Thursday, September 27, 2007

Thursday Thoughts

Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.
Winston Churchill

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
Steve Job

Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Football survey

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Reflection

I was privileged to spend the past week at Hollyhock on Cortes Island in BC. The "Web of Change" conference was the purpose for going but the location, retreat and delicious vegetarian cuisine are what I will remember. After a bit of a long journey, we arrived at supper time to a sumptuous buffet and beautiful sunshine creating prisms on the Georgia Strait. The calm and quiet let us sleep for almost 12 hours the first night and that set the tone for the next 5 days. The conference was quite 'techie' and while I am not a technophobe I don't have a clue about drupal or AX, CRM or HFM. There were some amazing contacts made within the 100+ participants and a new friend from one of the non conference guests.
I will discuss some of the learnings in other posts but I am reflecting today on how fragile our experiences can be. We boarded a flight last night in Victoria and before takeoff a passenger went into cardiac arrest. It took more than 20 minutes for EMS to arrive and three passengers and the Westjet staff used CPR to bring him back at least twice. The EMS response time seems ridiculous (yes, WJ, Transport Canada, and VIctoris International are all getting letters) but the staff and passenger response was amazing. I couldn't help thinking that the patient hadn't expected the attack, was probably planning his next day, and maybe hadn't shared his feelings, concerns or hopes with someone for a long time.
Strange that I may be changed more by the incident than a well planned and executed change conference.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Thursday, September 13, 2007

#8 Passion List

List your top 5 passions. Now that you've given various factors some thought, and tried some online tools, make a short list of your top 5 passions. If you don't have 5, list as many as you have. Then compare your top 5 passions, and rank them from top to bottom. This will be the starting point your guide to making your dream a reality.

Are you passionate about justice? Check out a human rights or civil libery group. Are you passionate about children? Help teach, feed or care for kids.
Are you passionate about literacy? Find opportunities with a mentor group or library.
Are you passionate about the environment? politics? people? freedom? democracy?

As i have said many times before - Follow Your Passion

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Discover (7)

I don't have anything to add to Jay White's seventh point in 22 Secrets

7. Try online tools. There are some great tools online for helping you find your purpose. Here are just a few of my favorites:

43 Things: A great way to see what goals others have, to list your own goals, to talk to others about common goals, to get ideas and inspiration. Also see their article, How to Choose Achievable Goals.


Dreamminder. A site where you write down your dream, and it will send it to you at some point in the future. Use their dream wizard to discover your dream. Read the dreams of others to get inspired.


One Question: Take a test with questions to figure out your one purpose in life. With articles to help as well.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

6

"When have you been happiest? Think back throughout all the previous times of your life, from childhood through adolescence, school, different jobs, different areas, different hobbies. Think about the happiest times of your life, and what you were doing, who you were doing it with, and where you were doing it. You may have dismissed some of these things for various reasons, but remembering that you were extremely happy during those times can make you realize why you were happy."

I had this conversation, on Saturday, with a young guy at a picnic on the top of a hill. He came to the conclusion (with a bit of prompting) that he was happiest when he had purpose. He doesn't seem to have that purposeful drive in his 'day job' but "It pays all the bills". If you are in this situation, maybe you can find purpose and happiness by serving others. Use the same process as above - think about when you are happiest and then search for opportunities that match those circumstances.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Secrets (5)

DLM

What environment do you enjoy working in? An office, a college, a classroom, a construction site, the ocean, the forest? Where you work is also an important factor in your dream job.

Wow, I can imagine volunteer and support positions and opportunities in everyone of those locations. I wish I had thought to volunteer on the beach.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Secrets (3)

Again. I credit Jay at DLM for the inspiration.

3.Who do you like to work with? A dream job includes not only what you want to do, but who you are doing it with. You should truly enjoy working with these people. In this step, you can name specific people you love working with, or types of people (creative types, programmers, entrepreneurs, blue collar, etc.).

This can be very helpful when deciding where you want to be engaged as a citizen, where you want to lend your support or where you would like to volunteer. If it is okay to choose a dream job why not choose a dream volunteer position? Look for people, places and opportunities that fulfill you and also fit with your personality and availability.

Monday, September 3, 2007

All Contributions Should be Valued

Since 1872, workers have been celebrating Labour Day in some form. A day for all workers to be recognized for their work. This Labour Day, make a commitment to value the work being done around you. Take a moment and think about all those people, everyday, that serve you, that assist you, that keep you on schedule and then take a moment to thank them. Every job should be valued and respected.

Avoid shopping or supporting places that do not provide safe, respectful workplaces and that do not pay their employees a living wage. People that are working for a living, shouldn't be living in poverty in this country.