Tag Archive for poetry

It’s All About YOU

Did you miss it yesterday? World Poetry Day. Yes, it’s an actual declared day, celebrated on March 21 each year. Back in 1999, UNESCO
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) started it, with the intent of encouraging people to read, write, publish, and teach poetry throughout the world.

Why?! Poetry is hard to understand and doesn’t relate to me!


Wrong. Poetry tells the stories of our lives–the good time, bad times, inspired moments, deep-in-despair moments–all that makes us human. We see ourselves, whether in a phrase or in the whole poem. In other words, it isn’t a bunch of sing-songy, forced-to-rhyme lines (not true poetry) but statements (rhyming or not) that remind us of our shared human experience.

It’s not too late to celebrate it. In fact, I invite you to download, at no cost (yes, free) my book of poetry, God Sneezed. You can find it at your favorite e-book seller, or just click this link:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=god+sneezed . I’m sure you’ll find something there that reminds you of you.

Lead and Manage Better: Read Poetry

I write poetry,* so when I saw the article Reading fiction helps your career, but reading poetry helps more I was delighted. I know, I know…most people don’t like poetry, because it takes a little work and imagination to understand, internalize, and apply.  On the other hand, if you are a leader or manager, you can actually advance your career by reading poetry.

[*Get a FREE download of my book of poetry, God Sneezed, at your favorite e-book seller or by clicking here. Check out my other e-books at Smashwords by searching Jackie O’Donnell.]

Here’s part of the article:

It turns out that poetry is especially beneficial to people who want to lead and manage. John Coleman wrote in the Harvard Business Review that “poetry teaches us to wrestle with and simplify complexity…Business leaders live in multifaceted, dynamic environments. Their challenge is to take that chaos and make it meaningful and understandable. Reading and writing poetry can exercise that capacity, improving one’s ability to better conceptualize the world and communicate it — through presentations or writing — to others.”

Fictional narrative expects the reader to keep turning pages to connect with a character and feel what they feel. Poetry demands that the reader decipher each line for understanding — the world, or the self, or others. Both poetry and fiction develop empathy, but fiction is better for that. Poetry, however, is the practice of simplifying complex topics. (Extra credit alert: To illustrate this, read  Because I could not stop for Death by Emily Dickinson.)

Most people can make a good business decision if they have all the relevant data in front of them. But the most successful executives are excellent at making decisions with incomplete information. The less information you need to make a decision, the higher you can rise. Think Elon Musk deciding he can go to the moon. Or Mark Zuckerberg assuming he will be able to get millions of people to use his Harvard dating website.

Dana Gioia explains that this decision-making skill is about sorting complexity to come up with a guess at the truth. And in Knowledge@Wharton he says reading (and writing) poetry, rather than conventional fiction or nonfiction, is the most effective way to develop these skills.

Clare Morgan, author of What Poetry Brings to Business, cites studies that show readers of stories and poetry generate nearly twice as many alternative endings for the poems, and poetry readers develop great self-monitoring strategies that enhance the efficacy of their thinking process. Morgan says these creative capabilities help executives keep their organizations entrepreneurial, find imaginative solutions, and navigate moments when they cannot rely on data to make good decisions.

The world is full of examples of executives who read poetry. Steve Jobs collected the works of William Blake. Sidney Harman, founder of Harman Industries, always tried to hire poets into management, arguing, “Poets are our original systems thinkers. They look at our most complex environments and they reduce the complexity to something they begin to understand.

Does this post make you want to read poetry? The more you are repelled by poetry the more you will benefit from it. So give it a try.

Fascinating Video & New Stuff

Go to my other website, http://www.JackieODonnell.net, and on the Home page view a video that I think you’ll find surprising and fascinating.  There’s a bit of personal information there I’m rather proud of, too.

This newly updated website has other pages you might be interested in, as well.  Read an original poem on the Poetry page or take an informative, helpful quiz (click on  Quiz-icals).  If you or someone you know has a disability,  on the Adept-Able Living page you’ll find suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law you should know and a thoughtful quote.

While you’re wandering around my website, please visit the  My Books page and read what my paper and e-books are all about and where you can get them.

And, as always, I welcome your comments to any of my posting or the content of my website.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Personal Note: GOD SNEEZED

For those of you who have told me you like my poems: I’ve just added a 5th E-book to the great, wide, sometimes-questionable cyber world. It’s a collection of my poems–GOD SNEEZED is the title. Obviously not a collection of preachy, religious poems, although some do have spiritual overtones.  If you’re interested, you can sample the book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/518169. It’s available there right now and will be at most other E-tailers soon.

Image result for graphic of person reading book

For Your Reading Pleasure….

I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look.  There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law, and a thoughtful quote–all for the person living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page).  PLUS, for your entertainment and maybe awareness, click on the Quiz-icals page.

While you’re there, look on the Home page for a personal glimpse into my life and interests and for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my e-books.  Then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.

Also, if you need any professional editing done, visit my Editing Services page.

And, as always, I welcome comments!

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Welcome to My Updated Website

I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look.  Check out (and click on) the Monarch butterfly on the Home page. There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the five  most popular blogs since the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law, and a thoughtful quote-all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page).

While you’re there, look on the Home page for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my e-books, then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.

And, as always, I welcome comments!

Thanks for reading.

Explore My Updated Site

I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look.  Check out (and click on) the Monarch butterfly on the Home page. There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the five  most popular blogs since the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law, and a thoughtful quote-all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page).

While you’re there, look on the Home page for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my e-books, then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.

And, as always, I welcome comments!

Thanks for reading.

Browse and Find Something Interesting

I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look.  There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the five  most popular blogs since the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance, plus some disability law, a thoughtful quote, and bit of humor–all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page).  Take a look.  I hope you find something of interest to you.

While you’re browsing, look on the Home page for a picture that’s meaningful to me.  You’ll also find there a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my e-books, then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.

And, as always, I welcome comments!

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Visit Updated Site

I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look.  There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the five  most popular blogs since the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance, plus some disability law, a thoughtful quote, and bit of humor–all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page).

And, as always, I welcome comments!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. If you need a gift for a special person on Christmas, consider one of my books.  Go to My Books and check out specials for my site/blog-visitors only.

 

New Ideas Available (Updated Website)

I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look.  There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the most popular blogs from the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance, plus some disability law, a thoughtful quote, and bit of humor–all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among his friends (Adept-Able Living page).

While you’re there, look on the Home page for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my ebooks, then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.

And, as always, I welcome comments!