The image in this post is from ChatGPT. We have a ChatGPT license agreement. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American writer, shared "Thoughts are things." Considering what we know about the human brain, his statement is true. People who study the brain can’t always agree on the number of neurons in the human brain. Most believe that there are at least fifty billion to one hundred billion neurons. Neurons are cells that make connections with other neurons. It is not the number of neurons in your brain but the number of connections that make you a more skilled thinker. Neuron connections are a simple ..read more

Working on yourself takes action. Are you the type of person who likes to improve constantly? If so, congratulations! Your efforts are helping you become self-aware. We all can work on our self-awareness. To do this, we must be mindful that we are unique individuals. Let's consider unique individualism and self-awareness as components of self-identity. You have much control over your self-identity. Some people seem to have energy that others lack. Are they more aware of their self-identity? You can almost feel the energy from people who strive for self-improvement. They never seem satisfied a ..read more

In the age of sailing, the wind was super important. A sea captain had to understand and study the weather to navigate the ship. Steering a ship during calm weather and non-conflict situations was much different than during times of conflict. A naval ship captain had to ensure precision under extreme stress during a battle with enemy vessels, and the crew's lives depended on understanding the wind and gaining advantage by using the wind. But the wind was only one component in an adventure at sea. Leaders had to understand the principles of success, and those principles still apply today. You ..read more

Image from Midjourney Think of a successful person. Has the person's success come from making good choices or just being lucky? I expect that most of you will confirm that, overwhelmingly, success seems to follow the making of good choices. Former United States Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan said, "Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice." Some people appear to be extremely lucky. Their success seems to come from chance situations. Movie stars and superstar musicians will sometimes share that they feel like they are lucky. Even with the people who appear to be l ..read more

Do you have a dream? If you think it is possible, what are you doing to make your dream come true? In 1948, the British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle was excited about the possibility of learning more about space. He had a dream and expressed it by saying, “Once a photograph of the Earth taken from the outside is available, a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose.” Sir Hoyle had a dream of learning more about science by studying space. He dreamed of someone leaving Earth’s atmosphere. We would never have traveled into space without people believing space travel was possible. Ho ..read more

"How can I start developing my leadership skills at my age?" I have heard this question often from teenagers involved in my leadership academy workshops. The students asking this type of question are already one step ahead of their peers who are not searching for leadership skills. Intentionally look for leadership opportunities. You can find those opportunities in school or the community. Join a sports team or club. As a school principal, I had students even start clubs. Those students were demonstrating leadership initiative. Just joining an organization does not mean that you will immediate ..read more

Her face was expressionless, and there was minimal movement from her squinting eyes – just a gaze. She sat balanced in her classroom chair with her head tilted down and elbows resting on the front of her classroom desk. Her left hand was covering an idle notebook that was in front of her on the desk. The notebook was of no interest to her. She glared straight at the telephone in her right hand. Every few seconds, her right thumb moved effortlessly and with great speed from one point of the screen to another. She sat this way for several minutes. Other than her thumb movement, she looked like a ..read more

As she talked to her colleagues, she gazed down at the ground and looked bewildered. "My door was demolished. The intruder must have used a crowbar and brute force to smash through my front door. The burglar went through each room, stealing and strewing my belongings on the floor." We were all shocked and, in our minds, visually imagining the result of the burglary. Could this happen in our home? She continued, "I feel completely violated. I don't feel safe in my home." The incident caused her and others listening to the story to seek knowledge about home invasions. It was a priority to identi ..read more

How can you help a young person who puts forth no effort? Some young people might even share, "I don't care?" As a school administrator and teacher, I observed students who did no schoolwork. Even when educators tried to change the behavior, some students delivered no academic effort. Unfortunately, most educators and sometimes mentors face this challenge. Additional frustration comes when students show no regret when they receive their failing grades. Even if the lack of care is fake, I have yet to find an educator that likes the behavior. As educators and mentors, we are responsible for tryi ..read more

What is a hidden habit? We don't think about some habits. We go through our days and do certain things again and again without thinking. The activities become so routine that we put no energy into improving them. I call these habits hidden habits. Take a moment and think about travel. How far did you travel over the last 24 hours? Most people will start adding the miles between one destination to another. This is logical thinking and will give an approximate answer to the question of miles traveled. Do you feel the Earth move? The constant speed of our Earth keeps us from feeling movement. We ..read more