"‎”Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.” ~ Rita Mae Brown"

“Parisians locate the soul of their city in the Seine and its canals. Along these waterways, the French ideal of mixité—the respectful mixing of ages, genders, and social classes—has created a lifestyle both magical and philosophical.” —Susan Hack unlocks the secrets of the City of Light

(via condenasttraveler)

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A definition of a leader…

Leaders lead.

Is that too simple?

Writers write. If you want to be a writer, write. And be sure to have people read what you write.

And leaders? Leaders lead.

If you want to be a leader, go lead. -Seth Godin

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"‎”Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.” - David Frost"

The Pursuit of (Cool)

Confidence, knowing who you are..

The Value of Following Passion in a Jobless World

Passion is one of the most important elements in any effort to improve a community, build something of value in the world, and even survive tough times or a daunting economy

Do This NOW

From: http://the99percent.com/articles/7035/The-2011-Idea-Execution-Audit

The 2011 Idea Execution Audit

by Jocelyn K. GleiInfographic: Matias CoreaEarlier this year, we polled the 99% community to take the pulse of making ideas happen in 2011. To answer questions like: How do creative projects really get pushed forward? What tools are you using to manage your time and energy? And: Are the ways we live and work as creative professionals undergoing major changes?Then we crunched all of the data and transformed it into a gorgeous, poster-size infographic sponsored by BlackBerry, which we premiered at our annual 99% Conference just a few weeks ago.

So what does idea execution look like? Below we share our thoughts on some of the more unexpected and intriguing survey results.
Email Is Our Biggest Distraction



Respondents said that over 60% of their communication took place over email or instant message, outpacing face-to-face conversations (22%) by almost 3 to 1. At the same time, email was ALSO listed as the number one distraction from getting work done, with Facebook as a distant runner-up.

Therein lies the crux of the email problem. It’s become THE go-to communication tool, but it’s also a huge productivity drain — which is why having an email management strategy has become so crucial.  Solo Entrepreneurs & Home Offices on the Rise



We also confirmed our suspicions that: a) the co-working movement is seriously gaining steam within the creative professional community, and b) the creative workforce, in general, is becoming more mobile and fragmented. According to our poll, the home office (38%) is now almost as popular as the company office (49%) among creatives.

While this flexibility and freedom is — of course — awesome, it’s also a great argument for honing our organizational skills. As the typical big company bureaucracy breaks down, independent workers will have more and more administrative-type details to manage — on top of being creative geniuses!  The Best Insights Come During Downtime



As we discussed in a recent article on Brian Eno’s creative process, it’s not uncommon for great ideas to strike when we’re taking a break. The 2011 Idea Execution Audit results confirmed that stepping away from our desks — both to recharge and let our minds wander — is as valuable as slogging away at the computer.

While we’re not suggesting you switch your work regime to all naps and strolls and daydreaming, it’s worth noting that energy renewal is as closely related to making ideas happen as “keeping busy.”

"We are all here for some special reason. Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future."

– Robin Sharma

From Seth Godin’s Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/06/scientist-121.html

Are you a scientist?

Scientists make predictions, and predicting the future is far more valuable than explaining the past.

Ask a physicist what will happen if you fire a projectile like this in thatdirection, and she’ll know. Ask a chemist what happens if you mix x and y, and you’ll get the right answer. Even quantum mechanics mechanics can give you probabilities that work out in the long run.

Analysts who come up with plausible explanations for what just happened don’t help us as much, because it’s not always easy to turn those explanations into useful action.

Take the layout of Craigslist. Just about any competent online designer would have predicted that it would fail. Too clunky, undesigned, too many links, not slick or trustworthy… Or consider a new r&b artist, or a brand new beverage.

After the fact, it’s so easy to say, “of course it worked…” and then make up a reason for whatever it is that just succeeded.

The practice, then, is to start making predictions. In writing. You don’t have to share them in public, but the habit will push you to understand your instincts and to sharpen your ability to see what works (and what doesn’t) without the easy out of having to explain what already happened.

Look at startups or political campaigns or new products or ad campaigns… plenty of places to practice your predicting skills.

I predict you’ll learn two things:

1. It’s really difficult to make predictions, because success often appears to be random
2. Based on #1, it’s probably smart for you to initiate more projects that aren’t guaranteed winners, because most winners aren’t guaranteed.

And a bonus… the more you practice your predictions, the better you’ll get at discerning where the science is.