Big Rocks

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?"He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good."Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!""No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the 'big rocks' in your life?
Your children
Your loved ones
Your education
Your dreams
A worthy cause
Teaching or mentoring others
Doing things that you love
Time for yourself
Your health
Your significant other
Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you'll fill your life with little things you worry about that don't really matter, and you'll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks).So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.

http://www.glantzberg.us/Rocks/big_rocks.htm

I always loved this story...

The Secret

http://www2.oprah.com/spiritself/slide/20070216/ss_20070216_284_101.jhtml

I declare shenanagans! There is some truth to this "law of attraction, which states that like attracts like. The concept says that the energy you put into the world—both good and bad—is exactly what comes back to you. This means you create the circumstances of your life with the choices you make every day." However, there is also truth behind the notion that opposites attract. Come now, I think we all know people who aren't that positive but are very successful in one way or another. And this talk of everything being energy is hogwash (I've always wanted to use that word). Whether it is true or not is irrelevant. It doesn't provide any evidence for "the Secret" being true - that's for sure. What can be taken from this "Secret" idea is that you need to believe in yourself if you are going to be successful in any way. You need to be confident in the notion that an honest loving relationship is possible if you are going to ever be in one, and you need to believe that you are capable of doing any number of things before you can accomplish those tasks.

Quote on RISK: Robert Anthony

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable than risk being happy.
-Robert Anthony

I think people forget or may never realize that uncertainty is not an inherently bad thing. If the current position of our lives is certain to suck, then opening it up for some uncertainty is not "risk free" but certainly in our favor.

Siddartha Passage - The Self

Whenever I feel a little lost, I read this short novel to get me back on track. The last time this passage stood out:

It is good to experience everthing oneself, he thought. As a child I learned that pleasures of the world and richers were not good. I have known it for a long time, but I have only just experienced it. Now I know it not only with my intellect, but with my eyes, with my heart, with my stomach. It is a good thing that I know this.

He thought long of the change in him, listened to the bird singing happily. If this bird within him had died, would he have perished? No, something else in him had died, something he had long desired should perish. Was it not what he had once wished to destroy during his ardent years of asceticism (rigorous self-denial; extreme abstinence)? Was it not his Self, his small, fearfull and proud Self, with which he had wrestled for so many years, but which had always conquered him again, which appeared each time again and again, which robbed him of happiness and filled him with fear? Was it no this which had finally died today in the woods by this delightful river? Was it not because of its death that he was like a child, so full of trust and happiness, without fear?

Siddartha now also realized why he had struggled in vain with his Self when he was a Brahmin (a member of the highest, or priestly, class among the Hindus) and ascetic. Too much knowledge had hindered him; too many holly verses, too many sacrificial rites, too much mortification of the flesh, too much doing and striving. He had been full of arrogance; he had always been the cleverest, the most eager-always a step ahead of the others, always the learned and intellectual one, always the priest or the sage. His self had climbed into his priesthood, into his arrogance, into his intellectuality. It sat there tightly and grew, while he thought he was destroying it by fasting and pentinence. Now he understood it and realized that the inward voice had been right, that no teacher could have brought him salvation. That was why he had to go into the world...

"Praise Junkies"

http://users1.wsj.com/lmda/do/checkLogin?mg=evo-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB117702894815776259.html

Today's young workers called "praise junkies" were raised by parents and coaches who showered them with compliments to build their self-esteem. Now, bosses are finding that they have to keep up with the standard that was set for these now twenty something employees. Giving praise "for little more than showing up," is common. Without it these younger workers "wither under an unfamiliar compliment deficit."

The Many Health Benfeits of Sex

http://love.ivillage.com/lnssex/0,,askmen_bgswkm45-p,00.html

Here's the list. For more of an explanation on each read the article (it's short).

-reduce stress
-improve sleep well
-increase blood flow
-burns calories
-improves self image
-can cure headaches
-boosts your immune system
-repairs tissue
-improves cognition
-keeps skin healthy
-works as an antidepressant
-increases production of sex hormones testosterone and estrogen
-testosterone: helps fortify bones and muscles, and it keeps your heart in good working condition
-estrogen: protects against heart disease
-increases brain power
-increases heart rate
-can help fend off diseases and ailments
-improves self esteem

Survey Reveals Most Satisfying Jobs

According to the 2006 General Social Survey, based on interviews with randomly selected people who collectively represent a cross section of Americans “The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those involving caring for, teaching and protecting others and creative pursuits.”

Britain has worst drug problem in Europe: study

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070418/hl_afp/britaineudrugs;_ylt=Aiw_moadYtJtuEoFL1xDmkzq188F

"Britain has the worst level of drug abuse in Europe, and the second highest level of drug-related deaths, a report said Wednesday... Drugs are cited in the deaths of 34 people per million of Britain's adult population."

U.S. Smoking Rates

Something I came across: "U.S. cigarette consumption has fallen almost every year since hitting a peak billion cigarettes in 1981, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That is one reason the international business is seen as having more growth potential going forward."

Raising Kids in a Consumerist World

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/financeliteracy/29568

Copied form the article: "In an affluent society that seems more determined than ever to get more -- more wealth, more possessions, and more of the status that seems to come with those commodities -- values and virtues are more important than ever. Teaching your kids the ABCs of money management is crucial, but sharing your good money values can help make your hard work stick.


I probably don't need to convince you that values are important. Instead, my goal is to help you see how financial values can be taught, and that -- whether you're conscious of it or not -- you're passing your own values to your children through your words, behavior, and actions. "

Communication Has Changed

http://www.forbes.com/home/technology/2007/04/17/virginia-shooting-internet-tech-cx_ll_0417virginiatech.html

The recent shootings at Virginia Tech have served as a clear example of modern communication. This article takes us through the communications that informed students and the public of what was going on. What is interesting is that "Virginia Tech administrators took two hours to warn students there was a killer on campus, but 'Information flew through text messages, blog posts, Web sites, online videos, and social networking sites.' The tragedy served as a 'grim, real-time stress test' for these technologies, and they demonstrated how effective they can be at getting word out fast."

Ethanol. Not a Great Alternative

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070418/ap_on_he_me/ethanol_health_risks_2

"WASHINGTON - Switching from gasoline to ethanol — touted as a green alternative at the pump — may create dirtier air, causing slightly more smog-related deaths, a new study says."


Car companies like Chevy have been really pushing the use of ethanol, which comes from corn, as an alternative to regular fuel. While it may help decrease our dependence on foreign oil, it doesn't appear to be good for the environment. In addition, the newly heightened demand for corn as a result of using ethanol has dramatically increased the price of corn which is used to feed livestock like chickens and cows. As a result food prices are increasing as well.

"The Awakening"

A time comes in your life when you finally get it...
when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity,
you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out...ENOUGH!
Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on.
Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum,
you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.
This is your awakening.
You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change,
or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.
You realize that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings,
and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you...
and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and
that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK.
They are entitled to their own views and opinions.
You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself...
and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.
You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you -
or didn't do for you - and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.
You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say
and that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn't always about you.
So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself...
and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are
and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties...
and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view.
You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.
You learn the difference between wanting and needing
and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown,
or should never have bought into to begin with.
You learn that there is power and glory in creating
and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.
You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era,
but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.
You learn that you don't know everything,
it's not your job to save the world
and that you can't teach a pig to sing.
You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry
and that martyrs get burned at the stake.
Then you learn about love.
You learn to look at relationships as they really are
and not as you would have them be.
You learn that alone does not mean lonely.
You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes.
You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility
and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.
You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside,
smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.
You learn that your body really is your temple.
You begin to care for it and treat it with respect.
You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise.
You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty
and so you take more time to rest.
And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul.
So you take more time to laugh and to play.
You learn that, for the most part,
you get in life what you believe you deserve,
and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for
and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.
More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success
you need direction, discipline and perseverance.
You also learn that no one can do it all alone,
and that it's OK to risk asking for help.
You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself.
You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know
that whatever happens you can handle it
and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.
You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.
You learn that life isn't always fair,
you don't always get what you think you deserve
and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people...
and you learn not to always take it personally.
You learn that nobody's punishing you and everything isn't always somebody's fault.
It's just life happening.
You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.
You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment
must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted,
things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about:
a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself
and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never,
ever settle for less than your heart's desire.
You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.
You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.
Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand,
you take a deep breath,
and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.
- Author Unknown

Review: Stephen R. Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

http://engtech.wordpress.com/2006/05/28/book-review-seven-habits-of-highly-effective-people-by-stephen-r-covey/

"It is incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall. It is possible to be busy — very busy — without being very effective." -Stephen R. Covey

This is one of the only business guidance books that I have read that has a soul (unlike the works of Dale Carnegie). All of its advice has meaning and purpose. The review linked above gives a good introduction to each step.

Let It Go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Hunt

http://www.esquire.com/features/the-endorsement/letitgo0407

I am rarely touched by an emotional story on the radio but a few months ago I heard the story of a many who had been wrongly incarcerated for 17 years for crimes he did not commit. Using new DNA tests he was found innocent of the crimes and released. Now I think that any of us would be bitter over this situation. I think I'd be OUTRAGED, but this man wasn't. He was happy and at peace. Simply enjoying his new-found freedom and working to build a better life for himself. Amazing if you ask me... and soon to be the feature of an HBO documentary.

http://www.darrylhuntproject.org/about.html

You: On a Diet - Better Living Through Biology

Over the weekend I read an interesting article in the May issue of Esquire on what the authors called "The Definitive Guide to Better Living Through Biology." As they put it, the article and their new book You: On a Diet is "about doing things - easy things - that will naturally bring you to your ideal, healthy weight."

Here is the list:

-Eat a handful of walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds about 30 minutes before a meal.

-Do not overdue dieting - simply try to cut out 100 calories a day. Generally speaking this will make you loose 10 pounds a year. Any greater cuts in calorie consumption will slow your metabolism and be less effective.

-Since the same part of the brain is responsible for thirst, hunger, sleep and sex try drinking water, sleeping or having sex the next time you get hungry.

-Eat Fiber before 10AM. This keeps you full for longer.

-Walk for 30 min a day (no breaks no stopping)

-Stretch

-Work out an hour after eating

Breakfast:

-Don't eat breakfast until you actually feel like you need it (this goes against other nutritional advice I've read elsewhere)
-Eat high fiber/high protein breakfasts (if you add spicy red peppers you'll get full faster)
-Coffee with no sugar or cream (skim milk is OK)

Lunch:

-Don't wait until you are starving to eat lunch

-Eat Salad, non-creamy soups, a little chicken/fish/turkey, wheat breads

-Stick with oil and vinegar based dressings

Dinner:

-Eat at least 3 hours before you sleep

-Skip bread with butter and desert

-Avoid white foods (potatoes, pasta)

-Load up on colored vegetables (carrots, greens, tomatoes)

-Small amounts of meat or fish

-Drink during or after your meal, not before

-Drink only high quality alcoholic beverages

Ingredients to avoid ("If any of the following ingredients is one of the first five listed, the food is crap."

-Enriched Grains

-Bleached Flour

-Corn Syrup, Malt Syrup, Maple Syrup

-Anything ending in OSE (e.g. Fructose)

-Animal Fats (e.g. lard)

-Coconut Oil, Palm Oil

-Hydrogenated Oils (AKA trans fats)

Music to Learn From...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-shZs2I4E4

I'm sure that many of you know about how great the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" is. But have you seen the video???? If you have you may not have realized that it uses the visual theme of the Rorschach Tests that were really big from the 40's until the 80's (and are still used today). If you don't remember these were the ink blot images that could be interpreted as anything. Psychologists would ask patients to tell them what these ambiguous images made them think of. If patients responded with aggressive or negative images the psychologist may have labeled them as "CRAZY."

If you haven't listed to the lyrics closely here they are. They are very insightful if you ask me...

I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that phase.
Even your emotions had an echo
In so much space
And when you're out there
Without care,
Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy
Does that make me crazy
Does that make me crazy
Probably
And I hope that you are having the time of your life
But think twice, that's my only advice
Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are,
Ha ha ha bless your soul
You really think you're in control
Well, I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
Just like me
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limb
And all I remember is thinking,
I want to be like them
Ever since I was little, ever since I was little it looked like fun
And it's no coincidence
I've come And I can die when I'm done
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy
Maybe we're crazy
Probably

Society, Answers, & Goals

It says: "I thought being thin was THE answer.

It wasn't and now I'm trapped."

The solution is to gradually become free of societal rewards and learn how to substitute for them rewards that are under one's own powers. This is not to say that we should abandon every goal endorsed by society; rather, it means that, in addition to or instead of the goals others use to bribe us with, we develop a set of our own.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 1990

If you aren't already familiar with postsecret.blogspot.com you should check it out. It is a hugely successful site where people mail in post cards with their secrets. These post cards are then posted on this website for all to see. You will see that many people share your fears, regrets, etc.

Stress May Cause Cancer Development

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070411-14050700-bc-us-cancerstress.xml

It has long been thought that being "hopeful" and feeling other positive emotions helps people recover from illnesses like Cancer or at least live longer with the condition, but now researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine are the first to report that emotional stress might contribute to the development of cancer and might also reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatments. It appears that the production of the stress hormone epinephrine is the cause.

"The Secret" isn't Evil... or is it?

For Background info on "The Secret" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_(2006_film)


I received alot of mixed feedback regarding my comments on "The Secret" which I don't see as evil but more of an over-extention of a principle that has merit. The problem is that "The Secret" promotes the Law of Attraction as the single most important guiding principle in life. The tool to reach all your goals and meet all your desires. By doing this it ignores other very inportant aspects of successful living like personal accountability, planning and preparation, etc.


I've copied some very interesting Amazon reader reviews that I came across recently. They cover both sides of the argument.

Amazon Reader Review of "The Secret"
Reaches Too Far, Oversells, Underdelivers, January 1, 2007
Reviewer: OldSchool
I think a book like this, which makes some really big claims, should, roughly, do the following: 1) Present it's premise clearly 2) Since it's a self-help book explain clearly what you need to do 3) Provide compelling evidence that it's ideas work 4) Be credible. The book does a decent job of explaining its premise, which is that everything in your life is the result of the law of attraction. I quote, "the law of attraction says like attracts like, so when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you." In other words, think good thoughts and good things will come to you and if you think bad thoughts then bad things come to you. I've simplified this a bit but not a whole lot as the concept isn't rocket science. Now, does this book explain clearly what you need to do? Actually, for a self-help book it does a very poor job of this. How do you control your thoughts? What kinds of practices and thinking produce the best results? The author and contributors basically tell you a bunch of stories about how "so and so did something and you can too by changing your thinking". And that's it for the "how to" part of the book. There isn't any. Now, if I wanted to prove something worked from a scientific perspective it would seem to be easy to test this stuff out. You take two groups of people, teach one the secret, let the other go on with their lives and see what happens. In theory those that know the Secret would be happier and more successful than the control group. It might not be perfect but it'd be a whole lot better than what we get in this book. But, of course, you'd have to have an actual methodology to test. Instead the authors cite numerous anecdotes of how the Secret worked. One person's cancer went away. Another individual walks after a brutal accident. Still another finds romance. That's all fine and perhaps it's evidence but it's not proof. Cancer can be misdiagnosed. How many people who were injured like the "Miracle Man" never walked again despite the best attitude and trying the approach perfectly? The problem with anecdotes is that it's easy to start with a result, work backward and assume the conclusion. It's also very easy with anecdotes to only present the ones that make your case and ignore those that don't (when someone dies of cancer while practicing the secret for instance). It's just not good enough to use anecdotes for large claims like those made in this book. The following quote struck a nerve. "People hold that for awhile, and they're really a champion at it. They say, `I'm fired up, I saw this program and I'm going to change my life.' And yet the results aren't showing. Beneath the surface it's just about ready to break through but the person will look just at the surface results and say, `This stuff doesn't work.' And you know what? The universe says, "your wish is my command," I thought it was interesting that the universe instantly manifest failure but isn't quite so fast with success. In fact, a cynical individual might conclude that what they are really saying is, "when this program works it's because the secret always works, but, on the off chance it doesn't work, well, that's your fault." An even more cynical person might think, "gosh, I wonder what would help a person who failed? Maybe, a seminar with Bob Proctor would be just the thing to get them over the top?" Lastly, is the Secret credible? On the one hand, I think a lot can be said for the idea that if you change your thinking you'd change your life. In many ways that seems obvious to me. On the other hand, if the secret actually was true, especially at the scope claimed by the book it would mean that everything that's happened is the result of your thinking. So, when a child dies of pneumonia, well, it's because they brought pneumonia into their lives. Michael J. Fox, not only did you bring Parkinson's into your life but change your thinking and it will go away. Obviously these things aren't true and they obliterate, in my opinion, any credibility in the book. Not only does the book go too far but most (I'd argue nearly all) of the contributors aren't credible. On a topic of this scope: the ability to 100% change your life and the world in an incredible fashion, does anyone really think you couldn't find psychologists, top flight scientists, therapists and thousands of mainstream individuals to support it, if it worked? Wouldn't there be tons of research instead of anecdotes? Instead we get a Feng Shui Master, a chiropractor, motivational speakers (err trainers), a metaphysicist, etc. combined with a half dozen anecdotal stories. So the most powerful like changing idea ever and you get it from the crew in this book presented in this fashion? I don't think so! If this idea really worked, at anything other than giving material to self-help speakers and generating repeat students, it just wouldn't be found here. The book wouldn't even have to be written because we'd all already know it and be practicing it. Remember, this is not a new idea, it's been around for a very long time, and it's been the topic of literally thousands of seminars and hundreds of books. In conclusion, I'm not opposed to the idea on a small scale but this book just goes way too far and I'm left with the feeling that all that's really going on is a bunch of people trying to get their name out and get you to pay for their seminars.

A Few Responses:

Comment by freereign
Did you miss the first comment by 'avid reader'? Firstly, a doctor who genuinely wanted to find a way to heal lots of people would jeopardize his own career. Good for him if he sees the greater value beyond his own life--much as Jesus apparently did. As for getting mainstream professionals to comment, welll, doctors of cancer patients HAVE acknowledged the effect of positive thinking on disease management. Nowhere in this DVD does it tell you to ignore doctors, but the woman who 'cured' her cancer without chemo can mislead you if you don't listen to the rest of that section. That guy who crashed a plane--where was he while he was envisioning his healing--strapped to a bed in a hospital room. He was getting treatment AND using positive thinking to help his body heal. He's alive today, 25 years after being told he'd never do anything but blink his eyes. What more details do you need? How about faith, there's plenty of UN-USED faith just sitting around for you to help yourself to. Have some, this world will benefit as people learn how to use faith starting in themselves, instead of knee-jerk doubting and judging books by their cover without reading them! This book offers plenty of ways to use faith, such as using gratitude to change your mental habits. These changes won't happen overnight to most people, so give it another shot, say, honestly, for a couple of weeks, you will see a difference if you let it happen.

Comment by Mostserene1
wonderfully stated. This type of "secret" tends to attract weak or damaged people looking for an answer to their problems. Positive thinking has been repackaged and resold so many times over the centuries. But there are always buyers. If these people truly cared about their marks, oops, I mean, followers, their message would be free of charge. But to those who find meaning in The Secret, good for you. I hope it does change your lives for the better. But experience tells us you will soon be chasing after another life-changing revelation. And paying for it. And raving about it. I hope you find what you are seeking.

Why Teenagers Take Risks

This article tries to explain why teenagers are crazy. Basically, it has to do with an "imbalance" in the brain between the areas that control social and emotional information (socioemotional system) and the parts that regulate behavior and makes the ultimate decisions (cognitive-control system).

The socioemotional system becomes more assertive during puberty, while the cognitive-control system gains strength only gradually, well into our twenties.

According to Steinberg, the socioemotional system, becomes very active during puberty allowing adolescents to become more easily aroused, experience more intense emotion, and to become more sensitive to social influence.

He explains that as a result “There is a window of vulnerability in teens between puberty and mid-to-late adolescence in which kids have already started to experience the increased arousal of the socioemotional system, but they don’t yet have a fully mature cognitive control system,” he says. “Because their cognitive-control system is still not fully mature, it is more easily disrupted, especially when the socioemotional system is quite excited. And it gets excited by the presence of other people.”

“The presence of peers increases risk taking substantially among teenagers,” writes Steinberg in his article. “In one of our lab’s studies, for instance, the presence of peers more than doubled the number of risks teenagers took in a video driving game. In adolescence, then, not only is more merrier -- it is also riskier.”

Do You Know Where Your Tax Dollars are Going???

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/102817/How-Your-Tax-Dollars-Are-Spent


20% for Social Security benefits to existing retirees
15% for Medical health benefits
7% for Medicaid
3% for veterans benefits and
1.3% for supplemental security income used to assist the aged, disabled and blind
(All types of aid to the needy add up to 16% of the budget)
7% for interest on national debt
9% for the military

8.5% for everything else:

• Transportation -- federal highways and bridges, support for Amtrak, funds to help states with other roads, bridges, railroads, airports and so on.


• Science and medical research. Food and drug safety. Guarding the environment. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Export promotion. Import protections. Space exploration. Air traffic controllers. The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the rest of the Justice Department. Federal education funding.


• And an alphabet soup of federal agencies tasked with helping to keep Americans safe, healthy and, sad to say, honest -- from the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) to the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission).
  

I know this doesn't add up to 100% but this is the information presented in the article. When you read the article play close attention to what is part of "discretionary" and "non-discretionary" spending.

Quotes on Talent

I've been studying the idea of talent recently and what I've learned is that we spend a disproportionate amount of time focusing on our weaknesses. We take our innate strengths for granted, but it is time that we stop. Here are some quotes to get you thinking about the nature of talent.

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930), (Sherlock Holmes) Valley of Fear, 1915

Literature is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to people who have none.
Jules Renard (1864 - 1910)

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)

If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.
Brendan Francis

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
Erica Jong

Flawed Systems: Professors, Politicians & Voting

The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

When I came across this quote I was reminded of one of my undergraduate psychology classes. Our professor was venting about how university professors were not selected because they were excellent teachers, but because they were good researchers. He explained that researchers are the one's who make the school money and bring it prestige. That explained why some professors I had, simply sat at thier tables passionlessly reading their notes for what seemed like an eternity. In fact, I later discovered that University professors are not even required to complete any training on "how to teach."

It is situations like these that I find truly bothersome: Systems where the process and the goals the process are supposed to reach are not aligned properly. Usually the result is some kind of detriment to those who are part of the system and are just trying to make progress (e.g. the students).

As this quote points out, the same is true for those in government positions. Surely, as their are good professors in every university, their are also effective politicians that make it to office, but the point here is to look at the selection system in place. How do politicians get elected? Is it based on their talent for "business of government" or more so their "talent for getting and holding office?" Are they elected because they will do a good job or they simply carry an image of someone we'd like to see represent us?

You see, in other organizations people are selected for jobs based on a variety of factors. They are interviewed repeatedly, their references are checked, and they are given a variety of assessments that evaluate a wide range of things (e.g. intelligence, personality style, etc.). And who decides whether to bring the person being evaluated on? Usually an expert of some kind, who is very knowledgeable about the person's role. Unfortunately, we as voters don't have the opportunity to test and evaluate politicians. We are presented with a shortage of trustworthy, meaningful information, and we are not experts in politics or the "business of government." How can we be expected to make effective decisions on who to vote for? We end up selecting the individuals who get the best feeling from, or whom supports a key piece of policy we support.

What I'm pointing out here is a flawed system; one where the plan is not aligned with the desired outcome. Recognizing these kinds of inconsistencies teaches us valuable lessons, improving our understanding of the world we live in so we can better manage our modern lives. At any given point we will be in a position where we can help plan a process that we hope will lead to a specific goal. With this kind of knowledge we can attempt to do this effectively, creating an effective system - doing what it is supposed to do.

Do Organic Foods Make a Difference??? Yes.

http://www.whfoods.com/index.html

Copied from: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=17#Health1

Can organic foods really improve my health?Yes. Organically grown food is your best way of reducing exposure to toxins used in conventional agricultural practices. These toxins include not only pesticides, many of which have been federally classified as potential cancer-causing agents, but also heavy metals such as lead and mercury, and solvents like benzene and toluene. Minimizing exposure to these toxins is of major benefit to your health. Heavy metals damage nerve function, contributing to diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lowering IQ, and also block hemoglobin production, causing anemia. Solvents damage white cells, lowering the immune system's ability to resist infections. In addition to significantly lessening your exposure to these health-robbing substances, organically grown foods have been shown to contain substantially higher levels of nutrients such as protein, vitamin C and many minerals.

Research Suggests Organic Food is Better for Your Health:
Rats fed organic food were significantly healthier than their peers given conventionally-grown produce, shows research reported by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, February 2005. During the experiment, 36 rats were divided into three groups. All were given potatoes, carrots, peas, green kale, apples, rapeseed oil, and the same vitamin supplements. One group was fed organic food, another conventionally grown food with high levels of fertilizer and some pesticide, and the third group received minimally fertilized conventionally grown food. Although pesticide residue was measured and found to be below detection levels in all groups, the scientists found that the rats fed organically-grown produce were measurably healthier, slept better, had stronger immune systems and were less obese.

Lead researcher, Dr Kirsten Brandt, of Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, was careful not to overstate the findings, but noted: "The difference was so big it is very unlikely to be random. We gave the food to the rats and then we measured what they were doing. We can say the reason why the rats have different health was clearly due to the fact that there was a different growing method, and this was enough for this result. If we want to understand how and why, we need another study."

Obesity: New Study Shows 24.6% Increase from 2000 to 2005

http://news.aol.com/partners/usa-today/_a/morbid-obesity-affects-more-americans/20070410094109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

I hope that most readers are aware that obesity in the U.S. is at frighteningly high levels. That is 24.6% of people in the U.S. were at least 30 lbs. overweight and 3% were morbidly obese (at least 100 lbs. overweight) in 2005. Not to mention that these numbers are actually deflated because people normally under-report their weight!!! Some of you may think: "I'm not fat, so I don't need to worry about it." But nothing could be farther from the truth. George Blackburn, associate director of nutrition at Harvard Medical School, calls the increase in the percent of severely obese people a catastrophe. "It is an emergency because the disability, the discrimination and the health care costs for this population are enormous."

Another interesting finding of this study was that it contradicted a long held theory of many professionals in the field that morbid obesity is overwhelmingly defined by one's genetic composition. According to this theory, the percentage of morbid obesity in the population would stay constant. This was not the case in this study of the general population finding that morbid obesity grew on practically the exact same pace as did groups who were overweight and/or obese.

Googling Your Date - Too Much Info???

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/04/09/googlingyourdate.ap.ap/index.html
When I read this article this morning 2 very contradicting thoughts came to mind. First was "It's amazing how the world has changed. We have so much information at our fingertips - Fantastic!" But then, as I read through some of the examples in the article I saw how people today use little bits of information they find about someone to make much larger judgments about who they are. It isn't realistic or logical... everyone's got there quirks, you can't create a total picture of who they are based on them. Obviously there are some things we just can't put up with (like nude pictures of someone in the bath on myspace :o) but others are no big deal, yet we use that information to make decisions that aren't really justified. Decisions like whether or not you want to keep a date with someone you met and who appeared to be pretty cool. Sometimes you need to take a chance. Getting to know someone isn't that painful.

Dimissing "The Secret"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/06/AR2007040601819.html?hpid=opinionsbox2

These sources are trying to show you the many false claims made in Rhonda Byrns self-help book and documentary "The Secret." Since Oprah's promotion of this, dare I say, almost worthless and completely unjustified philosophy, people have been jumping on "The Secret" bandwagon. Luckily there are some people out their like Tim Watkins of The Washington Post with a little more sense and who use their voice to shed light on what could confuse and end up demoralizing a of people.

The Psychology of Tax Procrastination

http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/070314/21306.html?.v=1&.pf=taxes

Have you ever wondered why so many people push off doing their taxes until the last possible second? Well some researchers think that it has a lot to do with the same reasons why people push off seeing doctors and dentists until they are in a lot of discomfort: A fear of what is possibly awaiting them.

When people push off medical appointments they also push of the potential knowledge of some major problems they may already have and just not know about. This explains how some people allow certain symptoms and illnesses to grow incredibly large and threatening before ever seeking medical help. It is far more common than you think.

To a lesser degree, people are doing the same thing by avoiding filing their taxes. They are avoiding the potential knowledge that they owe more money than they thought they do, or even worse, they are avoiding the possibility that they could make a mistake on their taxes, in essence opening a Pandora's box of liability with the IRS.

The bottom line here is that people are greatly influenced by fear. Whether it's our taxes or health, this fear can be very damaging. It is important that we take a moment to recognize this feeling and raise ourselves above it to act intelligently and responsibly. Whether it is filing our taxes early or seeing a physician for a regular check up when nothing appears to be wrong with us, it is actions like these that can have very powerful effects on our lives.

Zen vs. Modern Life

"From craving, grief and fear are born; for the person who is free of craving, their is no grief or fear." -Author Unknown

This quote got me thinking. It appears to be true but I kept asking myself: If one lives without cravings what are they living for? Don't we live to satisfy our cravings??? I think I found the answer in the following Zen Story:

"A man who, fleeing a tiger, jumped over a cliff to escape, grabbed a vine and hung suspended from the side saw another tiger gazing hungrily up.
While the tiger pawed down at him, glancing below he saw another tiger gazing hungrily up.
In a moment of surrender, the man looked to a solitary flower growing from the cliff.
'Splendid!'" -Author Unknown

I know this sounds a bit strange for those who haven't read Zen before. But the point is that when the man had abandoned his fear, his craving to survive (because he accepted that he was doomed), then he saw the true beauty of the flower... We don't need cravings to appreciate life. In fact they appear to distort our perception from the truth to a constructed reality filled with cravings, fear, grief, "successes," false goals, and endless disappointment.

Now the question is: How do we attain the truth? How do we shed our cravings? I often think it is impossible given the influence our modern environment's exert on us. Instead I try to maintain a balance between being craving driven and grounded in truth. Not a glutton nor a Yogi. Still fear does play an unwanted role in my life.

Pregnant Mother's Stress Transferred to the Unborn

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6298909.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4286512.stm

In the two studies listed high stress in pregnant mothers was linked to lower IQ, evidence of higher levels of anxiety and depression, as well as higher incidences of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in their children after birth. Stress that pregnant mothers experienced was often a result of a problematic/unassertive relationship with their partner.

Quotes on "Failure"

I don't know what made me look into this, this morning but I'm happy I did:

I can't give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.
Herbert Bayard Swope (1882 - 1958)

What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.
Mary Pickford (1893 - 1979)

Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal.
Mike Ditka (1939 - )

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure.
William Saroyan (1908 - 1981)

I'm not sure about how I feel about that last one... but it got me thinking.

Your Strengths...Better than "The Secret"

After you've gotten sick of trying to tune your positive energy, why not identify your core strengths and work to build them. The book Now, Discover Your Strengths (by the same author as Go Put Your Strengths to Work and currently #5 on the NY Times Best Sellers list) takes a very practical outlook on how we can be more successful. Based on research consisting of interviews conducted by Gallup of over 1.7 million employees from 101 companies, representing 63 countries, the authors have presented information to completely shift our current state of mind around self-improvement. Around the world (more so in east Asia) when people look to improve themselves, they identify their weaknesses and attempt to correct them. This book explains how that is the an ineffective use of our time and talents. Instead we should work to identify, utilize, and enhance our natural strengths for by doing this we will make the most progress in our lives.

Music Lessons Fine Tune the Brain

http://psycport.apa.org/showArticle.cfm?xmlFile=knightridder%5F2007%5F04%5F03%5Fkrtbn%5F0000%2D1721%2DTB%2D0403%2DMusic%2DLessons%2DFine%2DTune%2DThe%2DBrain%2Exml&provider=Chicago%20Tribune

Researchers found that people who study playing an instrument have better developed hearing. So you may think "big deal." But think about it for a moment. With better hearing the subjects in the study were able to understand speech better. Imagine how many conversations you listen to in a life time. What if you could hear the nuanced changes in someone's voice when they are lying, or stressed out?

Flow... Better than "The Secret"

http://www.unrealities.com/essays/flow.htm

This is a bit sophisticated, but based on years of research. A much better way to use your time then focusing on your positive energy and hoping that life changes for you. Basically, it discusses how people are most satisfied when they are engrossed in something, for example painting a picture. It is not necessarily about the outcome but the feeling one gets when they are in the process.

More Caffeine in Diet Coke!

http://health.yahoo.com/topic/nutrition/foods/article/mayoclinic/CE619C35-D037-4016-A9CBEA9A3ECBCEB6

Diet Coke has considerably more caffeine than regular Coke, or diet Pepsi. Maybe that's why everyone is addicted to it? To bad it raises women's risk of Osteoporosis (bone deterioration).

http://health.yahoo.com/news/167458;_ylt=AsbjiB5w1GOIUOC15AZplVxLvs8F

Caffeine Does Not Aid in Weight Loss

http://health.yahoo.com/topic/weightloss/feeding/qanda/mayoclinic/62D85FB2-CA9F-4CA0-BDCA3B72560E8494

Research at the Mayo Clinic shows that caffeine only suppresses hunger for a very short time. By the way, when talking to a Dr. the other day they stated that drinking large amounts of Coffee (3+ cups per day) causes a condition that tightens up our veins thus impeding blood flow... not good. In other research they found that drinking one cup of coffee per day can have beneficial effects on health.

Exercise Makes You Smarter!

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/2007/03/30/fitness-health-brain-forbeslife-cx_avd_0402fitbrain.html

Exercise improves memory, fights of dementia (aka craziness) and Alzheimer's. And guess what? If you feel like you are getting exercise then you are more likely to loose weight and have lower blood pressure. Stop thinking of your mind and body as separate entities...

Contrarian Investing

http://www.forbes.com/home/investingideas/2007/04/03/cubs-tech-oberweis-pf-ii-in_kf_0403soapbox_inl.html

Just remember Warren Buffet's mantra: "We attempt to be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful." This situation may not match this sentiment exactly but the point is to invest before everyone else has decided to throw their money in. I'm not saying that you should invest in tech like the article does, but this is the way to think about investing.

How to Make Babies Smarter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20070403/tc_usatoday/reportputsapacifieronsmarterbabydebate
So this article's message is that we don't know if strategies to improve brain development in infants (like playing them Mozart) actually work. What I can tell you is that decades of research have shown that infants benefit from being stimulated. It helps with their brain and sensory development. For example, if an infant is not exposed to varying visual depth it will be detrimental to his/her ability to perceive depth. So sensory exposure to things like colors, feeling textures, noises, scents, languages, music, etc. are all beneficial and often the benefits cannot be reproduced later in life (for more info look up "Critical Period"). We may not know how exactly how providing these stimuli help they help, but they don't seem to hurt. Just make sure you lave your baby some quiet time as that is important to.

Story: Emptying Your Cup

A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "You are like this cup," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup." (Author Unknown)

I think a lot of us are needlessly "overfull" these days.

Research: Red Wine to Men's Jaws

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20070312-000004.html

Drink red wines from Sardinia or Southwest France. Levels of artery-strengthening procyanidins are five times higher in bottles from those regions... Men with strong jaws are more sexually attractive but also seen as poorer parents: "Facial masculinity is related to testosterone levels, which have demonstrated connection with rates of infidelity, violence, and divorce."

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness

http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2006/10/27/News/Easterlin.Money.Wont.Buy.Happiness-2406381.shtml

According to research done over long period's of time, money only affects happiness when people are below the poverty level. That is where money directly affects the vital needs of those who have it or not (like food, shelter, etc.). BTW - Easterlin was my Economics professor at USC.