#FOLLOWFRIDAY | SEAN “PUFF DADDY” COMBS

Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs

Harlem Hustler | Swag Mechanic | Artistic Genius

After 20 years of record making and record breaking, can we agree that Puff Daddy can’t stop, won’t stop? From Billboard to Forbes, his achievements, impact and influence is undeniable. So what drives his grind? #IWTL

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Follow Diddy on Twitter @IAmDiddy

#FOLLOWFRIDAY | DAYMOND JOHN

Check out our captivating feature on entrepreneur, fashion icon, and brand expert Daymond John.

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FollowFridays [Daymond John]

Follow Daymond on Twitter @TheSharkDaymond

Working Smarter

Mobile technology (such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and Samsung Galaxy S5) gives us the ability to connect to the global dataverse of people, places, and things – anytime, anywhere. However, the super-human productivity I imagined often gets tangled in wasteful hours of web browsing, insignificant e-mail and social media minutiae.

Disconnecting from the web wasn’t a practical idea. Internet access is essential to my job as a marketer. So I decided to devote an afternoon at work to thinking about how I could better manage my time (seems ironic, but it’s not).

During my research I stumbled across RescueTime. This app helps you to 1) track the websites you spend time on, 2) measure how long you spend there, and 3) set goals using actionable data generated via detailed reports. RescueTime works on the four most popular operating systems (Mac, PC, Android, and Linux) and offers a “lite” version that is free forever.

When it comes to using technology to track-measure-take action, there are three things you should consider. First, it takes hard work and discipline, and there is no shortcut to reaching your goals. Second, data security breaches are becoming bigger and more frequent. This is a potential deal breaker because the digital footprint you leave behind when exchanging your personal information for free mobile applications could potentially expose you to greater risks of data breaches, identity fraud, and so on.

Lastly, the technology community at large hasn’t figured out a way to make their smart devices “talk” to each other. When my vehicle diagnostic device can tell my calendar to schedule a maintenance visit at the dealership during my least productive work hours, we’ll really see connected technology take off.

Want more? Here are five of my favorite productivity apps. Enjoy!

Fitbit | Lumosity | Evernote | DuoLingo | Cozi

Guest Blog: The Cry for a Kingdom Man

by Michael Dawson | July 11, 2014

In February of last year, a friend of mine was leading a bible study at my church. His subject was “The Cry for a Kingdom Man” based on Dr. Tony Evans’ book Kingdom Man. Dr. Evans is one of the country’s most respected pastors. His church in Dallas, TX has over 10,000 members and he is heard nationally across the airwaves every day.

As soon as I got home from church, I dialed up Amazon and bought the book. Since then I have read several more of his books. In Kingdom Man, Dr. Evans makes a profound statement that I continue to think about every day.

He says that the problems of today are not economic although they fall within that realm. They are not social or political although they fall within that realm. The problems of today are spiritual and it’s the lack of Kingdom Men. Initially I didn’t quite get it, but after much reflection it made sense.

Culture is playing a far more significant role in the establishment of values than in the past. There are some that celebrate going to prison – going as far as throwing a party before going in. Gone are the days of there being a stigma attached to having a baby at 16 or 17 years of age. Dr. Evans’ premise is that today’s problems are deeply rooted in the decision making process which has been degraded by the decline in moral and spiritual values.

The book is titled Kingdom Men. So, it appears as though Dr. Evans is putting much of the burden on men. However, everything in his book is biblically based. When God came looking for Adam and Eve in the garden he called for Adam. He didn’t say where are you all. “But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9).

Men have been expected to lead since the beginnings of time. However, Adam demonstrated that we have struggled with that authority.

      As the devil was rapping to Eve, Adam stood in silence. – Leaders Lead

Yes, we are both (men and women) in this together. By the way, he has written a book with his daughter called Kingdom Women. It will take efforts from both to make change. That all said, in my book it’s on our shoulders to get this party started. If we start leading – there will be millions of women by our sides supporting us.

A Kingdom Man is a man that puts God first in their life and are responsible leaders within their sphere of influence.


 

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Michael K. Dawson is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Kingdom Men Inspires, Inc. a nonprofit organization that equips men of all ages to be responsible leaders. He blogs at MichaelKDawson.com and KingdomMenInspires.com. Each day he attempts to live by his motto No Excuses NONE – the soul of a leader.