Make It Count

How Facebook’s newest teen engineer supported his family with apps until cashing in There’s nothing that highlights the fact that Silicon Valley is the new Wall Street, gold rush, colonial settlement — insert your American Dream rags-to-riches historical moniker here — quite like the story of 18-year-old Miami resident Michael Sayman. This week, Facebook hired Sayman as one of its youngest full-time engineers in history. He wouldn’t tell me his salary, but admitted his friends are already pressuring him to “buy a Tesla,” which he won’t do because he’d “rather save the money.” Before you go throw up at the idea of a teenager buying himself a Tesla off tech riches, there’s few people who deserve that luxury quite as much as this kid. I met Sayman four months ago, when the then 17-year-old developer caught Mark Zuckerberg’s eye. He had poured the last year of his life into building the game, which was a version of charades. “I’m beating Starbucks, Luminosity, Fitbit, Lyft… oh my gosh, it’s number 123 in the overall app store ratings!”

5 Reasons To Write A Letter To Your Future Self | This Is QuarterLife In March, I turned twenty-five years old, and on that most dreaded day I received a letter from my twelve year-old-self. At twelve, I distinctly remember listening to Britney Spears’ “Ooops I did it Again,” consuming Fruit by the Foot, surviving Y2K, and wearing checkered school jumpers that came down to my knees. It was that magical time right before pimples started growing uncontrollably and watching Saturday morning cartoons was still acceptable. Oh how much has changed since those simple times. Reading my letter evoked a lot of emotions in the span of two minutes. It was hilarious that I questioned my own ability to achieve higher education, or better yet, to even have higher education as my main concern at the age of twelve. Aside from the obvious hilarity that comes out of a twelve year-olds mind, it amazed me how much my twelve year old self seemed to know about life. 1) It reminds you of who you once were 2) Writing a letter helps you reflect

Your Words Matter Your Words Matter. I had a teacher who once told me I would most likely be a college dropout. Her words mattered. When I told my wife I wanted to write a book and she said without blinking an eye, “Do it.” I told my daughter the other day how proud I was of her for writing a full sentence! My words mattered. And when I hear back from the teachers and parents that read this blog, I know my words matter. “Learning how to use language effectively will be the most valuable skill you will have to use for the rest of your life.” Woah. Want to get a job? Want to get married? Want to sell something? What Are We Teaching Our Children About Their Words? The problem I see across the board in schools and in the workplace, is that most people rarely think about the power their words have to make a positive impact. DON’T use your words to bully another person (important). or DON’T use contractions (not that important). Your Words Matter To matter means to be of consequence or importance to others.

What it’s like to grow old, in different parts of the world At TED2013, Jared Diamond shares some of his research on how different societies treat the elderly. Photo: James Duncan Davidson The world’s population is getting older. Across the globe, people are living longer thanks to improvements in healthcare, nutrition and technology. This population shift brings with it incredible possibilities, but also a new set of challenges. Jared Diamond: How societies can grow old better In today’s talk, Jared Diamond examines the vast differences in how societies across the globe view and treat their senior citizens. The Western system for elder care is far from perfect, notes Diamond, and everyone stands to learn something from how different societies care for their seniors. Who is considered old? As Diamond mentions in his talk, the perceived value of the elderly is an important factor in determining whether seniors are respected or not. Where do the elderly live? What words describe the elderly? What special foods can the elderly eat?

Make Your Life into a Masterpiece Make Your Life into a Masterpiece The most important masterpiece you’ll ever create is your life. But to create your masterpiece you must first design it. To help you with your design you can ask questions such as: What does your life look like when you are at your healthiest, strongest, and best? What does your family situation look like while you are pursuing success in your work? What matters most? What priorities drive you each day? What are you doing that makes you come alive? What are you born to do? What are you doing to live and share your purpose? When you look back on your life what do you want to be able to say about it? How do you want to feel? What will you have wanted to accomplish? What legacy will you have left? I asked these questions at the peak of my unhappiness 13 years ago and realized that instead of creating my masterpiece I was building a piece of a junk. For some the answers to these questions may lead you to a new career. Stay flexible and adaptable through the process.

4 inspiring kids imagine the future of learning After more than 13 years of research convinced him that children have the ability to learn almost anything on their own, 2013 TED Prize winner Sugata Mitra aspires to shape the future of learning by building a School in the Cloud, helping kids “tap into their innate sense of wonder.” In the spirit of Mitra’s invitation to the world to “ask kids big questions, and find big answers,” we asked four brilliant young people to tell us: What do you think is the future of learning? Here, their answers. Adora Svitak, 15-year-old writer, teacher and activist “One of the most powerful shifts in the future of education will come from not only the tools at our disposal, but from an underutilized resource: the students whose voices have for too long been silent. Watch Adora’s talk to discover “What adults can learn from kids” » Kid President, 10-year-old inspiration machine “My older brother and I believe kids and grown ups can change the world. Watch Kid President’s inspiring “pep talk” for the world »

E + R = O and possibly 14-0 The biggest development during Ohio State’s first game week has nothing to do with the opponent or even national championship hopes. It’s actually something that doesn’t relate to on-field play at all. Leadership. Luke Fickell called it a buzzword. But it’s a real life truth. Last year, John Simon, Zach Boren and Etienne Sabino provided leadership at such a high level that it became the gold standard. Rumblings began in the spring that the 2013 group would be far different. “I noticed very average leadership in January,” Meyer said. All the evidence needed regarding a lack of leadership was the announcement of the captains on Tuesday night – and the previous delays. “It’s the first time I’ve done something like this,” he said. For the past week, the selection of captains has remained a mystery. “I wanted to give it as much time as we could,” Meyer said. “All great teams need great leadership," offensive coordinator Tom Herman said on Monday. “How hard did the group work this summer?

LIAM 108 - Self-Talk Determines Success! Your self-talk is the largest determining factor for your success in any area of life! How you talk to yourself is a reflection of your beliefs about yourself and influences your behaviors. Are you judgmental, harsh, critical, self-deprecating? or are you accepting, loving, kind, supportive, encouraging? Most of us would not have any friends if we talked to them the way we talk to ourselves! Listen as I explain more: Listen on iTunes or Listen to/download this episode here: Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: iTunes | Show Outline: Webinar: “Lunch with My Life Coach” – E+R=0 how do you exercise the positive response muscleWhat comes out of you is what is inside of you! Mentioned in this show: Subscription/Social Links: