Between revolutionary reenactments and the marathon, Boston is all abuzz today. I know several people that are running today and they have been training for several months just for this day. With all that goes into running a marathon, here are three life lessons we could all learn from today’s runners: Find Your Stride and Quickly: When beginning a race, it is very easy to start off so fast that you cannot keep up the pace. Throughout training, a runner explores where to find his or her stride. Finding your stride is not an easy thing. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that sweet spot where you can keep momentum and continue to thrive. However, you won’t know until you experiment. Find your stride and keep it. There is no need to rush. Consistency is the key in any aspect of life, professional or personal. Overcoming “The Wall”: During a race, all runners will hit “the wall.” It could happen at mile 17 or 21, but it does happen. Well, the same goes for those times when you hit the proverbial “wall” within life. What happens when it does? Do you give up, even though you have come so far? No. [...]
April 11, 2012 – 10:51 am
We all change. It is reason number 4,967 of why being human is awesome. However, as we change, do we allow ourselves to give up old habits? When that success strategy is no longer a “success strategy” what do you do? I have a dear friend dealing with that as we speak. Check out my recap of our poignant conversation on the topic. I used to be an extremely angry person. I felt that it was me against the world and I had to keep going and prove myself (to whom, I am still not sure). What I found within my twenties is that angry wasn’t really a success strategy. It was holding me back from doing great things and helping others find their way. I now try to live my life with this in mind: How do you live your life? Have you had to change how you walk through life? Is what motivates you now always been the case? We would love to hear your stories. Related Posts The Power of Letter Writing The Power of Vulnerability How to Create Your Own Luck
Ever wonder why making something like a home-cooked meal or fixing something around the house feels like one of the most satisfying achievements? Accomplishing tangible, hands-on tasks is not only good for your wallet, but your brain as well. By doing meaningful work with your hands, your brain is flooded with dopamine and serotonin, creating the sense of pleasure. Our bodies are programmed to release these natural antidepressants as a reward for working with our hands, and in an attempt to motivate us to do it more. Dr. Kelly Lambert, the chair of the psychology department at Randolph-Macon College, explains the following: “…our brains are programmed to derive a deep sense of satisfaction and pleasure when our physical effort produces something tangible, visible and — this fact is extremely important — meaningful in gaining the resources necessary for survival.” Think about ways that you can be creative and work with your hands. Are there things you can do around the house? Do you have a list of things that you mean to get done, but were thinking of hiring someone to do it? Decide on the things that you know you can accomplish and be successful at. Then break your [...]
December 19, 2011 – 12:32 pm
It can be difficult to find the confidence you need to achieve a goal or even live the life you’re looking to lead. Confidence is an extremely important aspect of our lives, yet we all struggle with it at one point or another. Have you ever found yourself in that position? Emily knows all about this. She pinged me through Google+ asking me how to build she can build up her confidence, particularly when so many of the factors affecting self confidence are beyond our control. In the video below, I offer up the one strategy that can get you the edge you need to reach your potential and overcome any self-sabotaging behavior. Take a look: How you ever felt like life was throwing you curve balls and testing you in some way? How you ever felt like no matter what you did, you could not succeed? How did you overcome it? What did you do to change your situation. We would love to hear from you. Related Posts What Do You Believe In? Overcoming Being Overconfident My Story: How This Book Can Help You
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged building confidence, confidence, confidence building, how to be confidence, How to Be Confident, how to build confidence, in confidence, level of confidence, self confidence, self-esteem, what is confidence
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December 13, 2011 – 12:03 pm
Have you ever felt like you had a fantastic idea, were working hard on something that everyone should know about, or thought that people would line up at the door once they knew what you knew? You’re not alone. Jason was like that as well. Jason had been trying to negotiate this deal for a while now. As a start-up with very little money coming in, he could not afford to do everything that this potential partner was looking for. They were too big. It would be an amazing opportunity, if he could land it. “All I am doing is giving in this deal. Where is the WIN-WIN,” Jason thought. “I’m bringing a ton to the table. No, I do not have the clients that these guys have, but my resources must be worth something too. Isn’t there value in having me as a partner?” When Jason came to me and recanted his story, it became clear what the issue really had been. “Jack, you haven’t realized your true worth yet,” I said to him. He stared at me with a puzzled look. I could tell that he was wondering if I had listened at all to what he was telling [...]
August 23, 2011 – 12:42 pm
The English language has made us equate failing with being a failure, when in fact failing is necessary in order to succeed. If we never allow ourselves to fail, then, unless we are born perfect, we’ll never attempt to learn or do anything that risks failure. When I started my first business, I made many mistakes and “failures” before I got it right. I didn’t give up or get discouraged because I understood that failing was just a step towards success. And I was right. In order to succeed, you must allow yourself to fail. By embracing failure, you create an environment where mishaps invigorate rather than crush you. In fact, I would suggest you go so far as to aim to fail. If you haven’t failed, you haven’t been taking risks or learning anything. To me, that would be the biggest failure. You’ve probably heard Edison’s quote about failing 1,000 times while inventing the light bulb, “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.” Great minds like Einstein and Lincoln had the same attitude. How have you failed? What’s the most you’ve ever learned from a failure? How has [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Creativity, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged fail, how to fail, how to succeed, Ja-Nae, janae, succeed in, succeeding, succeeds, to succeed
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August 9, 2011 – 10:15 am
It’s been way too long since I’ve been out of the country, but with the Artist Retreat around the corner, I’m really getting excited. A few of the attendees (Are you one of them? Would you like to be? Contact me for more information!) asked me how to learn a language and learn it quickly. It’s a great question. That’s why I rounded up some great language apps that will help you kick your second or third language into high gear: Tweets: Twitter is understated as an educational tool. Twitter allows you to learn new languages and practice them a little bit. Click here a compilation of some “linguistic twitterers”. LiveMocha.com – Livemocha divides a language into courses, units, and lessons. Lessons are divided into four types of activities: learn, review, write, and speak. What’s nice is that you can also make flashcards from the content in the lessons, or you can make your own flashcards. There is even a chat feature, so you can connect with people learning the same language you are. Babbel — If you’re looking for something that you can use on both your computer and smart phone, Babbel fits the bill. It provides exercises and courses [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure, Arts, Creativity, Language, Uncategorized
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Tagged artist retreat, benefits of learning a foreign language, foreign language institute, foreign language standards, foreign language teacher, foreign languages, how to learn a language, language apps, learn a language
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Summertime can only mean one thing for me, sitting with family and friends in the wonderful weather sipping on a beer. After several lively discussions about our favorite beers, my family deciding to start a little competition: to see who makes the best beer. Of course, this is all in fun. My favorite beer is St. Bernardus, a Belgian classic, while my dad can’t get enough of stouts. During the course of this “competition”, I have discovered a few great apps that are centered around beer, and allow my family and me to learn about what we’re drinking. Here are my top five favorite beer apps: iBrewMaster — As an artist, I love to create, and brewing my own beer allows me to indulge in the tasty side of creativity. This app makes home brewing easy for a novice like me. It comes with 50 pre-installed recipes and instructions to ensure you don’t make any mistakes along the way and end up with the perfect beer at the end. onTap Beer App — After I drink a particularly tasty beer I’ll often want to make sure to write it down so that I can return to it again and again. [...]
Have you ever wanted to jump off a roof? You’re not alone. During parkour training, they teach you how to do it and successfully. What is Parkour? According to Wikipedia, Parkour is the non-competitive sport of traversing mainly urban landscapes by running, climbing and jumping. Participants run along a route, attempting to navigate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, using only their bodies. Skills such as vaulting, rolling, swinging and wall scaling are employed. Parkour can be practiced anywhere, but areas dense with obstacles are preferable and it is most commonly practiced in urban areas. Parkour Basics Watch this video to understand so basic positions and moves: Now, while using these basic principles, here is guide on how to jump off a roof: 1. Cue Motivation Music: Before you begin, get your ass-kicking soundtrack in place. Here are a few crowd sourced ideas: Meron Langsner’s pick: Emily Torres’ pick: Naomi Pierce’s pick: And of course, who could forget the song during the Ocean’s Twelve “Laser Dance”. 2. Run: In order to gain speed to leverage later, give yourself enough runway to get a running start. 3. Jump Forward: When jumping, jump forward. This will allow you to attain momentum [...]
Optimism has been a shared trait amongst some of the most successful people in history. But what is optimism and more importantly, is it something that can be learned? Definition of Optimism –noun A disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome. You can decide which attitude to have – who would you rather be? When an optimist is faced with bad news or a challenge, they react in a specific way. They: Don’t take it personally. Can see that there are external forces impacting the situation. View negative situations as minor obstacles that can be conquered. But how do you not take it personally? How can you not blame yourself for the things that go wrong in your life? How can you not worry when things are going so well that the other shoe is bound to drop at any moment? If this is what you know and how you normally react, how can you change such a core behavior? Everyone feels that way once in a while. You are not alone. The key is to turn it around and work the situation to your advantage [...]
