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Flow
I just finished reading Dan Pink’s Drive, in which Pink explains why traditional carrot-and-stick motivators are out-dated and need to be replaced by the intrinsic motivators of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. (For the abbreviated version of the book, watch Pink’s TED talk, which I’ve mentioned before). One thing I learned was the importance of experiencing…
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The Gifts We Made
For the past month or two our house has been slightly resembling Santa’s workshop (minus the elves, reindeer, and some other things) as Anna and I tried our hand at making some of the gifts we gave to friends and family. Here’s a look at a few of the things we made. Did you give…
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Merry Christmas!
Christmas is nearly here! Above’s a little Christmas postcard, from our family to yours :). In the midst of all the busyness of buying and making gifts, decorating (yes, we got a real tree, and no, Olivia hasn’t even threatened to pull it down yet!), and working through what is the busiest season for my…
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Don’t Quit
I was looking at some kinetic typography videos yesterday when I came across this one, which is hugely encouraging if you’ve embarked on learning a craft, but haven’t mastered it yet. Ira Glass is talking about storytelling, but it probably applies to what you’re doing too.
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Tea Time
This kid of ours is amazing.
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The Magic of Spoken Word
Nine years ago I stood up in front of 50 Chilean and realized that I had something to say. For the first time I felt like myself in front of a group, without shaky knees, and realized that I could make a connection with people, make them laugh (at my own expense, maybe), feel and…
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Happy Thanksgiving
Ah, American Thanksgiving, that day where Canadians wish they’d saved their Thanksgiving for today, and envy the genius of making it a 2-day holiday! Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends to the south! “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,” that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart
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Don’t Be a Suit
This phrase got me thinking when I heard it in a podcast a couple days ago. “Suits” aren’t getting a very good rap these days, and often for good reason. But I’m realizing there’s a difference between wearing a suit and being one. Regardless of social status, you have the opportunity daily to be human…
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Where Do Good Ideas Come From?
Often when we think of inventors and people with great ideas, we think of them as lone rangers with furrowed brows who have a “Eureka” moment that leads to their great discovery. Indeed, that’s how many of them would tell the story as well. In this talk by Steven Johnson, (and in his TED talk)…
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Embrace Your Constraints: Pecha Kucha Night
Last week I went my first Pecha Kucha Night in Winnipeg. What’s “Pecha Kucha”, you ask? Pecha Kucha was started in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Named after the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, the event centres around a…