Whole New World

I found this image when searching for a world map to use in a marketing presentation I was creating at my last corporate job. It took everything in me not to use it; okay, my colleagues talked me down. I thought it was perfect. Can’t you just picture the overlays of arrows and diagrams illustrating the target locations in the world campaign for the Fortune 500 company we were pitching. Surely I would have everyone’s attention.

The world on an ass. There is something to be said for a perfect ass, it makes you think of the world as a better place. You don’t think of war, or hunger, or disease. Your right brain just takes over with free association.

Taking universal content and placing it on a new stage gains attention and frees the mind to think in new ways. Our problems in this economy are new, (everyone is batting the phrase “new economy” all over the place for this reason.) Allowing the left and right brain to work in unison is the only way we will solve them.

Free your thinking, merge your knowledge centers and tackle our challenges in this whole new world.

Biting Bullets

The best ideas are packaged so simply you wonder, “why didn’t I think of that?” and your life is enhanced.

I find presenting work in a format that no one wants to read; surprise, won’t get read. Thought leaders have to present concepts in bite sizes, not “sound bites” but common sense thoughts. Breaking complex ideas and learning models into small relatable parts is the key to engaging your audience. The use of bullet point phrases is a basic concept, but a valuable tool for authors and speakers when used properly.

Write out your grand idea in long form, then identify and sequence key concepts that make your point. Eliminate the rest and begin to refine the vocabulary of your key message.

This is what I call “biting the bullet,” clench your message around the essential information and deliver it with power.

Visually Yummy

Chained Down by Kathryn Keys

Art mixed with words is what I call a “visually yummy” experience.

Thought leaders are focused so intently on the content that it is a thrill to work with them on the framing and the images that can draw attention to their words.

I realized recently that strategy and introspection are good, but they can begin to feel a bit stifling for a personality like mine. Strategic process is great, but an 80% plan executed is better than a 100% plan laying on a table. The painting “Chained Down” by Kathryn Keys illustrates this point perfectly.

My work with authors and thought leaders delivers a “visually yummy” experience. Audiences come away sated.

Listening in Slow Motion

Paper Clay Sculpture - Figures and Features, Meinsje Vlaming

I have recently adopted a slower pace of living, choosing a more focused, less cluttered life. I find myself saying the words, “no thank you,” more often to projects. I used to believe that exceeding expectations in business meant taking on every project; immediately. This may have been productive but it was very noisy.

The noise and busyness made it difficult to be introspective and long term focused. It is a luxury to be still, but I find great value and inspiration there. I was constantly guided by my daily task lists checking off one “to do” after another. What I realized is this was only the illusion of productivity, but when I looked up, I had no idea where I really want to go?

In the stillness I found a silence that allows me to hear myself and inspiration from brilliant people I painstakingly built relationships with throughout my career. Instead of checking off tasks, I “do nothing,” engaging thoughts, taking ideas to places I never had time for before. The projects I take on relate only to goals streaming from my mind.

The natural balance my life is beginning to take on is in slow motion compared to before, yet I feel more productive and fulfilled.

Building relationships is like modeling clay. In the beginning an artist can see a block of clay’s potential, just as one can assess another person’s attributes and gifts. The artist begins to shape and warm the clay just as two people who converse begin to form a relationship. Building a relationship, like sculpting, is an art form and contains its own surprise and mystery. Therein lies the beauty, but there is still some mystery about the potential for the piece and the relationship. Will it be a great master piece, end in a profitable business deal? It depends on the amount of effort and how well the two characteristics match from the start, and a little luck and chemistry don’t hurt. Of course, it still comes back to listening in slow motion and focusing on important goals.

Be luxurious and take time to “do nothing.”