Posted on May 10, 2009 by Miller
Its been a very hectic couple of weeks for me with tons of projects at work as well as outside of work. Lots of things that just need to get done. Gardens to be planted, trying to get my record mastered, and of course get some blogging done. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I keep wondering when I’ll get some time to relax - and then I realize that building things and working on side projects is how I relax.
Because for me, I always have to be working on something. Always. As I think about the people that most energize me, a common thread also emerges. They are also always ‘working on’ something. They always are thinking of a new business, a new idea, or a new way of doing something. They are always learning - always thirsty for what comes next. Put a bunch of these people in a room, and watch what happens. Granted, they may not all team up and work on a project together, but the energy is contagious.
That’s really the point of this whole post. I hope that you all can surround yourselves with people that inspire and motivate you, and that push you to work hard on something. If you don’t know who they are, go find them. Tomorrow, instead of asking ‘what’s going on?’ or ‘how was your weekend?’ - just ask ‘what are you working on?’ You may be surprised at what you hear. We all should have a response to that question.
So, that being said I’ll get it started - what are YOU working on? Leave a comment and let me know!
Update: Just wanted to share this post by Ian Mackenzie. I’ve been enjoying his blog for a while - but right now, he’s got some pretty cool things that he’s working on in the world of travel. Click to jump to Ians’s post..
Posted on January 27, 2009 by Miller
I’m sure this is old news in the blogosphere by now, but if you haven’t taken the time to read Bill Gates’ annual letter describing the work of the Gates Foundation, you should. Take 20 min and go through it. You will be inspired.
2009 Annual Letter
I still have not gotten through it in its entirety but I’ve been very impressed not only by the sheer amount of projects the Foundation has taken on, but even more so by two things…
First, the ability to be candid and talk about what has NOT worked.
Second, I’m impressed with the their integration of business principles into the world of philanthropic giving. They have been able to quanitfy results and the byproducts of their efforts (at least in this letter) so that the average person can understand the challenges, but also the ‘ripple effect’ of success.
A surprising but critical fact we learned was that reducing the number of deaths actually reduces population growth. Chart 3 shows the strong connection between infant mortality rates and fertility rates. Contrary to the Malthusian view that population will grow to the limit of however many kids can be fed, in fact parents choose to have enough kids to give them a high chance that several will survive to support them as they grow old. As the number of kids who survive to adulthood goes up, parents can achieve this goal without having as many children. This means that improved health is critical to getting a country into the positive cycle of increasing education, stability, and wealth. When health improves, people have smaller families and the government has more resources per person, so improving nutrition and education becomes much easier. These investments also improve health, and a virtuous cycle begins that takes a country out of poverty. This was a huge revelation for Melinda and me. It is why we expanded our focus from reproductive health to all of the major infectious diseases.
I applaud the Gates foundation for not only making this document public, but addressing the needs of people around the world in a method that promotes research, accountability, and results.
