simon sinek: people who believe

The goal is to do business with people who believe in what I believe. Simon Sinek breaks this notion down into about three parts. Enlightening to say the least.

TED - FROM How Leaders Inspire: Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

The Law of Diffusion is explained. It's all about biology, not psychology.

7 questions to end the week

I found this on Facebook from Emily Thomas and I wanted to post.

1. OBSERVE - What pleasant surprises did I discover?
2. REFLECT - What lesson did my work teach me that I can build upon next week?
3. FOCUS - Are my short-term efforts aligned with my long-term goals?
4. BE PRODUCTIVE - What could I spent more or less time doing?
5. HAVE COURAGE - How did fear and uncertainty affect what I did and didn't do?
6. CLEANSE - What mental clutter can I clear?
7. BEGIN ANEW - What is the first logical step for next week?

BJXBNTREAJD4 (this is a claim token)

the sunny side of social

I read a story recently about social proof. Social proof is measured by the number of "likes" ans "shares" on Social Media platforms. The more the better. I don't disagree with this. I, in fact, agree. We all seem to want the post or video or whatever else to go "viral". All of us want our social moment in the sun.

If you feel "left out" on hits, clicks, shares and likes, don't get frustrated and disappointed. I feel oftentimes that the traffic on my posts are stagnant. That, however doesn't stop or keep me from posting, researching, and writing. I, for one, enjoy the Social Media space. Many of us do and think of having an audience. Most of that audience comes from platforms like Facebook and Twitter. That's good. That's a start. Be thankful you have an audience. It might not be quantity, so think quality.

Here's a story I picked up that goes along with what I am getting across.

Long ago, a band of minstrels lived in a faraway land. They traveled from town to town singing and playing their music in hopes of making a living. They had not been doing well financially, however. Times were hard and the common people had little money to spend on concerts, even though their fee was small.

 

The group met one evening to discuss their plight. "I see no reason for opening tonight, " one said. It's snowing and no one will come out on a night like this." Another said, "I agree. Last night we performed for just a handful. Even fewer will come tonight."

 

The leader of the troupe responded, "I know you are discouraged. I am too. But we have a responsibility to those who might come. We will go on. It is not the fault of those who come that others do not." 

 

Heartened by his words, the minstrels gave their best performance ever. After the show, the old man called his troupe to him again. In his hand was a note, handed to him by a member of the audience just before the door closed. Slowly the man read, "Thank you for a beautiful performance." It was signed simply, "Your King."

 

Learn Social Marketing to the Business Customer 

Have Mondays in the Sun

Keep concentrating and focusing on your Social Media presence. Discover the sunny side of social. You might just be surprised who is in the audience.

pro vision board

How To Create Your Professional Vision Board

Visualizing has been around for centuries. Here's how to create and analyze your own vision board.

Link to the story:
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/how-to-create-your-professional-vision-board/

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Sent from Zite, available for free in the App Store.

Sent from my iPhone

file transfer to cloud

E-mail is still the dominant way to send information from one person to another. But when big files are sent performance is lost and there is network bandwidth strain. We all have experienced that.

There is a solution to this problem. It is managed file transfer (MFT) system. This system bypasses e-mail servers and the MFTs are dedicated to transferring large files within organizations, between businesses and customers, or in business-to-business or application-to-application transactions. The market has been estimated to from $700 million to $2 billion a year. Among the biggest players are IBM and Citrix.

Businesses are attempting to build a new cloud-based system where file transfers are done in the cloud. This cloud service allows for even broader capabilities. Activity in the cloud MFT field has picked up. Ipswitch announced a product named MOVEIt, a complete cloud-based system. The trends are going toward "anytime, anywhere" products. Consumer applications such as DropBox and Box (which I use) have seen increases in the amount of storage they offer. The trend isn't slowing, especially with the Big Data buzz going around cyberspace. MFTs are seen as a way to manage the flow of big data.

Most MFT system technology runs on traditional hardware and need no dedicated infrastructure, but the systems require high-memory servers. The servers generally require more processing power for Big Data, encryption, and compression. The file size which warrants an MFT is a 2MB newsletter to 10,000 recipients. The smaller e-mails have a link for the recipient to access the MFT server. That way the bandwidth consumption isn't happening all at once.

The Business ans Economic Factors of Cloud Computing

my dad drank it

I came across a post about product placement. In two products' cases the placement is on the show Mad Men. The products are Lucky Strike cigarettes and Canadian Club whiskey.

The article is on avclub.com

One item in the article suggests why we partake in products is because our parents used them.
I go along. I don't drink Canadian Club much, but when I do I think of my dad. Because he drank it.

Books, DVDs
Advertising and Mad Men on Amazon

network performance

"Doing more with less" is beyond cliche'. Challenges include shrinking budgets and increasing workloads. A good rule is that an 18% productivity improvement in performace is needed. Performance enablers are needed. This productivity increase can be achieved with a new approach through collaboration across networks.

The traditional view of successful performance focuses on assignment completion. That's it, nothing more. This view is changing. Goals are more complex with the rise of social media. Discussions and decisions are increasingly driven by data. Workflow requires more collaboration across a variety of platforms, both internal and external. Contributions require capitalization of networks. Their is a strong attraction of network performance and organizational success.

To achieve gains in productivity, better management of network performance is needed. In practice, effective network performers consistently demonstrate behaviors that contribute to their networks. This includes, but is not limited to, harnessing great ideas from other parts of the organization and applying them to one's own work. Opinions and feedback are two other categories in this application.

Concentrate on network performance. Identify connections and cultivate relationships by identifying influencers. They help with priorities.

Only through a new perspective of network performance will we be able to achieve better productivity performance.

shake off failure

Encountering failure can be discouraging. A post from shakeoffthegrind.com delves into that subject by asking poinant questions to some amazing people.

Their answers center around one item: look for the lesson.

Here is the link to this story.

data storage dna

Have you ever thought of data storage in the form of DNA? Well, yes, most have. DNA is data storage of our genetic makeup. Storage apparatus. However what about storing speeches or JPG photos onto DNA? Researchers have created a way for that.

The researchers from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in Hinxton, England, claim to have used a method to store versions of an mp3 of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, along with a JPG photo and several text files.

Their research is in the late January journal of Nature.

DNA is already a robust way to store information. It has been extracted from woolly mammoth bones, which date back tens of thousands of years. This information has been understood without question. Nick Goldman, co-author of the EMBL-EBI study says, "It's incredibly small, dense and does not need any power for storage, so shipping and keeping it is easy."

Last fall, Harvard University researchers were able to store 70 billion copies of an HTML-formatted book in DNA binary code. Both reading and writing DNA tend to make errors. The EMBL-EBI study invented an error-correcting code that was specially made to deal with the errors.

The new method requires synthesizing DNA from the encoded information. The EMBL-EBI lab worked with Agilent Technologies, a maker of measurement instruments such as oscilloscopes, to transmit the data and encode it in DNA. Agilent synthesized hundreds of thousands of pieces of DNA to represent the data. EMBL-EBI received this information and were able to decode the file.

Goldman's team analyzed the cost-effectiveness of the technology and suggested that, for now, using DNA as a storage medium would be best suited for archival purposes, such as preserving personal photos or videos.

Data is accumulating massively. Magnetic and optical discs are voluminous and are prone to decay. The only limit to DNA storage is the cost.


Look Beautiful and Smart with Double Helix Earrings

connections rewire

We have the ability to breakout of the negative feedback loop.

Unlocking the durable power of positive thinking can rewire ourselves to think positively. The brain can rewire its own connections and has the ability to change structurally. When we learn something, we change neural connections. Every time we reactivate a circuit, a synaptic efficiency increases, and connections become more durable and easier to reactivate. Whenever we do specific tasks over and over again, it takes less brain power over time.

We can harness the brain's plasticity by training our brain to make positive patterns more automatic. Practice the positive aspects of life. That keeps the negative tendencies away. We can retrain the brain to scan for the good things in life. A positive thinking pattern has a powerful impact. This could be difficult and awkward feeling at the beginning, but the rewards will be worth the effort.

 from Lanny-yap

We have to build habit that becomes more automatic and longer lasting.

Here are three top ways to rewire ourselves for positivity:

1. Scan for 3 daily positives. Reflect on what caused them to happen. Celebrate small wins.
2. Give one shout-out to someone (daily).
3. Do something nice. This has power to get us out of the negativity loop.

Focus on these three items each day. This is the start of the connection rewire.

A Way of Engaging With the World

The Power of Habit
"people succeed when they identify patterns that shape their lives" - Customer Reviews

 The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

creativity boost

When you meet someone do you ask yourself if they are creative? I'm starting to. I asked myself if I am creative. My answer was, "Not enough." Creativity is a skill that has to be honed. It can be too. This just takes practice and careful thought.

There are practical ways to develop creative aspects within your life. Creativity takes exercise. Here are some exercise tips:

• Draw or doodle daily. This doesn't take much time or space. Materials are easy: pencil and paper. You "get" the picture.
• Read. This needs to happen daily too.
• Capture your ideas. Capture them in your mind. We all have heard that writing then down is important. I feel that keeping them in our minds is much, much more important.
• Take a walk. If the weather is not to your liking, take a mental walk instead.
• Change your routines. This means mixing up your daily rituals. Try it.
• Increase your curiosity. Wonder about what the Mars rover is doing? Find out. Google search is a good place to start.

We are in an information age. Creativity, at any level, is essential for a better mind to capture and use this information. Exercise your creative juices with this in mind.

insight creation

Do you have the need for new insights? Do you wish to appreciate your surroundings? If so, start being alone. Start this by creating your own little space. I did. This helps you appreciate your surroundings and being alone at the same time.

If you appreciate being alone, and later learn to be alone, you will never feel alone again. Being alone means you will no longer need to adhere to others' beliefs and misconceptions. You still have friends and you are not depressed.

We all need our own space, whether in small or large doses. The space needs to be there. This gives being alone a value. This value is importance. This importance leads to success. Successful people understand the importance of being alone. They generally advocate meditation They understand that "aloneness" is an art form. This allows new insights to enter into your life.

5 keys to success

Overcoming organizational culture can be a major challenge. You need vision and a strategic direction. Communication is a must. Please don't take anything for granted. Every element has a function.

Are you overwhelmed in a current position and don't know where to start? Don't panic. Here are five key ingredients to get you started within your organization.

1. Take care of the fundamentals. Assess your situation from your company's point of view.
2. Spend more time with your business counterparts.
3. Learn your core business. Talk with key customers. Know their value and support them.
4. Research your competitors. Determine their key initiatives. Present this to management.
5. Delegate day-to-day management. Get competent lieutenants. Participate in group talks.

Make yourself clear on any terms. Influence your company's culture and nurture what is important. Incubate healthy discussions and lead. These five ingredients will enable a better performance for your organization.

lombardi

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear.... is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."
                                                                    Vince Lombardi
                                                                                 

                            

run to win

In Jerry Kamer's book Instant Replay, Jerry recounts on December 23, 1967, before the Green Bay Packers played the Los Angeles Rams in the Western Conference championship game, that Packer head coach Vince Lombardi  said the key phrase was "Run to Win".

Jerry wrote that Coach Lombardi said, "that many people enter a race and just think about finishing, or about coming in second or third, but that when we enter a race, we're only looking for one thing: We run to win."

In that speech, Mr. Lombardi took his text from one of St. Paul's Epistles. Jerry wrote he didn't know which one. Coach Lombardi had a way of making all the saints sound like they would be great football coaches.

Coach Lombardi - Forrest Gregg at left, Jerry Kramer at right

Do we always run to win? I know I don't. Which has beem unfortunate.. That's my fault, not anyone elses. What has Paul taught me about winning? To be frank, I'm not sure. But, again that's my fault, and I am now exploring how Paul can help me win.

Coach Lombardi gave some great advice and his team took that advice and "ran" with it. They won the game against the Rams, 28-7. Let's explore how we can take great advice and "run" with it. That way we will "run to win".