Casual Fridays

Did you know you can train fleas to stay in a jar?
Put them in a jar and screw on the lid. They will jump and bump the lid repeatedly, because they can jump much higher than the lid. After a few days, take the lid off. They won’t jump out. They […]

You’re in a meeting and a seemingly brilliant idea enters your mind. Adrenaline starts to rush. You imagine what wonderful things might happen if your idea is executed. You can’t wait to interject.
“Wait a second. I just had an idea.”
Everybody stops and gives you their attention as you breathlessly explain the […]

Preconceptions often arise when you say someone is creative. A friend of mine even uses air quotes with that word. He also uses it as a noun, which is common in ad agencies.
“You can do that because you’re a ‘creative’.”
The connotation isn’t completely positive. There is this suggestion that though creative people […]

In his popular ‘06 TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes an inspiring, and entertaining, argument that we are educating the creativity out of our children.
It’s not hard to see how corporations are on creativity killing sprees as well.
Here are the top 10 signs you’re killing creativity:
1. You Preach ‘Safety First’
If you are always opting for […]

As a fun little riff, I thought I’d share with you a variety of snapshots from my cell phone and a few thoughts on each:

This is called a Whisper Phone. Our daughter’s elementary school teacher showed it to us at a parent/teacher conference. Children use the whisper phone so they can hear themselves […]

Do it.

One of my favorite posts (that I’ve written anyways) was Ideas vs. Opinions. I don’t know that it was 100% accurate, but I think the message was right on.
I’d like to expound on this idea some more. So here’s a new comparison chart. I hope you find this helpful.

I think the biggest […]

It’s Friday again.
I’m sitting in front of my computer with several ideas to blog.
Honestly, I don’t want to.
Not because I don’t like blogging.
Not because I don’t like writing.
Mostly because they’re good ideas.
Not great ideas.
Not world-changing ideas.
It’s the kind of stuff you’ll read, possibly enjoy, but in the end… you’ll go back to sipping your coffee […]

I know two people who can’t share ideas with each other. They don’t trust one another, so every comment is met with skepticism, which breeds indignation and ultimately… anger.
I know others who have been trained, like one of Pavlov’s dogs, to not speak up when they disagree with an idea. It’s too risky […]

I’ve always been an avid reader, but lately I have come across some outstanding books that have changed the way I look at things forever. I’ll explain why I (might) highly recommend you pick these two books up today.

Made to Stick, Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Who should buy this book: Anyone who needs to […]