Category: Notes (Page 8 of 9)

The Brand Called You

Fast Company had an interesting article titled “The Brand Called You”. It is some years old but still valid. Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here’s what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.

The article covers these:
+ What makes You different?
+ What’s the pitch for You?
+ What’s the real power of You?
+ What’s loyalty to You?
+ What’s the future of You?

A quote from the article:
It’s this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Snap decisions sometimes the best

BBC has an article titled Snap decisions sometimes the best that suggests that trusting your instincts may help you to make better decisions than thinking hard. University College London found making subconscious snap decisions is more reliable in certain situations than using rational thought processes.

Dr Li Zhaoping, of UCL’s Department of Psychology said: “The conscious or top-level function of the brain, when active, vetoes our initial subconscious decision – even when it is correct – leaving us unaware or distrustful of our instincts and at an immediate disadvantage.

“Falling back on our inbuilt, involuntary subconscious processes for certain tasks is actually more effective than using our higher-level cognitive functions.”

Dr Li also said: “The trick is knowing when this applicable or not. Trusting your instincts is only useful in some situations.”

I think we should trust our first instinct or hunch much more than we do. If we do not decide based on it, then at least use it as input in our decision making process.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Creating a Fork in the Road

The DailyOm for today is titled Creating a Fork in the Road and is about using a fresh year as a fresh start. I like the idea of opening up to several oppurtunities.

The end of the article says:

In the ancient Babylonian, Chinese, and Celtic traditions, the period marking the transition from the old year to the new was viewed as a struggle between chaos and order, in which order always prevailed. Your belief that you, too, can banish chaos and integrate your dreams, desires, and goals more fully into your life will give you the determination and fortitude to change your life for the better.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Opportunity favors the prepared mind

Opportunity favors the prepared mind is the tag line for BlackRock, an investment company.

It is also food for thoughts, being prepared and having alternatives at hand makes life easier. The more we consider our options, the more open we are to see and grab opportunities when they turn up.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

The Medici Effect

The Medici EffectThe Medici Effect is a book about creativity and innovation written by Frans Johansson. The name alludes to The Medici family that helped to spur the beginning of the Italian Renaissance.

The Medici Effect is about what happens at intersections, crossroads between different and often unrelated knowledge areas. Frans Johansson argues that innovations occur when people see beyond their expertise and approach situations actively, with an eye toward putting available materials together in new combinations. The book contains examples from different areas plus tips around how to achieve the intersectional effects.

Update on January 16, 2008.
Brian Clark at Copyblogger got inspired by this book and wrote The Content Crossroads: Supernatural Success at the Intersection of Ideas.

This post was first published at Forty Plus Two, another blog of mine.

Elevator pitch – Networking pitch

It is often called an elevator pitch but is just as useful as your introduction to people you meet at networking events. There are different views on how long the pitch shall be, 15-30 seconds or up to a minute. In my opinion, short is better.

An “elevator pitch” is a quick and concise way to communicate who you are, what you’re trying to do, and why you do it better. Another explanation is that an “Elevator Pitch” is a concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced description about your company that your mother should be able to understand in the time it would take to ride up an elevator.

Here are some tips for creating an elevator pitch:
1. Assume low buildings.
2. Put a tag on it.
3. Solve a problem.
4. Turn adversity into opportunity.
5. Lay out the benefits.
6. Conclude with a call to action.
7. Make it tangible.
8. Show your passion.

Tips found at Fast Company.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Going With The Flow

This text, Following The Current, came today and goes well with Walking Through When Doors Open that came the other day.

The expression going with the flow is a metaphor that applies to navigating a river. When we go with the flow, we follow the current of the river rather than push against it. People who go with the flow may be interpreted as lazy or passive, but to truly go with the flow requires awareness, presence, and the ability to blend one’s own energy with the prevailing energy. Going with the flow doesn’t mean we toss our oars into the water and kick back in the boat, hoping for the best. Going with the flow means we let go of our individual agenda and notice the play of energy all around us. We tap into that energy and flow with it, which gets us going where we need to go a whole lot faster than resistance will.

Going with the flow doesn’t mean that we don’t know where we’re going; it means that we are open to multiple ways of getting there. We are also open to changing our destination, clinging more to the essence of our goal than to the particulars. We acknowledge that letting go and modifying our plans is part of the process. Going with the flow means that we are aware of an energy that is larger than our small selves and we are open to working with it, not against it.

Many of us are afraid of going with the flow because we don’t trust that we will get where we want to go if we do. This causes us to cling to plans that aren’t working, stick to routes that are obstructed, and obsess over relationships that aren’t fulfilling. When you find yourself stuck in these kinds of patterns, do yourself a favor and open to the flow of what is rather than resisting it. Trust that the big river of your life has a plan for you and let it carry you onward. Throw overboard those things that are weighing you down. Be open to revising your maps. Take a deep breath and move into the current.

Source: DailyOM

Walking Through When Doors Open

This text came from DailyOM and it rings true to me.

When a door opens, walk through it. Trust that the door has opened for a reason and you have been guided to it. Sometimes we have a tendency to overanalyze or agonize over the decision, but it is quicker to simply go through the door and discover what’s there as that’s the only way to know. Even if it doesn’t seem right at first, opening this door may lead to another door that will take us where we need to go.

Doors open when the time is right for us to enter a new space, metaphorically speaking, and we can have faith that walking through is the right thing to do. Sometimes we linger in the threshold because we are afraid of leaving our old life for a life we know nothing about. We may have voices inside of our heads that try to hold us back or people in our lives saying discouraging things. These voices, internal and external, are known as threshold spirits, and they express all the fears and doubts that arise at the beginning of a new life. Nevertheless, none of these voices can hold us back, and they will fall silent as soon as we cross the threshold.

There are many doors that open in the course of our lives, leading us into new relationships, jobs, friendships, and creative inspirations. Our lives up to this point are the result of all the doors we have walked through, and our continued growth depends on our willingness to keep moving into new spaces. Every time we walk through an open door, we create a sense memory that encourages us to move into the new fearlessly. When we enter the new space, we almost always feel a thrill and a new feeling of confidence, in ourselves and in the universe. We have stepped across the threshold into a new life.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

The Care and Feeding of Your Network

The Care and Feeding of Your Network is a useful document at the ChangeThis website. You can read about the Five steps to greatness in Networking and more about networking.

Their definitions of the word network makes you think:

Network (n): a group of people that are all well-known by a person.

Network (v): helping people that you know get what they need and want so that they will feel compelled to reciprocate.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑