Month: August 2017

  • Is risk exciting for others but not for you?

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    This morning I was reading through the About page of my friend Justin Blackman over at http://prettyflycopy.com/ where I was reminded of a wonderful poem by Shel Silverstein.   Hippo’s Hope –a poem by Shel Silverstein There once was a hippo who wanted to fly — Fly-hi-dee, try-hi-dee, my-hi-dee-ho. So he sewed him some wings that could…

  • When your conversation needs an outboard brain

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    With each day that passes and with each new advancement in technology, our brains are freed up from carrying around facts like phone numbers, addresses, and birthdates. We are now able to retrieve information almost instantly from anywhere and then backup new data in the cloud where a hungry washing machine or a cup of…

  • Accepting the Inconvenient

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    About a month ago, I went out to my car to drive downtown for a talk I was giving. My car was parked on the street and as it came into view I noticed that a large portion of my front bumper was missing. The passenger door was caved in and there were long red…

  • September Daily Blogging Challenge

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    I have only been a part of a daily blogging challenge since the beginning of August 2017, but already I see great value and results in my life from participating. 1.) The daily deadline has pushed me to the edges of my creative flow and formed it into a consistently achievable and sustainable state of…

  • Interpreting Silence

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    It is 8:00 AM and you open up your laptop to check your email. There is still no response from your friend who you wrote two days ago. That’s strange, you think.  This friend always replies back right away. This is when you start to think that maybe something is wrong. Is everything ok? Has there been…

  • My FIVE biggest fears

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    As humans, we often come equipped with a handful of paralyzing fears, many of which seem to contradict our personalities, interests or occupations. Today I have put together my FIVE biggest fears in hopes that they might make others realize they are in good company when it comes to irrational phobias. The stories below are…

  • The Improvisational Parent

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    I spend my days as an evangelist of the “Yes, and” mindset. Working with leaders and collaborators, I help them to understand with respectful engagement and a non-judgemental environment can do to improve their culture and consequently boost their profits. I spend my evenings attempting to do the same with my five-year-old son Elijah. Maintaining a…

  • Just. Spend. The. Dollar.

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    The year was 1987. I stood at my dad’s bedroom door begging him to take me and my Ziploc bag filled with quarters to the arcade so that I could take another stab at playing Mrs. Pacman or Galaga. Sometimes you would wait patiently behind another person who had a stack of quarters balanced between…

  • FIVE ways to craft a safe collaborative space

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    At the beginning of my career I was asked to join a group tasked with brainstorming, strategizing and implementing a new campaign for a major brand. I was young at the time but I was known for high intuition and clarity in my ideas. As we began the first session, the facilitator started by simply…

  • Move these FIVE books to the top of your reading list

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    by

    Jim Karwisch
    in

    If you are like me, you have a stack of books that you have been either meaning to read or working your way through over time. It always seems like there are more books coming out and the stack grows with every purchase. Below I list five books that you should pull from their place…