An ABUNDANT Future

Peter Diamandis, one of the most vocal thought leaders of our time, is my new celebrity crush!

Not only does he support massive innovation through funding and founding projects like the X Prize Foundation and Singularity University, he has a unique ability to make anyone understand the impact of these exponential technologies in our world.

In this 2012 TED talk, he argues that humans have never been more equipped to anticipate and solve the most challenging global problems like peace, water, energy, health, climate and poverty. He makes a convincing case that now, more than ever, we can be optimistic about the future.

Of course, Diamandis has a few books. This talk is based on the book “Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think“. I’m currently reading “Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World” in which he gives a roadmap to entrepreneurs to predict when exponential technologies will disrupt an industry. Hint: The number one predictor, in his view, is user-friendly interface.

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Walking the Walk

One thing I loved about sociologist, Alice Goffman’s, Ted talk was that she spent 6 years living in one of the worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia. I think that’s brave.

Goffman discovered first-hand how young people of African-American and Latino descent are guided down a singular path to prisons-even for minor first offenses.

This is a fascinating talk and important work. The question is whether and how change will result from studies like this.

I haven’t read Goffman’s literary account of her social experiment but I plan to. You can find “On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City” here or in your library system.

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Wanted: Cyber Grandma!

What happens when you put the internet in a hole in the wall of a slum? Find out in this Ted™Talk by education scientist, Sugata Mitra.

There’s so much here that I’m going to let this one speak for itself. Applications for cyber grandma’s will be accepted right here at the conclusion of the talk. (wink wink)

If you’re interested in how self-organized learning can be integrated into any classroom (Good luck with that), you might be interested in the Kindle short “Beyond the Hole in the Wall” where Mitra provides step-by-step instructions.

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When a Neuroscientist Has A Stroke

If you ever had a stroke or know someone who has, don’t miss this talk by Jill Bolte Taylor.

Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist who suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke and lived not only to tell about it but show us how it’s possible to rebuild connections in the brain after a devastating event like that.

I have read her book, “My Stroke of Insight” repeatedly and refer it to people all the time. It’s one that borrowed from my mom but wanted my own copy.

Bolte Taylor does such a good job of explaining the difference between experiencing the world through her right brain for the very first time when the stroke damaged the left hemisphere. She tells how caregivers with high energy and sudden movements overwhelmed her and how her mom was her fiercest advocate and protector during her recovery. (I don’t want to give more than that away but her mom quickly became the hero of the story).

The other part I loved was her explanation of how a negative thought transmits chemicals through the entire body in about 15 seconds and her conscious efforts after the stroke to minimize or eliminate negative thoughts because of that.

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Introverts DisUnite!

I’M AN INTROVERT AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!

It’s true. Although, as an outgoing introvert, I wasn’t chastised at school or encouraged to change, so I was one of the lucky ones.

Susan Cain, (God Bless her for getting up in front of all those people in spite of her introverted self) explains why, now more than ever, it’s critical to provide solitude to introverts in work and school environments which will allow them to find solutions to complex problems.

Even if we aren’t inclined to adapt the environment to accommodate introverts, we can at least quit trying to turn them (us) into extroverts. The world needs introverts!

I haven’t read “Quiet!” yet, but it’s on my list as one of James Altucher’s Top Ten Mind-blowing reads. According to some reviews on Amazon, it’s not a scientific study but a lay-person’s summary and description of research on the topic. So, it sounds like it’s a good introduction if you haven’t read a lot about personality types. I’ll likely borrow this one from the library.

Why You Should Join the Doodle Revolution!

Remember all those scribbles in the margins of your notes and homework when you were in school? Well it turns out, your brain was doing what it does best….helping you solve problems.

In this TED™Talk, Sunni Brown, author of “The Doodle Revolution“,* explains how doodling is really deep thinking in disguise, it’s universal across all time and cultures and can be harnessed to unlock innovative thinking and complex problem-solving.

*I’m a serious book junkie and I own this one, too. Although you can probably find this one in your library system, this is a reference that you’ll want to return to. Brown goes through several methods of learning how to use doodling in different settings (even on creative teams at work). It’s entertaining, thorough and well-organized.

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Happiness!

The science of happiness is real and even applies to traditionally grim environments (giant banks during the financial meltdown, the military, prisons, etc.)

In this hilarious and convincing talk, Shawn Achor, a leading expert in the science of happiness, makes a convincing case that happiness PRECEDES success (not the other way around), that people can be primed for happiness and success and that we truly are the masters of our experience.

This is not woo-woo, feel good positivity. It’s hard science that ANYONE can master.

Watch the first minute of this talk and you’ll boost your happy factor today…then you’ll want to watch the whole thing-guaranteed.

Of course, I had to get the book and not only is it enlightening, but practical, too. (I need my book back, Paula!)

The Happiness Advantage brings us up to date on the history and the latest research in positive psychology, anecdotally and scientifically.

As a painfully practical person, what I love about Achor’s book most is that it also offers 5 “happiness hacks” that anyone can implement to improve their happiness score (that’s my term) or even reverse decades of pessimism in less than a month.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link, I receive a small commission (cents, seriously) at no additional cost to you. What’s the point? It makes me happy!

Sir Ken Robinson

In case you haven’t seen one of the most-watched TED talks of all time, I’m kicking off my own 31 Day 2015 Series with the one and only, Sir Ken Robinson.

Sit back and treat yourself to 10 minutes of entertaining and inspiring commentary from a global thought leader in education. (If nothing else, enjoy the British accent).

If you’re a reader, his books are as engaging as his presentation. He gives solid anecdotes to support his points and draws from stories about people both famous and not.

I read “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything” and “Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative“. You should be able to find both in your library system.

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What I’m Reading This Month

On this last day of September, I decided to list the books I’m reading now so I don’t forget.

1. “The End of Jobs” by Taylor Pearson

Technically, I’m finished reading this book and Hannah’s waiting for it but I’m re-reading it because I want to interview Taylor Pearson. Not only about the book but getapprenticeship.com his brilliant answer to the gap between the traditional path of employment for life and entrepreneurship.

Taylor argues in the book that current circumstances make starting a business less risky and easier in many ways than pursuing a traditional path. He discusses and explains concepts like silent risk, democratization of tools of entrepreneurship and global competition as a result of the improved education standards (and low wages) globally. These are only a few factors of the changing landscape of work in the new economy.

Not only does Pearson raise important ideas but he supports all of his claims with data accompanied by real-life examples that bear out his bold statements.

I have to admit that Pearson is preaching to the choir but I am so happy to have solid evidence to back up what I’ve been suspecting for a while now. This book is an eye opener for anyone preparing for the next 5-10 years in the big bad world.

2. Zero to One by Peter Thiel

I’m reading this after listening to James and Claudia Altucher talking about a post that James wrote “The Ten Most Important Books to Expand Your Mind” The list was made up of books that gave him a braingasm. You can guess what that is.

Peter Thiel is a founder of Paypal and one of the first investors in Facebook. He also started a Gap year fellowship program.

I’m just diving into this one and while I appreciate understanding some things that I didn’t before, I’m thinking a lot of it will be over my head. I’m no dummy but so far it is. I’m not giving up yet, though.

3. Bold by Peter Diamandis

James and Claudia’s description of this book as mind-blowing intrigued me. I haven’t gotten far into it yet but he dives into exponential growth in certain areas (robotics, computers, health, bio-hacking, etc. and ideas that are not only huge and outlandish but that are iterated and many of us don’t even know it.

In case you’re wondering whether I’m inventing something…no, but I’m intrigued by the idea of people totally going for broke when they have outrageous and ideas that are so new that others have a hard time adjusting their reaction to the idea of it. They keep trying to box it into their frame of mind. I don’t think like this, by the way, but I kind of wish I did.

4. The One Thing by Gary Keller

I have to admit that I’m not as impressed by this one as most people are and maybe I’m not giving it a fair shot. I understand and appreciate the main idea; that multi-tasking doesn’t work and focusing on one primary task to completion is most productive. But how many chapters do you need to say that? I get it already.

The book’s well-written, though and includes some interesting anecdotes so I’ll probably get all the way through it. Maybe I’ll decide it’s as great as everyone else thinks it is.

5. Looking forward to Hesitation Wounds by Amy Koppelman

I was introduced to Koppelman’s work through listening to her husband, Brian’s podcast (which I really like). I read “I Smile Back” and loved the style, voice, characters and prose. I read it too long ago to discuss it specifically but the story was like no other that I’ve read. Pretty brutal but beautifully crafted.

Disclaimer: All the book links are affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of the links, I get a small commission (like pennies) as a result of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Why bother? I don’t know, it’s fun.

Don’t Listen To Your Parents!

Olaniyi Sobomehin from Imnotyou.com

You might be surprised that a middle-aged mother of 4 teenagers completely agrees with this advice by Niyi Sobo, former running back for the New Orleans Saints, who trains elite young athletes to dominate their sport.

Before you get all up in arms….of course, he doesn’t mean kids should disobey their parents or disregard their rules and values.

He’s suggesting that most people surrounding a young athlete trying to reach the highest level of his sport haven’t been there. Or worse, people-even coaches- inadvertently discourage and limit an athlete’s potential by being “honest” (“you’re not big, fast, strong, skilled, smart enough“).

Let’s face it, most coaches are barely qualified to coach a sport. Many programs rely on parent volunteers or choose a coach based on availability only. Others in travel programs know how to run a business but may not have the expertise to help a kid develop all the components required to compete at the highest level (conditioning, mental, emotional, logistical, strength, etc.)

When I told Mark (my husband and Luke’s tennis coach) that I agree with this, even as it relates to Luke’s goals for tennis, naturally he was offended because he misunderstood the statement.

Mark definitely has the expertise to train Luke technically and strategically to continue to improve his tennis game no matter how far he goes.

Even Mark had to admit that neither of us has navigated the path of national tennis tournaments to where it might lead Luke. Mark excelled in D-3 tennis but that’s not the same as D-1. Plus, the landscape has changed so much in the past 30 years, our experience in college recruiting, admissions, even visiting is hardly relevant. Moreover, while Mark emphasizes the importance of conditioning, nutrition, visualization, discipline and internal motivation to all of his students, none of those is his area of expertise.

So, what should we do? Mark will still coach Luke but we also have to keep an eye out for (or stalk) people who HAVE been there and hope that they’re willing to mentor Luke.

In addition to some one-on-one coaching, we’ll be checking out a course that Niyi Sobo’s creating to expose young athletes all over the world to his principals and method of goal-setting, discipline and visualization to get results. (I’m not training for anything, but I’m interested in learning this stuff, myself)

Other than that, I’ll just keep buying cereal, enjoy watching Luke play and make him mow the lawn every now and again.

Being Home

Encouragement to help you make the most of being home