, 2012 in Blog, Effectiveness, leadership, Lifehacking, Sales, Values with 7 Comments

 

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.

Continue Reading…

5 Life Lessons Taught By The Muppets

June 19, 2012 in Blog, Creativity, Effectiveness, Lifehacking, Self Discovery with 0 Comments

Photo of Kermit the Frog

Leave it to one of my favorite Lifehacking sites, Steepcase Lifehack, to post lessons on life from the Muppets. Great stuff by freelance writer Andrew Kardon.

[featured]I can’t imagine living in a world without The Muppets. Those cuddly, felt critters are like best friends you’ve known your entire life. They’re fun, they’re goofy, and they just fill you up with a warm feeling inside…don’t they?[/featured]

Thanks to Jason Segel and a host of other talented folks, the recentThe Muppets movie was a big success for Disney, and Jim Henson’s fluffy family is back in the limelight. Henson’s creations started out as a fun way to teach children some basic ABCs, as well as important life lessons. But as with The Muppet Show, the craziness was kicked up a few notches.

Just because you’re too old for Sesame Street (and hopefully you already know your ABCs), that doesn’t mean you’re not too old to learn something. The Muppets are more than entertainers — they’re pretty good teachers too.

Here’s a look at 5 life lessons you can learn from The Muppets. Continue Reading…

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