Al Duncan – Saint Leo University – MLK Day 2012 Keynote – Testimonials

Testimonials from university staff and students after Al Duncan’s MLK DAY 2012 keynote address at Saint Leo University. “Exceptional Service To Others: The Price Of Greatness”

National Mentoring Month 2012

Remember…January is National Mentoring Month so, step up and deliver exceptional service by being a mentor. This year’s national theme is “Invest in the future. Mentor a child.”

And…

Be sure to sure to say “thank you” to your mentor.

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Presidential Proclamation — National Mentoring Month, 2012

[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?

[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.”

STOP The Bullying Assembly – Crawford Long Middle School

Atlanta, GA – On December 7, 2011 the 600 students at Crawford Long Middle attended a STOP The Bullying Assembly. The assembly was planned and sponsored by the Power Over Prejudice Ambassadors in partnership with the National Junior BETA Club, Successful Motivated Articulate Responsible Tenacious Scholars (S.M.A.R.T.S.), and the Anti-Defamation League.

In addition to special performances by the CWL middle school band  and the school cheerleaders, Ms. Tahjae Hermans and the Student Advisory Group performed an Anti-Bullying Rap. The keynote speaker for the event was international youth empowerment and soft skills expert, Al Duncan. Using Duncan Nuggets®—short success principles and action steps—he stressed the importance of valuing yourself and others. Duncan exclaimed to the students, “Duncan Nugget #317 is: People are priceless!”  The event ended with the entire student body reciting the school’s Anti-Bullying Pledge.

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.