Bubble Wrap

Have you ever had what you thought was a really great idea turn out to be not so great after all? Now imagine someone else picking up your discarded idea and proving it actually was quite brilliant after all. 

 

This is what happened to Al Fielding and Marc Chavannes back in 1957.

 

These two gentlemen were working on an aesthetic problem. They wanted to create a textured wallpaper to create an interesting effect in a room. Their solution? Take two shower curtains and put them together, so that pockets of air would be trapped between them. This sheet of plastic could be put up on the walls to make for unique and charming décor.

 

The world didn’t exactly come flocking to their door. 

 

Undaunted they tried again. Same product: different marketing approaches. Maybe this unique bubbled plastic could be used to insulate greenhouses.

 

Not really. It sort of worked but was not something every greenhouse owner couldn’t live without. 

 

It took two years for someone to figure out what to do with the product. Frederick W. Bowers, who worked for the company which made the sheets of plastic with air pockets, realized they would be perfect for the transport of computer equipment for a company which had a sudden need for this kind of product – IBM. The material, now called ‘Bubble Wrap,’ was absolutely perfect for the job. The rest, shall we say, is history.

 

Bubble Wrap is one of those products that seemed to come along by accident. As a wallpaper, it wasn’t a great idea. (Just imagine your kids going around the house and poking the bubbles to pop them?). On the other hand, someone who was willing to think outside the box, or more accurately, think creatively about what to put IN a box, was able to come up with a use for the product no one else would have ever considered.

 

Thankfully, the creators of Bubble Wrap hadn’t given up on the product. They knew they had something interesting, they just didn’t know what to use it for. Sometimes you must experiment with your ideas to discover what you really have. Sometimes you have to think more creatively about what you have at hand.

 

The point is not to give up. Failure should never be anything more than a marker to tell you it’s time to attack the problem from a different angle. Learn from the mistake, then move on. Imagine what you’ll come up with when you do!

 

Milton Hershey

Chocolate. So good. So tasty. Who knew a candy bar could lead to a success story?

 

Hershey chocolate has become a staple in just about everyone’s diet. Whether you are a person who loves the straight-up Hershey bar or are more of a Kit Kat or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup sort of person, there’s something for every chocolate lover. We can’t imagine life without chocolate, although only 150 years ago, only the rich could enjoy the delicious confection.

 

Chocolate had been around for centuries, but candy was something made by hand, taking a lot of time and effort to create. Thankfully some people saw it didn’t have to be that way. 

 

Meet Milton Hershey.

 

Hershey was the sort of guy who loved dessert. He also had a knack for sniffing out business opportunities. Unfortunately, most of his ideas didn’t work out very well. In fact, if it hadn’t been for relatives loaning him the money and a good bit of luck, his caramel business would have died out in the 1880s. Hershey, though, was one to keep an eye out for opportunity. He found it in 1893. 

 

Hershey noticed few were paying attention to a contraption at World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A German chocolatier had a machine which could produce chocolate much more simply, with a lot less work. Although his field wasn’t chocolate, but caramel, he knew a good idea when he saw one. He purchased the machine to adapt to his own work, thinking chocolate-covered caramels might be a good idea.

 

This didn’t exactly work out as planned. What did, though, was making chocolate bars. These candy bars took the world by storm. So much so, Hershey was approached in 1937 to come up with a bar that wouldn’t melt easily but could have added nutrition to send with soldiers overseas as a supplement to their diet. During WWII, he was making 24 million bars a week for the military!

 

After the war, Hershey’s success was secured. He branched out into other kinds of chocolate bars, continually trying new things and expanding production until it became the successful company we know today.

 

Hershey might have been a failure initially, but he had a lot of drive and determination. What didn’t work, he left behind, pursuing quickly what did. When he was approached to try something new, he immediately rose to the challenge, asking, ‘how can I do this’ instead of focusing on ‘I’ve never done this before.’

 

To succeed in today’s world, show yourself to be persistent like Hershey. Never turn your back on a lucky break. Most of all, don’t forget to embrace the sweet things in life. You’ll be amazed where they can take you!

 

This Former Coffee-Hawker Says You're Not Thinking Big Enough

When Michelle Gass ran Starbucks, she helped the company move into 33 countries. When she first joined the coffee-based firm, she was asked to get behind a new drink. Starbucks had just launched the Frappucino, and Gass was ordered to develop a growth strategy to make the drink popular.

 

What began as a side item now earns Starbucks more than $2 billion annually. That's the income from just one drink. To say that Gass' efforts worked out is obvious.

 

She had long ago come up with a belief about how to approach achievement. It can help with personal and career goals. Men and women of all ages and levels of education and success can use the same idea. It’s powerful in its simplicity.

 

What was the approach she took that created such a winner for Starbucks? It's one she's used successfully in her career working with many Fortune 500 companies. She says her mantra is ...

 

"Let's think of how big this can be."

 

She's a firm believer in thinking big. A lot of leaders will tell you this. If you're going to dream, why not dream big? It doesn't make any sense to think small when thinking big doesn't take any more effort.

 

It’s up to you, really. If you have a task or responsibility, shoot for the moon. You get to choose what you strive for in life. Aiming for big results can make your world better for you and everyone you care for. Accomplishing great things feels so rewarding. You might even surprise yourself with what you’re able to accomplish.

 

To start seeing the world as incredibly abundant. Don't think of lack or just enough to get by. Think much bigger and envision big change rather than small, insignificant change. Imagine big things in your life. What you consciously tell your subconscious ends up as action. Your subconscious drives your actions, and your actions are what create the reality in your life.

 

Gass knows this. When Starbucks purchased Seattle's Best Coffee, she employed her "think bigger" mantra. In just a single year, she took Seattle's Best from 3,000 distribution points to over 50,000. That's what happens when you think big.

 

If you want big things in your life, you've got to think big. Dare to think bigger than you could possibly imagine. Even if you come up short, you will have achieved so much.

 

5 Secrets to Living an Intense Life

Think of the most successful people you know. Some of the big names who have made it in their field, whether it’s politics, business or even Hollywood. The thing that has fueled their success is intensity. A complete focus on their commitment, their goal. Even at times, a perfectionism. 

 

So how can you harness that same intensity to improve your life? Here are some expert tips for living an intense life. 

 

1. Find Your Thing

 

Whatever your Thing is, it must be something you believe in with your whole heart. You can’t be intense about a product or goal you don’t believe in. So dive deep and see what really matters to you. Chances are it’s not just making money or having a secure job, it’s something that really speaks to your heart. 

 

2. Be Passionate About It

 

To live intensely means to throw yourself into your Thing, heart, and soul. Live it, breathe it, do the best you can and then some.

 

3. Be Focused

 

No matter how intensely you believe in and work on your Thing, there are still only twenty-four hours in a day, and you still have only a certain amount of energy. You’re not superhuman, so make sure you don’t spread your resources too thin or get distracted. Stay focused on what you really want. And that means learning to say no sometimes, even to opportunities that seem irresistible. 

 

4. Stay in the Real World

 

Intensity needs to stay side by side with realism, or you risk getting derailed. Learn to live with good enough sometimes, and to adapt to changing circumstances.  A clever person learns to be flexible as well as passionate. Intensity can be single-minded, but it doesn’t mean being pig-headed.

 

5. Stay Balanced

 

The goal of work/life balance has become commonplace, but if you’re living intensely, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s essential. And self-care and relationships are just as important as your goal. There is such a thing as being too intense. 

 

Plenty of entrepreneurs have gotten so focused on their project that their relationships suffer. Being too intense can mean that you hurt people, and can even burn some pretty important bridges. 

 

You can live an intense life and achieve what you want out of life while still living a full, rounded life. Stay connected with people and reality, and you can make sure that there’s room for happiness and fulfillment too. 

Stuck for ideas? Here are Some Ideas to Unstick You!

Take a Shower 

 

You may laugh - but most entrepreneurs find that taking a shower (or running) help them come up with new ideas. 

 

When we focus intently on a task at hand we tend to see only one part of the big, sprawling picture in front of us. It's when we get away from the chore of idea generation, that our brains start to work with associations. 

 

You may find that when you run or cycle, you begin to see common ground. It happens all the time that you see bloggers who write posts such as "10 things marketing departments need to learn from triathletes" or "How to do business like Richard Branson by thinking like Arnold Schwarzenegger". 

 

These ideas come from associations we have - but then the shower afterwards engulfs us in a field of negative ions. The pleasurable response to these ions injects dopamine into our systems, and dopamine, combined with a positive state of mind helps encourage the flow of positive ideas. 

 

Mentally Model Yourself After Someone Else 

 

Ever hear the expression "What would MacGyver do if he were here now?" It's mentally associating yourself with someone who you believe would have the answer. It doubles your creative workload, because it also breaks down barriers that you might otherwise believe existed to prevent you from finding the right solution. 

 

If, in the TV program, MacGyver could use a matchstick to escape jail, then if you think like him, you should at least be able to find a way to get out of your locked bathroom without resorting to the embarrassment of shouting out the window to your next door neighbour. 

 

Get Out of the House 

 

Another reason running and travel work so well to stimulate ideas is that by getting out of the house we move and take in more oxygen. Increased oxygen helps boost brain function, and a change of setting helps the brain start react in different ways to wards different stimuli. 

 

Accept Your Bad Ideas 

 

Yes, there's a dark side to this super power of awesome ideas. It's the really stupid, impulsive ideas that come with them. 

 

In reality, there are no really stupid ideas. There is only the stupidity of acting on bad ideas without giving them enough forethought. Don't get down on yourself for having a bad idea - it's all part of the process. Just accept that - after examining the idea - it was a bad one. Ditch it and move on. 

Age is Just a Number: Shattering Stereotypes and Embracing Life's Full Potential

There's a phrase whispered like a mantra throughout our lives: "Age is just a number." But how often do we genuinely internalize its meaning? We watch time march on, counting birthdays like milestones on a dusty road, often associating them with limitations and decline.

 

But what if age, that seemingly linear progression, is instead a mosaic? A vibrant collage of experiences, wisdom, and potential, far richer and more dynamic than a single number can represent.

 

In truth, the statistics paint a compelling picture. Forget the image of the forgetful grandparent struggling with technology. Consider Johannes Mallow, the 48-year-old world memory champion, or the countless older adults mastering new languages with impressive fluency. Studies even show our brains retain their remarkable plasticity, the ability to adapt and form new connections, throughout our lifespan.

 

Our physical ability, too, can defy expectations. Marathon legends like Fauja Singh, who tackled the London Marathon at 100, are testaments to the human spirit's enduring strength. And Ernestine Shepherd, who became the world's oldest competitive bodybuilder at 86, proves that physical peak performance can blossom even in life's later chapters.

 

The world of innovation and achievement follows suit. While we often glorify youthful entrepreneurship, the average age of successful startup founders sits closer to 40 than 25. Experience, it seems, trumps youthful energy when building high-impact companies. And let's not forget the late Bloomers, individuals who find their creative voice or professional calling later in life. Helen Frankenthaler, who redefined abstract expressionism at 50, is a powerful example.

 

Even happiness, that elusive butterfly, seems to take flight with age. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that people over 85 reported higher levels of life satisfaction than their younger counterparts. Perhaps wisdom's gentle hand helps us understand what truly matters and appreciate the richness of each passing moment.

 

But these statistics are merely stepping stones to embracing the "Age is Just a Number" philosophy. It's about dismantling the ageist narratives that infiltrate our society, from hiring practices based on arbitrary dates to the limiting expectations we place on ourselves and others.

 

It's about recognizing that a 25-year-old can be a seasoned artist, a 60-year-old can still be an agile athlete, and an 80-year-old a tech-savvy entrepreneur. It's about understanding that potential knows no age, and limitations are often self-imposed.

 

So, how do we genuinely internalize this transformative message? It starts with a shift in perspective. Let's view age as a spectrum, not a rigid ladder. Let's celebrate the wisdom gained with each passing year while nurturing the curiosity and spirit of adventure within us all. Let's champion lifelong learning, embrace new challenges, and redefine what it means to "age gracefully."

 

Most importantly, let's replace the tired figure of decline with the vibrant narrative of continuous growth, boundless potential, and a life that explodes in color and possibility, regardless of the number on the calendar.

 

Because, my friends, age is just a number. It's time we started living like it.

 

4 Simple Ways to Avoid Procrastination When You Work from Home

Working from home is every office worker’s dream, right? But how do you stay on track and not get caught up in those endless procrastination loops? When you don’t have to go into the office, it’s easy to get distracted by all the comforts and demands of home life. Whether it’s a sudden urge to do housework or the immediate need for snacks, before you know it, you’ve frittered away a couple of hours and not got any paid work done. 

So how can you take back control and avoid procrastination when you’re working at home? 

 

1. Make an Office Space

 

Part of your procrastination problem is that your home is a relaxation space. When you’re in an office, everything is geared towards work and getting the job done. Home is about chillaxing, housework, familial responsibilities. You need to carve out some space that is just for your work. A separate home office is a perfect solution, but having a proper desk setup also works. Set yourself up with a water bottle and a bowl of fruit for healthy snacking and to stop those regular trips to the kitchen!

 

2. Learn to Prioritize

 

Be professional in organizing your time. Use a planner or a diary for deadlines and allot time in your day for particular tasks. If you’re a morning person, get your demanding or thought-heavy tasks done in the first half of the day. Conversely, night owls can choose to work late or use morning time to sort emails or do admin. Make a daily task list and check things off as you achieve them. That last achievement will feel like a slam-dunk!

 

3. Stay Motivated

 

Research has shown that lack of motivation is a crucial driver of procrastination. If your motivation is low, there’s little reason to get on with your work. 

 

If you find it hard to stay focused on your work, consider using rewards to boost your motivation. It can be as simple as choosing to do a work task before you check social media or have a movie night to celebrate hitting a milestone. If you’re struggling, try reframing each piece of work as money in your pocket.

 

4. Use Apps

 

Technology can be your friend in defeating procrastination. You can choose from several apps that will freeze distracting social media while you work. You can also choose to have a separate browser that is only used for work. Time tracking apps will help you see what you’re achieving, and as they generate reports, it will also help when it comes time for billing clients. 

6 Changes to Your Schedule to Help You Manage Your Time Like a Pro

You’ve learned some tricks on how to manage your time, whether you’ve learned from a boss, a friend, or on your own. Yet putting those tricks into action is a different story. You have to learn how to make a schedule for yourself, which sounds about as daunting as being your own boss. Take out your self-starter hat and get ready to learn how to manage your time all on your own with these six hacks!

 

1. Leave Wiggle Room Between your Time Blocks

 

Friends, meet buffer-time. No one should have a fully stacked calendar with no time in between for a break. Block out buffer-time on your calendar in between meetings and tasks. Your future self will thank you when your days are more productive, and the hours are less exhausting. 

 

2. Organize Yourself

 

This is a big life change for some people because organization habits don’t always come easily. At first, it may feel like you are spending extra time trying to stay organized, but the payoff is worth it. Here’s a staggering statistic: On average, Americans waste about 2.5 days a year looking for misplaced objects. Don’t be part of that statistic! Find a place for your belongings and always put them back where they belong. This goes for computer files too! Create a simple filing system and save new documents to the correct location. 

 

3. Make Use of the 80-20 Rule

 

Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? Otherwise known as the 80-20 rule, this principle says that you can get 80% of the work done in 20% of the time. Similarly, 80% of the results come from 20% of the actions. It can be applied to many things in life, so it’s a great concept to apply to your usage of time. Get in the habit of noticing what tasks get the most results. Spend more time on those actions and cut out some of the responsibilities that take up time but don’t produce the outcomes you are looking for.

 

4. Stop Waiting

 

Every once and a while, you’ll inevitably have to wait for something: at the grocery store, in the doctor’s office, in traffic. Instead of actually waiting, or deferring to your phone for entertainment, do something productive with your time. Listen to a podcast you’ve been dying to try out, read a book on an interesting topic, or write in your journal. Turn waiting time into productive time.

 

5. Organize Your Tasks in Blocks

 

Batch all your similar tasks together. For example, don’t check your email every time someone pings you. If it’s urgent, go right ahead, but otherwise, set a time block every two hours or so to plow through all your emails at one time. This keeps you focused, which is a more efficient way to work. 

 

6. Try to Do Less

 

This may sound like a slacker approach, but it’s not. Believe it or not – we take on way more than we need to, meaning we take on more than is beneficial to our work. If you find yourself planning parties, chatting with your coworkers, and dabbling in another department’s workload, you may have spread yourself to thin. By doing that, you’re not helping yourself or your peers. In the end, you could wind up letting down people because you overpromise and under-deliver. 

 

5 Simple, Yet Effective Time Management Tasks You Should Start Using Today

Are you trying to become an expert time manager? Have you noticed you don’t spend your time well throughout the day? We could keep going with these questions all day, but that would be a waste of time, right? We’re going to jump into five simple, yet effective time management tasks you should incorporate into your daily life. 

 

1. Track your Time

 

If someone asked you how long you spend reading emails every day, what would you say? What about your lunch break? Chances are, you don’t really know how long you spend on certain time blocks of the day. Start tracking your time and learn how to make changes so you can maximize it. 

 

2. Set up Time Blocks

 

When you have a certain set of tasks to do every day, set up time blocks for yourself. Give yourself 2 hours to do one thing and then 1 hour for another. It becomes a competition against yourself because you’ll be rushing to beat the clock, competing against yourself.

 

3. Plan it out

 

Morning person or a night owl, it doesn’t matter. Use the beginning and the end of your day to make a plan and try your best to stick to it. Before you leave work at night, write a list of important tasks to get done the next day. In the morning, prioritize your list and review the items. Then, get to work!

 

4. Get it out of the Way 

 

Eat that frog – Mark Twain said it himself. Pick the most important, and most dreaded, tasks first, and knock them out first thing in the morning. It’s such a relief once you finish them, and then the rest of your day is devoted to tasks that you care more about and find more challenging. 

 

5. Delegate When You Can

 

If you have a task on your plate that a subordinate could do (maybe even better than you could), delegate it to them. Some people worry that this is a bad work ethic, but it’s part of company culture. You’re all on the same team, so it’s a matter of asking for help rather than being lazy. Understand what your point of genius is and use your time for those important tasks while handing off things that you aren’t great at or that are below your paygrade. 

 

We kept it simple with these tasks. Time management is an art worth perfecting, and you’ll get there. Check-in with yourself (and the clock), and make sure you’re really optimizing the hours you get in the day. And if you don’t, fear not! There’s always tomorrow. It’s a constant work in progress, so do your best, and the rest will fall in place. 

 

7 Tips for Creating a Simple Morning Routine at Work

When you want to create a better day for yourself, you need to start out where you begin. This means having a morning routine at work as well as at home.

 

Think about this for a moment. A morning routine at home will set you up for success by getting you out of bed and ready to transition into wakefulness. 

 

Likewise, a morning routine at work can get you settled into a mindset of getting work done and ready to face the work world. Think of it as a series of steps designed to transition you into productivity.

 

How can you do this?

 

Start with How You Get There

 

Don't arrive stressed out at the very last second. To set yourself up for success, it's important to arrive with time to spare after a relaxing commute. Strategize to make this happen by allowing enough time to get where you need to go. Also, consider your route. Heavy traffic or construction is always more stressful in the long run, so you might want to adapt your route to a quieter one to reduce unwanted stress.

 

Schedule Check

 

What do you have going on today? What work is expected from you by what time? Get a mental picture of the day by noting what needs to happen when.

 

Set-Up

 

What needs to happen so you can get your work done? Are you lacking supplies or resources? Are there things you might need to delegate? Taking a few minutes to track down these items will help the rest of your day run more smoothly.

 

Habit Check

 

What detractors are already pulling at you, trying to derail your day? If you're someone who checks your phone often or can get caught up socializing with coworkers, think about how you can limit these activities as part of your routine. For example, you might want to schedule email checks at certain times or limit socialization to break times.

 

Make a List

 

Jotting down the 3-to 4 big items you want to get done today will help give you a clearer view of what needs doing and set up your goals.

 

Get Comfortable

 

Before you buckle down to work, do you need coffee? A Bathroom break? Do these things now, so you don't have to break concentration later. Also, take a minute to stretch if you haven't yet.

 

Begin

 

Time to get going. Take the first item on your list and dive in, concentrating fully on what you’re doing.

 

Of course, adapt your routine to fit whatever you need to get started for the day. The key here is to be intentional in your actions, shift your mindset, and set yourself up for success. Do only what works for you.