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Showing posts from January, 2012

The Glass & the Lake

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One day a teacher grew tired of her apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, sent him into town to buy some salt. When the apprentice returned, the teacher instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it. "How does it taste?" the teacher asked. "Bitter," spat the apprentice. The teacher chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it into a nearby lake. So, the two of them walked down to the shore and once there the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the teacher said, "Now drink from the lake." As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the teacher asked, "How does it taste?" "Fresh," remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" "No," said the young man. At this, the teacher sat beside this serious young man who reminded her of herself and took his hands in hers, offering "The

The Pecha Kucha 20 x 20 Challenge

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A picture from my perspective on stage while presenting at PetchaKucha Night It sounded so easy at first. This would be just another speaking engagement right!? Last year I spoke at just under one hundred and thirty engagements, seminars or trainings. Now this number doesn't include my regular teaching schedule or networking meetings which would add another four hundred plus individual events. So, in light of that you may understand why I figured that speaking at this Pecha Kucha Grand Rapids event would be a fun little challenge. You may be wondering what is this Pecha Kucha Night anyway? Well, PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation forma