The Japanese culture is rich and benevolent. We can make use of some of the concepts listed below to gain perspective in life and appreciate the holistic beauty and humanity imbibed in the surprising country.

Japan: Learning About A Holistic Life

<ul><li>Omoiyari: embed compassion in your life, work, and product design.</li><li>Ikigai: live with purpose and passion.</li><li>Wabi-sabi: be grateful, see beauty in imperfection.</li><li>Mottainai: embrace essentialism, and live sustainably.</li><li>Shin-Gi-Tai: keep a healthy body and a sound mind. They are the path to mastery.</li><li>Shu-Ha-Ri: learn the basics. Imitate, then innovate.</li><li>Kaizen: embrace change and strive for small and continuous improvements.</li><li>Mono no aware: detach from material things, outcomes, and old beliefs.</li><li>Omotenashi: give without expecting a reward. The world gives to the givers.</li><li>Ho-Ren-So: over-communicate.  </li></ul>

Key Takeaways

Omoiyari means caring and showing sincere consideration for others.Japanese fans made the headlines in 2018 when they tidied up a football stadium after the game.Omoiyari is also manifested in the designs of products. For example, Japanese hi-tech toilets have a warm seat, washer, and a sound to cover those ‘unpleasant’ noises.Practicing omoiyari is said to help build compassion and empathy toward others.

Omoiyari

Ikigai is the Japanese term for the state of well-being induced by devotion to enjoyable activities, which leads to a sense of fulfillment, according to Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano.It is said that in Japan, people who have a purpose in life live longer.Your ikigai is what gets you up every morning and keeps you going.

Ikigai

Wabi-sabi is a concept that encourages us to embrace our imperfections and accept the natural cycle of life.
Everything in life, including us, is in a state of flux. Change is the only constant, everything is transient, and nothing is ever complete.
By practicing wabi-sabi, we are taught to be grateful and accepting and strive for excellence rather than perfection.

Wabi-sabi

Mottainai means respecting the resources we have, not wasting them, and using them with a sense of gratitude.Uniqlo uses “Mottainai: Old Clothes, New Life” to achieve zero waste.The concept invites us to be grateful and intentional about our actions and think of ways to help make this world more sustainable.

Mottainai

Shin-Gi-Tai translates as “mind, technique, and body.”Mind, technique, and body are the three elements for maximum performance used in martial arts.The framework can also be applied to building habits. The framework can be mapped to the Fogg Behavior Model, which is expressed as a short formula: Behavior = Motivation (Mind), Ability (Technique), and Prompt (Body).A healthy body and a sound mind are the foundation for developing and refining any skills.

Shin-Gi-Tai

Shu-Ha-Ri translates as “follow, breakaway, and transcend.”It is a way of thinking about how to learn and master a technique. There are 3 stages to acquiring knowledge:<ul><li>Shu: learn the basics by following the teaching of one master. Imitating the work of great masters also falls in this stage.</li><li>Ha: start experimenting, learn from masters, and integrate the learning into the practice.</li><li>Ri: This stage focuses on innovation and adapting the learning to different situations.</li></ul>Imitate, then innovate. You may want to check Clark Terry’s formulation of this model: Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate.

Shu-Ha-Ri 

Kaizen is a method of continuous improvement based on the theory that small, ongoing positive changes can be significant.Kaizen reminds us to let go of assumptions and perfectionism. It teaches us to take an iterative, progressive approach to change.This concept is vital to instill good habits and achieve excellence.

Kaizen

This concept describes having empathy towards things and their inevitable passing.This concept reminds us that nothing in life is permanent. We should willingly and gracefully let go of our attachments to transient things.

Mono no aware

Christel Takigawa, the ambassador for the Tokyo 2020 bid, popularized this concept in her speech to the International Olympic Committee.The concept is all about offering the best service without expecting a reward. It’s an important part of Japanese culture and deeply rooted in how Japanese society functions.

Omotenashi

Ho-Ren-So translates as “report, inform, and consult.”The concept forms the basis of all communication, collaboration, and healthy information sharing in a Japanese organization. It focuses on the roots of the communication line, streamlining the flow of information, and preventing issues from happening again.The Japanese argument is that the Ho-Ren-So, through collaboration and communication, strengthens subordinate employee relationships and provides a platform for the subordinate to learn from their superior.

Ho-Ren-So

It was a Friday evening, and I was preparing to leave for the airport after work. I stopped by my usual pharmacy to buy an allergy spray. I carry the spray every time I travel. This time, I was…

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Personal Development

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Motivation & Inspiration

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Travel

10 Japanese Concepts For Self-Improvement and a Balanced Life

Many content creators use similar platforms to host virtual events, so think about how you can make your event different. By curating the attendee experience, you will not only create a unique event, but you will add value. Take advantage of the opportunity to provide ticket add-ons, such as merchandise, that can be sent to attendees before or after the event.For example, if this is an interview with an author, give participants the option of purchasing a signed copy of the book. You can also offer incentives for attending, such as voucher codes for discounts on upcoming events.

Care about the experience

When examining how to create a virtual event, consider whether your audience is watching on a mobile phone or computer, and adjust your content and format accordingly. Virtual event platforms like Zoom only show multiple faces at once on a mobile device. But on the desktop, more than 20 screens can often be displayed, often making interactions between participants easier and more natural.However, it is likely that some of your audience will be able to attend your event via their mobile phones. But don't worry - these participants can still have a great experience.

Customize the virtual event for specific devices

Take advantage of the latest technology to make your virtual event truly unique. For a gallery or museum event, you can use virtual reality to offer attendees a 3D tour of the exhibit, for example.If your event is a job fair or university open day, emulate the face-to-face experience with platforms  that enables communication between exhibitors and attendees by turning them all into avatars

Combine technology

Whether you want to host an online conference with a group of speakers or a virtual seminar with speakers, always hold a mock event ahead of the actual one to address technical issues and strengthen group dynamics.Encourage your speaker to familiarize himself with the platform being used. While they may be good at public speaking, every piece of software is different, so surprises are best avoided.

Hold a virtual dry run

Networking is one of the main reasons people attend events in person. So, with virtual events, try to create the same atmosphere by giving people the ability to connect before, during, and after.Invite participants to social media groups first to start a conversation and share ideas. During the event, do what you can to start a conversation, such as setting up a workspace for team bonding exercises or activating the chat feature.

Start a virtual conversation

Organize your virtual events with accessibility in mind. Make sure attendees can easily access it. Add subtitles so everyone understands what is being said. And don't forget the time.One of the advantages of hosting a virtual event is that you are not tied to a physical location and can therefore attract an audience from all over the world. When thinking about hosting a webinar, for example, consider the time zone of the majority of your audience to determine the most convenient time of the event.

Focus on accessibility

Here, we'll walk you through the 6 steps you can take to make your virtual event truly engaging and unique to your attendees.

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Remote Work

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Career

6 Tips to Host a Successful Virtual Networking Event

“Purposeful play builds self-confidence and real-world problem-solving skills.”

SuperBetter is the game Jane McGonigal designed for herself when she was recovering from a brain injury and had to lie perfectly still for weeks and weeks.During the recovery, she realized that she didn’t just want to get better; she wanted to be even better than before her injury – super better! So she created a game to help her get there.Based on her experience in game design and scientific research, she created an avatar, power-ups, bad guys, and went on quests every single day, to take the illness as a challenge and make it fun.

SuperBetter: The game

Post-traumatic growth and post-ecstatic growth are positive developments that people experience during difficult times.<ul><li>Post-traumatic growth often happens to car crash victims, who find themselves appreciating life a lot more after the crash, or cancer survivors, who start running marathons once they recover.</li><li>However, you don’t need to run your car into the next tree, in order to play a round of SuperBetter. There’s another form of growth that doesn’t require trauma, called post-ecstatic growth.</li></ul>

Post-traumatic growth and post-ecstatic growth

This reduction in physical pain comes from 2 things:<ul><li>Playing a video game shifts our attention spotlight, and allows us to react less to the signal of pain.</li><li>The activity of playing engages us in a state called flow, where we’re so engaged and absorbed in the activity that we feel in perfect control of our lives.</li></ul>In this way we give our attention to a positive activity, which also makes us feel in charge. This gives us the confidence to endure the pain and our body adapts.

Using games to reduce physical pain

When two people play a similar game in the same room, they form a strong neurological and physiological connection. They show the exact facial expressions; their heartbeats also settle into the same rhythm – and this occurs irrespective of whether they’re playing with or against one other.And the connection goes more than that: we’re also very likely to like the people if we’re playing a game with them. The reason for that is because we’re attracted to people we see that alike to ourselves.

Bonding with people over games

Games can have a positive influence on your life, providing that you play them for the right motives. The impact games have on your life doesn’t rest on the type of games you play or the time you use to play them. It depends on the reason you play them.Not every person plays games for educational or social causes. Some people play games as a type of escape from life issues– and that’s when gaming becomes destructive. But, if you play games with a positive aim, you’re more likely to gain the advantages and also feel happier in your non-gaming life.

The impact games have on our lives

After suffering a brain injury, Jane McGonigal came up with a game to help aid her recovery and battle the ensuing depression she experienced. A quarter of a million people have now played this game to astonishing results: depression gone in 6 weeks in some cases and even terminal cancer patients reporting that playing the game gives them a sense of control over their own health. This book shows readers how to use these techniques to find strength and create positivity: readers can look to their own 'power-ups' which are little things they can do to feel better and tackle the hurdles in their own lives.

Understand yourself and those around you.

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Psychology

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Books

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Entertainment

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Science & Nature

Superbetter

In today's fast-changing world, companies increasingly need to be proactively resilient to be successful. They need to assemble teams quickly, draw on collective knowledge, find expertise, collect information in real time, and communicate strategic messages. To build those capabilities, organisations need a culture that enables employees to become "gig mindsetters" - salaried employees who behave and think like freelancers.

Thriving in a fast-changing world 

Gig mindsetters are continuous learners. They manage themselves, take the initiative, focus more on skills and less on roles, use better processes, and are confident to question the status quo. They share what they learn, take ownership of their growth, and have the ability to influence people.

Gig mindsetters

Large scale learning programmes often fail because they don't encourage people to take the initiative. Another approach is the learn, apply, share strategy. People who want to continue learning answer a formal but simple document that lists six questions. <ul><li>What will I learn?</li><li>How will I learn?</li><li>How will my company and I benefit from my investment?</li><li>When will I learn?</li><li>Where will I learn?</li><li>Who will help me make this a success, for my company and myself?</li></ul>

The learn, apply, share strategy

People want a sense of purpose. To establish whether your organisation has a gig mindset learning culture, consider the following questions: <ul><li>Are your employees able to communicate directly with senior leaders?</li><li>Are they encouraged to challenge the status quo?</li><li>Are teams built by focusing on skills and knowledge?</li><li>Are teams encouraged to share their work before it is completed?</li><li>When an experimental initiative fails, is it considered a positive experience?</li><li>Are people given time for external networking?</li></ul>

Creating a gig mindset learning culture

If gig mindsetters continually encounter obstacles, they may look elsewhere for more suitable places to work. Gig mindsetters may encounter difficulties at work because managers may think they are disrespectful or self-centred if they challenge the status quo. However, people with a gig mindset show loyalty to the organisation, not the processes. They are willing to improve things that will benefit the organisation.

Retaining gig mindsetters

These employees manage themselves, take initiative, and don’t hesitate to question the status quo — all helpful traits during uncertain times.

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Corporate Culture

How Workers with a “Gig Mindset” Can Help Your Company Thrive

<ul>
<li>Many people live for more than a hundred years, and the maximum recorded age has been of a French woman who lived till 122.</li>
<li>The average life expectancy is close to 80 years.</li>
<li>New research using computer simulation shows that the maximum lifespan of a human being is 150 years.</li>
</ul>

Living The Maximum Age

First observed in the 19 century, the Gompertz Equation states that the chance of our death from infection and disease doubles every 8 to 9 years.Factors like our diet, drinking and smoking, exercise routine, organ functioning and marital status play a part in determining how many years we will live.

The Gompertz Equation

<ul><li>The faster we recover from an illness, the longer we can expect to live.</li><li>The white blood cell levels indicate if the body has inflammations.</li><li>The red blood cell levels indicate the risk of heart disease or memory loss.</li></ul>

The Way Our Body Is

<ul><li>Genetics play a crucial role in how long we live.</li><li>A good diet and plenty of exercise helps one stay in shape and live longer(but we knew that).</li><li>Getting good treatment and medication to heal from problems is also an important factor.</li></ul>

Factors That Can Help Us Live Long

While most of us can expect to live to about 80 years old, many people regularly surpass this - sometimes by decades. The oldest person lived to be 122. With advancements in health and social care, how long can we expect to live? And is there really a limit to the human lifespan?

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Health

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Problem Solving

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Society, Arts & Culture

Is 150 years really as long as we can ever live?

Anxiety is on the rise. And women are twice as likely to experience anxiety as men.
The more you understand what you're feeling, the more you will feel that anxiety is something you can overcome or keep in control.

Anxiety can be kept in check

<ul>
<li>Identify what triggers your anxiety, then find ways to cope with them.</li>
<li>Leave reminders on your phone or desk with ways for how to respond to what you're feeling.</li>
<li>Allow yourself some time out.</li>
</ul>
Keep in mind that the anticipation of a certain situation is often worse than the reality. We frequently anticipate the worst-case scenario, then find it was not that bad after all.

Handling anxiety at work

<ul>
<li>When you find yourself in an attack at work, ground yourself. Grip the arms of your chair tightly. Tense all your muscles for a count of 20. Then relax your body.</li>
<li>Use self-talk: "It will pass. I just need to ride the wave."</li>
<li>You may have to go to the bathroom and splash your face with water or take a walk.</li>
</ul>

At work during an anxiety attack

When a loved one gets sick, we are filled with anxiety.
Focus on your values and the version of you that you want to be for someone who's struggling. It allows you to be there for them instead of letting anxiety dictate how you act.

When a loved one gets sick

<ul>
<li>Validate that experience. It is normal that it will cause you anxiety as it is a time of difficulty.</li>
<li>Be kind to yourself. Consider how you would care for a friend in that situation and how you would extend that same kindness to yourself.</li>
<li>Reach out to people around you who can be comforting and calming.</li>
</ul>

Anxiety when you lose your job or someone dies

<ul>
<li>Use cognitive reframing. Visualise how the presentation will go and how you will succeed.</li>
<li>Toastmasters is great to rehearse in front of a group. Or practise with the television on. It gives a similar distraction to anxiety.</li>
<li>Try to breathe slower before a talk.</li>
</ul>

Anxiety when you have to speak in public

<ul>
<li>Before you book a flight, look at pictures of planes and listen to aeroplane sounds.</li>
<li>Volunteer to collect someone from the airport. Park your car and go into the airport.</li>
<li>Read up about how common aeroplane accidents are - they are rare.</li>
<li>When you are on the plane, take a small coping kit with you full of things that might be calming to smell, touch, taste, hear, or see.</li>
</ul>

Anxiety when flying on a plane

Feeling anxious? So is everyone else. This is Marie Claire's everything guide to anxiety: What it is. Why you have it. And how to treat it. 

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Mindfulness

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Money & Investments

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Mental Health

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Communication

Feeling Anxious? So Is Everyone Else. This Guide Will Help.

People's economic situation plays a huge role in regards to how they feel about eating leftovers and throwing them away. Some people put a heavy value on leftovers to save money, while others don't.In addition to this, there are people who get anxious over food safety because of the possibility of food poisoning.It is recommended to keep the 2-2-4 rule in mind - within 2 hours of preparation, store leftovers in the refrigerator in a shallow 2-inch dish, and consume within four days.

The Role of Money and Mold Play

When we have a decent amount of knowledge and skill when it comes to cooking, we may be able to spin off a little something with our leftovers like fried rice or soups.However, when we lack the confidence to do so, we will be less likely to try and use up our leftovers.

Cooking Confidence Matters

There are people who are okay with eating the same meals every day and other people believe that they just cannot eat the same thing every single day.There is a possibility that some of us have brains that are 'wired' to want variety, and in most case scenarios it is not a bad thing at all because we can ensure ourselves to consume a balanced diet.

Monotonous Eating Habits

During the scarcity of food during the Great Depression and WII, leftovers were the rage for over three decades.So when the concept of refrigerators began to develop, the luxury of having leftovers can only be afforded by the wealthier families in which was a sign of prestige, but as time passes by, more and more people started owning fridges and the lux of leftovers came to a close.As incomes rose, eating leftovers wasn't considered as economically or morally necessary anymore.

Attitude Towards Leftovers

In recent decades, the portion sizes of food in American restaurants have increased in great margins to the point where people can't finish a plateful.There's also a theory that points out the correlation between heaping portion sizes and one's sense to exercise. The theory heavily suggests that having leftovers impacts our choices of food and the amount we will be consuming.

Bigger Portion Sizes = Bigger Leftover

More and more people are beginning to understand that the production process of food is resource-intensive may it be soup or nuts.Throwing away food and wasting them is basically wasting the resources that were used to create and grow the food. Hopefully, since sustainability is becoming more mainstream, those who throw away leftovers may become motivated to change their perspectives.

The Rise of Sustainability in Leftovers

Money, mold, monotony — they all play a role in your attitude about leftover food.

food

Food

The Psychology Of Why So Many People Hate Eating Leftovers

In 1938, Helmut Ruska, a German physician and biologist, saw the potential of the electron microscope in the application to the field of biology. Helmut collected images, including the variola virus (which causes smallpox) and presented images of the virus particles at a meeting of the Medical Society of Berlin.
Nearly 80 years later, the electron microscope can identify all kinds of pathogens. There are an estimated 1.67 million viral species yet to be discovered.

The potential of the electron microscope

Viruses were first named "filterable infectious agents." Experimentation revealed that these minute entities were capable of passing through filters that caught bacteria and other microorganisms.
In the 19th century, Dutch microbiologist and botanist Martinus Beijerinck demonstrated that viruses cause disease in plants. He applied the sap of sickly tobacco plant leaves to the leaves of healthy plants. The healthy plants produced spots on the leaves and malformed.

The discovery of viruses

<ul>
<li>Viruses exist through symbiosis - an intimate association between two forms of life.</li>
<li>Viruses can only reproduce inside living cells where they turn the host's cells into virus-making copying machines.</li>
<li>Once the viral information becomes integrated into a host's genome, it becomes part of the host and passes on for generations.</li>
<li>In most cases, viruses don't cause disease, and many are beneficial. Viruses can prevent bacteria from invading our gut to cause infections.</li>
</ul>

Viruses shape life

There are three dominant models of viruses that seem to complete each other.
<ul>
<li>The "virus first" model suggests that simple forms of viruses existed before cells and may have provided the raw material for the development of cellular life.</li>
<li>"Escape" or progressive model proposes that viruses come from genetic elements that escaped from the genes of larger organisms.</li>
<li>The "reduction" model suggests that viruses were once larger, free-living organisms that lost their genetic information and ended up smaller and unable to reproduce except inside the cells of other organisms.</li>
</ul>

Why the history of viruses matters

In 1992, the giant virus, or mimivirus, was first observed during the pneumonia outbreak in England. Later the mamavirus and the even larger pandoravirus stretched the human perception of what it means to be a virus.
Giant viruses are not known to affect human health dramatically. The Asfivirus - the African swine fever virus - transmits from tick to pigs and causes hemorrhagic fever. It is closely related to a giant virus from the sewage in Marseille.

Giant viruses

In intact ecosystems, like healthy forests, viruses and their wild hosts interact in a delicate balance. But when humans interfere, they can expose themselves to unknown viruses.
When humans modify landscapes, it encourages interactions between people and wildlife and can affect infectious disease emergence. Forest degradation has been associated with outbreaks of viruses that originated in wildlife, such as Nipah, Hendra, and the Ebola virus.

Viruses and the role of human behavior

Slightly ovoid in shape and somewhat blurred at the edges, the black splotches were scattered across a mottled gray background, looking&#8230;

The Vast Viral World: What We Know (and Don’t Know) - Issue 99: Universality - Nautilus

The idea of an empty or useless calorie is an oversimplified way to look at food. While it may sometimes be necessary to turn complex and imperfect nutrition science into something simple, the simplicity can be misleading and ineffective.
All calories are nutritious because all calories are nutrients. All foods are made up of some combination of the three macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fat.

All calories are nutritious

In 2011, a user-focused online nutrition guide described empty calories as calories from solid fats (saturated fats) and added sugars, such as cakes, cookies, pastries, doughnuts, sodas, fruit drinks, etc. They advised people to keep these to a minimum.
The so-called empty calories contain little or no micronutrients - vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function properly - but they still contain a combination of macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) that provide the body with energy.

Where the term 'empty calories' originated

Empty calories are great fuel and excellent for use during sports. The lack of other nutrients in these sugary foods means they're absorbed faster into the bloodstream and give quick energy. 
Protein and fat from less nutritious foods, such as sausages and ribs, are not worthless. They provide significant amounts of protein - essential for building and repairing muscle.

Carbs are fuel

Consuming only soda, doughnuts, and hot dogs could lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies and lead to poor health. Evidence shows that nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and leans proteins, can improve your health.
Empty calories are presented in a way that causes a belief that natural foods are inherently good, and processed ones are inherently bad. It is false. For example, honey lacks macronutrients and breaks down in your body, just like soda.

Some truth in empty calories

If your goal is to eat a more nutritious diet, a good recommendation would be to eat more nutrient-dense foods, not to avoid empty calories.
It is important to understand that different foods affect our bodies in different ways. High-sugar foods are great for quick energy while saturated fat can be harmful in large quantities. However, you don't need to avoid it altogether.

Vague advice is bad advice

The idea of empty calories is an unproductive way to think about food. In fact, some experts believe it might actually do more harm than good.

There’s No Such Thing as an Empty Calorie

The standard advice provided by a lot of people is to "meditate" when experiencing intense feelings such as rage or sadness. It does work, however, a study suggests that too much meditation can do more harm than good, such as:
<ul>
<li>Numbness in emotions;</li>
<li>Fully induced panic attacks;</li>
<li>Feelings of dissociation; and even</li>
<li>Insomnia</li>
</ul>
There is a threshold when it comes to meditating and we should not cross the boundary to avoid further injuries to ourselves.

Too Much Meditation

Each person should choose the best technique – and the correct “dose” – for their particular situation, rather than doggedly pursuing a plan that is not working..

Meditation: The Bigger Picture

If meditation isn't working for you anymore and you've reached your threshold, here are some activities for you to try that also aids with improving your well-being:
<ul>
<li>Physical exercise</li>
<li>Poetry reading</li>
<li>Gardening.</li>
</ul>
However, whatever activity you choose will be up to your preferences. Keep in mind that any activity can be useful as long as its use is balanced and applicable to your current situation.

Enhancing Your Well-Being When Meditation Doesn't Work

Stress, anxiety, productivity: mindfulness is often touted as a solution to nearly everything. But research shows that you can actually take meditation too far.

10 Japanese Concepts For Self-Improvement and a Balanced Life

6 Tips to Host a Successful Virtual Networking Event

Superbetter

How Workers with a “Gig Mindset” Can Help Your Company Thrive

Is 150 years really as long as we can ever live?

Lily