The #1 Way To Improve The World

Much of what we see each day, especially through our media and our own minds, tends to be focused on the negative.  We tend to see what is wrong with people and situations. It could be bad weather, bad people, bad service or bad news. Or, all of the above.

The media focuses on these bad things because it attracts and holds viewers which in turn sells advertising. Our minds focus on bad things because it is trying to help us survive by keeping us safe and out of bad situations.

But, the world is not all bad.

There are situations that are good. There are things that are getting better. There are people and situations that can inspire us and make us feel good. But, only if we choose to see those situations.

Whether it is a good situation or a bad one. It could probably be better. Obviously, we want bad things to be better.  And, if you can make a good thing better, why not?

So, what do you do? What can you do to improve the world?

First, recognize what you can control and not control.

You cannot control the weather. Complaining about the weather is a waste of time and energy. And, you cast off a negative vibe to the world. You simply deal with it. 

You cannot control the economy. Whether inflation if high or low, whether interest rates are high or low, or whether the market is high or low is not under your control. You simply deal with it.

You cannot control world events. Terrorism, natural disasters and political scandal are going to happen. You cannot control them. You simply deal with them.

How do you deal with things you can't control? You deal with them with something you can control. Your attitude and response to them.

Your attitude and the way you respond are within your control. You get to choose how you think and respond in every situation. It is your choice.

So, the #1 way to improve the world is to improve yourself. 

Of all the things you can control in the world. You and your choices are the things you control the most. And, when you improve your choices, you improve yourself and, in turn, improve the world.

If all 7 billion of us focused on just improving ourselves, the breadth of our collective human potential is absolutely staggering.

There is another way to improve the world.

Another way is not something you control but something you influence. This can be a very grey area because your influence operates along a continuum or a spectrum. Some things you have a lot of influence over and some things not so much.

You can't control the economy but you can influence it. When you buy things you influence the economy.  But, let's be honest, your greatest purchase, usually your home, is insignificant on the overall economy. You have low influence here.  But, in other areas you have high influence.

You can't control other people.  But, you can influence them. Some you can influence to a greater degree than others. If you've ever had children you can experience the change of how much influence you have over their lifetimes. As infants you have a great deal of influence.  But, as a teenager...well, let's just say not as much.

So, the #1 way to improve the world is to improve yourself. Improve your mind, body and spirit.  Seek to find your potential. If you do this everyday, your ability to contribute to the world increases.  If you don't, it diminishes. 

How do you improve yourself?

The Friday Five - June 23, 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “There is a set of advantages that have to do with material resources, and there is a set that have to do with the absence of material resources- and the reason underdogs win as often as they do is that the latter is sometimes every bit the equal of the former.” 
― Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

2.  Book I am reading - David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell. This is the fourth book by Malcolm that I have read.  Unfortunately, for now, it is the last.  He has no more to read. Like the others, Malcolm reads his own books ( I listen to books ).  And, he reads them like the word art they are. In this book, he reveals the secrets behind why the Davids' beat the Goliaths'. The best part of the secret is that it no secret at all. You may actually have it...

3.  Song of the Week - God of the Impossible by Everfound. This song was used, very well I might add, as the sound track for a David versus Goliath scene.  Here is where it is paired with video.

4.  Video of the Week -  "David & Goliath" this video depicts the story with a pretty good accuracy. To really understand the story you need to know the details which are revealed in Malcolm's book. David had a greater advantage you might realize.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - get your nutrition! Athletic Greens makes it simple. I start each day with a water and Athletic Greens. It will help your David beat your Goliath everyday.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - June 9, 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “You are a victim of the rules you live by.” ― Jen Sincero, You Are A Badass.

2.  Book I am reading - You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero will launch you past the fears and stumbling blocks that have kept financial success beyond your reach. Drawing on her own transformation—over just a few years—from a woman living in a converted garage with tumbleweeds blowing through her bank account to a woman who travels the world in style, Jen Sincero channels the inimitable sass and practicality that made You Are A Badass an indomitable bestseller. She combines hilarious personal essays with bite-size, aha concepts that unlock earning potential and get real results.

3.  Song of the Week - American Bad Ass by Kid Rock. Nothing encapsulates the badass attittude like Kid Rock and his music.

4.  Video of the Week -  "Go Ahead and Get Rich" from Jen Sincero herself, here is one of the techniques she features in her book You Are a Badass at Making Money. Jen has a particular flavor that makes reading and especially listening to her books really cool.  This video gives you a little taste of her flavor.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein - This is simply the best value protein powder out there.  Highly rated on every supplement rating scale it combines the essential proteins, BCAA's and Glutamine. It mixes well, tastes great and comes in over 20 different flavors.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

Today's Kids Need Yesterday's Cures

Today's kids face challenges much different than previous generations. There is no doubt they are growing up in a much more complicated and pressured world than we ever did.

The pressures of social media, and media in general, high levels of communication with cell phones, laptops and tablets put the people they know, and don't know, at their fingertips.


It's a scary world at times. We used to let our kids play outside until it got dark not even knowing where they were. Now we panic when they get out of our sight.

And, to be fair, they also have greater opportunities.

Social media presents kids with opportunities to market themselves and their accomplishments to colleges and future employers. They can stay in touch with distant relatives. The internet and technology make researching and writing a paper for school easier than it has ever been.

But, even with all this pressure, and opportunity, we should not feel sorry for them. But many of us do. Every generation has its challenges. In the fifties, there was the Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation. The sixties had race riots.  And, in the seventies we had out of control inflation and Jimmy Carter.

Today we have a tendency to want to shelter our children from the realities of society.  There is certainly some ugliness out there but there are positives too.  Especially when you look for them.

We even want to protect them from their own feelings. The feelings of injustice, unfairness and losing. This kind of protection does not help children grow to realize their greatest potential especially in today's very competitive environment.

Too often parents are paying more attention to their children than they do to each other weakening the marriage in the process. The children have become the focus where we place their needs above all others. Where is this leading us?

Children today end up growing later because they are not taught the fundamentals they need to care for themselves and cope with their own feelings. They end up leaving the home later in life than previous generations. Some kids, called boomerang children, end up returning home unable to the handle basic responsibilities necessary to begin an independent life.

Most parents are good people that love their children and want what is best for them. But, have we gotten confused in this society of convenience and instant gratification as to what is really best for our children? 

When you look around you see too many instances of institutionalized fairness as in participation trophies. Go to any store or restaurant and you see children talking to their parents in tones and language that would have earned you or I the reprimanding side of your father's hand. What are we doing?

I have been to friends' homes for dinner and watched the parents clear table, do the dishes and take out the trash while the kids jumped onto the latest version of Madden Football. And, the schedules we keep for kids today with one activity after another makes me think they need Personal Assistants. And, they have them in their parents. Where is all this leading to?

I interview many young people for jobs.  Fresh out of college, the jobs they seek are often the first ones in their young careers. Some of these recent grads ask questions around promotions, expense accounts and corner offices before they have even been offered a position. They never make the second round of interviews. And, I'm sure they sulk away thinking how unfair my company was.

This is what today's youth looks like.  Entitled, self-centered, and more concerned with the reward they think they deserve rather than the contribution they need to make. But, it is not their fault.

We raise kids differently these days. We lean towards comforting and coddling them more than we should. We are not doing them, nor ourselves, any favors. We need a return to some of the classic values that were the hallmark of previous generations.

Here are five of those values:

1. Family Time - this starts at the dinner table. This daily meeting is a hallmark tradition of the family unit since the dawn of time. In the earliest time of human existence, when food was scarce, the family would gather around the harvest or the kill to eat. Of course, this has evolved as food sources have become more abundant. But, the premise is the same. We gathered daily to be together, eat and bond. And, it doesn't end there.

Family time spent together playing games, watching movies, doing chores would all contribute to the building of a bond that would strengthen the family and establish its value systems. It is time well spent.


2. Allow Failure - as parents we need to stop shielding our children from the natural consequences of competition and life. It is unfair of us to prepare them for life this way. Life is not that way.

We should be preparing our children with the tools to be able to deal with the inevitable times when they will fail. For more on that see "Should You Let Your Kids Fail."

3. Good Manners - nothing says more about the kids we meet than the manners they keep. Yes Sir, Yes Ma'am, Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, etc. These go a long way when our kids meet other parents.  But, they go an even longer way when they use them with their own parents.

The manners kids use outside of the home start inside the home with their siblings and parents. If you insist on the best manners at home, you won't have to worry about them using them outside the home.

And, tone of voice counts. Nothing says more about a kid's personal self control and respect for his parents than when he yells at them in public. And, it says even more about the parents.


4. Chores - kids who end up becoming responsible, productive and contributing members of society weren't born that way. They learned those basic values by taking care of some simple responsibilities at home from a very young age. 

Making the bed is less about the bed and more about child. The good habits, discipline and sense of pride that grow in a child from this simple responsibility spill over into other areas of their lives and sets the stage for a productive adult life.


5. Playtime - remember "Kick-the-Can, Hide-and-Seek and Tag?" Whatever happened to these games? They involved imagination and physical activity. These days kid's dexterity is found in the speed of their thumbs on a game controller. And, forget about imagination! Every time I hear a kid say their bored I wonder what planet they woke up on.

The job of parents is to prepare their children to be productive, contributing members of society. The principles used by parents in previous generations were more effective at reaching that objective than what parents are doing today. We need to give those values more serious consideration for today's youth. 

Not only do they need it, the parents and society need it.