Announcing Teen Voices’ 20 Under 20 Short Story Competition! | Teen Voices

A lot of you have been asking me about getting your fiction writing published. Check this out.

Announcing Teen Voices’ 20 Under 20 Short Story Competition! | Teen Voices

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #223: Under Your Control?

After a setback, many people spend too much time agonizing over things they have little or no control over. So, when you are preparing for your next opportunity, do a little inventory.

Identify what is and isn’t under your control.

Make a list of everything that must happen in order for your opportunity to be a successful endeavor. Next, label each item on your list as “under your control” or “not under your control.”

Now, take action on what’s under your control.

For example, being well prepared for an interview is under your control. Being the most qualified and experienced person for the job isn’t under your control. Chances are, you cannot do anything about who else is being interviewed for the position.

WARNING: Be careful of passing the buck or playing the blame game.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #53: Soft Skills Make All The Difference

Hard skills—technical skills—might get you an interview. They could land you a job. They might even get you some business.

But hard skills combined with great soft skills such as: communication skills, leadership skills, teamwork, Emotional Intelligence, self-motivation, customer service, and conflict resolution—will put you in an entirely different league.

Soft skills will get you the job and the promotion. Soft skills will get you the business and a relationship that keeps them coming back.

So, read a book, take a class (like public speaking), or join an organization. Better yet do all three.

Work on your soft skills. They make all the difference.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #221: Never Convict An Innocent Person

Setbacks and failure can leave a person wallowing in the mud of past misery. Unless you are a cute, little piggy you have no business splashing around in the mud!

Humans are the only creatures on this planet that willingly live the same misery over and over again.

You imagine it. You experience it. You remember it.

Too many people continuously convict themselves for past mistakes and mishaps. It makes no sense to constantly punish yourself in the present for an honest mistake you made in the past

“I made an honest mistake. Now I know better, so I’ll do better.”

If that statement is true for you, then you need to give yourself a pardon. Otherwise, you’re convicting the new and improved you (an innocent person) for something that the old you did.

Never convict an innocent person.

2011 College Scholarships | WyzAnt Tutoring

Here are some more scholarship opportunities.

2011 College Scholarships | WyzAnt Tutoring

Q & A: Help with My Brother?

Q: I have a personal question to ask about my brother. Your story of your brother kind of taught me, because I am sort of in the same situation.

My younger brother is acting up. He used to be this passionate kid. He worked harder than hard working. He would always be in competition with me. If I got an B in a class he had to get an A. He used to cry at the sight of even having less than an A-.

Now-a-days as he is in high school I have no idea where his motivation went. He is doing horrible in school. He is basically failing every class and does not care. He is also behaving bad too, from talking back to my mother to stealing the cars at my house for a joy ride. He is only 16 years old. I tried talking to him, but all he does is shake me off.

I do not know what to do. Do you have any input?

—Gabriel S.

Blame It On Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, And Nobody

Someone recently reminded me about this story. You’ve probably read it before because it’s easy to find. Nevertheless, it’s a cool little story about blame.