10 Minutes to Happiness via @TheSunQueen

I attended a impressive workshop last week that left me dripping with creativity and hope. Ja Nae' Duane, aka @TheSunQueen, stopped off in the Triad of North Carolina (thanks to the invitation of Jeff Sangeorge) as a part of her Agents of Change tour.

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My first introduction to Ja Nae' was through her 10 Minutes to Happiness TEDx talk. SO, allow me to introduce you to her the same way I met her.

Enjoy the talk, then visit her website (above) and decide of you want more! I know I do.

As a result of this simple and brilliant concept, I've started beginning each day with 10 minutes of poetry writing.  I do believe she is onto something...happiness growing!

 

Ja-Nae Duane Revolution Institute One woman revolution Ja-Naé Duane is a social scientist, artist, and author. Her unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for the global community garnered Ja-Naé a nomination as one of New England's Most Innovative Leaders of 2007.

Remembering 9/11

I Need A New Read - Book Recommendations PLEASE!

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I need a new read, My routine is to read at the end of each day for an hour or so. Recently I have finished "The Power of Habit," and "NOS4A2." I have eclectic taste.  Typically, I have 2 or 3 books waiting in line by the time I finish one. This time I can't seem to settle on any one book...so I turn to you!

Help! What have you read lately that has rattled your brain? Please share! 

2013 Tech Briefing via @WSChamber, September 12th!

If you interested in innovation, our local economy, and where our community is headed – the Tech Briefing is for you. I hope to see you there!

The 12th Annual Tech Briefing

Thursday, September 12, 2013 from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. Reception follows.

Opening the Chamber’s Business & Innovation Expo!

Benton Convention Center, Lower Level

301 West Fifth Street

Winston-Salem, NC  27101 (Park in the Deck at 6th and Cherry Street)

Free!  Just register to attend here:

http://www.winstonsalem.com/view-all-events/#id=5459&cid=225&wid=801&type=Cal

The Tech Briefing is an entertaining, informative, and fast-moving event open to the public and appealing to a broad audience. It is not a dull science conference.  We feature ten presenters who each speak for just five minutes about their innovative technologies, designs and products.

We feature biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information technologies. But we also feature new products for our home, new solutions to improve our health, and better ways to educate our children. These are innovations that are improving all our lives and they are being created here in our community. People always leave the Tech Briefing saying, “Wow! I had no idea things like that are happening right here in Winston-Salem!” 

The Tech Briefing is Presented by Cook Medical and Sponsored by DataChambers; Kilpatrick Townsend; and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

The 2013 Presenters Are:

Advanced Fraud Solutions; The BioBook  - from Wake Forest University; Global Future Solutions US; Green Cycle Design Group; HCEC, LLC; Laudiss Labs; Novant Health; SECCA; Wake Forest Innovations; West Third Street Media

The Tech Briefing opens the Chamber’s Business and Innovation Expo. This is our local community's annual trade-show and the Chamber’s biggest event of the year. Be sure to plan to stay to visit all the exhibitors and sample the free food at the BB&T Midday Mingle! 

Social Networking Turns Real Life via @Lead_Better

Sometimes even the most savvy Social Media user gets taught a lesson. I had mine recently at the hands of a stranger.

William (Bill) Gentry, of The Center for Creative Leadership, spoke to my Rotary Club recently. He walked up to me, called me by name and gave me a personalized and autographed copy of one of his books. Why? He and I had never met. However, the day before I had followed the Rotary Club's email announcing his coming to his Twitter profile and clicked the Follow button.  He notice and prepared for the next day by personalizing his book and bringing it to me.

So, all I can say is HOW COOL IS THAT!!!??? 

Let The Magic Loose - @CompassionateWS

A couple of months ago my friend, Cyndi Briggs, introduced me to the concept of Social Capital. Tonight the magic of Social Capital changed me. (Tweet THIS!)

Social Capital has to do with the people, actions, attitudes, environments and processes that make up our community. In varied ways, the contributions of individuals aggregate to create this Social Capital.

Magically, when it all gets together the whole is more than the sum of the parts. It’s magic, really.  

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Real. Everyday. Magic

.Just like fantasy magic there is good magic and bad magic with Social Capital – depending on the parts. Sometimes communities get capitalized (Socially) in a way that makes for nasty places to live. Fortunately, I’m living in a place where magic is good – not perfect but perfect might just be coming closer.

Enter Compassionate Winston-Salem. 

I was invited to a gathering tonight of @CompassionateWS where some individuals (a pretty diverse group of people) sat around a table and wrote love letters – to unknown, unidentified strangers. The letters will be used next month during a Compassionate Cities emphasis. Good idea. Yet, tonight was very personal. 

I spent about an hour hand writing love notes for random people. I wrote poetry, pithy sayings, reminders for self-care and self-acceptance – all targeted at imagined people. I wrote each note, casually imagining the manner of person that might find the note or the situation in which it would be read. Would a homeless person stumble upon it and find the energy to try one more day? Could a stressed-out business executive find it and in reading it receive a small reprieve? Would a worried mother or challenged dad get a leg-up from the pause and reflection the note offered them? As I imagined these possibilities a strange, magical thing happened. I felt better. I connected with a larger hope. The love letters, yet ungiven and unfound, became love letters for me. 

I laughed. I joked. I smiled big goofy smiles and made heart shapes with my fingers. I drew love hearts and overused exclamation marks!!!! 

One person there said, “I feel like I’ve bonded with you people and I don’t even know you.” 

I left with some new friendships, a renewed spring in my step and delightful anticipation of the times when these notes will be read…which I can’t tell you about. It’s a secret. All magic is.

 

Being Mythical

A myth is a truth that is larger than fact. The details may or may not be factual, but that's not the point. 

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Myths are for when our reality falls short. Filled with archetypal images, haunting tragedy and wondrous victories they inspire and taunt us. We need them to carry us beyond the stark sterile data of our living and lift us beyond ourselves, beyond our comfortable or excruciatingly painful today. Myths tell us of extraordinary happenings among ordinary people. They help us discover our own extra-ordinary existence. Yet, we often discount the power of myth.

More than once I've heard the statement "Don't believe that, it's a myth!" The implication is that myths are lies, fabrications that we need to discount or relegate the position of fable, children's stories that might well entertain us but must be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Myths are not facts and facts are the realm of adult, mature and important people.  And so this myth about myths gets promoted. 

Meanwhile, Countless books are making their way into the business world about the power of story to market and grow your business. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Seth Godin – All Marketers Are Liars

Bernadette Jiwa – The Fortune Cookie Principle

Daniel Pink – To Sell Is Human

Chip and Dan Health – Made To Stick

Each of these works taps the truth that once we are connected to a product or brand by our own experience, our own mythical images and understandings, we are hooked. While I may not buy some newly branded, unknown shoes, give me a story about how each of the shoes I buy provides shoes to children in poor counties, and I'm sold! Story sells. Well it markets at least. 

Image from Deviant Art

Myths are stories that have been successful, over time, in marketing a particular idea or passing an ethical code of conduct from one generation to the next. Myths are enduring, largely because we believe them, we believe the larger truth that they tell. 

Said poetically...

Myths are made of misfortune

Reasoned out by those who failed

and Survived

then Thrived

Myths are tall tales of adventure

Carried on by those misled

and Corrected

then wised

Myths are truer than facts

Recorded by scholars who succeed

and die

then forget

Myths are larger than reality

Confounded by dreams remembered

for eternity

Myths then, are story that serve us with a message somehow contained in the telling and retelling of itself – messages that help grow us. Be nice to the next myth you hear. It may be just the tale you need. 

GATE CITY ROTARY FUNDRAISER, NOVEMBER 23RD, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE CONCERT - TAIL GATE

Don’t miss Gate City Rotary’s BBQ & Beer Tailgate Fundraiser before the November 23rd Florida Georgia Line concert at the Greensboro Coliseum. Tailgate packages come complete with concert tickets. A limited number of packages come with additional amenities – including sponsor recognition at our event, reserved seating at the Tailgate, special parking and more. Interested? Contact me directly for more information.

Gate City Rotary supports many worthwhile organizations locally and globally such as:

Free The Kids orphanage in Haiti
HorsePower Therapeutic Learning Center
Eastern Music Festival
Children of Vietnam
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Carolina Theater
Victory Junction

Camp Carefree

Package Information

Friends of Gate City Rotary Individual Tailgate Package $100

·         1 Reserved Concert Ticket

·         1 Admission to the BBQ & Beer Tailgate with food and 2 beers

·         1 Raffle Ticket

Contact me for additional packages and more info...  or see full sponsorship opportunities! 

Silly #Squarespace Comments Glitch

The move here to the Squarespace website/blog platform is complete. You'll now find the website and two of my blogs here. It's a good little platform, and yet, one limitation has me scratching my head... the Squarespace commenting system.

With Squarespace version 6, the website CMS and design functionality took a hefty leap forward.  I was impressed enough with the ease of design and the Blogger import functionality that I was hooked. Then, I discovered that the Squarespace commenting functionality doesn't allow for posters to link to their website or blog. The utility appears to let you log-in via several profile options, and even imports the avatar from that profile, but the hyperlinks aren't captured. It seems one of THE most important features in comment functionality for bloggers is the ability to easily share your own website/blog in the sharing of comments, and as a blogger, it's is just common courtesy to make this as easy as possible. I email SqSp customer service and received this reply:

“Hi Kim,

Thanks for getting back to us!

As Marly mentioned in her response, there is currently no option to link back to a website or blog if you’re using Squarespace’s commenting system.

This is certainly a great feature enhancement and we’d be more than happy to pass it along to our developers.

In the mean time, you may be interested in using Disqus for the comments on your blog.
We’ve added a guide for how to enable Disqus for the comments on your blog below:
Let us know if this helps! We’re here and happy to assist.”

— Yelena K. Customer Care Squarespace, Inc.

So, until their developers make the change, I've switched to the DISQUS comment format. It is a bit better, and will allow for anonymous 'guest' comments, but will also 'encourage' you to create a DISQUS profile, as well.  

I apologize for the inconvenience, and I promise to implement a more comment friendly system as soon as I can. In the meantime, feel free to use the share button at will!

Myrtle Beach Bound

I grew up in Myrtle Beach, SC. Yes, I lay claim to being one of the few people you might meet who grew up in the 70s in the Sun Fun City! 

Image courtesy of VistMyrtleBeach.com

I'm headed down and over to the SC homestead this weekend with some of my family members. It will be a nice close to the Summer. Speaking of my family and Myrtle Beach, I might be the only person you know who is related to these folks, too. 

Yes. Thems my people.