Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Living

Life Lessons

Meatball Sundae and Johnny Bunko

Two of the blogs that I read on a consistent basis are ones written by Seth Godin and Daniel Pink.  They were both authors before starting a blog. I enjoy their posts and it's a treat when they come out...

Johnny Bunko: A Case Study

Dan Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, is releasing a new book on Monday, April 7.  When I talked to Pink, several months ago, he talked about working on the book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, a career guide...

The Power of Hybrids

In a recent online discussion with the ABV team for the pilot, I talked about being distracted by opportunities for visibility instead of focusing on community-building. One team member shot back, "I disagree." He pointed out that visibility is important...

Kites and Other Useful Metaphors

Yesterday, I flew a kite. It was the first time in over thirty years. It was exhilarating and joyful. My husband returned home from a trip. The proverbial question, "What did you bring me?" was answered in the form of...

Where Wisdom Comes From

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take us or spare us." --Marcel Proust Many thanks to my colleague, Ellen, who emailed this quote to me recently. This gets exactly...

Closing A Few Doors

A friend sent me a fascinating New York Times article about how as humans, we instinctively try to keep our options open, even when cognitively, we know that it doesn't serve us to do so. In a cleverly designed experiment...

Virtual Teams, The Bare Necessities, and Free Technology

I've often thought that there's never been a better time to be alive. Yes, I tend to be an optimist. And there are tangible things that show we are living in an "age of abundance," a concept that emerged on...

The Difference Between Audience and Community

ABV has forced clarity in my thinking. In discussing some of the concepts of ABV recently with others, I came up with this definition of audience vs. community: Audiences have awareness--of your product, service, cause. Communities not only have awareness....

Standup Economist

Heard an interview on NPR last week with a PhD economist who does stand up comedy. His jokes incorporate his knowledge of economics. Just goes to show that boundary crossers create new niches all the time. Click here for the...

Technology and Learning in Schools

Just found this blog of a teacher at a local high school in the Denver area who leverages technology in schools. Not as in "let's get some more computers."  But as in "how can we use technology, not to do...