#communication

Evan Z.

Jul 19, 2017
3 min

Not Feeling the Love? Make Your Own.

I am so grateful for the recent feedback I’ve gotten about my work. The funny thing about it is that I’m not telling anybody anything they don’t already know. I lead with it. I put it right out there before I do anything. I say, “Now, I’m not going to tell you anything you don’t already know.” You want the real truth? I am nobody special. I am just a guy. I enjoy what I do and revel that somehow it seems to resonate for people. From time to time I share my biased musings in t

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Evan Z.

Jul 19, 2017
3 min

Conspiracy Theory Monkey Twaddle

It’s apparent that the ‘powers that be’ are not telling us everything there is to know. Our history is filled with horrific examples of the depths to which humans will go to acquire and hold power over perceived competitors. It is undeniable; our evolution as a species is squarely focused on the subjugation, eradication and domination of others. Those who serve as shepherds of integrity and kindness survive as beacons of hope and inspiration. But time and again, no matter the

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How to Effectively Promote Your Small Business for People Who Can't Stand Self-Promotion

Evan Z.

Jul 19, 2017
3 min

How to Effectively Promote Your Small Business for People Who Can't Stand Self-Promotion

Let’s talk small business promotions. By promotions, I mean strategically positioning your product or service for the purposes of soliciting new and repeat business. It’s a simple concept. We have all experienced reasonably effective and embarrassingly disastrous methods in the fine art of self-promotion. When things go well, it feels simple, sensible sincere. When things flop, the entire experience can do more harm than good (insert cheesy used car ad here). With an increase

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After a Debilitating Work Injury, How Martial Arts Helped Save My Life

Evan Z.

Jul 16, 2017
3 min

After a Debilitating Work Injury, How Martial Arts Helped Save My Life

I’m an efficient guy, so when I expend effort and energy I like to double down on results. That means I tend to look for simple methods that leverage benefits in many areas of life. After a debilitating on-the-job neck injury that culminated in the loss of employment at the end of 2011, I had to rest, recover and rebuild – everything. Repairing my body, starting a new business, restoring self-confidence, and striking swiftly with control and precision required poise; somethin

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Roaring Fork Leadership: 30 Years of Collaboration and Civic Engagement

Evan Z.

Jul 16, 2017
3 min

Roaring Fork Leadership: 30 Years of Collaboration and Civic Engagement

There are some things we know we do well. These things don’t feel like work, even when they require considerable effort. These things are fun and usually have inspiring effect on ourselves and those around us. These things spark curiosity, creativity and resolve. Business psychologist, Miriam Meima, describes these things as an individual’s unique genius. I have discovered that my unique genius is connecting individuals around some cooperative effort. For me, there’s nothing

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Evan Z.

Jul 16, 2017
3 min

God's Miracle: The Working Mommy

Allow me to introduce the working mommy. You think you know her but I assure you, she is running circles around us, and it’s time we give her some due credit and more than just a little help. This elegant creature of style and poise does more before breakfast than most of us accomplish all day. The working mommy thrives behind the scenes, where subtle details comprise every nuance and time sputters in manic fits just long enough to get the kids up, dressed, fed, and out the d

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8 NEW Concepts that Deconstructed my Understanding and Changed Me Forever

Evan Zislis

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

8 NEW Concepts that Deconstructed my Understanding and Changed Me Forever

What if the human brain evolved to sabotage our own thinking in order to keep us safely on the sideline and out of harm’s way? That is one premise of Jonathan Clark’s Mastering Performance three-day leadership workshop. Clark supposes that our brains evolved to keep us alive just well enough to procreate. But beyond reproduction, Clark affirms neuroscience proves human brains are hard-wired to react to two primary questions: 1) is this something I can eat, (i.e., an opportuni

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

Neuroscience of Happiness

Collectively, we have become obsessed with our happiness, or lack thereof. Like a single-serving dark chocolate square of fleeting fulfillment, happiness exists for many as an elusive possibility more than anything tangibly sustainable. Instead of simply choosing it, we search for it like lost keys in the clutter of our lives. It evades and seduces with irreverent flirtation, retreating just out of reach and into the grasp of others. And when suddenly, happiness reemerges, ou

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

How and Why We Do What We Do

Early in high school, I remember a writing assignment that required an in depth narrative for why and how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as if educating an extraterrestrial being, entirely unfamiliar with life on planet Earth. We were to approach this project as if the very survival of the planet hung on the successful delivery of our detailed, comprehensive explanation. Regardless of the details of our particular recipe, our account had to be both persuasive and

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

Most People Get Stuck in These 4 Ways

As humans, most of us don’t take action until our pain becomes intolerable. Any of the following caricatures sound familiar? The stuff in your space has taken over your life. You are drowning in things you don’t want, like or need. The useless and irrelevant has cluttered your spaces to the extent that you no longer feel inspired to take corrective action on your own behalf. No matter where you look, you feel overloaded, disorganized, and dispassionate. You procrastinate and

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How This T-Shirt Saved Me 30 Years Later

Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

How This T-Shirt Saved Me 30 Years Later

My favorite picture is a photo of myself on my first day of kindergarten, standing at the bus stop with my arm around my big sister. I’m wearing Magnum P.I. short shorts and striped soccer socks pulled up to my knees. I’ve got freckles, great big ears that stick out the side of my face, and a big sign around my neck with my name on it so the school knows which bus to put me on at the end of the day. Imagine a six year old Alfred E. Neuman with tinted prescription glasses. I’m

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

4 Steps to Creating Compelling Content

Sooner or later, we will have a great idea worthy of sharing with someone else. When marketing products or services, it’s called content. People presenting themselves to potential employers construct a resume. When educators instruct, it’s called curriculum. Expanded ideas become a platform. Call it what you will, creating compelling content is all about simplicity, clarity and enough inspiration and relevance to inspire authentic ownership and purposeful action. I’m a holist

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How to Get a Grip on Your Mental Clarity

Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

How to Get a Grip on Your Mental Clarity

I recently saw a woman wearing a t-shirt sadly affirming, “I can’t brain today. I have the dumb.” I can relate, but at the time, I couldn’t decide if I was amused or offended. I’m sure I’ve learned somewhere that it’s impolite to make assumptions about a person solely on the basis of the captions on her clothes. But then it occurred to me that this shirt resonated with her enough to broadcast her ill-fated condition openly, as much an admission of guilt as a plea for understa

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Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Balanced Parenting Styles Work Best

As a holistic organizer, I focus on four primary areas of life: spaces, systems, time, and content. My tag line reads, “Who we love, what we do, how and why we live – because everything else is just stuff.” So, I’d like to shed a little light on “who we love,” which I kind of lump in with systems – how we do what we do. Let's just call it parenting. My work with kids started with a master’s degree in education and a short-lived teaching career that evolved into program develo

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Elevate Your Business with these 3 Target Talking Points

Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Elevate Your Business with these 3 Target Talking Points

In business, if our work is anything, it should be honest. People should feel a depth of sincerity that resonates in their bones. Musicians get this better than anyone. In just a few moments, a song can convey feeling, express emotion and communicate clarity with a universal power to open hearts and lift souls to new levels of inspiration. I think the magic formula for self-expression is good ol’ fashioned honesty, plain and simple. When we apply this level of heart to how we

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