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 [...]
The following post is an article for Sparksheet, on brands and transmedia. Below is the extended version of the article. What is it about a great story that stays with us? In its simplest form, storytelling is an act of cultural preservation – from drawing on a cave wall to commenting on a friend’s Facebook status, the process of sharing information between two people is an innate part of being human. But in an age where the distribution and sharing of stories across multiple channels is increasingly accessible (and people’s attention spans even more divided as a result), how do organizations get their stories out to an increasingly fragmented audience? Enter Transmedia. A Transmedia refresher Transmedia storytelling, as explained by JWTIntelligence, “involves narrative threads tailored for different channels (from mobile to big screens, from social to traditional media) and audiences (gamers, readers, Tweeters, etc.)…For brand marketers, this means that rather than striving for consistency across multiple touchpoints, the goal is for different channels to communicate different things (within the overarching strategy), with an emphasis on putting the brand community at the center.” A popular example would be the companion media to 2003’s Matrix Reloaded. The Animatrix, an original series of [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Marketing, Uncategorized
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Tagged brand image, brand positioning, branding, branding strategies, emotional branding, importance of branding, marketing branding, personal branding, storytelling, the storytellers, trans media, transmedia storytelling, transmediterránea, what is branding
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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 [...]
Do you shy away from the unknown or do you welcome the unexpected? Ever since I was a little girl I have thrived on curiosity and questioning things. However, many colleagues I know in business stick like glue to the familiar. They rely on the routine things that have served them in well in the past, and avoid anything new and different. This attitude can maintain stability, but if you’re not curious you are doomed to the same experiences without ever growing in business or in life. This article by Donald Latumahina at Lifehack tells of the virtues of curiosity. Curiosity gives you a fresh perspective, allowing you to discover fresh ideas. Being curious makes you more observant and opens up new worlds and possibilities you wouldn’t otherwise consider while also adding the spice of variety to your life. Some of my best ideas for projects, as well as some of my best adventures, have come from stepping outside of my comfort zone and following my curious nature. For these reasons, curiosity should be a quality you cultivate. So here are some things you can do to be more curious in your life: Do Not Ignore the Mundane. We all [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure, Arts, Creativity, Happiness, Innovation, Marketing, Philosophy, Uncategorized
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Tagged curiosity quotes, curious quotes, find happiness, finding happiness
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We all dream about living somewhere else, right? Even if we love where we live now, it is the romantic notion of trying something new, something exotic. Am I right? I posed this question on Facebook this morning, “If you could move anywhere, where would you go and why?” Here are some of the answers: “I live where I most want to be. Not sure why anyone would do otherwise.” -Michael Troiano Though I agree with Mr. Michael, I am somewhat nomadic in nature and like to test out places before I decide to hang my hat and call somewhere home. Why? before I commit to a significant move, I want to know that I can be equally as happy in my new location as I am in Boston. For the freelancers out there, here are 3 ways to discover new cities and which location would make you happiest. I. Air BnB: The beauty of being a freelancer is that you can work from anywhere. So, why not sublet your place out and try out a new city for a month. I love using Air BnB because of the built in community component, rating system, as well as the variety [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure, Creativity, Happiness, Spirituality, Travel, Uncategorized
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Tagged achieving happiness, Adventure, Happiness, land living, life style, lifestyle, lifestyle online, live anywhere, the freelancer
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Yesterday I spoke at Spark and Hustle, on “No Money, No Excuse.” I love when I can share with people tips and resources that are in “How to Start Your Business with $100” and even my personal story. For example, I was on a Skype call yesterday while one of my coaching clients. He knows that I advise companies on open innovation and sustainability, but he wanted to know the million dollar question: How can a person start a million dollar business? At least he got right to the point! But this is a good question that I encourage people to ask bluntly. While creating a million dollar business is not easy, I believe starting a million dollar business is easier than most people think. If you just have a great idea and a willingness to start, then you’re further along than most potential millionaires will ever get. So, here are some of my best tips for anyone who is ready and willing to start a million dollar business: Actually Make an Attempt. Groupon.com was started by a guy in his basement a couple years ago. Recently, Google offered to buy the company for billions of dollars. Many reactions to [...]
My friend Jen is in town for the Opera America conference this week. She and I had dinner at the hotel where the conference is being hosted, when all of a sudden, we were surrounded by attendees and colleagues. We found ourselves in the middle of an impromptu networking event. I love being a spectator at gatherings like these because it allows me to observe what people are REALLY saying to you…..with their bodies. The body communicates much more information about how we are feeling than we do verbally. Most of the time, we are not even aware of the signals and signs we are giving off. Here are a few ways to read body language and improve your own: Mirror: If you have a strong connection with someone, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. If you would like to enhance the connection, proactively mirror the person. If she leans in, then you might lean in. If he puts an arm over the chair next to him, you may want to wait a few minutes and then do the same. However, do not mirror too much. If it is obviously that you are mimicking the other person, it [...]
Education is what you make of it. We are perpetual students, learning something new everyday. It doesn’t matter if you spend four years in college (and $200K) or time talking to someone in a coffee shop. We are constantly learning. With college tuition being as costly as it is, I know many people looking for alternative ways to continue to learn and expand their skill set. Look at any entrepreneur or historical figure and you will see that continuous self-education is a major component to their lives. Here are some free online courses from some of the top universities: Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative (my alma mater) – No instructors, no credits, no charge. Use these self-guiding Carnegie Mellon materials and activities to learn at your own pace. MIT OpenCourseWare – MIT OpenCourseWare is a free web-based publication of MIT course materials that has some of the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT. MIT Sloan School of Management – As one of the top business schools in the US, this is a great subsection of the larger MIT OpenCourseWare site. Tufts OpenCourseWare – Tufts OpenCourseWare is part of a new educational movement. Khan Academy – Over 1200 videos lessons [...]
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 Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Our Revolution! Project
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Tagged business plan, how to open business, how to own a business, how to start a startup, ideas for small business, our revolution, problem solving, productivity, recognizing opportunity, software startup, start business, startup america, startup companies, startup company, startup programs, startups, the startup
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Jeff was looking for his glasses…again. This was the 3rd time this week. He had to find them and find them quickly because he was going to be late for a meeting. So, the search was on. He went through everything on his desk. He searched through his bags, tore up the living room, his bedroom and to no avail. “My jacket!” They must be in my jacket.” he scurried his way to the black jacket hanging there on the coat rack. He turned every pocket inside out. Jeff even shook the jacket. Nothing. After about forty-five minutes of searching, Jeff sulked down onto the couch furious with himself. As he glanced through the window, he caught something within the reflection. He saw a little glimmer from atop his head. He slowly reached up and realized that what he has been searching for had been with him the entire time. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Most of the time, the answers we are looking for are right in front of us or within us. Keeping your eyes, ears and minds open to what is around you can help you find the resources you need or the [...]
