Uncategorized Posts
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Blog / ChangeThis
How To Experience a Hero's Journey and Become the Hero of Your Own Life Story
By Porchlight
"What if I told you that there a formula to living a heroic life? What if there was a basic framework, a roadmap that anybody could follow in order to become the hero of their own life story? In the 1940s, mythologist Joseph Campbell discovered that heroic myths from every culture on Earth are essentially the same story. He discovered a pattern in any story where an ordinary person accomplishes something heroic. Whether it was the Greek tales of Odysseus' return home from the Trojan war or the Nepalese stories of Gautama Buddha, who attained enlightenment and founded Buddhism, these stories follow the same set of steps that Campbell dubbed the 'Hero's Journey.'"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
The Smart People Manifesto: How to Get Our Nation's Top Graduates to Build Things
By Andrew Yang
"We've got a problem right now: our smart people are doing the wrong things. If we can get them to do the right things it will transform the country. We need more jobs, new enterprises and a resurgent culture of innovation in the U.S. The question is—how can we encourage our top people to take risks and build new things? [...] According to one McKinsey study, since 2007 eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds experienced the greatest decline in entrepreneurial activity of any group, leading the authors to conclude, 'The US economy is currently not producing enough of its next generation of serial entrepreneurs.'"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
A Manifesto for the Corporate Idealist
By Porchlight
"We are Corporate Idealists. We're in Asia's factory zones, working with local managers to make sure employees are paid and treated properly. We're in Africa, sitting on dirt floors with village elders to protect indigenous traditions amidst an influx of foreign oil workers. We're in Silicon Valley, collaborating with product developers to better protect user privacy. We're in London and New York, convincing our directors that protecting people and the planet is good for business. We have experienced heartache and disillusionment. But we also know that big business can make the world a better place, and feel compelled to do all we can to make that happen. Are we delusional or realistic? Are we changing the way that business is done or tinkering at the margins? Terrified of the risks or excited by the opportunities? Is our love of big business justified or misguided? Yes. This is our manifesto."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Lead Positive: How to Be a Highly Effective Leader
By Kathryn D. Cramer
"When you 'lead positive,' you offer a compelling vision of the future by reframing problems into possibilities and appealing to a higher sense of purpose, a noble and mighty cause. When you think, speak, and act out of the positive side of the ledger, people feel more hopeful and confident about the future. And if you are able to articulate why your vision is so important to those you serve, people trust and respect who you are, not just your ideas. Then, when you take a stand that requires courage and sacrifice, you can rely on their support and determination as you walk together toward a new positive direction."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / News & Opinion
ChangeThis: Issue 114
By Porchlight
Four Forces for Economic Dominance to Unleash the Second American Century by Joel Kurtzman “The United States is about to enter a period of prolonged economic growth, filled with opportunity. It’s not the emerging market countries that will power the world into the next economic era. It’s the United States.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / ChangeThis
A Brand-Builder's Guide to the Universe: 17 Ways to Build a Great Brand Today
By Denise Lee Yohn
"Companies with great brands conceive of their brands as complete strategic platforms. They identify the key values and attributes that define their brands and then use them to fuel, align, and guide everything they do."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Four Forces for Economic Dominance to Unleash the Second American Century
By Porchlight
"I've been watching the American economy for decades, and for the last few years I've put it under a magnifying glass. My conclusions are strongly positive: the United States is about to enter a period of prolonged economic growth, filled with opportunity. It's not the emerging market countries that will power the world into the next economic era. It's the United States. There are four forces that explain my optimism: America's astounding levels of creativity The renewal of manufacturing Vast reserves of energy Massive amounts of investible capital. Add to these four forces two additional facts. American consumers—the world's engine of growth for more than 50 years—have less debt, as a share of income, than at any time in the last 35 years, thanks to the cleansing effects of the recession (see chart below). And, Americans are savings are at record levels. To paraphrase George Costanza's declaration to Jerry Seinfeld, 'America's back, baby!'"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
The Calorie Myth Manifesto: How We Can Eat More And Exercise Less—Smarter
By Porchlight
"Over the past few decades, we've been trying harder and harder to be healthy and fit. The result: We got heavy and sick. What's going on here? When did healthy and fit start making us heavy and sick? And why is everyone calling us lazy gluttons? If an architect builds us a house and it crumbles, is that our fault? No. But we better find a good contractor who knows how to build something solid and safe. Similarly, if a doctor prescribes us a medication and it makes us worse, it is up to us to stop taking it and to find a new doctor. We have to apply the same logic to health and fitness. We've received so much contradictory, damaging advice over the years, often resulting in frustration and extra pounds. It's high time for us to make a better choice. But what other option do we have than the decades-old, calorie-counting approach?"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
The Thought Leader Manifesto: Strategies for Building & Leveraging Your Influence
By Denise Brosseau
"Whether you're an executive, entrepreneur, or a non-profit leader, your success is often dependent upon your ability to engage and enroll influencers to get on board with your ideas. When you create connections with recognized and well-respected influencers, you move from a "one-to-many" to a "many-to-many" model, empowering others to carry your ideas forward to their communities. What follows are 12 strategies to secure the support of influencers and empower them to amplify your message."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Don't Block Up the Hall: Bob Dylan's Advice on Climate Change?
By Leidy Klotz
"In perhaps his most influential civil rights era song, Bob Dylan asked senators and congressmen to 'please heed the call.' Of course, help from those in power makes it easier to address any major societal issue. But Dylan went on to warn these leaders: 'Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall.' His sage advice to allow other contributions is now as relevant as ever. We must prevent catastrophic climate change, our societal challenge akin to those Dylan was 'singing' about and King was meeting. We can do it, but only with new thinking, thinking that is currently shackled by the status-quo."
Categories: changethis