If the world’s population was reduced to a community of only 100 people… what would that community look like?
The Miniature Earth project attempts to give us a picture. Very interesting way to look at the state of the world.
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Just stumbled on a great site for improving the professionalism of your presentations: Presentation Zen
I’m still reading through it, but it has some great examples of both good and bad presentations and slide design. I’m always looking for ways to improve in this area, so I’m certain to return to Presentation Zen often.
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I decided a few years ago that I would do all that I could to show God’s love to those I work with. This might not sound like a surprise to you, but there was a serious change that occurred. For some time before this decision, I was more committed to telling my co-workers about God’s love than really showing it. My efforts were mixed at best, and probably alienated others at worst.
These days I go out of my way to listen to the lives of those around me. To value them. To encourage them. To point them toward hope and toward the future. I desperately try to honor the absent. To squelch gossip. To praise publicly and privately. To criticize humbly, gently, and very privately. I don’t do all of these perfectly. But I believe my efforts are seen and stand out as unique among my workplace. I believe this is what it means when Jesus said we were to be “salt and light” in our world.
I rarely bring up topics of faith in the conversations that happen at work, but I find they are raised around me voluntarily. I believe this is a direct connection to the way I live and act. My actions speak clearly and effectively where my words too often failed before.
Nancy Ortberg, the wife of one of my favorite authors, John Ortberg, recently gave a talk on displaying Jesus’ love and character qualities in the workplace. It contains some brilliant examples of humble, effective leadership that are well worth the investment of your time. I was challenged, and think you will be as well.
Listen or watch online here: March 4, 2007 - Nancy Ortberg - “Jesus and Your Job.”
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Without ambition one starts nothing, without work one finishes nothing.
– Emerson
The man who knows How will always have a job, the man who also knows Why will always be his boss.
– Emerson
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Isaac has been an absolute thrill to be around the last few months. I am amazed every day at how quickly he is learning new things and beginning to really understand the world around him. This week marked a few interesting milestones in eating, playing, and timing.
Isaac is now eating sandwiches whole. We used to tear the sandwich up into little pieces but now he can grab the sandwich and take his own bites. He’s also learned how to hold a fork… not the way we do, but enough to stab at things and then pick them off the end of the fork before sending them down the hatch. The fun is just beginning, I’m sure.
Isaac loves music and can often be found clapping, humming, dancing or drumming. He’s recently added spinning to the list, as he loves to spin in circles when music is playing. I can’t tell what type of music he really likes yet, but he definitely prefers songs with a driving beat.
Last night as we were putting Isaac down he was able to recognize the routine. We usually pray with him, let him cuddle with us by his crib, then lay him down and leave. As soon as we were done praying last night, Isaac put both of his hands on my chest and pushed me toward the door. It was as if he was saying, “Okay, you can go now. I’m going to sleep.” Kristen and I had a good laugh over it as soon as he was out.
Lastly, his vocabulary is expanding every day. Over the weekend we visited my cousins in So Cal. They have two children a few years older than Isaac, and he enjoyed playing with them (and their toys). One toy he really grew attached to was an Elmo doll that sang the alphabet song. By the end of the weekend he’d learned to say “Elmo” and is now confusing it well with “ma ma.” Good times.
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In his book, Winning, Jack Welch outlines several keys to creating a strategic plan that is realistic, honest, and attainable. He suggests asking several questions as you formulate your strategy:
I think these questions are a wonderful aid to starting to think about a new or revised strategy. They get your mind focused on the issues at hand in ways that you can really answer. Having the answer to these questions would really position me to move forward and build a plan to implement a strategy that takes the current reality of the situation in to consideration.
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For those of you who know me well, the list below is probably not surprising. I love to read, and usually have a nice pile of books in the “queue” that I’m working on or looking forward to diving into.
Books currently on my nightstand:
Books I’ve finished in the last two weeks:
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