Digital Minimalism: Reclaiming focus in a world designed to distract
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
April 10, 2025
Beyond productivity, weak digital boundaries erode mental health. Studies link excessive social media use to increased anxiety, depression, and loneliness (Twenge et al., 2018). The constant comparison fostered by curated online personas leaves many feeling inadequate—a phenomenon psychologist Jean Twenge calls "compare and despair."
In their seminal book Boundaries, Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend argue that technology is not inherently harmful—it is how we engage with it that determines its impact. The key lies in establishing a "gate policy": deciding when to open ourselves to digital engagement and when to shut it out entirely.
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Tags: Digital Transformation, Innovation, Open Innovation
Seven things you must start doing to live a life of impact and relevance.
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
March 26, 2025
Our life doesn’t improve by default; it gets better by design. This article covers seven proven principles necessary to live a life of impact and relevance.
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Tags: Education, Innovation, Leadership
The Paradox of Perfectionism: Why Striving for Flawlessness Holds You Back
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
March 12, 2025
Perfectionism is often seen as a virtue—a relentless pursuit of excellence that drives individuals to achieve their best. However, beneath this seemingly admirable trait lies a paradox: the very desire to be perfect can become the biggest obstacle to growth, success, and happiness. This article explores the psychological mechanisms behind perfectionism, its unintended consequences, and why embracing imperfection might be the key to unlocking your true potential.
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Tags: Careers, Entrepreneurship, Innovation
Risk, Biases and Foresight: Why Smart People and Great Companies Miss Great Opportunities.
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
February 26, 2025
In 2004, Blockbuster was a household name, boasting 60,000 employees, 9,000 stores worldwide, and annual revenues of $5.9 billion. At the time, only 4% of American homes had broadband internet. But by 2010, that number skyrocketed to 68%, and the game changed forever. The name of the game? Video streaming.
Blockbuster’s downfall didn’t have to happen. In 2000, they had the chance to buy Netflix—a fledgling DVD-by-mail company—for $50 million. To Blockbuster, $50 million seemed like a steep price, but it represented just three days of their revenue. Today, Netflix is valued at over $446 Billion. Blockbuster’s failure to act wasn’t just a missed opportunity; it was a failure of strategic foresight.
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Tags: Business Strategy, Innovation, Management
The Role of Creativity and Curiosity in Driving Personal and Societal Change
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
February 12, 2025
Every existing invention has an intellectual gap. Birthing newness will demand a sense of questioning, open-mindedness, and curiosity. The Apple fruits had fallen a billion times before Newton questioned this phenomenon, why does the fruit fall straight to the ground rather than sideways or upward? His curiosity led to the theory of the universal gravitational pull. Interestingly, for 228 years, the world believed this theory to be completely true until Albert Einstein improved on it in 1915. Einstein finds the intellectual gap in Newton's theory through curiosity and questioning. Every invention, no matter how noble or sophisticated has a wisdom gap, which is necessary to perpetuate the circle of innovation.
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Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Open Innovation
The Power of the Mind and the Placebo Phenomenon
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
January 29, 2025
Our minds and thoughts are two of the most influential forces in our lives. The placebo reveals a curious truth about the mind, a phenomenon that stands as a striking testament to the power of the mind. A placebo is a dummy treatment, an administered medication or a fake surgical procedure that is not real. It could be a sugar pill, a water or salt water (saline) injection. The placebo effect is triggered by the person's belief in the benefit from the treatment and their expectation of feeling better, rather than the characteristics of the placebo. Estimates of the placebo cure rate range from a low of 15% to a high of 72%. The longer the period of treatment and the larger the number of physician visits, the greater the placebo effect.
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Tags: Creativity, Education, Innovation
Culture, Ideology and Individualism; How do we build a shared moral foundation in a fractured world?
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
January 15, 2025
Secularism is a way of life and thinking that rejects religion. However, our societies once deeply rooted in religious traditions are now gradually witnessing a shift towards secular ideologies. There is a problem. In the absence of a universally accepted moral framework and architecture, society will give in to ethical relativism and moral ambivalence. I think we are on the brink of chaos, globally, there is an erosion of values, moral fluidity, the unguided pursuit of individual autonomy, and cultural pluralism, to name a few.
There was a time when we all lived under the shadow of absolutes; societies were organized under unquestionable values, morals, and ethics. But as the tides of history rolled on, those absolutes began to crumble. History will recall that there was a time when our forefathers fought for freedom and emancipation, and there's also a time when a generation fights and still fighting for pronouns (He/She/They/Them) et al. What a twist.
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Tags: Creativity, Innovation, Leadership
Why we keep making New Year's Resolution that fail and what to do instead
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
January 02, 2025
The New Year signals a transition point in our lives, a temporal landmark that creates a mental separation between the outgoing year and the new one. We are filled with the euphoria of what the year has in store, hopes are high, and a new surge of confidence and drive. We are motivated and driven to set new goals, starting on a clean slate, and we mentally hyped ourselves to do and dare the impossible. This psychological phenomenon is called the Fresh Start Effect. Motivation and enthusiasm may create inertia towards a goal, but our systems and habits sustain the momentum.
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Tags: Creativity, Innovation, Open Innovation
How to Develop Strategic Thinking Skills
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
October 26, 2022
Strategic thinking is a cognitive process that enables organizations or an individual to make better decisions by taking into account the long-term consequences of their actions. It involves looking beyond the immediate problem or goal and instead thinking about the best way to achieve a desired outcome. There are a number of ways to develop strategic thinking skills. One is to simply take the time to reflect on past experiences and learn from them. What worked well? What could have been done better? What lessons were learned?
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Tags: Business Strategy, Innovation, Open Innovation
Knowing when to trust your intuition
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
November 17, 2021
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Tags: Open Innovation
The Power of Creative Thinking
Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
April 14, 2021
This publication focuses on how we can harness our creative genius. How to replicate and improve on the thinking model of the likes of Steve Jobs, Pablo Picasso, to name a few. Everybody is born creative, but not everybody lives out their creativity. This article focuses on how we can all individually tap into our creative flow.
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Tags: Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship, Open Innovation
Purpose, Gifts, and Calling
YouVersion
May 20, 2020
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Tags: Innovation
The Power of Asking
Medium
March 15, 2019
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Tags: Education, Entrepreneurship, Open Innovation
International institute of Personal Development, South Africa
International institute of Personal Development, South Africa
August 31, 2018
The International Institute of Personal Development (Pty) Ltd is a registered training organization positioned to deliver training on different personal development and I.T courses such as Microsoft office suite, IT and digital literacy, negotiation dynamics, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and management, leadership development, e-commerce training, business etiquette and professionalism, self-esteem and assertiveness to mention a few.
The courses are offered both onsite and offsite, with the aim of empowering, working class, job seekers, and all individuals who are keen on self-growth or personal development. The courses are a collection of a toolkit that adequately prepares job seekers, professionals, and corporate executives in making the most of their career. We aim as an institute to bridge the gap of skill deficiency in job readiness, through these personal development courses. Our facilitators and trainers are professionals and versatile in their field of human development.
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Tags: Open Innovation, Startups, Entrepreneurship
Creative and Innovative Thinking
TEDx
November 01, 2021
Do you think you are creative or not? In this talk Daniel highlights common misconceptions that people have about creative thinking and suggest ways of accessing creativity and innovative thinking.
Along the way he highlights what NFT's are and how creatives can use it to support the way the distribute their content. Daniel is the founder of the International Institute of Personal Development, South Africa and an International Columnist.
He writes for Caribbean Newspaper in Toronto Canada, by the name Toronto Carib. His weekly South African column, "Pathways to Success" of over 35,000 copies in print, is read and distributed around Johannesburg, South Africa.
He's a published author and regional manager, southern Africa of TigerWit Africa. Daniel Cole is a weekly guest at Alex FM (89.1), and he speaks on the subject of peak performance, creative thinking, success, personal development, and innovation with a listenership of over 130,000. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
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Tags: Design Thinking, Digital Disruption, Open Innovation
Take the Risk
YouTube
August 13, 2020
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Tags: Open Innovation
How to build for the journey ahead
YouTube
January 15, 2020
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Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Open Innovation
