dr randy pausch died on 25 july 2008 age 47. the father of 3 was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and lost his battle, but not before giving a series of lectures called the "last lecture". he talks nothing about the disease, religion or dispair. but his brilliant spirit shines through as he talks about achieving dreams, help others achieve their dreams and the quality of life in general.

very moving.

the first one is done on oprah winfrey (~10mins)...

source site - Productivity 2.0: How the New Rules of Work Are Changing the Game | Zen Habits

For years, books and articles and blogs on productivity have been showing us how to be more productive: crank out the tasks, multi-task, work faster, be organized.

In short, they’ve taught us to be a good part of a corporation that wants more out of us. But that’s old-school productivity, or Productivity 1.0.

source site - How to Persuade People With Subconscious Techniques - wikiHow

Persuasiveness is one of the most important skills anyone can learn because it is useful in countless situations.At work, at home, and in your social life, the ability to be persuasive and influence others can be instrumental for achieving goals and being happy.

source site - Zen Moments - the great power of small things
source article - The Cab Ride I’ll Never Forget

We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

This is something i picked up today....

The Seven Secrets of Inspiring Leaders
Thursday October 11, 8:08 am ET
By Carmine Gallo

after my talk with the kids, i started thinking of what attributes i needed to help develop in my kids.

like any other parent, i want them to be successful in their own rights. but aside from telling them to study hard... what else can i do?

as i was talking to them about their dreams and aspirations... i began to think about various behavioural attributes that needs to be developed. i had to draw on my professional working experience and my own knowledge and perspective of what makes a successful person. here are my thoughts:

have a vision

i had a long talk with my kids today.

much of this was with the intent of creating an understanding why the relentless acquisition of knowledge is so important. ie learning & studying. i found that constant berating of the kids to study hard was not working well. time to change plans.

after thinking a bit on the subject, it all comes back to creating leadership behaviours in people. studying hard is not a natural behaviour that kids of the playstation generation would do in their default mode.

One of the challenges at the office is getting the workforce to generate creativity. Our company is in the internet business, and it is therefore necessary for all of us to be dynamic in our thinking so as to be ahead of the game - or at least at the leading bunch.

However, years of rigid education system, a culture of not challenging status quo & seniority, and an evironment of feeding information (as opposed to seeking information) makes creative thinking something of a curiousity than the norm.

The pity is that all this puts all of us at a severe disadvantage compared to other nations.