You know the saying, “Some people are just lucky,” right? We’ve all heard it. My friend Dan is definitely one of those people. No matter what he does, it always works out for him. Do you know anyone like that? “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I have. -Thomas Jefferson. The truth is “luck” is just a characteristic in success people and here is how you can create your own luck: I. Position Yourself: Lucky people will constantly put themselves in a position to be “lucky”. They show up to the table, they connect and they tell others what they need. They know nothing will happen if they just sit back and wait for it. II. Prepare: Lucky people usually prepare for the great things that happen to them. Whether it is doing creative investigation work to network with the right people or taking facts and skills learned at an earlier time and applied to a new situation, lucky people always prepare for situations. III. Solutions: Lucky people know that there is more than one way to make things happen, so they are constantly in search for ways for things to go there way. And if [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Adventure, Creativity, Happiness, Uncategorized
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Also tagged bad luck, get good luck, good luck charms, how to create luck, pot luck, quotes on luck, symbols of luck, what is luck
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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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Posted in Adventure, Creativity, Happiness, Spirituality, Strategy, Travel, Uncategorized
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Also tagged achieving happiness, Adventure, land living, life style, lifestyle, lifestyle online, live anywhere, the freelancer
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I shared a late dinner with my friend Janice recently. Janice is mostly successful pursuing her own projects, but often lets her pessimism impede her success. She’s always thinks something bad will happen that will totally derail one of her projects. Then, when something good does happen, she doesn’t believe she deserves it and waits for the other shoe to drop. Does this sound like you? Too often we allow negativity to get in the way of our success by feeling undeserving of that success. We all must learn to receive and accept the good things that happen to us as the rewards of our hard work. If you do not know how to receive, you may never get what you want. Here’s how you can be more receptive. 1. Notice Your Work. Success more often comes from working smart rather than working hard. But since most people believe that success is they payoff of hard work, they do not feel like they deserve it if it came from smart work. This is not true. Always take time to think about the effort you put in and commend yourself for working smart to achieve your goals. This will help you [...]
This weekend, I met with my friend Mark who explained to me that his overconfidence actually got in the way of his success. I know, this flies in the face of everything we keep hearing about “confident people are successful people.” But the problem for Mark was his cockiness; thinking he knew it all. Believing he always knew what was best often ended up tripping him up in the long run. Confidence is good, and something we should all strive for. But some lament being overconfident and getting in over their head. The secret is to know your limitations and strike a balance between confidence, which inspires others, and cockiness, which alienates others. Here are three ways to cultivate confidence while tempering overconfidence: 1. Display confidence, but always question yourself. Even the most confident among us have doubts. But lingering doubts undermine the confidence of those who work under us, eventually unwinding the trust others have in your leadership and the task at hand. Leaders need to be a source of guidance to inspire others and keep group confidence strong. But at the same time, you should always continue to question and reassess your decisions in private. 2. Know when [...]
Wow! We often hear that the key to happiness is through laughter. Whether you believe that or not, you HAVE to watch this video of laughing yoga. I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
As a leader and an entrepreneur, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned: Just Breathe. Everything else will take care of itself. It’s true. We get ahead of ourselves instead of allowing life and its gifts to occur and grow within our lives. It is the same with our businesses and organizations. When we breathe (and smile), we remember that we have a choice in the decisions we make, how we experience life and all that it has to offer.
February 20, 2010 – 8:45 am
In the life of an entrepreneur, it is often difficult to draw the lines between work and play. We seem to forget the adventure of it all. Why we do it. Why we live. We are always “on” looking out for new leads and working to ensure our success. There is nothing wrong with having ambition; but ambition should not eliminate the simple joys of having fun. In business and in life, fun can be infused into our daily routine. Fun is crucial to our sanity, and here I propose seven reasons why you must have fun! IN BUSINESS – The ability to have fun directly influences your capacity for creativity, innovation, and thinking outside of the box. IN BUSINESS – The impact of a personal connection via having a little fun will increase customer loyalty. Jonathan Fields discussed this in his article, Fun Money. IN BUSINESS – Utilizing fun as a crucial component of workplace culture, for the sake of morale and productivity, is key to keeping customers and employees happy. Melissa Dylan discussed this in her article, Defining Workplace Culture. IN BUSINESS – You started your business because you enjoy what you do and want to do it [...]
February 10, 2010 – 9:13 am
I LOVE the first three movies of the “Star Wars” saga (I’m talking about Episodes I, II, and III of more recent years, which gets a little confusing given the whole “prequel” thing). In my opinion, “Star Wars” has been one of the most profound blockbusters of recent cinematic history, operating with the help of several themes. Like so many have claimed of “The Godfather,” ”Star Wars” carries lessons that are relevant to our everyday lives. For example, in Episode I, the following conversation unfolds between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: Qui-Gon: Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs. Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future. Qui-Gon: But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan. This idea of living in the moment while planning for the future extends from master to teacher once again, when Qui-Gon explains to Anakin that he must “not think, just do.” The lesson we are taught is that we must trust our instincts, make quick yet sound decisions, and be mindful of the future while keeping it in the background of our minds. I am [...]
