Well done is better than well said. -Benjamin Franklin
Some thoughts about this day:
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” — W.T. Purkiser
“On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.” — William Jennings Bryan
“What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?” – Erma Bombeck
TEEN GOES NUCLEAR: He creates fusion in his Oakland Township home
In the basement of his parents’ Oakland Township home, tucked away in an area most aren’t privy to see, Thiago is exhausting his love of physics on a project that has taken him more than two years and 1,000 hours to research and build — a large, intricate machine that , on a small scale, creates nuclear fusion.
Note that Thiago didn’t do this in just one day, but over two years of hard work, preceded by years of preparation. Like most projects, this was not just one big, hard task, but a series of smaller tasks, completed over days and weeks and months and years. One at a time.
What do you want to accomplish? What did you do today to reach that goal?
The Power of Relationships in Your Career: Leadership by Example – Yahoo! Finance
“It’s not what you know, but who you know.”I know this old saw sounds incredibly shallow, and it goes against the grain of the meritocracy we all generally believe creates an even playing field in our schools, organizations, economy, and society at large.
But if you take the time to understand the art and power of relationships and the concept of how the world works through connections as a central component of — not a substitute for — our meritocracy, you might find that your path to success and satisfaction will be greatly accelerated.
In this interesting article, Jim discusses the power of the relationships that we choose to make in the business world and how establishing PERSONAL relationships can make our work not only more productive, but more rewarding as well. Definitely worth a read.
• It’s a performance. Like it or not, he said, if you are giving a speech or a presentation, you are performing. Of course, people like Richard are at an advantage compared to the rest of us, he admitted, since he does this for a living. Still, it is useful for all presenters to remember that they are, for that moment when they have the floor at least, performers.• You’ve got to grab ‘em by the grapes…
Richard was adamant, animated, and colorful about this tip. Forget the thank yous and small talk at the beginning, you can work that in later he said. At the start you immediately have to grab them and bring them in. Many people he said start their presentations off weakly, meekly. Open with a bang and remember to end your talk by tying the big finish back in with that dynamic opening.• Engage your audience. Ask questions, look them in the eye, get them involved.
• Slow down, you are in control. This is your show, your stage. Use your voice to emphasize certain crucial points. Don’t just rush through talking points, etc.
• Pay close attention to your audience. Have some empathy for your audience. If they are not getting it or if it becomes clear that you have prepared too much or the wrong material, then switch gears, cut it short, whatever the situation calls for. Good presenters can read the nonverbal cues and act accordingly.
• Tell stories, give plenty of examples. You don’t have to make 14 points. Make a single big point. Most people try to include too much information not too little.
OneLook’s reverse dictionary lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word. Just type it into the box above and hit the “Find words” button. (Keep it short to get the best results.) In most cases you’ll get back a list of related terms with the best matches shown first.
See the world as history’s cartographers once saw it. A new batch of Google Earth overlays covers the globe with richly detailed historical maps.The Rumsey collection includes 16 maps. Among them you’ll find a 1790 world globe, a 1680 map of Tokyo, and an 1814 map spanning the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi–courtesy of Lewis and Clark.
To view these new old maps, you’ll need the latest version of Google Earth (use the program’s check-for-updates feature if you’re not sure you have it). In the layers section, select All Layers, then look for Featured Content > Rumsey Historical Maps.
I was reading something today by Jim Rohn in which he discussed the issue of the people that we choose to be around. He states the following:
“You must constantly ask yourself these questions:
- Who am I around?
- What are they doing to me?
- What have they got me reading?
- What have they got me saying?
- Where do they have me going?
- What do they have me thinking?
- And most important, what do they have me becoming?
Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay?“
Jim Rohn went on to suggest that we each should “Get around people who have something of value to share with you. Their impact will continue to have a significant effect on your life long after they have departed.”
While this is an important thing to consider, I would like to submit that we should also strive to BE the type of people that have something of value to share with others, impacting them and their lives long after we have departed.
If you enjoy the quote box, now labeled “Inspirational Thoughts”, and would like to implement the same on your site, Abhijit Nadgouda has written a great widget for this that is available at his site: ifacethougts. Check it out.
“The great enemy of creativity is fear. When we’re fearful, we freeze up. Creativity has a lot to do with a willingness to take risks. Think about how children play. They run around the playground without thinking about where they’re going. They trip, they fall down, and then they get back up again and run some more. They have a wonderful belief: that everything will be all right. They feel capable; they let go; they play.
No matter how many facts and figures you have, you can’t predict the future. There will always be surprises. Creativity helps us realize that we don’t have to understand everything. We can enjoy something – feel it and use it – without ever fully comprehending it.”
– Faith Ringgold
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