May might bring extreme heats or perfect weather depending on where you are geographically- regardless of your location, note that health is important and potentially add biking into your daily or weekly routine. Familiarize yourself with women's health issues, and take the time to thank your former teachers or child's teacher. Get to know our history and achievements in space exploration. Support the Red Cross. Honor the lives of our fallen heroes. As always, don't overload your schedule by cramming as many important things in as you can if you can no longer take the time to be present in … [Read more...]
Efficiency = Growth and Success
From Chapter 13 “Efficiency” in Ingredients of Outliers. How Sweet it Is The concept of “efficiency” certainly isn’t new. There’s another giant company where efficiency is a primary goal, a company that’s been around quite a bit longer than Amazon. In fact, the seeds that grew to become Mars, Incorporated were planted in the late nineteenth century in the kitchen of a home in Hancock, Minnesota. It was there that Alva Mars began teaching her young son, Franklin, how to hand-dip candy. Franklin, who became better known as Frank, proved to be a good student and, in 1902, when he was … [Read more...]
Never Give Up and Never Give In
From Chapter 12 “Indefatigable” in Ingredients of Outliers. Up High at Show Low Not long ago, I participated in my first triathlon in eighteen years, held in a town named for a card game. Show Low sits at 6,412 feet at the base of the White Mountains in northern Arizona. Remember the opening scene in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire, where a group of men are running barefoot, effortlessly, through the crashing waves on a beautiful beach, with the orchestra playing an inspiring melody in the background? (If you never saw the movie, or you’ve forgotten that scene, it’s … [Read more...]
Hello Extra Mile, Goodbye Comfort Zone!
From Chapter 12 “Indefatigable” in Ingredients of Outliers. What do I mean by “empty the tank?” Well, it’s described in lots of ways: going the extra mile, and beyond; giving it all you’ve got; going for broke; and, to borrow a term from the popular poker game Texas Hold ‘Em, going “all in,” or betting your entire resources on winning. It’s going above and beyond, to the absolute limits of your talents and strengths, over whatever barriers have kept you from becoming the best you can possibly be. Most barriers are imaginary. Most people have greater capacity than they ever give … [Read more...]
“Can Do” Enthusiasm
From Chapter 10 “Optimism/Enthusiasm” in Ingredients of Outliers. The Electricity of Life One characteristic that, in my experience, goes hand in hand with optimism is enthusiasm. That’s certainly been the case with the optimists I’ve known and it’s true in my life as well. In fact, “enthusiasm” is listed among the synonyms I found for “optimism.” One of my favorite definitions of enthusiasm came from a man named Gordon Parks. "Enthusiasm,” he wrote, “is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit. Enthusiasm is natural; it … [Read more...]
Look on the Bright Side
From Chapter 10 “Optimism/Enthusiasm” in Ingredients of Outliers. I imagine that, at one time or another, you’ve read or heard various definitions comparing optimism and pessimism. Perhaps the oldest and most familiar one involves a glass of water (or other beverage), which the optimist describes as half-full, and the pessimist as half-empty.Well, I recently heard of a young boy who turned that comparison upside down. After drinking half of his glass of milk, he set it down and announced: “I’m an optimist. My glass is half-empty.” Told that his view was pessimistic, he replied: … [Read more...]