Participating in public, sharing an experience, one way to shape serendipity.

Yoga, Bryant Park, New York City

Above: the where we spend our time, and the how we spend our time, obvious. How to maximize the value of the encounters at the intersection of the where and the how, less obvious, but incredibly valuable.

The good thing. Eagle was on overwatch while I pushed the lawnmower.

On the ground, trees are defoliated by some variety of tent caterpillar. They seem to be partial to walnut and pecan trees but they are munching on the yearling oaks as well.

Silhouetted.

Hoping someone can help me with critter ID.
RMH says:
The fall webworm feeds on just about any type of deciduous tree, where leaves are chewed; branches or the entire tree may become defoliated. Worldwide, it has been recorded from 636 species,[6] and is considered to be among the most polyphagous of insects. In the eastern U.S., pecan, walnut, American elm, hickory, fruit trees, and some maples are preferred hosts; in some areas persimmon and sweetgum are also readily eaten. In the west, alder, willow, cottonwood and fruit trees are commonly used.–Wikipedia

Masonic Lodge in Alexandria, Virginia. Photographed out the train window.

Plants, gentle reader. Propagation of plants.
It is the time of year for collecting acorns.

How would you answer the question What is the future we will make? Here’s my answer, and here’s how you can share your own answer with TEDxChange and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In our future, passion and purpose pays.

What do I mean?

In our future, doing good is good business, because …

… a business without a “social good” is not a sustainable business. And I’m not talking about environmentally, culturally or morally sustainable, but strategically, economically and financially sustainable.

I’ve written and talked about the role of humanity, meaning, ethics, passion and purpose repeatedly over the past year or so, heavily influenced by John Hagel and Umair Haque.

These principles span many of the Millennium Development Goals. An economy that allocates returns based on meaning, ethics or purpose directs attention, effort and money towards things that matter: it promotes gender equality, it allocates food and basic services better to eradicate extreme hunger, reduces child mortality, values environmental sustainability, and creates a strong base for countries and organizations to partner on economic development goals.

Think about the work you do: Is passion or purpose a source of a competitive advantage for you and your company? Are profits tied to passion? Is the purpose of your job or company aligned with the source of revenues or profits? Is passion a valued asset at your company? Can you true back your work to supporting a larger purpose?

No? Why not?

In our future, to create a thriving, sustainable economy, passion and purpose have to pay. Meaning, passion and purpose have to play a meaningful role in allocating profits, as important as access to inputs like land, labor and capital, as important as the level of education, knowledge and information, as important as product/market fit, as important as any other input in a business’s equation.

And how does that happen? To start, we have to care. We create a demand for products and services through what we buy, talk about, read about and do. Our individual consumption decisions create market demand; companies create products and services to fit markets demand. If enough of us demand passion and purpose, then companies will have to find a way to embed humanity, passion, ethics, meaning and purpose into what they do.

“When we have low-quality demand, we have low-quality jobs.” It starts with us. Care about what you buy. Invest your time, money and attention in things you believe in. Talk with your friends and colleagues about things you’re passionate about. Invest in yourself. Make the decision to reward passion and purpose, and passion and purpose will pay.

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View this photo on Flickr, and view the rest of the submissions to the project in the Flickr group pool.

Highlighted photos from TEDxNOLA, a one-day conference that addressed the question: how can creativity save a community? View all the photos on Flickr and Facebook.

TEDxNOLA was a local, self-organized conference convened in New Orleans to explore the pivotal role that crisis plays in the development of groundbreaking ideas. On August 27th, 2010 during the week of remembrance of the 5th Anniversary of Katrina, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre hosted intellects and achievers to examine how crisis forces us to rethink, reinvent and reinvest. How can creativity save a community?

View all the photos from TEDxNOLA on Flickr and Facebook.

Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans

James Carville

Gary Solomon, Jr., The Solomon Group

John Besh, John Besh Restaurants

Lisa P. Jackson, EPA

Matt Wisdom, Turbosquid

The Mute Swan is one of the heaviest flying birds, with males averaging about 12 kilograms (26 lb) and the slightly smaller females weighing about 9 kilograms (20 lb).–Wikipedia

A sudden blow: the great wings beating still– W.B.Yeats

This time, wasn’t Leda hit, it was the swan.