[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #281: Bogeys & Birdies

Economists at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed 2.5 million golf putts. (You know the game, right? If given four strokes to get the ball in the hole, but you do it in 5, that’s a bogey. Not good. You took too many shots. If you do it in 3 strokes, that’s a birdie. Awesome.)

The analysis showed that golfers concentrated and performed better when playing to avoid bogeys versus playing for birdies. Think about that.

It shows that people tend to be more motivated by fear of loss than desire for gain.

It works the same way in life:

“All of my bills are paid. That’s good enough.”

“I passed the test. That’s good enough.”

Not cool.

That’s doing just enough to get by and avoid a loss.

Million-Dollar Question:
In the game of life, are you playing to avoid a bogey (loss) or get a birdie (something exceptional)?

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Think about the last time you challenged yourself. What were you doing? What made it a challenge? What was the outcome and what lessons did you learn? How are you using those lessons now?

2. Do you think that risk-taking is an important part of success? Why or why not?

3. If you had to take a risk on learning something new that could be embarrassing if you mess it up, how would you handle the situation? Has something like happend to you before? What did you do about it?

4. Do you think it’s better to take an easy class and get an “A” or take a challenging class where you might get a “C”? Explain how you came to this decision.

5. If you were 100% guaranteed to succeed, what is one thing you would challenge yourself to do? What would it take to be successful at this challenge? What are 3 things you can do to begin to build the skills and acquire the necessary resources to get it done?

[CARTOON] Oh How Things Have Changed!

Wow. Funny. TRUE.

Source: Someone emailed me this. Original source is unknown.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #179: Old Excuses

New year.

Old excuses.

Man…it seems like some people are just destined to be LAME.

Million-Dollar Question:[break]Are you still making the same old excuses[break]in a new year?

Best, Worst College Majors For Finding A Job

“Not all college degrees are created equal.”

[INFOGRAPHIC] Is Social Media Ruining Students?

Georgetown’s College Course on Jay-Z: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

An article on USAToday.com—Jay-Z provides the blueprint for college course—has rekindled the polarizing topic of whether or not author, radio host, and Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson‘s course on the hip-hop mogul and entrepreneur is a good idea or bad idea.

One thing is for sure: It’s brilliant marketing and publicity. The class has been mentioned in the news plenty of times. Critics and supporters have been quoted in major news outlets. And here I am writing about it on a blog that’s mainly about soft skills, personal development, and youth empowerment.

So…

Good idea or bad idea?

It’s not that simple.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #149: The Aspects Of What You Expect To Accomplish

Recently, a friend of mine gave up on his business.

“Al, I wasn’t prepared for the financial aspect of running a business.”

He’s not alone. Many people fail to reach their goals because they lack understanding about aspects of what they are trying to accomplish.

Plenty of great musicians have been taken advantage of because they didn’t understand the business aspect of the industry. There are leaders who expect to be successful, but become demotivated because they weren’t prepared for challenging aspects of leadership.

Regardless of what you expect, ask yourself questions like: What do I have to sacrifice? Time? Money? What problems could arise? What additional knowledge and resources do I need?

Answers to those types of questions will help you to master the aspects of what you expect to accomplish.

Million-Dollar Question:
How well are you prepared for the various aspects of what you expect to accomplish?

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ACTION STEPS AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS