When you think of video game heroes, you usually think of big swords, big hair, huge attitudes, and rippling muscles. You don’t think of a middle-aged knight who has gone soft in the middle and thin on top after some 30 years of the post-quest castle good life. But for Adam Rippon, creator of the RPG fantasy game, Dragon Fantasy, his knight is not only larger than life, but drawn from deep in his heart. Our hero knight, Ogden Thomas is returning to questing after a long hiatus. Once the RPG-game equivalent of the high-school superstar, Ogden is now finding his armor fitting tighter and his shield a whole lot heavier than it was in his youth. Called out of retirement by the hijinks of the Dark Knight, he must rely on the greatness of his past and the abilities of his new band of travelers. Ogden’s adventures break from the traditional hero-arc and instead find someone later in life, way past the glory days. Settled and stagnant, he must reinvent himself by getting back out there and returning to his former gallantry, albeit with a lot less hair. Dragon Fantasy is the culmination of a lifelong dream and a [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Arts, Creativity
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Tagged Adam Rippon, creative, creative drivers, creative ideas, creative labs, creative name, creative solutions, creative strategy, creative teaching, creative thinkers, creative thinking, Creativity, creativity innovation, Dragon Fantasy, fantasy game, innovation 101, RPG, what is creativity
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Game Changer, homeless hotspots, caused controversy at SXSW this year. Check out my Pulse Network segment on the topic: Despite what you think about the project, it has opened up the question of, “now what?” Here are 3 projects and next steps to consider: Street Treat: Though overshadowed by the SXSW Homeless Hotspot story, Street Treat is plugging away as an alternative to giving a homeless person the opportunity to make money by selling iced cream. Mark Horvath just wrote a great article on the program. Check it out. Partner for Employment: Many individuals who are homeless want to work. Some have the skills you’re looking for and some may not. Either way, they are just lacking the opportunity. Have your company partner with your local homeless shelter to create that opportunity and a training program. Community Gardens: Community Gardens are a fantastic communal focal point and an effective crime prevention strategy. Why not employee the homeless to help tend the garden and run a farm stand? This is a great way to pay someone, feed them, and make your neighborhood safer. What ways do you think we could employee the homeless? Do you know anyone who is working on something [...]
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 Duane
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Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy
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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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As usually, my head was spinning upon my return from South by Southwest this year. The sheer intensity of the conference could do that to you. If you have never been, it is hard to explain the sensory overload that occurs, no matter what your level of participation. As I reflect on the most important thing I got out of the conference this year, I would have to say that it was the Badgeless 2012 movement that I stumbled upon. As someone who was going to SXSW badgeless, I want to see if others were badgeless as well. What I found really astounded me. Yesterday during my Game Changer segment for the Pulse Network, I highlighted some of the badgeless and their reasons why they were badgeless. Check it out: Whether the Badgeless Movement continues or not, there are three key takeaways that I think SXSW can learn from this: Listen: If so many veterans are going badgeless, then there is something that has gone astray with the conference. This is a fantastic opportunity for SXSW to listen to what its loyal attendees are looking for within the conference. Open Innovation: The veterans of SXSWi feel that the conference is losing [...]
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 [...]
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being a guest on The Pulse on Business. We chatted about what people should expect from SXSW, as well as two companies within New Orleans who are doing great stuff to change the city in their own way. Check out the video: Are you going to be at SXSW? Is this your first time going the conference? I would love to connect and tell your story. Touch base. I would love to hear from you. Related Posts The Leaders: 3 Lessons from the Girl Scouts How to Start a Startup (Complimentary Ebook) How to Freelance
January 24, 2012 – 9:43 am
As a freelancer, it can be hard to know where the market is for your skill sets. Many of the freelancers I know continue to market towards what has worked for them in the past. And why not? If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it. Makes sense, right? Though that may work as a short term solution, even freelancers need to look towards trends. Freelancer.com, the largest outsourcing marketplace, has recently released its list of the top 50 freelance job trends for the fourth quarter of 2011. Freelancer.com has gathered stats from 134,820 online jobs that were posted over the last quarter of 2011, which represent a 18.3% increase from Q3. Here are the important trending freelance jobs: According to Freelancer.com: Android takes off again in Q4. After a slow Q3, Android jobs rocketed up 33% (to 2,454) in Q4. Apple iPhone jobs grew 18% (to 3,682). By the end of 2012, Android should be close to overtaking the iPhone for the rate of development of new applications. Apple iPad jobs rose 22% (to 1692). Blackberry jobs were flat, up 2%, but with volumes too low to register on the Fast 50. As reported before, Symbian and Windows phone [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship
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Tagged freelance, freelance freelance, freelance it, freelance jobs, how to freelance, i freelance, Ja-Nae, janae, live anywhere, start a startup, the freelancer, what is freelance
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January 20, 2012 – 11:40 am
I was walking to get my morning coffee, when I saw them. Huddled together around a table with icy noses, their girl sashes gave them away: Girl Scouts. Though their dedication and frozen faces weakened me to buy 3 boxes of thin mints, it also made me think about the leadership lessons we can learn from these little ladies. In honor of the organization’s 100th Anniversary, here are 3 lessons we can learn from the Girl Scouts: The Leaders: Lessons from the Girl Scouts View more presentations from Ja-Naé Duane What other lessons can we learned from this organization? How you ever been a Girl Scout or a Boy Scout? What leadership skills did it instill into you? We would love to hear from you. Related Posts How to Recognize Opportunity How to Read Body Language 50+ Business and Leadership Quotes
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 Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Innovation, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy
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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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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 Happiness
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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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