Read across America Day was founded by the National Education Association (NEA) as a day to celebrate and motivate children and teens to read. The day commences March 2 every year, the birthday of the cherished children’s author, the late Dr. Seuss. On this day in cities around the Unitied States, teachers, librarians, parents, grandparents, politicians, athletes – you name it – are encouraged to develop activities that excite and inspire young readers. Reading is a major part of how we learn, grow, and view the world around us. Why is reading so important you ask? Here are just a couple … [Read more...]
The Power of Optimism
From Chapter 10 “Optimism/Enthusiasm” in Ingredients of Outliers. Brother Act It’s one thing to use the power of optimism to dramatically improve one’s health, as Norman Cousins did. It’s quite another to use it as the foundation on which to build a $100 million company. Meet Bert and John Jacobs, CEO and CCO, respectively, of New England-based Life is good, Inc. But don’t let those initials fool you; they’re not what you’d expect. Bert, the older by four years, is the company’s Chief Executive Optimist and John is the Chief Creative Optimist. The story begins in … [Read more...]
The Books You Read
From Chapter 9 “Learning” in Ingredients of Outliers. The Books You Read Reading is another great way to continue the learning process. Back in Chapter 6, I introduced you to the late, great motivational speaker, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. In addition to his speaking career, Jones was the CEO of Executive Books, a company he founded in 1966. Books were his passion and everywhere he went he’d proclaim: “You’re the same today as you’ll be five years from now except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” Over the years, his company, recently renamed … [Read more...]
The Secret to Learning = Curiosity
From Chapter 9 “Learning” in Ingredients of Outliers. A Key Ingredient Fair enough! But what’s the secret, the primary ingredient, to being a lifelong learner? The answer, of course, is curiosity! The 18th century English author Samuel Johnson called curiosity “the thirst of the soul.” Two centuries later American author William Arthur Ward described it as “the wick in the candle of learning.” And the late, great Walt Disney claimed that it “keeps leading us down new paths.” If asked to nominate one person who, perhaps more than any other, might epitomize the word “curiosity,” it … [Read more...]
Lessons We Learned from Kindergarten
From Chapter 9 “Learning” in Ingredients of Outliers. "Clean up your own mess." Nothing worthwhile is ever easy or without some messy situations. In business, making a mess of things occasionally is expected and probably necessary to move the business forward. There’s one caveat, however. You need to stick around and clean up the mess. In other words, don’t “pull a seagull”—swooping in, pooping all over everything, and flying away. Good leaders and good parents roll up their sleeves, as opposed to wringing their hands, and get dirty. Picking up the pieces helps you determine the root … [Read more...]
National Adoption Month
November 2013 is National Adoption Month, a chance to celebrate adoptive families and stand alongside every child still looking for the warmth and stability of a permanent home, according to a Presidential Proclamation by President Barack Obama. This month, I had the opportunities to reach out and learn more about the process. Through this, I heard many inspiring stories, including one about a man named Peter Likins. Peter is an outlier. He had a lengthy career in academia, including faculty position at UCLA, president of Lehigh University and president of the University of Arizona from 1997 … [Read more...]