I am consistently surprised and delighted by the range of metaphors that appear from members of our portfolio careers linkedin group. And maybe I am going slightly mad after yet another day of continuous rain in the UK but this fantastic Ted video comes via last week’s TEDxSummit which gathered 700 organizers from 120 countries in Doha, Qatar, with the aim of activating Ideas Worth Doing. Although the event lasted an entire week, the most visually inventive idea to emerge from it was already complete by the time it began.

Amsterdam-based agency WE ARE Pi, which previously collaborated with TED on the human brain project last fall, joined forces with the Koerner Union and Paris’ BIG Productions to create a mesmerizing introduction video for TEDxSummit: a live-action kaleidoscope made of human arabesques.

When I think of why I love having a portfolio career its because it constantly changes shape, direction, involves increasing networks of people, is sometimes overwhelming but in the final analysis has a beauty of its own. See what you think – or maybe I am just rained out!

Eric Ries developed this system for analysing the real cause behind what seems to to be a technical problem. The video is of him explaining this but this technique seemed to me to be too powerful just to analyse technical problems. It works to analyse your career goals, your dreams and ambitions, a relationship issue – in fact just about anything. Mine your issue with this seemingly simple technique.

Great article from comedian Steve Martin on becoming really awesome in your chosen field. Deliberate practice, relentless innovation and a growth mindset – its all here.

Trying to keep up with younger portfolio workers and one’s own children for that matter I welcome Saga’s recent free app which translates teenage slang into terms that I understand. It has the wonderful title of Wotever!

I particularly liked the ‘powerpuff presentation’ as I have had to sit through too many of those – “A presentation that is full of animation and fancy graphics but completely devoid of any substance”.

And to show just how trendy I am you only have to scan the QR code to the left using your smartphone (you’ll need to download a free QRReader app to do this if you don’t already have one). And of course I will do my best to prevent Googleheimers disease and being a hot mess and stay meaty!

where do you get YOUR inspiration from? some wonderful quotes on how to steal and create something even better…..

You may have noticed of late that Katie has begun to produce works of linguistic art ! I love what she has started to do and indeed she knocks these pieces of art off to the tune of a few a day – a bit like Picasso did in his greedy period. I showed some of these to a colleague today who was most intrigued and stated that it was a bit like doodling. This rang a bell with me as it sounded rather like comments made about me at various points in my life to the effect that I was fiddling around with life and not getting on with things in the appropriate manner. Usually that meant that I was not concentrating on getting or keeping a proper job.

Listen to what Sunni Brown has to say about the value of doodling as a learning device. Does this also resonate with you as being a visual metaphor for portfolio careers – or am I just doodling with my mind.

Watch this space for more of Katie’s doodles/art work. In fact our next book will be full of them.

Great post on making little bets i.e. start stuff in a small way and shape and develop as you go. There is a lot more in this post especially for portfolio workers – its a mindset. As Carolyn Myss puts it, “You cannot live for prolonged periods of time within the polarity of being true to yourself and needing the approval of others.”

My good friend Nick Williams has recently published a new book called THE BUSINESS YOU WERE BORN TO CREATE. A great read with short chapters ideal for the time challenged. One chapter caught my eye entitled “Maybe you are a renaissance soul?” and he quotes Barbara Winter Author of Making a Living without a Job. She says;

” There was a time of course, when it was assumed that a person could be many different things. During the period known as the Renaissance , when the creative spirit was in full bloom, it was not unusual for an individual to be a poet, business owner, artist, soldier, linguist and lover”.

Nick is speaking in High Wycombe on the 30th March. If you attend you also get a copy of his book. Nick is on a mission to help people move beyond their fears, play a bigger part in their lives and turn their passions into profitable businesses.

makes you think ?