You are only as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. It is as true with people as it is with things. You are a mashup of the things you allow into your life. If you want to be happy. Hang with people who support you and make you happy. If you want to be creative. Study creative works. Great athletes study other great athletes. Great musicians copy other great musicians. Learn from your heroes. Copy them. Nothing comes from nowhere.

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard. --Colin Powell

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A clip from Tonya Freeman's Talk on Your Inner Circle

There are plenty of people telling you what you should be doing. There is only one person who can tell you what you want to do.

 You.

One way to find out what you want in life is to find out what you don't want. How do you do that? Trial and error. Try things. If they don't work, try something else. You have the right to change your mind. Remember however that somewhere there is a clock. And it's running. Between the past and the future there is the present. Whispering… "Right now."

This week we hear from Steve Shlansky - founder of Go! Productions - who tells his story of finding out what makes him happy. Here's the link: Steve Shlansky: The Circuitous Route.

Integrity

Having integrity is like being creative. It's hard to define but we know it when we see it. Integrity is the most important trait you can have. Hard work, talent, luck, and contacts mean nothing if you don't have integrity. Integrity is the blueprint of life. Integrity is doing what you say you are going to do. It means that you can be trusted. It means that you believe in the people around you and that you believe in yourself. In the work world, it means you'll hit the deadline. It means you will show up on time. It means that you will carry the load. It's a pledge that you won't let your teammates down. Integrity is a promise that you won't let you down. Integrity is "put up or shut up." Do you have integrity? Prove it. 

 
"In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." — Warren Buffet         

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For more on Integrity, watch our featured speaker, Amani Channel

Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future

Hope Or Fear - Your Choice

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~ Albus Dumbledore Choosing between Hope and Fear is one of the most important choices you will make in your life. It seems an easy choice. Of course you would choose Hope. But it's not so easy. Fear is cunning. Fear is always there, whispering in your ear that you aren't good enough. Fear wants you to believe the labels.

• Underachiever
• Learning disabled
• Slacker
• 'D' student

 For more on Hope and Fear, watch our featured speaker, Edwin Link
Fear may even look like the people you trust the most - teachers, friends, or parents. But Hope is the thing with feathers. More than Red Bull, Hope gives you wings. Hope allows you to see what others don't see and to fly above the fear - to fulfill your dreams and to be happy. So it's your choice but it's not a simple one. You can carry a bag of fear or you can drop it and open the chest of Hope. You choose.

Edwin Link: Between Hope and Fear

 

NEW BLOG: Talk About Your Future

Today we begin a new career-planning blog featuring our 30+ career talks at talkaboutyourfuture.org. Our first entry feature basketball legend, Chris Webber.


Just in time for the NCAA Playoffs, Fab Five teammate and NBA great Chris Webber visits Grady High School and talks to the students about living their dream.

Chris Webber: Making Your Dreams Come True

  Chris Webber knows about dreams. His dream was to play in the NBA. But he knew it wasn’t enough to dream. He had to work hard. Chris knew that he had to grab his dream and make it real. He needed a plan.

That’s the message Chris Webber brings to the Grady students. It’s important to have dreams, but dreaming is not enough. If you want to make your dream real, you need to put a process in place. Attaining your dream is hard work.
He says that you need to be smart enough to know what you want to do and and learn the process of knowing how to get there. He invites students to share their dreams and gives them practical advice about how to start.

Chris Webber had a dream. Because he cultivated it, believed in himself, followed his plan, and built relationships, his dream became a reality.


Chris Webber’s talk is for anyone who has a dream and wants to know how to follow it.

You have everything inside you to make your life happen.

For further study, including viewing the entire lecture, following a lesson plan, and providing feedback, follow this link.

New Video: Suzy Blough - Understanding Each Other's Differences

Suzy Blough, a longtime worker in the field of international education, discusses the importance of understanding each other’s differences, actively seeking new experiences, and pursuing one’s passions.

For more information visit our new "Talks About Your Future" blog here.

New Video- Tonya Freeman: Choose Happiness

Tonya Freeman, an educational specialist at the Center for Disease Control, discusses what “success” really means and the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin.

“It isn’t about the money,” says Freeman. “It’s what you want to do in life, if you’re a happy person then you will surround yourself with happy people”

She emphasizes the importance of knowing, and being happy with, oneself and how this relates to “success”.  Having clearly defined goals can help provide stability during tough times.  She discusses the importance of a close-knit circle of friends and choosing the right people.  Freeman gives her advice on being able to confidently express one’s talents.  She emphasizes the mutual exclusivity of money and happiness.

See the entire video, plus much, much more at on the Talk About Your Future website.