Changing the world
Make a mark.
It’s what we all want to do, in our own way, isn’t it? Whether it’s by achieving some sort of fame, becoming successful in business, saving lives, saving souls, serving our country, or raising the next generation, we want to leave some imprint of ourselves on the world.
But how? How do we make a difference?
TAGS: 
4 ways to gauge self-motivation
A lot of my friends are unhappy with their jobs, and statistics show that probably means they’re unhappy with their bosses or coworkers. So the mountains they’d like to move are the nuisances at work.
Guess that’s why many people tell me they’d give anything to trade places with me, be their own bosses, and—best of all—work out of their homes!
But the mood isn’t always merrier in the home office.
Deciding to succeed
Did you ever stop to think that success and failure are all in your head? No, that doesn’t mean the Olympic medals Apolo Anton Ohno
It’s simple. If, in your mind, you believe success is possible, it is. And if, in your mind, you believe failure is inevitable, it is. You can’t necessarily ensure your success by believing in success, but at least you give yourself a fighting chance. You can, however, ensure your failure by believing in failure. If you believe failure is inevitable, your preparation will be half-hearted. Or you may stop preparing. You may stop trying. You may neglect to show up at all. Why bother? You can’t win.
Is time serving you well?
Not long ago, I heard the song “Live Like We’re Dying” by 2009 American Idol winner Kris Allen
Did you know that? I didn’t either. Sure, the math is easy, but who bothers to find out that there are 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour day? Makes you think, doesn’t it?
2 exercises to tap your intuition
Rush hour. Great. The road I had to take home from the airport was crowded during light-traffic hours. At rush hour, it was a six-lane nightmare. Add to that a light drizzle, and the last 45-minute leg of my business trip promised to be the least pleasant of a long journey.
Seeing police cars near the traffic light about 100 yards ahead, I lightly tapped my brake. Though I was only going 30, it wouldn’t hurt to slow down well in advance of whatever commotion awaited. My car started to skid just a fraction and in a surreal instant slipped into the median, bounced once on the grass, and came hurtling up into traffic on the other side of the highway.
Leading by example
These days it seems some people will say almost anything to get to the top. Then having gotten to the top, they want to make sure everyone knows they’re Top Dog. They fly in private jets, ride in limos, keep their own hours, and never do anything they consider beneath them—unless compelled by subpoena.
But the most successful leaders understand what it means to walk their talk. Take NFL Hall of Fame football coach Chuck Noll.
Technology broadens social circles
Feeling alone in the world? Maybe you should spend more time online.
Sound crazy? That’s what I thought. But it looks as though our gadgets may not be as isolating as previously thought. According to the Pew Internet Personal Networks and Community survey, modern technology actually may help us broaden our social circles.
Although a 2006 study argued that in the last two decades, people have become more socially isolated, the Pew study found that people who reach out through cell phones and the Internet have larger and more diverse social networks than those who don’t.
Signs of unstable coworkers
We’ve all been stuck in a boring meeting where someone was droning on and on while we thought about all the things we could be accomplishing if we weren’t stuck in a boring meeting. When called to a faculty meeting, college ecology professor Robert O. Lawton had the foresight to bring his manuscript. As other participants debated tenure issues, he quietly worked on his book about trees. The last thing he expected was that another professor would end the boredom by pulling an automatic weapon and opening fire.
When the shooting stopped, three of Lawton’s colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville were dead and three others wounded. “It was an ordinary faculty meeting,” Lawton told reporters. “And then it became unordinary.”
Unfortunately, Lawton’s “unordinary” experience isn’t all that unordinary.
Desperate for attention
For many of us, the mountain we’re trying to move involves our own feelings of self-worth: Why am I here? And, as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ronnie Van Zant first sang nearly four decades ago: “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”
Van Zant’s
That’s what plagued factory worker Ken Swyers.
Beware polluted veggies
The good thing about growing up in the American South is we learn early to love our vegetables. The bad thing is we learn to love them in the worst possible way. Our favorite veggie dishes include fried squash, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, asparagus or broccoli drenched in cheese, and anything swimming in butter. By the time we Southerners
Once you’ve learned to love a mushy, butter-slathered veggie, it’s mighty tough to like it any other way. So when I’m trying to eat healthy, I have to fight the temptation to skip veggies altogether. One way I do that is by eating a lot of salads
But just as I have to guard against butter and cheese contaminating my veggies, now I find I have to take extra precautions against winding up with unwanted bacteria in my salad.