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 [...]
November 8, 2011 – 9:38 am
Have you ever had a project or deadline in which you had to think of a creative idea to build around? My sister, Samantha, had that same exact problem this weekend. She had been pondering for hours what to do her class project on. When I finally talked to her, she was close to tears. This was a huge project that she had yet to begin or know what it might entail. Here are some resources, I share with her to get her out of a rut. Hope you find them useful: Spark Creativity There are times when we get stuck and have trouble coming up with new ideas. For those occasions, there are a few techniques you can use to trigger that creative impulse and get the creative juices flowing. Here are a few: Carry a Journal. How often do you come up with a great idea only to forget it later? Well, you can’t really know how often since you forget it. So get a small notepad and pen and carry them with you wherever you go. Whenever an interesting thought or idea hits you, write it down. Take a look at your journal later and you might [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Creativity, Innovation, Strategy
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Tagged big ideas, Channeling Emotion into Creative Energy, create your own luck, creative juices, creative leaders, creative leadership, creative strategy, creative thinkers, innovation 101, Ja-Nae, ja-nae duane, janae, power of epic win, resources for creative thinkers, Resources for Creativity, spark creativity, spark your creativity, taking gaming offline
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October 25, 2011 – 9:38 am
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of giving a keynote speech at Tech Day Camp. What was great about the event was that most of the attendees were new to technology and were eager to have more information on how to use it in their daily lives. Here is my presentation from the keynote: How Technology Can Work for You View more presentations from Ja-Naé Duane What about you? How do you use technology? How has it made your life easier? I would love to hear your success stories. Send them my way! Related Posts The Power of Letter Writing 7 Ways to Help Women in Technology Social Media used for Classroom Learning
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy
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Tagged duane, Ja-Nae, janae, keynote speech, new technology, speaking at an event, tech day camp, what is technology, women in technology
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October 5, 2011 – 9:57 am
New adventures and opportunities do not always show up at your door step. Sometimes, you have to break the rules and get out of your comfort zone in order to find them. Here’s how.
September 26, 2011 – 1:07 pm
While grabbing some lunch yesterday, I came across this old espresso at the Nashoba Brook Bakery. It looked ancient and beautiful. The machine was commandeering a corner by the front door; a representation of what was then. “They don’t make them like they used to,” an older gentleman said while approaching from behind me. This struck me as curious, so I asked, “What do you mean? Are you saying that this thing made better espresso than today’s machines?” “Yup. The machine in my restaurant works nothing like this one. The new ones don’t have enough power. Too bad these old ones are too big and bulky. Good luck trying to get this in the front door. You would need 3 guys to just pick it up.” As the guy headed down the ramp towards the cash register, I became to wonder why I was so quick to judge this old machine. Though we have thousands of objects and devices that we use every day, are they really any better than their predecessors? Change of Perspective Redesign something you come in contact with every day. It could be your phone, a stop light, or your local grocery store. Ask yourself: How can it [...]
September 14, 2011 – 8:32 am
Sometimes, it is not always easy to lead a team or turn the other cheek when someone does something to hurt or offend you. I don’t know about you, but my first instinct is to defend and protect myself. However, that does not always solve the issue. Instead, ask yourself the following questions: How can I best handle this situation? If I respond by doing X, what will the outcome be? How do I want this to be resolved? By taking the time and thinking it through, you may find a resolution that you were not expecting and one that opens up other opportunities. Related Posts How to Fail The Secret to Flexibility How Leaders Can Make the Best Decisions
September 8, 2011 – 10:25 am
Sometimes I like to reminisce about the good old days when I was young and had little to worry about. One of the things I miss the most from my childhood is receiving a hand-written letter in the mail. Whether it was from a pen pal, one of my grandparents, or a friend who had moved away, the days there was a letter addressed just to me sitting in the mailbox were so exciting I could hardly contain myself. I’d rip into the letter and wouldn’t take my eyes off the page until I had inhaled and digested every single word. Occasionally it makes me sad to think that nowadays letters are considered obsolete and antiquated. But should they be? I’m starting to think letters need to make a resurgence and become part of the American way of communicating once again. In order to convince the rest of the world that letters need to come back with a vengeance, I listed 7 reasons why you should consider taking the time and effort to write a letter: To be personal. You can spend all day long Skype-ing with your college roommate living in London, but while technology has the means to [...]
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, Happiness, Innovation, Strategy
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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 17, 2011 – 9:18 am
Don’t laugh, but I dream about being a spy. Maybe it’s because of my love for travel, or maybe it’s because of all the James Bond movies my dad used to watch with me, but no matter what I achieve, I keep coming back to this fantasy. I have always dreamed of living an exotic life of travel and intrigue, and being a world-class spy is the epitome of this lifestyle. But while fictional characters like James Bond and Jason Bourne glamorize and dramatize the life of a real-world spy, the reality is that there truly are spies among us, working to collect information and fighting for national security. I recently had dinner with an old friend who–”in a previous life”, as she puts it–worked in the field. While she’s sworn to secrecy about specifics, we did have an good chat on the more interesting aspects of the life. So whether you are seriously considering this life path or just indulging in daydreams, here are the skills I learned are necessary to become an effective spy. Learn Another Language – Although English is the universal language, being fluent in at least one other language is essential for any spy. Not only [...]
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, Happiness, Language
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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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