Getting permission

The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings. William Shakespeare 1564 – 1616 Do you remember when you were in grade school? You had to raise your hand and get permission to talk. You also had to get permission to go to the restroom. The teachers did this for a reason: to maintain order in the classroom. But it conditioned us to ask permission before we did anything. Do you remember your first job? Someone taught you what you were supposed to do and what you couldn’t do. If you were like …
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Make New Year’s resolutions you can keep (Part 2)

How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them. Benjamin Franklin 1706 – 1790 In my last lesscon, I outlined the five elements necessary to achieve real, sustainable change with your New Year’s resolutions. The resolutions must be your own — what you truly desire to change The benefits of change must outweigh the cost You must believe you’re capable of change You need to optimize your environment for change The change needs to become a ritual or habit I also elaborated on the first two items, which are key in …
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Are we smarter than monkeys?

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re probably right. Henry Ford 1863 – 1947 The following is an interesting story based on the research of G. R. Stephenson–though it’s probably been embellished a bit. Five monkeys were placed in a cage. There was a ladder in the cage, and at the top of the ladder was a bunch of bananas. There was also a fire hose. The first monkey to spot the bananas started up the ladder, eager to indulge. The fire hose spewed ice cold water on all the monkeys. A few minutes later, …
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