Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers The talking stick ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 12-Apr-06 Wednesday 12-Apr-06 The talking stick There is an old Native American custom of talking. And when I mean talking I don't mean idle chatter or thoughtless diatribes, but real talking, which of course means lots of listening. It is a principle that is alien to many people now, as we often seem to talk without listening, and cut off discussion before any conclusion has been reached. I used this principle this week when there was tension in my family and it seemed like a good long talk was needed -- and even more listening. There is a 'talking stick', which can be any convenient thing that a person can pick up and hold. It seems simple, but in practice this is a very powerful method of creating deep communication. There is a old admonition that we have two eyes, two ears and one mouth -- and we should use them in this proportion. Our session helped the family become closer again when some had been drifting apart. Your comments Amen.
6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers In the beginning, there was just you and your partners. You did every job. You coded, you met with investors, you emptied the trash and phoned in the midnight pizza. Now you have others to do all that and it's time for you to "be strategic." Whatever that means. If you find yourself resisting "being strategic," because it sounds like a fast track to irrelevance, or vaguely like an excuse to slack off, you're not alone. This is a tough job, make no mistake. After two decades of advising organizations large and small, my colleagues and I have formed a clear idea of what's required of you in this role. Anticipate Most of the focus at most companies is on what’s directly ahead. Look for game-changing information at the periphery of your industrySearch beyond the current boundaries of your businessBuild wide external networks to help you scan the horizon better Think Critically “Conventional wisdom” opens you to fewer raised eyebrows and second guessing. Interpret Ambiguity is unsettling. Decide
11 Goal Hacks: How to Achieve Anything Goal-setting research on fantasising, visualisation, goal commitment, procrastination, the dark side of goal-setting and more… We’re all familiar with the nuts and bolts of goal-setting. We should set specific, challenging goals, use rewards, record progress and make public commitments (if you’re not familiar with these then check out this article on how to reach life goals). So how come we still fail? This psychological research suggests why and what mindsets should help us reach our goals. 1. The biggest enemy of any goal is excessive positive fantasising. 2. The reason we don’t achieve our goals is lack of commitment. One powerful psychological technique to increase commitment is mental contrasting. 3. You can use the Zeigarnik effect to drag you on towards your goal. What the Zeigarnik effect teaches is that one weapon for beating procrastination is starting somewhere…anywhere. 4. 5. When we miss our target, we can fall foul of the what-the-hell-effect. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Deep Thought Provoking Questions For Breakthrough Change I love deep, thought provoking questions for their power to penetrate through the thickest barriers of the mind. More than answers or great self development advice, powerful questions open us up to expanding worlds of thought and action. We never know what answer we might come up with when we ask ourselves the right questions. Our wisdom is there - sometimes all it takes is the right question to bring it forth. Click on the titles below for the questions that interest you... Thoughtful Questions On Mind Habits The mind works on the principle of habit. Our experience of life seems to come automatically to us - yet, it all gets filtered through our conditioned habits of mind. Thoughtful Questions On Positive Attitude Cultivating a positive attitude is all about increasing positives and reducing negatives. Thoughtful Questions On Reactive Thinking Reactive thinking is the cause of untold trouble in our lives. Thoughtful Questions On Victim Mentality Thoughtful Questions On Warrior Mentality
The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups October 2006 In the Q & A period after a recent talk, someone asked what made startups fail. After standing there gaping for a few seconds I realized this was kind of a trick question. It's equivalent to asking how to make a startup succeed—if you avoid every cause of failure, you succeed—and that's too big a question to answer on the fly. Afterwards I realized it could be helpful to look at the problem from this direction. In a sense there's just one mistake that kills startups: not making something users want. 1. Have you ever noticed how few successful startups were founded by just one person? What's wrong with having one founder? But even if the founder's friends were all wrong and the company is a good bet, he's still at a disadvantage. The last one might be the most important. 2. Startups prosper in some places and not others. Why is the falloff so sharp? 3. If you watch little kids playing sports, you notice that below a certain age they're afraid of the ball. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Hollywonk 40 Photo-Illustrated Questions to Refocus Your Mind Asking the right questions is the answer… It’s not the answers you get from others that will help you, but the questions you ask of yourself. Here are 40 thought-provoking questions to help you refresh and refocus your thinking: Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. if you’re interested in reading even more inspiring, thought-provoking questions.Title photo by: Helga Weber For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 40 Questions Everyone is Afraid to Ask Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. April 13, 2012 In "Aspirations" 40 Questions that Will Quiet Your Mind Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers … because asking the right questions is the answer. August 5, 2015 In "Happiness" 25 Photo-Illustrated Reminders to Help You Find Happiness Happiness is the highest level of success.
Les incontournables du business plan Ne vous laissez pas impressionner par le business plan. S'il est bien construit, il sera votre meilleur allié ! Une vingtaine de pages peut suffire pour évaluer la viabilité de votre projet et convaincre l'ensemble de vos futurs partenaires. 1. En 4 pages maximum, présentez votre projet de manière synthétique : l'entreprise, le marché, l'offre, la stratégie de développement, les principaux éléments financiers, la présentation de l'équipe et enfin l'utilisation des fonds et les étapes de développement de l'entreprise. 2. Son histoire Sa forme juridique Sa structure interne (organigramme, collaborateurs, localisation, actionnariat, conseil d’administration...). 3. 4. État d'avancement : les réalisations à ce jour, risques et difficultés dans la mise en œuvre et coûts associés. 5. Plan de financement sur 3 ans Comptes de résultat prévisionnels sur 3 ans Moyens et délais pour atteindre le seuil de rentabilité Plan de trésorerie sur 12 mois 6. 7. Quelques conseils à retenir
Average Faces From Around The World Added on Feb 08, 2011 / Category : StrangeNews / 228 Comments Finding the average face of people across the world was a tough job but someone had to do it. This guy basically takes a thousands and thousands images of everyday people from any city and the software makes an 'average' of the people, giving one final portrait. Take a look at this amazing project called "World of Facial Averages" If you like this article, Share it with the world: Taken by the Wind—and Back to Earth Reginald and Danielle Eppes are convinced their son survived his ride in the maelstrom of a tornado only by some miracle and that God was watching over them. Photographed by Tamara ReynoldsDanielle and Reginald Eppes with their sons, Joel, R.J. (center), and James-Peter in front of their new home. Thunder was drumming in the distance when Reginald Eppes woke up at five in the morning on April 27. “Know where the flashlights are?” Eppes and Danielle ran to protect their boys — R.J., eight, James-Peter, six, and Joel, four — still sleeping in their bedroom. “Get up, get up, R.J.!” The roof tore away; the walls of the bedroom dissolved around them. I’ve lost him, Eppes thought. After an agonizingly long period (Eppes guesses it was anywhere between two and five minutes but says it felt like forever), the wind began to die down. It was R.J., guided home by the beam of his father’s flashlight. At the hospital later, R.J. described what had happened to him.