Are Clubs Completely Irrelevant?
What do service clubs, civic clubs, and dog clubs have in common? Two major things, it turns out.
Are you in a club, or maybe more than one? It could be Rotary, Toastmaster, PTA, or your local kennel club – do you belong? If so, maybe you’ve noticed a couple of things – the club is smaller than it was a few years ago, and most of the people who do most of the work are in the sixth, seventh, or even eighth decade of life.
First things first – about the dwindling membership. Times do change, and lifestyles do, too. People in the developmental part of their adulthood – those in their twenties, thirties, and forties – are building careers and focusing on their families. While they may be interested in what clubs have to offer, they may not have the time or desire to commit to being part of a club. There’s good news here – more on that later.
Some people might look at most clubs, see the same people in leadership positions for years on end, and see a clique bound and determined to mainta...
It's Nobel Day - How Prize-Winning Do You Feel?
If there’s a high-water mark for brains, Alfred Nobel probably etched it. In his last will, signed in Paris on November 27th, 1895, he left the bulk of his fortune to a special prize fund. He passed away just over a year later, and his legacy lives on today with the awarding of this year’s Nobel Prizes.
Nobel wanted the money he’d made in his varied and successful life to be invested well, and each year the organization he created would award monetary prizes. The categories he specified are those he was most interested in during his own life: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The awards would go to “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”
Which brings us to we mere mortals – what is our benefit to humankind? It’s common for people to wonder what their purpose in this life is, and to wonder if they’re doing enough to “earn their keep” in this world. If your thoughts occasionally venture down roads ...
Creating More Creativity in Your Life
Today let’s talk about creativity. What it is, why it’s important, and how to create a more creative life for yourself.
First, what the heck is creativity? Merriam-Webster’s definition is “the ability to be creative.” Cambridge Dictionary’s definition goes deeper, making it by far the more creative definition: “the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas.”
Creativity is curiosity unleashed. Creativity is vision in action. Creativity is imagination allowed to take the reins. Creativity is originality on display. Creativity is inventiveness, the first-born child of playfulness.
Creativity is about so much more than writing music, painting a picture, or producing a sculpture. Yes, those are creative pursuits and I’m in awe of those who make our lives better with their imaginative vision and masterful execution of their personal brand of creativity.
- Creativity is also pulling together a fabulous outfit and wearing it well.
- Creativity is also thinking through the best wa ...
