October 22, 2012 – 8:02 pm
It had been a year and a year since I was last in Detroit for the Our Revolution Road trip. I really wanted to see how the city had changed. But more importantly, I wanted to see the heartbeat of this amazing city: it’s people. Every adventure has to begin somewhere. Mine began in Grand Rapids where I had a meeting in a few days. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it was near the airport. Beautiful or not, I was eager to get on the road. When I first arrived in the city, I immediately noticed two things. First, there were less abandoned houses. In their place was construction. But more interesting to me, were the number of blighted houses that had art on them. What was once forgotten has become someone’s canvas. Neighborhoods have become resurrected and seeds of the future of sprung. Many pieces from old structures are being refurbished and reused. My friend Dominic, found these within his attic hiding under layers of dust. With a little love, they look great and are ready to become a permanent asset to the house in its current iteration. There are bigger initiatives at work within the city [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Creativity, Travel, Uncategorized
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Tagged artists in detroit, arts detroit, detroit, detroit museum of art, detroit rebuild, great lakes roasting, in Detroit, in detroit michigan, modern art museum of, our revolution, rebuild detroit, reclaim detroit, restoring creativity, revolution roadtrip, tech detroit, the traveler, the writer
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Revolutions. They are everywhere being created by some of the most unlikely characters. Disruptors of the status quo. Creators of positive social change. These are my heroes and a large reason why I wrote, “How to Create a Revolution: A Step-By-Step Guide to History’s Social Influencers.” I wanted to share with everyone the reason why this all began. This book was originally supposed to be focused on the founding fathers and the American Revolution. I do live in Boston, you know. However, the story below is what changed it all. A moment in time spurred a how sequence of events and ignited a fire in my belly. Check it out: Before we begin… In 2010, I was asked to speak at the 140 Character Conference in Detroit. I spent the morning before my speech walking around the city, trying to get to know the people and tap into the energy around me. To be honest, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to speak on and was in search of some inspiration. What I found would not only be the inspiration to speak that day, anything else. After an hour-long stroll through the barren streets of downtown, I came across [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged 140 characters, city detroit, city of detroit, detroit, detroit news, how to Create a revolution, michigan detroit, new revolution, of a revolution, online revolution, revolution, revolution it, revolutions, social good, social good network, social goods, social influencers, the detroit news, The revolution, us revolution, what is a revolution, what is revolution, world revolution
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Writing books on Revolutions. Why write about them? I have heard that quote from time to time. Below is a snippet from my book, “How to Create a Revolution: a Step-by-Step Guide to History’s Social Influencers” on what sparked Our Revolution and my search for social good. Enjoy! Before we begin…. In 2010, I was asked to speak at the 140 Character Conference in Detroit. I spent the morning before my speech walking around the city, trying to get to know the people and tap into the energy around me. To be honest, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to speak on and was in search of some inspiration. What I found would not only be the inspiration to speak that day, anything else. After an hour-long stroll through the barren streets of downtown, I came across two parking attendants, a homeless guy, and a shop owner. When asked about their city, they all began the same way, “Despite what you hear about Detroit….” I couldn’t help but think, “Why are you defending your city? This town seems great. Wow! How disheartened the residents must be if they feel that have to defend it.” Here is that 140 Character Conference [...]
Heroes. We all have them. And with the launch of Our Revolution Week tomorrow, we want to know yours. Here’s a video on how you can some your heroes some love and help 5 charities.Check it out: Want to Help? During Our Revolution Week. Here’s How. 1.) Spotlight a revolutionary: In honor of people doing great things, we would love for you to write a blog post of someone you admire who is doing great things. 2.) Review the book: Launching tomorrow, is the book “How to Create a Revolution: a step-by-step guide to history’s social influencers”. I would be happy to send you a chapter if the book that would resound with who you are and your audience. How to Share it Out: URL: Use this URL to point people to: http://ourrevolution.co/2012/04/our-revolution-week/ Facebook: Tag the Our Revolution page with your post. Twitter: Mention the @ourRev handle or the #ourRev hashtag Join us as we make tell the stories of the unsung heroes and help some great causes. Donate $1 or More DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: digital download of book…with bonus exclusive content and a virtual high-five and shoutout from all of us. Related Posts Famous Quotes: Inspiration from History’s Leaders and [...]
April 24, 2012 – 12:36 pm
I cannot tell you how excited I am for Our Revolution Week starting next Thursday or for the launch of the book (click link for details on what to expect). With the release of How to Create a Revolution: A Step-By-Step Guide to History’s Social Influencers, I thought it would be fun to give you a little revolutionary motivation on this beautiful Tuesday afternoon. Here are some of the quotes from the book. Enjoy! “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” -William James “All I was doing was trying to get home from work.” -Rosa Parks “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” -Carl Jung “It’s really not so uncomfortable. Why, I think I easily would be able to hold out for a week. I was a little worried about the roof at first, but after I watched it for hours and it didn’t get any worse, I’ve sort of eased off thinking about it. But I don’t sit under the side that’s caved in [...]
Inspiration. Quick and Dirty. That is what the Ignite series is all about. You have 5 minutes to share your ideas while your 20 (yes, only 20) slides whiz by every 15 seconds. So, you better be on your game. Sounds like fun, right? Well, it was a blast. I had the pleasure of presenting “How to Create a Revolution” a few weeks back. I wanted to focus on the initiatives we found while on the Our Revolution road trip last year. See what we found while on the road. If you would prefer the transcript: here you go: Today I am here to talk to you about how to start a revolution. The mere mention of the word revolution is incendiary and thought provoking. When we think about revolutions, our minds quickly go to the history books and events like the American Revolution, The Protestant Reformation, Ghandi’s Peace Protests and The Civil Rights Movement to name a few examples. Even today we see amazing ground shifting events like the Arab Spring and Occupy. All revolutions spurred by groups of people dissatisfied with the current status quo. So, they organized. Individuals bonded by one core belief. But what exactly is [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged create a revolution, ignite, ignited, ignites, it revolution, our revolution, revolution, revolution for, revolution in me, The revolution, what is ignite
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March 22, 2012 – 10:30 am
The satisfaction one feels after donating to and supporting a cause is inherent. In fact, two recent studies suggest that giving to others makes us happy, even happier than spending on ourselves. It may not be bold to state that giving is a key to happiness. And with today’s technology and rapid social media growth, the internet can make it even easier to do. Did you ever think you could increase your happiness with a click of a button? Through my work with Our Revolution, I’ve come across some great services and resources that help with social activism. Check them out: Endorse For A Cause – Endorse for a Cause is an exciting new online community where Members are able to recommend products and brands to their friends over social networks and earn money for their favorite non-profit Social Vibe Gives – Social Vibe is the leading social media utility connecting people with brands, empowering them to engage with sponsors and share branded content to benefit a cause of their choice Rec.fm – Rec.fm is a tool that allows you to make recommendations to your friends about brands and products and help your favorite charities by integrating with popular social networks like [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged charity with, donate with, endorse for a cause, for charity, increase your happiness, Ja-Nae, janae, one cause, our revolution, rec.fm, social activism, social vibe, to charity, what is a charity, you can donate
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January 3, 2012 – 8:56 am
We live in a world of constant change. The events of 2011 have exhibited that all too well. As in life, change comes in cycles: birth, growth, death, and renewal. Understanding these cycles can help us thrive in change, rather than fear it. Though change can be painful, it is a source of creativity, innovation and transformation. While working on my upcoming book, How to Create a Revolution, I created the Revolutionary Change Cycle. Take a Look: During my research for the book, I found a transformation system developed by family therapist, Virginia Satir. Divided into five segments, her system illustrates how the family unit can transform the status quo into something new. While not related, it strengthens the correlation of change behavior amongst all group dynamics. Here’s the deal: Feel free to share. Tweet it, Google +, Facebook it, or post it on your own site. I would love your thoughts. The Revolutionary Change Cycle by Ja-Nae Duane is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Related Posts: The Power of Vulnerability How to Breed a Team of Innovators How to Recognize Opportunity What Do You Believe In
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged american revolution, flash flash revolution, how to Create a revolution, Ja-Nae, janae, of a revolution, our revolution, revolution, revolution definition, revolutionary, revolutionary change, revolutionary change cycle, revolutionary war, revolutions, The revolution, the revolutionary war
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I have known Sam for years. But I also haven’t seen him in awhile, so getting together for a cup of coffee sounded great to me. Sam is getting his MBA at a well-known institution in Cambridge (there are really only two choices, so I will let you decide which one you think he goes to). He was walking me through the curriculum when I asked, “What is the objective of most of these classes?” He looked at me like I had four heads and responded, “To solve problems, of course.” That’s when it occurred to me that this program (and many MBA programs) has it all wrong. Life and in this case, business, isn’t about just solving problems. It is about recognizing opportunities. Those opportunities can come in many forms: some are where to present change and innovations. Some opportunities allow us to capitalize on a system that is currently working and integrate it into other areas or create derivatives of that model. That was why part of the Our Revolution team went on the road: to find the models that were working and share them with the world, so others could use them. Not everything is broken. There [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy
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Tagged $100 business, $100 startup, business plan, business with less than $100, how to open business, how to own a business, how to start a startup, how to start your business, how to start your business with $100, ideas for small business, Ja-Nae, janae, our revolution, problem solving, productivity, recognizing opportunity, software startup, start business, starting a business with $100, starting a business with less than $100, starting a business with little money, starting a startup, startup america, startup companies, startup company, startup programs, startups, the startup
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Every choice that you make impacts not only you, but others. Some you know and some you don’t know. How do you make the right choices? How can one person empower others to make a positive change; to turn ones life around and be the change they wish to see in the world. Last week, I spoke on Creating Revolutions: How to Be the Change You Wish to See to the South Shore Women’s Business Network (great group). Here is the video of my talk. Check it out: Are you ready for YOUR Revolution? Tell me about what you’re doing. Tell me how you’re changing the world. Create a video, entitle it “It’s MY Revolution!” and post the link within the comments of this blog or on my Facebook page. I will then post videos that I see in an upcoming blog post. Cannot Wait to Hear from you! Related Posts: The Power of Vulnerability Why I Started Our Revolution Creating Revolutions, Reinventing a City, and My Story The Revolution: 7+ Things To Learn from Tunisia, Egypt, and Iran
