TED Talk Prize: CITY 2.0

“For the first time in the history of the prize, it is being awarded not to an individual, but to an idea. It is an idea upon which our planet’s future depends.”

What TED is looking for:

TED is look for A wish, capable of igniting a massive collaborative project among the members of the global TED community, and indeed all who care about our planet’s future to create:

City 2.0…

Promotes innovation, education, culture, and economic opportunity

 Reduces the carbon footprint of its occupants, facilitates smaller families, and eases the environmental pressure on the world’s rural areas.

Is a place of beauty, wonder, excitement, inclusion, diversity, life.

Is the city that works.

The city of the future is sustainable, prosperous. One that can work with the worlds growing population.

 How the WISH is chosen:

How, you ask?

The TED Prize grants its winner $100,000 and “one wish to change the world.”

How might this prize be accepted?

The prize will be accepted on behalf of the City 2.0 – through visionary individuals around the world who are advocating on it’s behalf.

But wait, I’m still confused.

Don’t worry, I was too at first.

Try to think about it as if the city 2.0 is the winning person – like Jamie Oliver.  And the wish, well  -it hasn’t been chosen yet. You see TED’s winning idea IS the City 2.0. TED is asking to hear people’s ideas of what they would ‘wish,’ and then work together with: urban planners, architects, technologists, authors, policy makers, and economists — acting as advocates for The City 2.0 to craft a wish capable of inspiring collaborative action by many.

The Wish will be revealed on Feb. 29, 2012  @  TED Conference in Long Beach, California

TED Talk Prize 2012 CITY 2.0

Written by:

Wesley Dowber
Social Media Maverick  & Student of Knowledge
Nero Global Tracking

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john c. maxwell self-improvement 101

I just finished John C. Maxwell’s Self Improvement 101 and thought it was worth sharing the positive take aways. I always read or listen with a notepad handy so here is the collection of things I deemed to be note worthy.

I’ll kick this blog off with some notable quotes

“The only way to improve the quality of your life is to improve yourself. When you do, everything else around you gets better. The only way you will grow is if you choose to grow.”

“People unwilling to grow will never reach their potential”

“It is never to late to be what you might have become”
George Elliot

My  Notes:

Failure is an essential component of success.

Embrace failure as an opportunity for learning.

Be willing to let go in order to keep learning (leave the comfort zone).

For everything you gain, you have to give up something. Pay the price to grow.

Growing requires change, and most people are reluctant to change. But the truth is that without change growth is impossible.

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, relationships that have lost their meaning. As Dostoevsky puts it, ‘taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what most people fear most.;”

Growth is a choice, a decision that really can make a difference in a persons life.

8 Principles that will help you develop into a person dedicated to person growth.

1. Choose a life of growth
2. Start Growing Today
3. Focus on Self-Development, Not Self-Fulfillment
4. Never Stay Satisfied With Current Accomplishments
5. Be a Continual Learner
6. Develop a Plan for Growth
7. Pay the Price
8. Find a Way to Apply What You Learn

Truths about being teachable

1. Nothing is Interesting if You are Not Interested
2. Successful People View Learning Differently from Those Who are Not Successful
3. Learning is Meant to be a Lifelong Pursuit
4. Pride is the number one hindrance to teachability.

To expand you talents you much become teachable

1. Learn to Listen
2. Understand the Learning Process
3. Look for and Plan Teachable Moments
4. Make Your Teachable Moments Count
5. Ask Yourself Am I Really Teachable
   1. Am I open to other peoples ideas?
   2. Do I listen more than I talk?
   3. Am I open to changing my opinion based on new info
   4. Do I readily admit when I’m wrong
   5. Do I observe before acting on a situation?
   6. Do I ask questions?
   7. Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance?
   8. Am I willing to ask for directions?
   9. Do I act defensively when criticized, or do I listen openly for the truth?

Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.

The greater your natural ability, the greater your potential for improvement

When ever you see people who are successful in the their work, you can rest assured that they are working in their strength zone and empower them to work in it.

Ideally as we progress our notebooks become filled with notations and observations. Some people seem to leave the notebook closed most of their lives. But a few not only make a record of what they experienced; they linger over it and ponder its meaning. Reflection turns experiences into insight. Experience teaches nothing, but evaluated experience teach everything.

With each passing year, I want to make good choices that make me a better person, help me become a better leader, and make a positive impact on others. That requires a willingness to keep making trades, because for everything you gain, you have to give up something.

This article was written by:

Shaun Frankson
VP of Business Development & Student of Knowledge

Nero Global Tracking (For more business advice & articles like this, check out our blog)

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Ted Talks: Justin Hall-Tipping: Freeing energy from the grid

“We can generate all the energy we need right where we are, cleanly, safely, and cheaply.”

Nano Technology is where the future is going, and isn’t it inspiring!

Justin Hall-Tipping BIO

Justin is a seasoned venture capitalist and entrepreneur, having served as managing director and partner for SG Capital Partners, where he was responsible for all venture investments, and as a partner of NEPA Venture Fund, which specialised in start-up and early-stage companies. Justin was also CEO of Heatbeat Corp., a multimedia software company he founded and director of Reuters’ Data Intelligence Group.

About 10 years ago Justin had an epiphany, after seeing footage of a chunk of Antarctic ice the size of Connecticut disappearing into the Ocean. It was at that point that he decided to shift his venture activities to the energy industry and the science of the very small, founding Nanoholdings LLC to try and help address the growing energy crisis. Currently he’s the Chief Executive Officer (and co-founder) of NanoHoldings LLC, an investment company which engages in commercializing nanotechnology discoveries with universities, scientists, and corporations.

Justin received his BSc, with honors, in International Finance and Banking from City University, London and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Check out more stories that inspire us here (click me to travel to the blog)

Written by:

Wesley Dowber
Social Media Maverick & Student of Knowledge
Nero Global Tracking

Proudly Serving The Business Community of British Columbia

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