Eva Niewiadomski was an employee & co-worker that anyone would love to have.  She is smart, creative and has lots of energy.  She had a ton of experience in different job functions including accounting, financial analysis, brand management and new product development during her 15 year career at Quaker Oats.  She is that person that always goes the extra mile and it shows when it comes to finding fresh and new ways of doing things.

IT STARTED OFF SMALL…

Eva’s workspace at Quaker was very important to her.  She found that dull corporate workspaces didn’t provide the inspiration she needed to be most effective.  So she started to funk up her space a bit, some artwork here, some trinkets there and the next thing you know her workspace was the talk of the department.  In fact, she created such a buzz there were times when she would return from a meeting to find tours for new employees stopping by to check out her spot.

IT GOT BIGGER…

Eva felt the momentum her workspace was gaining and convinced senior management to allow her to create other inspirational areas.  Long before creative workspaces were en-vogue, Eva created a couple of “Innovation Hallways” and a “Creativity Room.”  These new additions made it possible for all employees to share their thoughts and insights on how to make better products…not just the folks in marketing or new product development.

Click here to continue reading……

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2011 has been a great year for us at the Ranch! Here are a few reasons why:

5. “Harmony, Hope, and Humanity” a cabaret fundraiser to benefit disaster relief for Japan.

When the disastrous earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Japan in March, we (like many others) felt compelled to find a way to help. With ten days to plan, we were able to gather some of the top Asian Pacific American talent in Chicago to perform a fundraiser to benefit the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Japan. Taking the stage were Joseph Anthony Foronda, Christine Bunuan, Emily Morales, Erik Kaiko, Jillian Jocson, Chelsea Dolinar-Hikawa, and Keith Uchima; the performance was directed by yours truly and music directed by Jaclyn Rada. With the generous donation of our event sponsors (especially Big Delicious Planet) and the 150+ people that attended, we were able to raise $5400 for the disaster relief fund!

4. Project Music

Every year we are proud to host the Project Music fundraiser to benefit the kids at LYDIA Home, an organization that provides hope and support to children and families in need. Project Music is an amazing event that brings in top music performers (this year’s featured act was bluesman Sugar Blue) to raise money to send forty kids in need to overnight camp.

3. Social Media Week panel.

The global event Social Media Week finally hit Chicago and we wanted in on the action. We hosted a panel about how the next generation is using social media. I moderated a great discussion led by social media pros Mark J. Carter, Tim McDonald, Sue Koch with next gen panelists Staci Diamond, Neal Ryan Shaw, James Coston and Rebecca Dickson.

2. Meet Our Ranch Hands (in verse)

Our Operations Manager John Leen gives a fun and whimsical introduction to some of the friendly faces you might encounter at the Ranch.

1. Illinois’ first legal same-sex civil union happen at the Ranch with “Under a New Moon!”

Our country is taking huge strides in civil rights. It might be a bit slow for some, but the times are a-changing and hopefully for the better. When the state of Illinois announced the passing of legislature that would legally recognize same-sex civil unions, we were thrilled beyond belief to be able to be among the first to celebrate. Partnering with Life Cycle Celebrant Anita Vaughan, SQN Events, Jeremy Lawson Photography and so many generous sponsors, we were blessed to be able to give six lucky gay and lesbian couples a the ceremony and reception of their dreams!

It’s been a great year for us here at the Ranch and we can only hope for much more in 2012! Hope everyone has a great and safe holiday season. Happy New Year!

Post written by Danny Bernardo

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Chicago Ideas Week kicked off on Monday with Labs, Talks, MegaTalks and Partner Programs. I attended one of the talks that was held at the Chicago History Museum by some of Chicago’s innovators and explorers in Architecture.

Blair Kamin, Architecture Critic for the Chicago Tribune and author of Why Architecture Matters: Lessons from Chicago, hosted the evening’s speakers. Each speaker addressed the audience for about 15 minutes on projects with which they are currently involved.

First up was Jeanne Gang, President and Founder of Studio Gang Architects. Ms. Gang is the award-winning architect of the Aqua Tower in Downtown Chicago. The project on which she chose to speak is reclaiming abandoned and often polluted industrial sites in the Chicago suburbs – in this case, Cicero, which has become a destination location for immigrants from Mexico. Her vision begins with a four-year plan of re-planting the sites with poplars and willows, which would draw industrial toxins from the soil. After that, the plan is to utilize existing uninhabited structures (such as assembly plants and factories) as the basis for residential communities. Her ultimate goal is a multi-functional neighborhood, with green areas, public places and commercial space interspersed with residential habitats for a variety of living quarters – homes for both nuclear and extended families, as well as apartments. By offering housing to fit a variety of needs, she hopes the resulting community will remain vital through cultural and economic shifts.

Scott Frances, a world renowned Architecture photographer and frequent contributor to Architectural Digest Magazine, spoke about new directions in Architecture Photography.

One of the most interesting developments is in the use of ambient light. Previously, interiors and exteriors would have to be lit separately in order to capture both dimensions in a single shot. Now photographers can make use of the ambient light in a single setup, shooting the interior and exteriors of architectural spaces separately, then using digital technology to combine both effects into a single photograph. The result is a much more natural-looking photo. Frances has photographed the homes of such celebrities as Jennifer Aniston, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Steve Jobs, Elton John, Ted Turner, and Jessica Lange.

Gordon Gill, Founding Partner of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, is one of the world’s pre-eminent environmentally-aware architects, leading Chicago’s green rooftops decarbonization plan. In his segment he could not help but mention one of his upcoming projects: the two-kilometer tall Kingdom Tower skyscraper in Saudi Arabia. As a proponent of the skyscraper having the smallest carbon impact on the environment and topography, Gill is a leader in Performance based design, as witnessed by his Pearl River Tower in China. It’s the world’s first net-zero energy skyscraper, incorporating green designs such as solar collectors and radiant heating and cooling. But most impressive are the two massive wind turbines set in slots that slice gracefully through the building itself, providing energy from the environment. The 71 story-tall tower is much more than a fluent integration of design and function, it is the most energy-efficient super tall building in the world.

Finally, Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen, workshop/apd and Founders of SpruceBox, discussed the challenges of rebuilding residential areas of New Orleans following the disasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As winners of the 2006 Global Green USA contest, sponsored by actor Brad Pitt, the pair created GreeN.O.la, a prototype community of 12 apartments, six single family homes, a community center and day-care facility built along the Mississippi. “Our goal is to create something sustainable, modular, affordable – and well-designed,” says Kotchen. The long, narrow structures recall the shotgun homes destroyed in the Hurricanes. Designed with an outlook for the future, the prefabricated modular units incorporate rooftop vegetation, solar panels and solar water heaters, rainfall collection, as well as community gardens and composting. According to Berman, “It’s supposed to be a model of sustainability in the Gulf Coast.”

Berman and Kotchen took some of their learnings from developing these prototype kitchens and bathrooms (usually the most expensive features of a home) and launched SpruceBox. The idea behind SpruceBox is to enable any homeowner to be able to affordably and sustainably remodel their kitchen and bath without having to hire an architect or spend hours researching options. You can just go to the site and easily design your kitchen. All the resources are there, all in one spot.

The concept behind Chicago Ideas Week is to create a platform in the Midwest where innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs could connect and interact with each other and the public to educate and inspire. As an international nexus for architecture, Chicago is particularly suited to hosting this panel, and it was a fitting way to start off the week.

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Join Catalyst Ranch on April 18th for Juice-on-the-Loose, an evening of events designed to enliven, encourage, and help you express your creative spirit at the workplace.  The evening will feature a series of simultaneous workshops including:

- How Thomas Edison Created the Future with Sarah Miller Caldicott: Learn one of Thomas Edison’s creative thinking approaches for shaping a future utilizing science fiction.  Read an actual science fiction story written by Edison himself and apply his creative method to crafting a story about the future of your business, product or service.

- Visual Explorer Excursion with Danielle Kaynor:  A picture is worth a thousand words.  During this exercise, take a real task and explore an imagery based excursion technique as an avenue to force new and unexpected connections and inspire new channels of thinking and ideas.

- Scentsational Brainstorming with Ann Hoeger: Experience and learn a unique brainstorming technique that uses the sense of smell.  Learn how to leverage scent as a tool to improve your brainstorming and develop ideas that would otherwise be left unexplored.

- Email Exhale with Jan Wencel: Have you considered what would happen if you channeled your creative vigor toward your email inbox?  Might you find ways to consistently see white space?  To retrieve an ancient email in seconds?  Exhale instead of hold your breath when you open up the application?  Take this workshop to learn some creative tips on effectively managing your inbox.

- Awakening Your Artist Within with Sheryl Kosovski:  Access your inner artist.  Here we define artist as one who is passionate about creating, about bringing the world into ordered existence, the act of making, inventing or producing something which has not existed before in your life.  Learn ways to communicate with your inner creator and have a conversation with it to discover what it wants to create.  Participants will make a visual representation of their next project.

- Speed Your Brain! with John Kennedy: Change your brain to be more focused and efficient.  Based on the latest neuroscience research, your brain will change physically almost instantaneously with the right stimuli.  Learn how you can do that in a fun group activity and take home these exercises to continue and improve on your own.  Don’t just learn how to be more innovative, change your brain to BE more innovative!

You will have an opportunity to partake in two of the 40-minute workshops. Workshop sizes will be limited to 15 participants. After the workshops, we will be hosting a special session of Bottle & Bottega from 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm. They supply the paint, canvas and hands-on instruction by Chicago artists. Even the most artistically challenged will leave the Ranch with a beautiful piece of artwork they can hang in their office or home. Check out their website here!

You can come just for the workshops, which will take place from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm or you can stay for the whole evening and make it a night. Beverages and finger foods will be provided. It’s a great chance to learn some new skills and make a few new creative friends.

Date: Monday, April 18th 2011, 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Location: Catalyst Ranch, 656 W Randolph St, Chicago

Cost: 2 Workshops – $10; 2 Workshops and Bottle & Bottega session $20.00 (includes art supplies) Light snacks and beverages will be provided.

RSVP on our Happenings Page, click here!

It’s time to create, Be innovative!

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“Creativity is not just another way for companies to succeed—it is actually a necessity. Without it, organizations may not survive.”- Josh Linkner  

Original thought, creativity, and innovation- key components that make us who we are, Catalyst Ranch. We breathe “out-of-the box” thinking!  For us and everyone who visits, these components are the currency of success in the new era of business. Friend and author, Josh Linkner helps organizations and individuals jumpstart their imagination and build creative teams.

Just released Josh Linkner’s new book Disciplined Dreaming, offers a 5-part process that will transform your organization – and your career – into a non-stop creativity juggernaut. As a four-time entrepreneur, author of two books, jazz musician and venture capitalist, Josh discusses how creativity will become the key ingredient in rebuilding our region to ensure long-term prosperity.

DISCIPLINED DREAMING presents a synthesis of techniques that Josh has used and found to be successful in business and in jazz improvisation.  These techniques produce a systematic approach to creativity—a virtual machine for idea generation—that allows companies, teams and individuals to develop, manage, and thoughtfully direct their creativity in order to become more nimble, more adept and more competitive. With DISCIPLINED DREAMING, you will learn how to:

• Break free from myths and barriers to unleash creativity
• Tap into the hidden brainpower inside yourself and your company
• Establish an ongoing system to nurture and harvest your team’s best ideas
• Avoid the costly mistakes of flawed idea selection and measurement
• Increase your ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty
• Learn how to adapt more quickly and proactively to changes in the marketplace
• Apply focused creativity to specific business problems of all sizes and shapes

The DISCIPLINED DREAMING system consists of five steps, which Josh explains in detail in the book:

• Step 1: ASK – The first step is to define the creative challenge. Identifying the problem clearly helps to focus the energy of your team and drive curiosity and awareness.
• Step 2: PREPARE – The second step is to prepare the culture, mind, and environment for optimal idea generation.
• Step 3: DISCOVER – The third step is to find inspiration and search for fruitful, surprising sources of ideas. Determining a new and unusual idea-source can catalyze the process of idea generation.
• Step 4: IGNITE – The fourth step is to generate ideas. Here is where we can ignite our creativity and, using powerful new proven techniques, enjoy more and better ideas.
• Step 5: LAUNCH – The fifth step asks the reader to step back and use a framework to evaluate new ideas and put the best ones into action.

Josh has also conducted more than two hundred personal interviews with CEO’s, billionaires, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, educators, and non-profit leaders, asking them how they generate ideas, manage the creative process, nurture creative cultures, and build their own creative abilities. Their collective experience has been synthesized and incorporated into the five steps.  At the heart of the book are dozens of fun techniques that can be adopted by the reader and put to use immediately.

The DISCIPLINED DREAMING process works for all types and sizes of organizations, from Fortune 100 multinationals to startups to non-profits and governmental agencies. It can be applied to all types of creative challenges, from startling, disruptive, breakthrough innovations to incremental advances and small improvements. The methodology is simple and backed by proven results.

Check out Josh’s Blog and more info about the book here!

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This past weekend we hosted the 2011 EventCamp National Conference which provided opportunities for attendees to Meet Mingle and Media. It was a chance to be part of a community where like-minded event professionals could embrace technology and experiment with doing things differently.

Proving that people can come together and share thoughts and ideas reaching far beyond the limitations set by geography, finances, and time; ECNC connected the virtual world to the attendees during the two day session. Remote followers were able to live-stream the different sessions via the EventCamp website while tweeting in suggestions that were predominately displayed on a screen live.

On Sunday morning, Scott Klososky spoke via Skype. 
Photo: BizBash

EventCamp provided a wealth of information on ideas and hard data that continuously keeps the industry moving forward. Speakers presented a feast of strategies for engaging virtual audiences and extending the dialogue.

BizBash has a great write up from the event: EventCamp Discussion Focuses on New Technology, Engagement Techniques check out the story here.

“With an opening night cocktail party followed by two days of educational sessions, the conference let planners explore the ways technology and other new engagement tools are adding value to events—and have potential to add even more. A main theme was that while existing social media help broaden an event’s reach, future developments should focus on making events more valuable to live attendees, virtual participants, and sponsors.”

Another great re-cap from the event titled EventCamp Must Keep Evolving by Mitchell Beer can be found here.

“What all the EventCamp communities share is an understanding that traditional meeting design has to become more versatile and varied. National and regional EventCamp organizers can apply that principle to their own on-site formats more effectively by placing any tool or format in its most useful strategic context. A clear-eyed quest for solutions that work, grounded in audience needs and strategic objectives, would deliver value to the industry and well-earned praise to EventCamp organizers.”

Social media crosses all boundaries of age, gender and experience. Continue the conversation on Twitter. #ecnc

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In a recent interview with Sound n’ Sight, Mike McCurry had a lot of exciting things to say about the upcoming event this weekend at Catalyst Ranch. Mike and the rest of the founders of EventCamp are looking forward to another great event where like-minded professionals will share tips and learn new strategies for enhancing event experiences through social media and technology.

Check out the original interview with Mike McCurry in the Sound ‘n Sight article for EventCamp HERE!

Just days away, Feb. 11-13, EventCamp National Conference (ECNC) promises to be an exciting amalgamation of social media experts, events industry thought leaders, crowd sourced content and lively engagement.

It will be the second such conference organized by EventCamp founders Christina Coster, Jessica Levin, Mike McAllen, Jeff Hurt and Mike McCurry.  But it will be the fourth EventCamp ever held. 

The first EventCamp, held last February in New York City, was so well received that the founding group decided to invite others to create their own EventCamps, offering guidelines and inclusion on the EventCamp website schedule. Since then, two independent EventCamps have taken place: Event Camp Twin Cities, organized by Samuel J. Smith and Ray Hansen and held last September in Minneapolis; and EventCamp East Coast, organized by Traci Browne, Adrian Segar and Lindsey Rosenthal last November in Philadelphia. Each of the independent EventCamps have had a unique style, but complemented the original event.

The founders, who originally met on the Twitter hashtag community for events professionals called #eventprofs, wanted to create an affordable conference that would, according to the ECNC website, “bring together like-minded professionals to share best practices, and learn new strategies for leveraging social media and technology to create enhanced event experiences.”

EventCamp founder and ECNC organizer Mike McCurry recently agreed to answer a few questions about the upcoming conference.

Jenise: Please tell us a little bit about this year’s Event Camp National Conference and how it’s going to be different from the first Event Camp.

Mike: First and foremost, the education content of the 2011 event has been expanded from one day to one and a half days, per attendee feedback from the 2010 event.

The mission of EventCamp, initially, was to bring an online community together (#eventprofs) to take the relationship we had already developed through Twitter to a face to face level.  We accomplished that in 2010.  However along the way the EventCamp community evolved, since then, into a new, similar but distinct community, that embraces event professionals outside of the Twitter space, as well as inside it. 

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As part of the event experience, we encourage folks to experiment and try new things with conference design, technology, social media and education delivery – Mike McCurry

________________________________________________________________________________

As part of the event experience, we encourage  folks to experiment and try new things with conference design, technology, social media and education delivery.  It has also been about engaging our community and getting  them involved in the conversation throughout the process. 

We have secured some prominent presenters, who have a passion for technology, innovation, social media and engaging their audiences.  We also crowdsourced  a portion of the 2011 education sessions, getting EventCampers involved in the design of the education content.  To follow up the general sessions that will be provided, we added a “continue the conversation” element which will immediately follow them and will allow EventCamp participants to discuss with their peers, how to apply what they have learned in those sessions, to apply to their individual business environments.

On the social side, in New York, we had no planned evening activities, yet a good portion of us hung out together on both Friday and Saturday evening.  In Chicago, we will be hosting social events both on Fridat and Saturday night to encourage extended networking amongst the EventCamp participants.  I think that will be fun!

Lastly, for 2011 we are upgrading the quality of the venues, both for the meetings and the hotel experience.  For our remote participants, we are also taking a more prudent approach to the delivery of technology for the event.  It is no secret that at the Roger Smith Hotel, there were technology challenges.  I think there will be a noticeable difference in the online experience for 2011.

Mike: Both the ECTC and ECEC events embraced the spirit of EventCamps in their own unique ways.  ECTC took the technology to another level.  They really did a great job of learning from our tech mistakes in NYC and expanded on some of the things we did there to bring even greater value to the event.  It was very impressive.

The ECEC team took a much different, more intimate and private approach to their event, which for those that attended it f2f, it was, what I understand a wonderful experience.  Since the EventCamp community was born online, it was difficult, for those of us not able to attend ECEC f2f to relate to the event, since there was no realtime online access provided to the event.  Nevertheless, the event was very successful, for those who attended, and I applaud the ECEC team for stepping outside the box and doing things differently.

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Catalyst Ranch is an amazing venue. Their philosophy at this facility is to provide an event experience for meeting attendees that promotes creativity, collaboration and networking – Mike McCurry

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Mike: Catalyst Ranch is an amazing venue.  Their philosophy at this facility is to provide an event experience for meeting attendees that promotes creativity, collaboration and networking. 

The décor is “retro” and almost has a “hippie” feel to it, with the vast array of colors in the décor and furniture.  There are all kinds of nooks and crannies for ppl to have conversations, chill out together, and the food is amazing, as well as the service.  I know they are very excited to be our venue, and I firmly believe attendees will love the environment.

Mike: Yes, it is true that Chris Brogan will be our opening keynote speaker.  Chris is a great guy, and over the past year he has connected with all of us on the planning team (Jeff, Christina, Mike, Jessica and myself) at some level.  My understanding is that while we were all in Las Vegas, a conversation took place, ( I was not there) with members of our team, where he agreed to speak at EventCamp. We are really excited about that!

Chris is one of those people, that is passionate about making connections, embraces technology, and being personable with people.  He has a tremendous sense of humor, and he really is a pioneer in the use of social media for business and events.  His message is believable, personable, and humorous.  There is no B.S when you chat with him… he says it like it is. 

I think people will enjoy his message, and the personable way in which it is delivered.

Mike: Jenise, this event is as much about what participants will provide to the experience, as it is the presenters.  Our goal is to stimulate conversation, learn from one another, and walk away from the experience with new friends and business ideas we can use in our own individual business environment.  We hope attendees will walk away from the experience feeling that way.  I know we did, in NYC last year, and look forward to more of the same.

Jenise: What is the cost?

Mike: The cost to attend the two-day event is $149.00.  To register, please click on the following link:  http://ecnc2011.eventbrite.com/

For more information folks can visit the ECNC website, which is located at http://www.eventcamp.org/national-conference/about-2011-ecnc/

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I-Challenge, an ideas incubator for Jewish education, was just recently here at the Catalyst Ranch. More than 100 Jewish educators from all over the Chicago area participated in engaging creative exercises to break free from status quo thinking in search of the next big idea in Jewish education.

JUF News has a great write-up of the event, to view the original article click here.

More than 115 local Jewish educators take the ‘iChallenge’

By Diana McCloy

More than 115 Jewish educators from many walks of life – from museums and synagogues to Jewish day schools and organic farms – gathered recently at the Catalyst Ranch in the West Loop to dream up new and creative ways of inspiring today’s young people.

“It was a fresh, energizing charge,” said Lori Stark, director of the Ramah Day Camp who found the stimulating conversations at the “iChallenge” event on Jan. 19 essential for Jewish educators. “To get all those people with different experiences and backgrounds into one room was an exciting endeavor. I’ve not had that opportunity to brainstorm with such a variety of people like that before.”

Sponsored by The iCenter, the “iChallenge” event was an ideas incubator for Chicagoland educators who work with children ages pre-K to grade 8. Discussions were led by Dr. David Bryfman of the Jewish Education Project in New York City and Adam Shames of the Chicago-based Kreativity Network, who used exercises to draw out creative energies so participants could listen and build on ideas together.

What transpired was a free-flow of discussion among parents, Jewish community leaders, Hebrew teachers, Northwestern University students, Jewish overnight camp heads, and even the head of a youth museum program, “Mummies and Masterpieces.” Designed to support ground-breaking projects and experiments in Jewish education, the architects of these ideas will receive professional enrichment and up to $30,000 in financial support for their project.

“It’s something Jewish education needs to do to keep up with the times and with this generation,” Stark said. “You want to be at the top of the IPod playlist – so to speak – and the event really pushed us to rethink how to reach this generation…. You walked out of there with your wheels turning. They gave you inspiration and encouragement.”

In small groups, participants grappled with issues such as:

• Engaging Jewish youth so that they feel they are full members of the community
• Tapping into Jewish youth’s creativity and energy to ensure a vibrant Jewish future
• Increasing participation so students become lifelong active Jews
• Empowering kids with Jewish knowledge in order to understand they are part of something bigger
• Inspiring kids to be passionate about being Jewish and being part of the Jewish community
• Making Jewish involvement including education more affordable
• Attracting the best professionals to Jewish education
• Opening the door to real Hebrew fluency
• Igniting the Jewish soul to action

“The iChallenge was an experiment in the power of bringing together diverse voices, ideas and experiences,” explained Anne Lanski, The iCenter’s Executive Director. The Chicago, Ill.-based national nonprofit is working to create and promote meaningful and inspiring models for Jewish education that center around Israel as a country with a rich cultural history and homeland for the Jewish people.

“At one point, Adam Shames had people stand if they knew more than 50 people in the room and only two people stood up. We hope this event sparks a new era of creative vision and collaboration among talented individuals, educators and institutions,” Lanski said.

“I left the amazing event inspired to come up with something that’s out of the box and truly a departure from the old standards,” said Deborah Harris, Technology Coordinator of the Sager Solomon Schechter Middle School in Northbrook, Ill.

”After speaking to other educators, I realized that I wanted to develop something that gets kids out of the building and into the community,” Harris said. “As a technology person, I want to use the technology as a tool, but it’s not the focus. For instance, my students learn wonderful skills in school: digital photo editing, movie making and audio recording. How can we use that to help them tell their stories and the stories of others? I also came away with a strong commitment to authentic student engagement. Whatever project I pursue has to turn the kids on.”

Andrea Hoffman, associate vice president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman International Center Hillel: the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also found the event a great opportunity to network in ways that just don’t happen that often. “It was really a pleasure to think about projects in a way that could contribute to the success of others and not only be focused on how the day could benefit my own work,” she said.

Natalie Blitt, the iCenter’s Ideas Incubator Director, was inspired by the excitement that overtook the room. “Here you have this group of fantastic educators, innovative thinkers and invested parents and they left their institutional identity at the door and came together. The level of collaboration was really phenomenal. We look forward to seeing the implementation of the fabulous ideas that come out of the conversations held at the Catalyst Ranch.”

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I would like to share an inspirational piece with all of you written by productivity expert Jan Wencel. She suggests that instead of striving for balance in our lives, we should work to achieve harmony. Check out her companion video to this piece here!

Work/Life Alignment

So many of us are trying to create work/life balance. But when you picture someone balancing in your mind, you are reminded how difficult balance is. How you must strain to hold steady. How you nearly topple over to maintain a grip on it all. How you might even fall completely out of place in an effort to hold onto everything.

What happens when we change our thinking. Where instead of reaching for balance, we’re striving for harmony?

A manifestation of harmony where personal and professional blend. Where magnificent solos, professional and personal, break the piece into parts. Where there are short segments and longer ones. And there are quiet places and loud ones. And provided no loud solo goes on for too long, it comes together as beautiful music.

What can you do this month to change…to grow toward greater life alignment? Do you simply need to think of it differently, or do you need to put a stop to the drum solo that’s been going on for far too long?

May you find a path of continuous improvement to live out a work/life score you enjoy.

Life Contained founder, Jan Wencel, is a workplace productivity trainer. Companies hire her to teach their employees healthy habits to get work contained and on track so life can happen. Reach Jan at 630-803-6650, jan@lifecontained.com or at www.lifecontained.com

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Life’s a journey. Enjoy the journey.

“Travel is a means of getting somewhere in order to do something.  It is a necessity; it’s usually something that we do because we have to, not because we want to. Sometimes we wish we could click our fingers and instantly arrive at our destination. We tend not to like travelling because it’s uncomfortable, there’s not much space, not enough leg room, we spend our time stuck in traffic or on a broken down train… and we are completely powerless to do anything about it. The design principles of Shweeb aim to put you, the traveler, back in control of your own space, time and power.”- Shweeb

Shweeb is an innovative integration of two existing technologies – the monorail and the recumbent bicycle. The goal is simple, provide an urban transportation system that elevates the rider above the bustle of the city, providing a clean, fast commute.

Shweeb is an innovative form of alternative transportation that places people in plastic tubes so that they can cycle to their destination whilst hung upside down from a rail. It may sound crazy, uncomfortable and tiring, but Google believes that it could transform the way we get around cities — as such, they have invested $1.05 million.

 Google’s interest came about thanks to their Project 10¹⁰⁰, an initiative that seeks to find solutions that make the world a better place. Shweeb was named one of the top five as voted on by the public, claiming top honors in the “Drive innovation in public transport” category.

As the Shweeb system is ‘user-powered’ it immediately gets sustainability points, but the system has also been praised for its speed. The original prototype was built as a ride in an amusement park in New Zealand, where pod pedalers race each other on a side-by-side track for a fee of $35.  There, users are suspended from the track in transparent pods and can ‘cycle’ around the landscape at speeds of up to 45km/h.

Shweeb cycles are equipped with seven gears and, according to the operators, the reclining position is necessary for both comfort and reducing drag. The system has been a big hit with tourists, and Google reckons it could find equal satisfaction from the commuting population of some of the world’s cities.

The idea was conceived by Melbourne cyclist Geoff Barnett while he was living in Tokyo. After six years researching his dream, he set up a test bed in Rotura and launched the system in 2007. Since then, more than 30,000 people have ridden the Shweeb system, and the current speed record is 55 seconds for a 600m ride.

Shweeb managing director Peter Cossey said the company would spend the $1.05 million on research and development to build a showcase transit system in the northern hemisphere: “The northern hemisphere became the natural choicefor us due to the sheer number of people that require transport and also the opportunity to achieve a higher global profile for the future growth of the company,” Mr Cossey said.

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