Words

"The call of the church has never been to be political analysts. We’re called to be cultural..."

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:31:19 -0800

“The call of the church has never been to be political analysts. We’re called to be cultural catalysts [who will act as] salt and light. But there are dangers. Salt, if you use too much, becomes embittering. If you sprinkle it, it flavors. Light is annoying if it glares in your face. In fact, you try to push it away. But if you let the warm glow of the light show, people will come to it.”

- Jay Hayford, in Religion Report. I love the amount analogy in his quote.

"Doing right matters more than being right."

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:33:31 -0800

“Doing right matters more than being right.”

- @johnmaeda

"It seems to me that Facebook and Twitter and Youtube — and just so you don’t think this..."

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:24:09 -0800

“

It seems to me that Facebook and Twitter and Youtube — and just so you don’t think this is a generational thing, TV and radio and magazines and even newspaper too — are all ultimately just an elaborate excuse to run away from yourself. To avoid the difficult and troubling questions that being human throws your way.

Am I doing the right thing with my life? Do I believe the things I was taught as a child? Am I happy?

”

- William Deresiewicz

"There’s another kind of courage, moral courage, the courage to stand up for what you believe..."

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:13:39 -0800

“There’s another kind of courage, moral courage, the courage to stand up for what you believe in.”

- William Deresiewicz

Hustle to Survive

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:51:28 -0800

In a conversation I had with RG yesterday, we discussed the differences between big companies and startups. The attribute the stood out most for me was that people in startups were typically in “survival” mode. They are there to make history, to create something new, to give it all they’ve got, and to beat anybody else to it. It’s the hustle to survive, every minute every day.

The is something to be said about that. Hustling excites me. Maybe because there’s something inherit about feeling like you only have a limited amount of time on Earth to do anything worthwhile. And as I said this to my wife during my wedding vows, nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy. Easy just doesn’t cut it. Don’t look for shortcuts. Give it all you got, no matter the situation or the outcome. Go find something that will let you do just that. It saddens me to see employees in lots of bigger companies loose their hunger, their sense of urgency, their hustle. People play it safe because it is safe.

There, hustle as much as you can. Everyday. Or else you’ll be doing yourself a disservice in the long run. Hustle to survive. Hustle to influence your environment positively. As Steve Jobs once said (something similar):

Go make a dent in this universe.

"We can change skill levels through training, but we can’t change attitude."

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:17:27 -0800

“We can change skill levels through training, but we can’t change attitude.””

- Herb Kelleher, former Southwest Airlines CEO

"More than ever, we’re prisoners of the urgent. Prioritizing requires reflection, reflection..."

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:24:00 -0800

“More than ever, we’re prisoners of the urgent. Prioritizing requires reflection, reflection takes time…”

- http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2012/01/no-is-the-new-yes-four-practic.html#disqus_thread

"Without risks, life’s not worth living."

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:01:36 -0800

“Without risks, life’s not worth living.”

- Mo to AL on changing a product to challenge the status quo.

"Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled."

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:18:49 -0800

“Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.”

- http://www.inc.com/eric-schurenberg/the-best-definition-of-entepreneurship.html

Top 100 Package Designs of 2011

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:33:52 -0800

Top 100 Package Designs of 2011:

In today’s digitally-oriented world, it’s nice to see designers pushing the envelop in physical-based design. Digital stuff has nothing on things that you can actually hold, touch, and feel.

Tribal Stages

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:19:00 -0800

Just finished reading Tribal Leadership, and excited to have learned a bit of organizational knowledge. According to the book, there are 5 stages of a tribe:

Alienated - Life sucks
Separate - My life sucks
Personal - I’m great
Partnership - We’re great
Team - Life’s great

The trick is to recognize where your tribe (e.g. team, company, group, etc…) is currently, and try to elevate it, stage by stage, to the greatness of stages 4 and 5. Definitely easier said than done, but it’s worthwhile if you and your team want to do something significant in the world. I’m looking forward to seeing how this can be applied in my own personal organizational settings at LinkedIn.

This made my day. Model poses are really odd and random,...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:38:00 -0800

This made my day. Model poses are really odd and random, aren’t they? Especially when it’s copied in real life.

"Core values are what we “stand in” and a noble cause is what we “shoot for."

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:52:14 -0800

“Core values are what we “stand in” and a noble cause is what we “shoot for.””

- Tribal Leadership

The Nike Film Room is simply amazing. Great usage of technology...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:06:22 -0800

The Nike Film Room is simply amazing. Great usage of technology + experience-based design to create a way for kids (or anyone) to feel like Mike (MJ), Kevin Durant, or any other NBA superstars they look up to.

"Fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need."

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:01:40 -0800

“Fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need.”

- Lauryn Hill in MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002)

"Don’t let the world break your will. Instead, use your will to bend the world."

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:01:00 -0800

“Don’t let the world break your will. Instead, use your will to bend the world.”

- Mo

"The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says “Go!” — a leader says “Let’s go!"

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:02:44 -0800

“The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says “Go!” — a leader says “Let’s go!””

- E.M. Kelly via Assuming Leadership in Your Design Agency on Smashing Magazine

"Practice is funny that way. For days and says, you make out only the fragments of what to do. And..."

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:51:39 -0800

“Practice is funny that way. For days and says, you make out only the fragments of what to do. And then one day you’ve got the thing whole. Conscious learning becomes unconscious knowledge, and you cannot say precisely how.”

- Atul Gawande in Complications

"Curiosity let’s you conquer the unknown, rather than fear it."

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:54:00 -0700

“Curiosity let’s you conquer the unknown, rather than fear it.”

- Mo

"A stone cannot shape itself."

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:38:46 -0700

“A stone cannot shape itself.”

- Mo on why Christians need community.