At the end of the day, it’s about having the passion/interest to really focus on something and achieve it but at the same time, overcoming obstacles and pushing on with great persistence.  Having an interest in serving others is also important since all great leaders are great simply because they often dedicate their life to serving other people. Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi are two prominent examples.

I hope that this 3-minute speech will inspire you.

Studies from the field of neuroscience has already discovered that the left hemisphere of our brain is adept at logic, calculations and design while the right hemisphere is where the creative realms are, handling tasks such as language and literature. This is probably why left-handers are often considered more creative and right-handers are considered more organised (since left-handers use the right brain hemispheres while right-handers use the left brain hemispheres). It is therefore not surprising to find that creative individuals are usually not organised.

Jill Bolte’s insights further reinforce and add to these findings. She mentioned in her speech that the left hemisphere are the chatter (otherwise known as “internal dialogues / inner voices” by others) that happen in our heads, advising us to do things. I believe that it is also this chatter that creates a false sense of separation of us from the others as well the world at large and boost the ego within us (which is best for us to discard).

Jill Bolte mentioned that the right brain hemisphere – on the other hand- connects us to others in the world and the universe as well. There’s a remark that she made that is interesting too, which is the fact that she feels that her body blends in with the world when she is suffering from a stroke. This is in line with some literature which states that the world is made up of atoms. Nothing more. Nothing less. Every item and every single human being are made up of atoms and the world works as one entity. The Gaia Hypothesis (with earth as a living organism) seems to support this theory.  I find these findings of Jill Bolte to be exceptionally insightful.

Jill Bolte also mentioned that she felt a sense of peace when only her right brain hemisphere is operating. If we are able to utilise the right brain hemispheres and use it more often than the left brain hemisphere, our happiness quotient might just increase. The question is how do we do that?

As a side note, do take note of the speaker’s body language. I find Jill Bolte to be among the better speakers I have ever seen. Notice the pace at which she speaks. Take note of how she pauses before continuing at certain times for the effects of her words to affect her audiences. Take note of how she addresses her audience in terms of eye contact. 

I hope that Jill Bolte’s speech inspires you in the same way that it has inspired me.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUT1ADtIHQU

It’s amazing how ordinary people like us are able to achieve extraordinary things once we have put our mind to it. I believe that all of us have the abilities to achieve great things once we have focus, determination and perseverance.  While many of us may not be recognised by the world for our contributions, the fact that we are indeed making positive contributions to the world everyday is a comforting thought and a remarkable achievement for each and every one of us.

I hope that the above video inspires you.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebrvqy2gQpA

All of us have the capacity to be curious about things, to want to know and to explore, examine as well as analyse. However, all of us are not doing this at the same rate. Inquisitiveness is an important quality that is within us but not all of us are releasing that potential. The question is: why?

If one were to look at all the inventions in the world, most of them are created because someone somewhere asks “Why not?” when he or she encounters a problem or faces an issue. The “Post-It” notes from 3M is a good case in point. More details with regard to its creation can be found here. Do have a look under the “History” section.

The above video illustrates that fact that learning now takes place within the classroom and beyond. More importantly, it examines the possibility of releasing our potential of inquisitiveness. I hope that you get some inspiration from the interesting video and ask yourself if you are able to provide a solution to a problem if you encounter one in the near future.

The abovementioned video illustrates the importance of teamwork both in the classroom and in the workplace. In life, we have to work as a team to achieve more through collaboration. It’s amazing that the more you give, the more you receive.  And you will often be assisted by others in times of need when you are someone who gives without expecting any form of reciprocity.

I hope that all of you will work strongly as a team and I believe that success will always belongs to you.

The abovementioned video lists the prominent pitfalls when presenting your slides. If the video is slow in loading, the points mentioned are listed below:

• Avoid wordy slides so as not to lose the audience’s attention.
• Do check your spellings and finalise your slides before the presentations. (Remember, too many spelling error dents your credibility as a speaker)
• Avoid too many bullet points, especially when placed in two or more columns.
• As mentioned in one of my previous entries, avoid bad colour schemes (such as red on black etc) as it causes straining of the eyes on the part of the presenter and distraction for the audience.
• The fewer the slides that you present, the less the audience will take away with them.
• Avoid excessive numbers, charts and colour differentiation when it comes to charts and statistics (Remember, when it comes to graphics illustration or rather infographics, opt for simplicity since less is more).
• Minimise the use of animations when it comes to figures and statistics.
• And as for the font analysis at the end, please ignore it. I figure the presenter meant it as a joke anyway.

The above video is an interesting take by writers for writers on writing. I hope the series of quotes will inspire you to write better. Especially noteworthy is the fact that we do not write in order to be understood. We write in order to understand. And this is where the essence of reflective writing lies.