Do you lack energy, enthusiasm, desire? Do you have difficulty sleeping? Getting up for work? Lack desire to be with family, spouse, friends? Now some of these symptoms may be related to disease. And there is a belief that depression can result in physical disease, but this is not my area of expertise. But if you are relatively healthy, you’ve gone to regular doctor visits and you check out OK, but you still have symptoms of depression, lack of energy and enthusiasm, it is more than likely that your problems are motivational. Tony Robbins says that there are no lazy people, they simply have impotent goals. Put more simply, they are not doing what excites them. If boredom reigns in you life, get busy. But maybe you’ve been suppressing your desires for so long it is going to take some work to pull out the answer.

What is the best technique to use? Simple and short. Writing. You need a journal. If you are not used to self-examination, then you need to get a journal and practice opening up to the intuitive / creative voice within you. It is the subconscious voice or the subconscious you that has your answers. Major point here is that you are going to find out for yourself what it is that you want to do.

Here’s a case in point. I had a student come to me one day complaining that no matter how hard she tried to be objective in her writing she always found herself putting in her ten cents, so to speak. She just couldn’t keep herself from putting her subjective stories in to support what she was saying. The assignment called for a more objective approach but no matter what she just couldn’t maintain her objectivity.

I asked her if she kept a journal. She said no. I said, well, for your mental health, I suggest that you do. There is obviously something that you have to work out. If you have a continual desire to express yourself, you either have a problem to work out or you’re a writer incognito.

She confessed that she used to write all the time and loves to write but found it impractical. I told her that she better get writing. It is your core genius. If you are that motivated to write, that obsessed with writing, you are a writer. Exactly what you are going to do with it, I don’t know. But I do know that you have to write and as you do so on a consistent basis, you will discover what it is that you need to do with your writing.

I had a similar experience. After working in the computer field for several years, and then the entertainment field, I knew that I was at an impasse. But after a fashion, I knew through brainstorming or free-writing what my plan was: I would get my BA and MA in English, teach for six years or so, learn, gain extensive experience speaking, and then move into a private entity as an info-preneur. And as I sit and write this article, something that I had gotten away from for some time (writing that is), I find my energy increasing, my focus and sharpness of mind excelling. Mental sharpness is a key feature of those who are following their path. Interesting that I read today on the AP wire that elderly people who see themselves as self-disciplined, organized achievers have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease than people who are less conscientious. Why? Universal law. You were put here to do certain things. You were also put here to get off the sofa and do things, period-and, may I add, mostly for other people. There are rewards just for doing something, even those things that don’t promote your core genius, so imagine the physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, spiritual benefits of doing that which you came here to do. And everybody, everybody, has their talent.

You know mine. My wife’s is interior decorating. She’ll see something in the store and instantly knows where it will fit into the house. She spotted a painting one time and when we got it home I put it on the wall and it amazed me how the colors in the painting matched with the surroundings. My older son is a mechanical genius. My daughter is a bookworm like her father. Our youngest Michael, who barely speaks, is going to be a politician or a lawyer. During activities at our church everyone young and old is asking, where’s Michael? Where’s Michael? One day we went to Universal Studios and my wife and I were waiting for the kids to get soaked on the Jurassic Park ride as Michael introduced himself to the people around him, just going up to tables sitting down next to whoever and socializing. He can’t talk yet, but that didn’t stop him from holding a young ladies hand for ten minutes. Quite the flirt.

But getting back to the issue at hand, you do have a talent. And some people complain that they’ve looked and they’ve looked and they’ve looked but to no avail. Well, I say, you are probably looking past, over, below or around it. It is there, you just need to think more simply. What do you like to do? How do you find this out? Let’s look into it.

Journaling

One of the best ways to discover or uncover is to journal. Unfortunately, most people have gotten away form writing. Years ago, before the glut on the market of entertainment related devices (Xbox, Game Cube, Internet, iPod, PCs, MP3 players, cell phones, email), people actually sat down and wrote each other. In junior high, I remember writing to a friend who had moved to the next state. I also wrote funny stories to entertain my friends. I wrote ideas and notes down of things I needed to do, wanted to remember, and was looking forward to. But writing is a lost art. I have seen major evidence of this over the seven-plus years I taught at the college / university level. But let’s get to what journaling can do for you.

One of the major features of journaling is its ability to pull from you information, wisdom, thoughts you never knew you had or had forgotten that are recalled just at the right time to help solve an issue.

I have yet to pin down why writing is so important to self-understanding or why it is the best way to problem solve or discover insight. It may have to do with our limitations more than anything else. Since we are such forgetful beings and have a difficult time retaining, processing, and recalling information, the best thing for us is to simply write it down. Write it down so we don’t forget what we’ve just discovered, and write it down so that we can go back and look at where our problems lie, enabling us to compare and contrast to fix ongoing issues.

But one of the greatest attributes of writing is that it enables us to create a direct path to that intuitive voice, the subconscious mind, the sixth sense, the divine, if you will. Here is where we find oftentimes priceless gems of knowledge and understanding that would probably stay hidden if we didn’t write.

It stays hidden because people are looking at life with myopic eyeglasses. They aren’t seeing the forest for the trees. The major reason being that they don’t study enough of what is going on around them. In order to truly see what’s going on, you have to read, study, think, contemplate, write or journal, just generally keep the mind active and nimble. Like your belly, it gets soft with inactivity. One of the best things you can do is write on a daily basis. Writing enables one to call forth hidden wisdom, forgotten facts that create insights that are powerful and priceless. Let me give you a few examples of what this journaling can do for you.

I know of a man who was having a normal life working as a computer programmer, going to work, raising a family, enjoying his work and leisure time. However, one day his life was turned upside down, as often happens to us humans (It happens so often that it should not be a surprise to us-maybe add this to our early education as well). He contracted MS. He did the usual in attempting to work with the mental / emotional aspect of the disease. He spoke to doctors. He spoke to family and friends. This helped to a degree but he needed more help than they could provide. So where did he go? To paper and pen. He realized that only by examining his thoughts on his own could he reach needed understanding. As he wrote, he began to have insights and understandings that were specific to his plight. Understandings others and even he could not have come up with.

“What?” You ask. “Not even him? But isn’t he writing here?”

Yes, but as I’ve stated before, it is the subconscious, intuitive / creative voice that taps into submerged solutions, understandings, forgotten facts and connections that only come forth when we allow ourselves to think freely and intuitively. Subsequent chapters will help you free yourself up, let go of counterproductive thoughts and habits locking up great personal discovery. Not sure if you’ve ever heard the old sixties saying, “Free you mind and your ass will follow.” Well, hopefully we’ll get a lot more than rear end feed up. Let’s get back to the example.

This man began to discover ways of dealing with his disease that no one else was coming up with, solutions that worked specifically for him-his unique situation. He began recording how he was feeling at his worst times. For instance, at one point, he began writing down how often he was waking up at night, and what he was feeling, and passed that information on to his doctor who was able to tailor preventative solutions based on this information. The man even went back to writing poetry, something that he hadn’t done in years, to discover insight and calm that he said would have never happened if he hadn’t gotten sick-the sickness forcing him to write again.

I know from personal experience that it has been the times I’ve spent alone, feeling down and desperate, sad and destitute, that have not only motivated me to seek out a better life but has helped me to see the significance of this better life and to appreciate it for all the joy and reward it brings. The result? Greater insight, understanding, compassion for others who suffer the same plight, and strength, coming from overcoming such difficulties and tragedies.

People often complain about their difficulties, curse God for their bad luck, but they never look to the light at the underbelly of tragedy and failure. Without these downtimes, how do we ever know success? There is no one who has ever succeeded who hasn’t known failure. And that is good, for how can you succeed without it? If failure did not exist, and you only knew success, how would you know your were successful? If you were always healthy and never got sick, how could you know health?

This is old news, philosophy that has been around for ages. The Taoist speaks of it in the ying / yang: hot / cold, light / darkness, health / sickness, pleasure / pain. If we didn’t have these pairs then we would not know the good or the bad. It is the way this world is set up. For our benefit.

By keeping our minds open, we are able to see things we would not normally be able to see. Important things.

Here’s another example. A woman was concerned about a defect in her child’s head. She had gone to a couple of experts who said that everything was fine, that the child would grow out of it. Nevertheless, she continued to worry and seek out experts. She just knew something was wrong.

Point of note: good example here of not listening to others or blindly following the crowd. How many less informed mothers or mothers with weaker intuition would have accepted these expert’s opinions?

She decided that in order to work out this problem she would journal. She, like the man with MS, had gone to experts, family and friends for advice but she knew that she hadn’t found what she was looking for. So she began to write.

In writing, she discovered an un-opinionated, neutral partner in her pen and paper. But she was not alone. She knew that there was another presence working with her. She could feel it as she came to greater understanding of what she should do. Seek out additional experts. She did.

Some time later she came upon a doctor who was working on a new disease of the bone, specifically related to children. She brought her child in. After the doctor examined the child, he suggested that they not delay and operate as soon as possible.

After the operation both the doctor and mother were satisfied with the result, the doctor telling the mother that if she had delayed the child might not have survived. The mother was also satisfied with the information and insight that she received from her journal, not only because she had saved her child but she had come to a great understanding through writing how to best deal with a highly charged emotional situation-a situation no one else was able to remedy to the mother’s satisfaction.

Journaling, writing, keeping a diary, any form of jotting down one’s ideas in a quiet place on a regular basis is fundamental to tapping into and maximizing one’s ability to be successful in most if not all areas of life.

Jeff Brown has been writing for over thirty years. He is an astute observer of the human condition and has overcome many personal development challengs by applying the principles he speaks of to his own life. His current novel Black Body Radiation and the Ultraviolet Catastrophe can be found at Amazon.com His newest book, Give and Grow Yourself Rich will be out in early 2008.

So what should be done at the outset so that there are not so many career changes or career transitions for the majority?

To get things right, you need an impartial coach who works at pulling from within you your answers, not a family member, mom or dad, or educational counselor. Why none of the above? They are either too close to you or have an agenda. Also, if you are getting advice from the public sector just consider the difference in service between the DMV and Blockbusters (or choose any business in which customer satisfaction is critical to success). Institutions that are not-for-profit are not competitive and therefore rarely gage their success based on consumer success or satisfaction outcomes. Those for-profit institutions better be successful, using the best products and services, or they go out of business.

By having a person who is impartial, experienced, and understands that the answers lie within the student or person seeking a career or career change, and to have that coach work with the individual for as long as it takes to reach a definitive understanding as to what he or she was put on this planet to do is critical to your success.

Whether you believe it or not, we all have a certain sub-set of innate talents, abilities, and gifts that when exploited bring not only financial success but also great fulfillment, or as Abraham Maslow would have said, actualization. And it frequently amazes me the number of people who compromise and never achieve complete and utter happiness in their career. Since this is a free country, the freest on earth, why some would choose to spend one third of their life working in a field they don’t love with all their heart is puzzling to me. Certainly, it takes work and time to change, but as far as I know once we’re dead we aren’t coming back, so do we have a choice?

There are always excuses, but if you only have one mortal life to live, and by living that life fulfilled it helps you to reach your potential, and by doing so it fills you with so much passion that you want to reach out with great joy to hundreds, thousands, millions to give them some of the same . . . Well, you see my point. There are few like this, but so many more can be so. How do I know? I’ve lived both lives, and living what you love to do so much that it’s no longer work but something you desire to be doing twenty-four seven . . . Well, once again, you see my point.

I have personally headed down the wrong career path, working a job that was so “not me” that I suffered depression at times to the point of immobility. And since I’ve changed my perspective some twenty-plus years ago, not only has my joy and purpose exploded, but I’ve become much more sensitive to those around me who are living the half-life, the life of the living dead, and shudder at their misery, their frowns, pessimism, and discontent with themselves and their infecting of others with the same. It is neither a pretty picture nor a good way for anyone to spend their short life on this earth.

But back to the greater issue at hand.

What happens in the early days of choosing a career-in college career training or when “experts” help college students career brainstorm-is that the horse is almost always put before the cart. Meaning that a career is all too frequently chosen based on little consideration outside of what the family or society says or where the money or prestige can be found.

Few examples to support based on what I’ve heard from clients and students:

“Hey, my dad is an accountant, and he tells me that once he’s done with his work he can do whatever he wants. He says he usually has a couple hours a day free. I can just play video games. That’s great.”

“Doctors and lawyers get respect. That’s what I’m going to do.”

“I went into law because I want to go back to the South and nail all the rednecks.”

“I was an engineer major, but I changed to architecture.” When asked why? “Sounds better.”

The majority of decisions pertaining to how people are going to spend one third of their lives is based on such sloppy, shallow thinking it’s no wonder that within five to ten years after graduation 70% of grads no longer work in a field related to their major.

Seventy percent! Who says education is the end-all and cure-all?

So to get something right that is so important, you must begin to see that it should take time and effort to discover where you need to be in order to maximize your potential for not only monetary success but for general life happiness.

So how’s it done?

Here I will just summarize, for the way is complex and involves considerable effort, thought, and time.

First, you must look at all important areas of your life. Some examples are health, family, physical environment, money, career, friends and family, romance / significant other, fun and recreation. If you don’t look at your life as a whole in deciding a career, you will more than likely career change and career transition until the cows come home.

But there’s more.

Now you must research your talents, abilities, gifts to determine where and how you will make your money. You will not know specifically up front, but that’s OK. As the successful say, shoot and then aim. You will have a general understanding of where you’ll be going but only by following the path on a daily, monthly, yearly bases, even, will a specific understanding of ultimate achievement come to fruition or reveal itself. In most cases, there is no other way.

Next, you must look at character. We all have character flaws that need to be addressed. Remember that success can come because of your talents and gifts, but just look at the news headlines of the mighty-successful who have fallen and fallen hard and you’ll see why character is critical. As a matter of fact, no amount of talent, ability, knowledge, or gifts can compensate for the self-sabotaging of poor character.

Finally, you must study and know inside and out all the critical success principles: how to work well with others, tolerance of others and ideas, creativity, honor and self-accountability, self-control, succeeding through failure, and so on. Without a thorough understanding here, you are limited . . . in the extreme.

There are other intangibles that vary from individual to individual, but the above is general that which needs to be addressed by the majority if not all in making solid career decisions for the greatest of happiness and fulfillment.

Well, I’m excited. I hope you are too. I always get excited or passionate about what I love. And I love giving people the truth related to life success and fulfillment. Having lived so many years down and out, depressed, hopeless, lonely, unhappy, unfulfilled, I am more than enthused to help people avoid the same. The one thing that I discovered through the school of hard knocks is that there is no need for it.

I’m excited to help you on your path to joy. In time, you’ll get excited too. We all need a passion-career. Let me help you build yours.

Here’s to your success.

Why is all this happening? Well, let’s begin with the beginning.

To begin to understand what has happened, we have to go back to the sixties with open enrollment or allowing anyone into college. Community colleges have done it all along, but in recent years four-year universities and colleges have followed suit. This has resulted in many students slacking off believing that hard work isn’t necessary to get into college. Unfortunately, along with several other factors, it has resulted in the majority of students entering community college not being able to meet accepted standards in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

In addition, at the secondary level power has shifted from the teacher to the student in the classroom. From my two years of experiences and conversations with other teachers as a K-12 substitute teacher, along with dozens of stories told to me by friends, family, and graduate seminar students getting out of teaching, the lack of control in the classroom is killing the teaching profession. According to a recent survey, three out of five going into teaching use it only as a stepping stone to another position or profession, as my lawyer friend did several years ago. He told me that the majority of teachers at his school were either new or ready for retirement—few in-betweens, for the reason stated above. He was even told by one of the experienced teachers, “Either you’re going to do what the students want or you’ll quit.” At an assembly, he asked a student to behave. The student’s response? “You can call the cops if you want. You can’t do anything.”

But there’s more to the story than loss of control in the classroom and liberal ideals. There’s the reality of the economy, a considerable rise in the cost of living and decrease in the savings rate, along with a great number of divorced parents now being financially responsible for dual homes—main reason many students drop out is to help the single-parent pay the bill. According to a report titled The Silent Epidemic by John Bridgeland (CEO of Civic Enterprise, a publicity group that lead a 2007 national dropout summit), 80% of students surveyed said they dropped out because of a need for “classes that are more interesting and provide opportunities for real-world learning.” As a father of a sixteen-year-old in advance placement classes (her homework level is equivalent to that of a college student), I see the impractical, irrelevant materials being studied and ask the question myself, “What’s this got to do with anything?”

Most schools don’t take into consideration real-world economic situations. Since most grads going into the workforce will have three to five, and some experts say up to ten career changes, the real need is for learning how to learn, think critically and independently, and creatively. This is not the industrial age nor is it the information age, it is the recommendation age where people are in critical need of the aforementioned skills. Considering that half of all wages and salaries are currently being made in the creative sector one can see that sitting passively in a classroom in which undesirable material is forced on students without explanation as to its need and application is problematic. Where is the motivation for the student?

More than ever before schools need to be student centered in the sense that the student gets to know himself / herself thoroughly (intelligence and personality types, strengths / gifts, weaknesses, values, and so on) and advisers / teachers work to an outcome of specific match between knowledge, student, and career. Reliance on archaic methods that no longer apply in a dynamic work and economic environment isn’t going to work; the way our children are educated K-college needs to be revamped, scrapped, or parents must take a greater role in educating themselves as to new needs and take a greater personal role in the educating of their children.

But that’s only part of the picture. Most graduates, even college grads, according to employers are lacking real-world skills and attitudes that are critical in today’s turbulent world economy. Employers complain of new-hires lacking the ability to work to deadlines and work well with peers, entitlement issues, inability to see the bigger picture, and so on. But there’s more. Recent grads also lack an understanding of the lengthy commitment a career demands. If the employee does not have a passion for what he or she is doing, especially in these economically trying and hyper-competitive times, then the chance of lacking the energy, commitment, and focus to maintain said career will result in unemployment. There is a way to be irreplaceable, but most of the “educated” lack 80% of what is needed to succeed in today’s employment market.

There are no easy answers, but relying on government or school systems to figure it out is dangerous, for the pace at which change may occur–and there is no promise it will happen–is too slow for your child’s current needs.

If you’re interested in what is needed, please contact me for further information. Your child’s financial and emotional welfare depends on it.

But as you work hard and often, how much is too much? And in doing too much, do you really gain greater opportunity or lose ground?

Sometimes, in our enthusiasm to achieve-maybe even enthusiasm to please-we overdo it and ruin  rather than encourage opportunity. Case in point:

Author of Thick Face Black Heat, the Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life, Chin-ning Chu  speaks of her desire to get a book to print at one point in the text. In meeting the deadline of Feb 15, 1991 she pushed her publisher and herself to the limit. The result? Because all of the media attention was on Desert Storm her book disappeared in the war’s media maelstrom. Chu believes that if she had not rushed, if she had stayed on a steady pace, her book would have been brought to light under much more favorable conditions. Because she did not listen well to her anxious heart, she misinterpreted a need for calm as one for greater action.

In learning, I have often found a point of saturation. I read a lot to obtain insight and knowledge as to greater understanding of the human condition outside of that which I gain from my limited perspective and experience. Infrequently as I seek and discover, I obtain a point where enough is enough. At this point I discover that I have the insight I need for my message, my anxiety to discontinue inquiry a demarcation point of discontinuance.

Sometimes as we seek to achieve we ignore the message our anxiety is attempting to convey. Instead of doing less and accepting conditions we do more and feed the anxiety even moving ourselves to failure. But even in times of failure, we are often better off accepting it than wasting time and effort by pushing to do more to right an alleged wrong.

On several occasions in my attempt to achieve greater prosperity, I’ve chosen a particular path. For example, I’ve taken a job that I thought would tide me over until I was able to move laterally into a position that would allow greater upward mobility. Yet while in this situation, I have been fired from several jobs, often due to no fault of my own. Each time as I’ve remained calm and accepting, I’ve moved into greater opportunities than those I anticipated following my preconceived or more forced, unnatural plan.

Sometimes we do too much out of lack of control, but even through the greatest preparation in regards to success in business and life we can never know it all; there is a point where we must simply trust in the fates.

“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast. In the pool where you least expect it, will be a fish.”– Ovid

And one must certainly push oneself to find the limits in ourselves, our plans, and life. For it is only in the doing, in having faith that all will ultimately work out that we stretch our intuitive muscle to learn of that which cannot be found in books but only in experience.

“Of course we all have our limits, but how can you possibly find your boundaries unless you explore as far and as wide as you possibly can? I would rather fail in an attempt at something new and uncharted than safely succeed in a repeat of something I have done.”– A.E. Hotchner

Ultimately, success is part tangible, part intangible. The tangible is what which we consciously do in an effort to achieve. The intangible is what we listen for and feel along the way as we adjust for greater if not greatest success.

“Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person we become.”– Jim Rohn

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”– Bill Cosby

Here’s to your success.

• How to eliminate that most devastating handicap — self doubt
• How to free yourself from worry, stress and resentment
• How to climb above problems to visualize solutions and then attain them
• Simple prayerful exercises that you can do every day, throughout the day, to reinforce your new-found habit of happiness

Now, it’s certainly fine to think positively to focus on positive thoughts. And you do want to overcome the devastation of feeding into anger, fear, and worry. And it certainly is fine to hold onto a “mental picture of yourself as a success” to “practice happy thinking” even every morning to “let pictures of each happy experience you expect to have that day, pass across your mind [to] savor their joy [so that] such thoughts will cause events to turn out that way.”

But unfortunately, there’s a downside to all this happiness.

In recent years, the power of positive thinking has gotten so out of control that if you think negatively or experience negative thoughts you are at fault, need to repent, and avoid ever doing so again. But I’ll let you in on a secret negative thinkers, those advocating positive thoughts are not always positive. They too experience doubt, disappointment, anguish, and pain.

So what’s a poor negative thinker to do?

Well, first of all, let’s take a look at reality.

There is a difference between being positive and negative when dealing with reality. Sure, on the one hand in the long run, you want to be an upbeat and can-do person. But on the other hand, you don’t want to be a perpetual downbeat, can’t-do person. However, if you are generally a positive person and you begin to inordinately experience doubt, fear, worry, anguish and so forth, it’s for a reason. And you need to stop, examine your circumstances and figure out why all this negative stuff is happening and not just block it out with positive thoughts.

What if you are in a job or career that is in dire need of change?

What if you are in a relationship that is falling apart and you need to address the negative issues?

What if you are confronting an individual on a daily basis who is brining you down?

And, more importantly, what if there are deep-seated issues that have been in your psyche since childhood that need to be looked at in detail, confronted, examined, and addressed? It would certainly be foolish to try to just think positive thoughts to overcome here.

Sometimes, being too positive or overly optimistic can be problematic. What if you are a CEO, physician, or general in the field of battle who must deal with the reality of the negative or not so favorable facts? Should the CEO ignore the negative financial reports coming in with positive thoughts? The doctor with a patient who has a life-threatening illness with positive thoughts? The general in the field who is outnumbered with positive thoughts?

OK, not many may be CEO’s, doctors, or generals in the battlefield, but you see my point. However, it is also critical to not avoid those everyday negatives that arise: jealousy, anger, spite, fear, remorse, doubt, hatred, shame, worry, delusion, and so on. Even the generally positive person will have such emotions arise on occasion. And that’s OK. They are there for a reason, warning signals that must be addressed not ignored or glossed over with positive mantras.

At times, self-examination alone is not enough to fix some of the negatives. Depending on the complexity and depth of the issue, you may have to go to a professional. But for lesser issues, and for those who have had some training in doing so, self-examination is enough. For instance, if you are a normally emotionally healthy person and you find yourself all of a sudden becoming jealous of someone’s success, maybe it’s merely a signal that it’s time for a change in your life. Maybe you need to obtain some of that success for yourself.

Now some in the field of motivation and success advocate positive thinking like it’s the only avenue to success. And, sure, you would probably prefer to be a bright, shiny, positive thinker than a dull, downcast, negative one. But you certainly shouldn’t put your work toward success on hold until you become the paragon of positive thinking.

And who knows? maybe you’ll never get rid of the negative? Lincoln didn’t. Here’s a man who often suffered extreme bouts with depression and a fascination with death. But he still achieved within his “negativity.”

And who’s to say negativity is not of an arbitrary nature? For in the United States, someone who is a pushy, get ‘er done, go getter is generally looked at in a positive light. But if you put that same person in certain countries in Asia such actions would be looked at as highly undesirable, maybe even negative.

And who knows? Maybe the reason your negative is that you’re just uninspired and it’s time for change and continued growth. Hell, if you had reached this point and thought “Gee, I’m negative, I’ve got to think happy thoughts” then this would not be considered positive thinking but insanity. It’s not negativity but uninspiring goals that are your problem.

The bottom line here is that being negative is not a death sentence nor is being positive an indicator that all is well. It’s best to be somewhere in between, a realist, and to take an honest look at what is causing you distress or, for that matter, what is causing you happiness and joy. An active, examining, honest mind is your best tool to success and not worrying too much one way or the other how much more positive or negative you “need to be” according to somone’s arbitrary standard.

Here’s to your success.

Today, most know of Da Vinci as a painter, but he was much more than that.

Da Vinci was a mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, and writer. Many of his ideas were considerably ahead of their time. He envisioned a helicopter, a tank, solar power, a calculator, and outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. His ideas were so advanced that most could only be left to linger in theory. However, some of his inventions were used in the 15th century, such as a machine for testing tensile strength wire. As a scientist, he advanced knowledge in the fields of anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics.

But is da Vinci an exception who can’t be touched? What really made him so unique? Where does the secret lie?

In this day n age of the specialist, we are not advised to be a Renaissance man or woman. We are told not to be a Jack- or Jane-of-all-trades. But if we listen to the popular notion there’s a good chance we are doing something really wrong. According to Napoleon Hill, we need to be careful who tells us what:

“Who said it could not be done? And what great victories has he to his credit which qualify him to judge others accurately?”

Hill also said of failure:

“Every failure is a blessing in disguise, providing it teaches some needed lesson one could not have learned without it. Most so-called failures are only temporary defeats.”

Da Vinci would agree, for he did not see failure as something to stop him or even slow him down.

Da Vinci’s extreme contributions to many fields only rival that of the great Michelangelo. Ironically, it was it was a fierce competition with Michelangelo at the end of da Vinci’s life that nearly put him out of commission. But it was his belief in himself, in his vision, that kept him going.

“Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.” da Vinci

Was da Vinci the great man he was, the great discoverer, the great Renaissance man, merely because he was born that way? Or did he have to earn it?

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.” da Vinci

Did da Vinci make discoveries or was he made by them? How much of his effort, his desire, pealed back information and knowledge that was there merely waiting to be discovered? How many of his discoveries were made simply through unrelenting desire to learn, to see the truth, to uncover that which was already there?

But a more important question is, can you do the same? To what degree?

But before we can attempt to answer that question, let’s get the word “discovery” clearly defined in our mind’s eye.

Discovery: the act of revealing; disclosure.

It doesn’t say the act of making something from nothing but to “reveal,” to “disclose” that which already exists. As in radio waves being merely revealed not invented or put there. As in the laws of gravity being revealed not imagined and then placed by man for discovery.

What can you discover? How do you do it? Let’s ask da Vinci.

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” da Vinci

But what is “perception”?

Perception: mental grasp of objects, qualities, etc. by means of the senses; awareness; comprehension. The understanding, knowledge, etc. gotten by perceiving.

Da Vinci was the great envisioner he was because he perceived and conceived. He studied birds and how their wings moved in order to fly, and he envisioned man doing the same. He looked at fish swimming in water and envisioned man doing the same or at least functioning under water. He envisioned the human body and enquired and explored.

So the big question of the day is, what da Vinci-ing have you done lately?

But is all that work worth it? What’s your motivation? Should you simply do so much without adequate cause? Here’s what da Vinci has to say.

“A day well-spent brings happy sleep, so a life well-spent brings happy death.” da Vinci

He was certainly a man of action. Much action . . . action . . . action . . .

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” Da Vinci

It is a universal principle that effort given is reward received. Only those who sweat (genius is 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration) imbibe of the great knowledge merely waiting to be reviled to the deserving few. Great insight is not unique in that it lies in wait for a “special person.” All are privy to its gain. But to gain one must study, learn, observe, and discipline the mind and condition the soul for greatness. For great knowledge lies in wait for those of great desire, character, and faith in the finding.

How does this apply today to your career and life?

Consider that many “experts” say that you’ll have three to five career changes over your working life-time; some say as many as ten career changes. Today not only do jobs, careers, and businesses come and go but entire economic sectors. Are you going to go back to school every career change for four years to update your skills? Do you understand that any educational institution is the tip of the ice burg that education is not institutional but individual?

Now, more than ever before, in this age of turbulence (Read Allen Greenspan’s Age of Turbulence) economic change is occurring more and more rapidly, the innate creative destruction of capitalism is moving faster and faster.

In this regard, you need to be an entrepreneur, a company of one, regardless of whether or not you desire to own a business, for job stability or security (if there ever was such a thing) is a thing of the past. America no longer stands alone without competition. This is not post WWII 60s / 70s where America was the only first-world country still standing. You must become a polymath and learn again and again new skills, attitudes, and knowledge to gain a toe-hold on not only career stability but success. So get to DaVinci-ing.

Here’s to your success.

You’ve probably heard the hype made by companies promising an amazing’ memory: learn how to increase your memory ten fold; never forget another name again; weeks, months, years later recall at will all that you’ve seen; on and on the promises go. But unless you have a brain transplant, you’re really only as good as the software you’ve been given. Meaning, there are no miracles. There are techniques that can improve memory, but the key, the secret is in the individual’s increased concentration because of great desire and passion for what one is learning combined with just plain old hard work. If you have a great need and interest or motivation to remember, your chance of doing so increases considerably over those with a lukewarm interest. Few memory courses will aid you in retaining, processing, and recalling knowledge that you consider irrelevant and pointless. As I said above, passion and plain old hard work, so let’s get into it.

“The true art of memory is the art of attention” Samuel Johnson.

Any great project requires a good memory. The better the memory the smoother the flow of intake, process, retain, and recall. Want to get a job done right? Pass a test with flying colors? Memory, learn how to work it. And don’t worry too much about forgetting. If you do, that lack of faith may just encourage such a thing. But for the faithful, they believe that there just may be no such thing as forgetting.

“The existence of forgetting has never been proved: We only know that some things don’t come to mind when we want them” Friedrich Nietzsche.

There are a lot of things that can certainly inhibit memory: fatigue, hunger, poor diet, anger, depression, and so on. But there’s proof that those who use their minds often and for a long time, as in well into one’s life, there’s even been evidence that memory can continue to stay strong and healthy. But before we go any further, let’s take a look at the two sides of memory.

First, you need to understand that there is short-term and long-term memory. The key is getting the stuff in short-term into long-term. Now, once you get it there in order to keep it there, once again, requires work. Remember the old saying, use it or loose it? Well, you certainly need to work to get it in there, but in order to keep it there-long term-you need to work at that too with regular practice.

So what’s the work involved? What can you do to enhance your memory? Let’s get into it.

1. Take it easy and slow down. You need to be calm and focused, better yet, in the zone. Turn off the TV, cut the conversations, lock the door, put out the cat, tell the girlfriend you’ll see her later. Get to focusing and get to work. And remember, as my little Mikie says to me whenever he’s losing, “Daddy, it’s not a race.” When I’m working, or concentrating on what I love to do, my focus is so great that I can work downstairs blocking out the television and multiple conversations. Not the best environment for working the memory, like I said above, but with passion and desire, your focus or ability to use memory is enhanced considerably.And over the years I have almost exclusively worked without distraction in building up my ‘focus’ ability. To cite another example, I remember years ago blasting my new Led Zeppelin DVD while reading The Universe is a Green Dragon: A Cosmic Creation Story by Brian Swimme, PhD. Through it all, I was not only able to pick up on what I was reading, but remembered the main points well enough after that one reading to teach it the next day in class. I was filling for a week for an ailing colleague. And don’t go thinking I have a photographic memory. No, that’s my colleague who I stood in for. I’ve acquired my ability to remember better than most simply through work.

2. But you say you’re still distracted? Sure, sounds great, Jeff. Just get to work. Easier said than done. I’ve got bills to pay, an interview coming up, the Lakers will be taking on the Celtics in just under three hours (reason for my three hour time limit on this work session), and so the distractions go. Maybe, just maybe, you can’t do it now. You’ve got to get rid of that distraction or two or three before you could even think about concentrating enough to get to the task at hand. OK, go take care of it. But if you have to deal with your scheduled work session, what are you going do? I suggest writing out everything that is blocking you until you’ve exhausted the distraction(s). Focus on what’s distracting you and then once that is out of the way or as much as you can get it out of the way get to work. It’s a technique I have my students and clients use. Write, write, write, until the distractions are all out on paper (good place to put stuff that’s bugging you; you can get back to it later since you’ve recorded it) and then get to the task at hand. Now all this is not to help you to remember things better but to get things out of the way that will inhibit you from doing so.

3. Wa-wa-wa-wandering on and on, here to there, to and fro, and beyond. In one survey, college students were asked what they were thinking eight random times a day. Some said they weren’t thinking about what they were doing 30% of the time. Some were “elsewhere” 80 to 90% of the time. I gave a final one semester and about ten minutes before it began a dozen or so students were mulling about. I asked them if they remembered to bring their blue composition books. Only one out of a dozen students had brought it, but he made an interesting point when he said, “Gee professor, you told us ten times to bring one.” So this is certainly an acquired skill. Work at focusing on focusing. One of the best ways to do this is to, once again, write. Because when you’re writing, as fingers press keyboard or pen / pencil marks the page, it’s difficult to do anything else. Well, you can do other things, but the results of your writing will be poor. In order to do the job well, you’ll have to focus, focus, focus, focus. So get to it.

4. But what should I focus on? Good question. As Einstein said, why commit something to memory if you can look it up? That’s right, don’t put junk in there you don’t need. In college, if you read everything, you’d never pass. Huh? Yes, I remember, especially senior year and in graduate school, I tried to do ALL the reading. Not smart. One class alone was over one-hundred pages a week. What about the other four or five classes? Forget it. There was no way I was going to read it all, never mind remember everything I read. So we have to go to our critical thinking skills here to figure out how to pare it down.

This will take another paragraph; hang in there. I use the gear box analogy to explain this technique. First and foremost, you have to know what you’re looking for, what’s important, what’s required. Work from the question(s) to the answer(s). Why am I reading? What’s the answer I’m looking for? Where is it? In most cases, the main point is what you’re looking for. Where is it? In the introduction and / or conclusion. Or in a smaller sense in the topic sentence of each paragraph. Often there’s a lot of filler if you know what you’re looking for, so here you’re in fourth or fifth gear, skimming (over the years I’ve learned to be ruthless in skimming the unessential–it’s the only way to survive and thrive; sorry authors). Shifting speeds while reading is a key to memory-cut out the unnecessary. Get to the point. Gloss over introductory material, stories, examples, and get to the main point. Look for key words: “critical” “vital” “imperative.” Or some authors will tell you outright, “Here’s the main point.” Personally, my favorite. When I’m teaching I tell my students three times when I have something important to say, “This is important. This is important. This is important. Hey, did I tell you this is important?” You get the idea.

OK, now you have got to keep it-the stuff you’ve begun to memorize. How’s that done? Here, check it out.

1. Study it over and over and over again. Thought I had an easy answer for ya? Nope. One way of keeping it in your head is by writing books and articles. What? That’s right. Why do you think I write so much? (seven books, over 300 articles, dozens of poems) I want to know what I’m talking about in regards to what I’m teaching, coaching, and speaking, so I write, and write, and write, and write. Best way to learn it and retain it. Other ways. Well, first you have to read. But if you’re studying a particular topic or issue, don’t just read one book or article. Read several, many from different perspectives and styles. Maybe at first you don’t get it, but after a second or third author it makes sense because it’s said in just the right way or something that had been glossed over is presented in greater detail and then Bingo! You get it. Also, annotate. Get involved with the text. I never read without a pen and or pencil. I am always writing in the margins, summarizing, critiquing, questioning, agreeing, disagreeing. By being fully engaged using as many techniques and as many senses as possible and coming from as many angles as you can, the better the chance that you’ll not only get what you’re reading but you’ll retain it.

2. Learn it too much. Just because you get it doesn’t mean you know it. The best way to know if you’ve really got something is by trying to explain what you’ve learned to someone. And if you know it that well, you’ve really worked your memory by reading, taking notes, annotating, reading various authors on the same subject-the learn-too-much technique. It’s easy while sitting quietly reading and or writing to believe you know it. But the real test is can you explain it to someone else so that they understand and get it? Teaching is the best way to test whether or not you’ve got it. In one semester-long seminar in which a group of teachers got together every other Saturday to learn how to teach, we were told time and again, the closer we can get our students to actually teaching the greater the chance that they would take the knowledge deep and truly understand it and retain it. Worst thing you can do is just listen to someone and expect to get it and retain it. Next is simply by reading. But best of all is explaining verbally without a net (book, notes, video) what you know. Doing this work is like lifting heavy weights. It will strengthen your memory. If you just life five pound weights all your life you’ll never build muscle. Same thing goes for brain matter. Work it, sister.

3. Test yourself. So you think you really know it? Probably not. Ask yourself questions, definitions, key terms, points, and so on. Do you really know it? This is how I developed my vocabulary. I used to write down words that I saw over and over but didn’t know the meanings to. So I’d fill up a page with words and their definitions. And over a period of days or weeks, however long it took, I’d quiz myself hiding the definitions until I got them all. When I was done I’d tear up the page and start over. Same with basketball free throws. I’d shoot one-hundred free throws until I hit eighty percent. If I got to a point where I wasn’t going to be able to get 80 percent, I’d start over. Did I become a good shooter? You bet. Did the same thing with shoot arounds. Different shots from here and there and here and there. I’d shoot for a particular percentage and keep going until I hit it, passed out, or my mom called me in for dinner. What did I say at the beginning of the article? What did I say? What did I say? Oh, yeah: Work. There you have it.

4. Associate, connect, and personalize. Today, I rarely if ever read or study something that isn’t related to personal interest: spirituality, history, success, business, and so on. I’m always trying to connect personal interest to what I’m learning, studying, trying to remember and retain. If you want it, desire it with passion, much greater chance it will stick and stay. If you can connect and associate to what you’re trying to learn, of course there’s a much greater chance you’ll retain it and keep it in a safe place for keeping. There are those times you may not be on fire about what you’re working with, but if there is motivation, self-motivation there is greater memorization.

5. Connect it to something that will help it stick. You can use acronyms FACE (notes between the lines) and Every Good Boy Does Fine (notes on the lines) to retain the notes of the Treble Clef. Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. It doesn’t work all the time, but it’s helpful using mnemonic or memory aiding devices when the occasion warrants it. But most of the time it’s just going back over and again until you have got it good and solid, and then reviewing occasionally so it doesn’t slip away.

6. You can picture it, draw it, speak it, sing it, map it, imagine it in nature, or express it physically. In a previous article, I spoke of the eight intelligences: logic / math, linguistic, inter-personal, intra-personal, naturalistic, kinesthetic, musical, spatial. I used to remember my stand up act (yes, professional comic for five years) by first writing and then speaking it into a tape player to get the natural rhythm of language as well as to retain the routine in my memory. Some have to speak it to themselves or others to, first, see it, think it out, and then to retain. Others have to draw, map, express it physically, whatever it takes to keep it in your head. I had one student who told me he couldn’t write in his journal. I asked, why? He said because he needs to draw as well. My five-year-old remembers colors, shapes, and numbers by singing. By all means, whatever it takes, do it.

Well, that’s not all there is to memory, memorizing, and retaining. But it’s a good start. Personally, I have used a majority of the methods of memory improvement mentioned here. And because of the practice, I have improved my memory considerably. My ability to focus (key word here) on key questions and to obtain the answers has been remarkable. I don’t say this to brag, but to impress upon you the worth of the above techniques.

For example, in recent months I gave a talk that took me just a few hours to prepare from scratch. I was told I would have thirty minutes to speak as keynote speaker. What I did initially was read several articles on material related to the main point of the talk, more than I needed to (over prepare or “learn it too much”). I took one of the articles and generally used several main points from it to build my outline around and circled those points. I also jotted down some notes and a larger overall outline to complete the talk.

That’s it. I didn’t memorize anything nor did I practice the talk even once. Now, keep in mind this comes after much practice and work, work, work, work. But if you do the work, you can and should be able to reach this point in the process. When I first began speaking, I was terrible, but after much, much, much practice I have achieved relative ease in not only putting together a talk but in presenting it. And no, I was not that familiar with the material, even. Meaning, I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert in what I was going to talk about.

Now, another technique I used during the talk was that of a reliance on the intuitive or sixth sense, meaning, I allowed the talk to come to me. This is the reason I didn’t memorize anything nor did I desire to practice, for I wanted the talk to flow to be organic and natural. I was allowing my trained and trusting memory to do the work. Hell, I’d worked hard enough training it, it should cooperate.

As I spoke, a miraculous thing occurred. Yes, the talk came to me. At several points impromptu, spur of the moment points came as I spoke. And amazingly enough as I finished these points, I looked down at the outline (the article I had circled key points from) and noticed the next point fell right in line with what I had been saying.

Now, I’m not telling you this to encourage you to do the same-for this is for advanced speakers only-but to drive home my point that one can improve his memory with techniques and a little bit of faith. I hope this has been of help to you in all your memory requiring endeavors.

Here’s to your success.

Now this is not an education reform article, but rather a focus on career and, more specifically, career change. But in choosing a career or choosing a new career, in most cases the person has not had the extensive prelim work done to ensure the best career to client match. Rarely has the person seeking a career or career change been asked the proper questions letting existing personal knowledge and understanding do the talking. Usually a counselor, adviser, or consultant will use his or her knowledge and experience to basically tell the person where he needs to be.

It’s kind of like those career placement tests that tell you, you should be a social worker while inside you’ve been dreaming for years of being a movie director. And what often happens is that in our youth we are swayed by those we perceive to be “more experienced,” only to find out five or ten years down the road after developing a greater sense of self that we should have gone with our original desire in the first place and spend years getting back to where we should have been from the start.

But there are other distractions. Unfortunately, the majority of people get waylaid by exclusive focus on money, prestige, satisfying parental desires, and so forth. It takes a brave and dedicated individual to follow her true desires, to take an honest, hard, cold look in the mirror to discover best how to use her abilities, talents, and gifts. There has even been many a successful person who in the midst of great success feels empty and desires change all because of being more true to the ideals of others or the general ideals perpetuated by society.

The cause? Not enough work on discovering the many tangibles and intangibles of self that will aid the individual in not only being successful monetarily but to discover fulfillment and joy emotionally and spiritually even.

So how is this done?

Well, few know because even though it is that which should be done early and often it’s usually not until years later-five to ten years, or in some cases even more-before the money, prestige and keeping parents happy can no longer hold one back from a dire need to fulfill dreams.

In actuality, it’s a rather straight forward process, and I am often surprised to discover the number of intelligent, well-educated individuals who’ve never discovered their sole purpose. And if you don’t think you have one, think again.

Of course for many there are those immature desires. I can remember desiring to be a basketball or sports star and then a famous actor, but they didn’t happen. And it’s not that I couldn’t have excelled at either, for I was always one of the best on the court and my ability to entertain was a strength too (as a matter of fact, I performed for over five years doing standup in Boston and Los Angeles). However, I knew that my real calling in life lie elsewhere. And when I found it, it was like coming home. It will be the same for you. You may not recognize it right away or feel like home right away, but with the proper prompting and work and encouragement it eventually will.

So what needs to be done to discover that career that life’s calling that’s been there from the beginning? Because the process is rather involved, I will only give a brief summary here.

First, you must look at all important areas of your life. Some examples are health, family, physical environment, money, career, friends and family, romance / significant other, fun and recreation. If you don’t look at your life as a whole in deciding career, you will more than likely career change and career transition until the cows come home.

But there’s more.

Now you must research your talents, abilities, gifts to determine where and how you will make your money. You will not know specifically up front, but that’s OK. As the successful say, shoot and then aim. You will have a general understanding of where you’ll be going but only by following the path on a daily, monthly, yearly bases, even, will a specific understanding of ultimate achievement come to fruition or reveal itself. There is no other way.

Next, you must look at character. We all have character flaws that need to be addressed. Remember that success can come because of your talents and gifts, but just look at the news headlines of the many mighty successful who have fallen and fallen hard and you’ll see why character is critical. As a matter of fact, no amount of talent, ability, knowledge, or gifts can compensate for the self-sabotaging of poor character.

Finally, you must study and know inside and out all the critical success principles: how to work well with others, tolerance of others and ideas, creativity, honor and self-accountability, self-control, succeeding through failure, and so on. Without a thorough understanding here, you are limited . . . in the extreme.

Well, I’m excited. I hope you are too. I always get excited or passionate about what I love. You will too. We all need a passion career. Let me help you build yours.

Here’s to your success.

Need to build a new cabinet under the kitchen sink?

Need to make a career change?

It’s a bedtime story you need?

Have to make an important political decision?

Got an exam you’ve got to pass?

On and on and on it goes. All begins in thought. Everything under the sun began as an imagined reality that eventually came to fruition. Yes, even the sun, the moon and the earth . . . and then some. But what is most sad of all is that critical / creative / intuitive thinking-the most important tool you’ll ever need-is left on the back burner and little touched during one’s formative education years. Most of the time it’s memorize, regurgitate, and purge. Yes, purge-intentionally or through lack of use. Education often overlooks the most important skills we can learn to focus almost exclusively on content. It’s like an artist knowing color, shape, and form but not having the heart and vision to do anything more than copy what she sees.

How sad.

But there’s hope.

Let’s begin that hope by focusing on critical thinking first. What is it? When I told a friend of mine that I teach critical thinking, he asked, “What’s that?” I told him, “I teach people how to think.” He laughed, “What’s there to thinking?” A lot, actually, much more than most believe-a testament to our educational system’s lack. But that’s not the focus of this article. Let’s get into the thinking, shall we?

Critical Thinking: Three Part Model

Reasoning: Foundation of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is technically defined as the ability to come to a conclusion based on one or more arguments. Here arguments are not Jerry Springer Show, chair over the head smack downs, but rather a discussion: “The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress” Joseph Joubert.

Arguments typically persuade (persuasion, argument’s cousin) with good, clear reasoning. They are sound logically and the evidence that supports them is reasonable, and in most cases, good arguments have evidence that is more reasonable than those that support other, lesser arguments. For example, if I told you that all conspiracy theories are true because Dr. Thompson of Quack University said so, you would know my evidence is not sound or reasonable. One, because making an absolute statement (as in “always” “never” “all”) is often incorrect. Very little is always or never true. And you would know that I’m making a generalization based on limited support. We’ve also got a hasty conclusion here (picking one conclusion when others are possible). I would probably need to bring in other experts to concur as well as some research and data to solidify my argument.

Assumptions:

Often these are lying underneath the argument going unnoticed and unmentioned. For example, if someone says “Every parent needs to be responsible for their child’s education,” how many would pick up on the fact that this person is conservative? If someone states that “Nuclear energy is not a viable source of alternative energy,” how many would pick up on the fact that this person has come forward because there are plans in the near future to build a nuclear reactor in his back yard. And so on. In arguments I teach that there are two levels of thought: one, the one you are arguing on, and two, the counter argument or refutation that looks to take down or invalidate your argument.

Logical Fallacies:

These are some of the most common and pernicious aspects of arguments. These are basically tricks or misdirection in thinking, getting people off the topic or issue at hand to distract attention elsewhere. These happen unintentionally but intentionally as well, for there are those who don’t have a sound argument and try to get you not to notice by distraction. Now, a few of the more popular fallacies:

Ad hominem: a personal attack. During Clinton’s campaign, many attempted to attack his character not his track record as a two-term governor of Arkansas-where he had very solid political record.

Red herring: or getting someone off the trail by distracting with an unrelated issue. For example, “I’m going to grade this test on a curve because it creates a better relationship between student and teacher.” Wrong! The issue at hand here is not “student / teacher relations” but rather the student’s education.

Either or thinking: “Either you’re for our troops in Iraq or you’re not.” Often this is to get people to kowtow to one’s desires. It is lazy or abusive thinking. There are often grey areas that which people who use this fallacy don’t want to deal with.

There are many more fallacies, but I think you get the point.

There’s quite a bit more to critical thinking than I can talk about in this one article, but there are a few other points that need to be addressed before we can move on. First, a good critical thinker admits that she doesn’t know. As I state to my students and clients “We are all equal in our infinite ignorance.” What we don’t know is quite a bit more than we’ll ever know. Not sure about this? I tell my students that if they think they know a lot, go into any large library, stand in the middle of the middle floor and regurgitate on cue every word in every volume. OK, begin. How far did you get? There, I told you so.

That’s why with complex issues, like health reform, illegal immigration, and global warming, you may want to take considerable time before you arrive at a solid argument. Personally, regarding illegal immigration it took me several years of researching, listening to immigration stories from those who have been there, writing several articles and observing the responses before I reached a well-thought out conclusion as to the main cause for this issue being an emotional hot-button. And I discovered that it is not based in fact but rather emotional reaction to race.

And there’s another point to consider: emotion. When we deal with arguments emotion is not only frequently attached but hard-coded embedded. Often it breaks down to an emotional sword fight (“Hey, that’s MY’ argument you’re dis-ing here!”) more than a logical one. To argue best, one must work at detaching from one’s emotions. Certainly easier said than done, for I’ve certainly failed on occasion even being quite aware of this foible, but it needs to be mastered to argue from a solid position. No one’s perfect, but we’re not looking for perfection, remember, but a moving forward.

So some things to think about regarding critical thinking: admit you don’t know; you have emotional buttons that can be pushed; there is often great complexity in issues; you need to research and verify complex arguments.

Bottom line, critical thinking is key in making any important decision be it personal, local, national, or otherwise.

Creative Thinking:

OK, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. If you’re thinking creativity is beyond your grasp or interest that it’s only for artists or those “creative types” think again. Consider the following:

The creative sector of the U.S. economy accounts for $1.7 trillion per year, nearly half of all wages and salaries. So if you think creativity equals art and art is simply the candy store of the economic sector, think again. Not that creativity is all about making money, no. But many do have a false understanding of the important role creativity not only plays in our lives economically, but intellectually and spiritually. It is an all encompassing, multi- faceted tool.

Who are these “creative” people in the economic sector? They are artists, designers, writers, analysts, musicians, entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, engineers, and so on.

What type of mind set is required to be “creative”? Open minded, flexible, forward-looking, innovative, tolerant, experimental, hopeful, all that one needs to create.

Let’s take a look at the field of science as an example. Specifically, let’s look at physicists or those attempting to come up with a theory that ties quantum with relativity to discover the mind of God or why we are here, where we came from, and where we are going. For it is this theory, or string theory, when found will allegedly, according to some scientists, tie the two aforementioned theories together and we will, according to Stephen Hawking, discover the mind of God.

Now in order to work with this theory one certainly needs all the attributes mentioned above and more. Patience certainly needs to be involved as well, for according to scientist there are so many possible outcomes or answers that the theory is not even right. Huh? Well, that’s where an open, flexible, forward-looking, innovative, tolerant, hopeful mind comes into play. You can see the merit of all these characteristics alone or existing outside creativity. In order to be successful in career and in life one needs these attributes, so it’s no accident that they are so valuable and of such great merit to our emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and financial well being.

A point of practical note is that many employers complain that new hires often lack a creative ability to use the right-side of the brain to problem solve solo or in teams. This supports the point I made earlier about most high school and college grads lacking critical, creative, intuitive thinking skills, those skills that are little paid attention to by educators.

But how exactly does one go about being creative?

Practice, of course. You have to get back to being a child, those kids who say the craziest things. In the 40s, 50s and 60s the show, Art Linkletter’s House Party ran a segment called Kids Say the Darndest Things. Bill Cosby revived a version of the show in the 90s. You can see its popularity. But why?

Well, kids are cute, of course. But they are funny and damn creative. Once while talking to a friend of mine, her five-year-old daughter out of the blue asked, “Mom, when I die, will I dream of dinosaurs?” We all have the ability to think creatively to think as a child, but we have to practice being open enough and feeling safe enough to make odd connections to be flexible, tolerant and open minded. It is here and only here where one can create. And in this day and age of the consultant, the entrepreneur, the recommendation age, according to Glen Dietzel, one more than ever needs to create and be creative. With the economy being so turbulent just relying on a single source of income or job is suicide. Now more than ever one needs to branch out to secure multiple sources of income so that when one stream dries up in these turbulent time there are others to replace them. And it is here where creative, critical, intuitive thinking is vital to one’s survival.

Intuitive Thinking:

This is knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor perception, creativity’s cousin. It is based in instinct, a gut feeling and not one based in thorough, in depth analysis and research. It is a hunch or unjustified belief. But according to many it is one of the most important skills to the successful in any venture.

Consider the following, Dr. Mohammed Abdulla El-Erian, CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO, the world’s largest bond investor over US$1 trillion in assets, speaks to the importance of intuition. In his book, When Markets Collides, he mentions that while training as a stock broker, he was working with a very talented young man. As far as his ability is concerned, he was certainly book smart; however, according to El-Erian he was exceptional because of his intuitive insights. El Erian goes on to speak of the great importance of this acquired skill in analyzing the stock market that it is a skill the best master.

Enough from me, let’s cut to the chase by hearing what others have to say about the importance of intuition:

“All perceiving is also thinking all reasoning is also intuition, all observation is also invention” Rudolf Arnheim

“An absolute can only be given in an intuition, while all the rest has to do with analysis” Henri Bergson

“Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be Revelation” Eileen Caddy

“Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition” Freeman Thomas

“Intuition becomes increasingly valuable in the new information society precisely because there is so much data” John Naisbitt

“All human knowledge thus begins with intuitions, proceeds thence to concepts, and ends with ideas” Immanuel Kant

“Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level” Joyce Brothers

“If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“For whereas the mind works in possibilities, the intuitions work in actualities, and what you intuitively desire, that is possible to you. Whereas what you mentally or “consciously” desire is nine times out of ten impossible; hitch your wagon to a star, or you will just stay where you are” D H Lawrence

“Knowledge has three degrees-opinion, science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second, dialectic; of the third, intuition” Plontinus

“The only real valuable thing is intuition” Albert Einstein

And on Mr. Einstein’s note I end.

So putting it all together, you can’t have one without the other: critical, creative, and intuitive thinking. Creative thinking is about coming up with possibilities. Critical thinking sets the mind to discipline and accuracy. And then when our efforts are exhausted and infinite ignorance takes precedence, it is our invaluable friend intuition, the “only real valuable thing” that makes things absolute.

Develop it. Trust in it. With work, discipline, and faith it will not lead you astray. My rational mind has failed me, but the trumping power of intuition never does. Rely on it for its vision is absolute. But trust not, faith not, it will run from you as quickly as the wild wind.

Here’s to your success.

And therein lies the strength of the power of self-control. In this day-n-age of express-yourself-no-fear-me-firtism, it is difficult if not impossible to get this concept over to people of such a mindset. But self-control is at the root of the establishment of this country. Even in our anthem “America the Beautiful” we here these prophetic words:

But we have not maintained this ideal and it has hurt us as a nation and individually. It is something that has been spoken to again and again over the decades since establishment. Here’s a current message from the pastoral staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Medford Oregon that speaks to this verse:

Because of this lack of self-control, even our courts have been affected by it in setting precedents that enable the uncontrolled. In one case, a 79-year-old woman burned herself with coffee that was bought at McDonalds and was awarded $640,000. Applying the principles of comparative negligence, the jury found that McDonald’s was 80% responsible for the incident and the woman was 20% at fault. Though there was a warning on the coffee cup, the jury decided that the warning was neither large enough nor sufficient [emphasis added]. In looking at the statement emphasized, one can see by this precedent where our country is headed. Most would know or be accountable or responsible enough to know that the coffee was hot whether it was 190 degrees (the actual temperature) or 140 degrees (the proposed temperature) and could cause serious pain if not serious burning.

Never before have cases of a similar nature been heard in such great numbers. Now, because of a systemic lack of accountability stemming from a lack of self-control or that which requires one to be “exercising the discipline” thereof, we have more and more become a nation of finger pointers, and those fingers very rarely if ever point backwards.

In the field of self-improvement or self-help, one often hears of overcoming weaknesses and shortcomings. Offense is a big one. Certainly we can all become offended. But the point here is that if you are too easily offended, you will spend a great majority of your time heading nowhere or, worse yet, going backwards as you spin your wheels in anger, resentment, revenge, and spite for those who have done you wrong.

There are different ways in which one may be attacked. Someone could slander or liable your good name, but if your name is good, what’s to worry? Time and time and time again, we find those who speak the loudest about the ills of others eventually shoot themselves down. I can think of two well-known performers whose act was built on attacking the character of others: Dice Clay and Joan Rivers. Their popularity was short lived. This mindset is not healthy to the individual purporting it or to those on the receiving end. It creates much more harm than good in any situation.

I can tell you of several personal experiences where people who desired to besmirch my name were not able to do so only to have it backfire because the people involved knew me or found out who was actually culpable.

If you want to do something with your life, if you want greater self confidence, less anxiety, and greater spirituality, if you want to do good for yourself and others, if you want to move ahead you need to solidify your character to build self confidence and self esteem by not letting others take cheap shots to take you down, waste your time or hold you back from growth and the opportunity to help not only yourself but others to a greater and greater degree as you overcome weaknesses. If you work on yourself, helping yourself to be good, to do good, to help others, to come to the aid of others, to lift and support others, you will create such a solid footing for yourself that those who take shots will not be able to take you down.

“I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.”

It may appear childish, but this motivational phrase actually works well at helping the child build self confidence to know that the source of the bad is not in her and that she is good, but most importantly, that the good in her will shine on to aid her in overcoming challenges or the negative and bad that will stick and stain and drain her of life if she believes in the insult, the lie coming her way. This is certainly not where any of us desire to be: young to old.

In order to not be offended, the majority of the work has to be done on your part. You certainly have to build yourself up in the manor suggested above, but it also takes a concerted personal mental effort to overcome the habit of emotionally attacking the offender as well. We have to think before we act. Emotions are not thoughts, they are habits put in place by years of poor or inadequate thinking / reasoning or even its complete lack. This poor reasoning must be undone by good, healthy productive reasoning, for in most cases if not all these bad habits will persist until we consciously intervene.

We can also seek the help of others by informing family and friends of our new mindset. By doing so, we not only bring them to our aid in overcoming bad habits but we help them to overcome them as well.

May you seek the good, the productive, the positive in all that you do in seeking greater self improvement, personal development and self worth. We are not here seeking perfection, nor should anyone believe that we can go throughout life without being offended, for we all have our weak moments, even the strongest. But we must desire to not find offense, to have the negative bounce off us the majority of time; therefore, we can only get stronger for ourselves and, even more importantly, for the many brothers and sisters who need lifting and strengthening. By doing all that is suggested here, you will gain confidence and improvement through these simple self-help techniques.

Personal growth and development are ongoing and never-ending. Until you’ve perfected yourself, you need to grow. Overcoming the self by making the self bigger than your problem or offender will motivate you, and through this motivation, this self improvement, this overcoming, you will gain greater and greater personal strength and desire to reach out to others to do the same for them. Strength breeding strength breeding strength breeding strength. May the line never be broken.