A Whole New Mind: Meaning

“Meaning has become a central aspect of our work and our lives,” writes Dan Pink. According to Pink, in an age where our basic needs for survival are usually met in abundance, (although this is biased, much of our world still struggles to meet daily needs), people have been freed to search more deeply for meaning in all areas of life.

Meaning is why we started our company, to help people exchange ideas, to create new ways to communicate, to present old things in new ways, to meet the challenges of a changing media landscape.

We recently signed a video contract with an entrepreneur who is seeking great social change through his work. His life aim is to help disadvantaged people break through slim odds to become successful contributors to society. He has chosen something “meaningful” for his life, and we’re excited to help him.

There is nearly endless potential today to communicate meaningful, powerful ideas.

Technology has broken down the barriers of global communication, once limited to television, radio or newspapers and magazines. Today, everyone can have a voice.

However, when that voice carries meaning and purpose, it will be heard.

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This is the seventh blog based on A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink (Riverhead Books).

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

I read the book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell while on the beach, and I have to admit, his concepts are still churning in my conscious and subconscious. At least I'm thinking about thinking without thinking.

(Try saying the previous sentence five times fast).

Gladwell is a brilliant storyteller, and uses catchy narrative to illuminate what he calls “thin slicing,” the ability to pull together mounds of information instantly to make quality decisions, rather than mulling over mounds of analytical data.

The benefits of this type of thinking is situational, Gladwell shows, including the often positive outcome of trusting gut instincts, yet revealing the darker side of human snap judgments, often made irrationally with subconscious stereotypes.

Gladwell also pointed out an interesting corporate oddity—a high percentage of CEOs in the United States are extremely tall.

It’s a book far too complicated to break down into neat formulas, and in the end, it settles somewhere in the subconscious, a place, Gladwell says, we should all pay more attention to.

A Whole New Mind (Play)

"Play." In the conceptual age, Pink writes, having a bit of fun is crucial to keeping work and life interesting and balanced. Divided into one part games, one part humor, and one part joyfulness, Pink makes a case for the three dimensions of "Play," including his own personal visit to a "laughter club" in India.

We all need a break. In one hour, I'll be boarding a plane to celebrate a week of "Play" on the beach.


Enjoy your 4th of July holiday!
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This is the sixth blog based on A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink (Riverhead Books).