Archive for December, 2011
7 Obsessions Guaranteed to Improve your Life
December 29th, 2011
An obsession is consuming. It often pushes other activities into the background. It compels and fills your thoughts and impassions your soul with desire. It becomes the beat of your heart and the pulse of your being. It drives you ever forward toward its object.
And while obsessive behavior can destroy and corrupt happiness, robbing it of a sense of freedom and will and sometimes even land you in prison, certain kinds of controlled obsessions can enhance the quality of your life. I recommend the following …
Are you drawn to kindness like a child to candy? Do you regularly think about how you can bless the lives of others? Do you wish you could do more?
An obsession with kindness can be seen in those who are constantly reaching out to do good. They are seen in soup kitchens, ladling soup, in food banks, boxing food and cleaning up after natural disasters.
Such people’s hearts are filled with love and compassion and charity. They care about others, even those they don’t know and have never met.
And it’s an obsession that will draw the best from you as you reach out in service to others. It is guaranteed to add meaning to life and purpose to living.
No matter what you do, be the best you can be at what you’re doing within the time frame you have for doing it. If you have only 10 minutes to prepare for a presentation, for instance, then be the most focused and diligent preparer for each and every one of those 600 seconds.
Make excellence your motto and your theme song. Those obsessed with excellence can usually be found congregating at the top of their classes, at the top of corporate ladders and on the top of winner’s platforms.
They show up to practices first and are the last ones to leave. They are self-motivated and yearn to improve and add value and innovate. They also inspire others to excellence by pursuing it and exemplifying it in themselves.
They go the extra mile and do those things others aren’t willing to do. Often, it’s the small things that put them at the top. They work on their free throw longer than others. They make the phone calls no one wants to make. They follow through and plan and pay attention to the details.
You only have one mortal life. It can be filled with frustration and anger, bitterness, hatred, suspicion and resentment. Or we can become obsessed with developing those characteristics happy people possess.
People obsessed with their own happiness, when pursued correctly, find themselves very unfocussed on themselves in the long run. They quickly learn that the happiest people are focused on others. They develop traits like patience, compassion and gratitude. They smile freely and laugh often.
They are obsessed with seeing the good in the bad and believing that, with a little work, things will work out in the long run even if they aren’t working out yet today.
What a wonderful obsession to have! Such people possessed with this obsession habitually see beauty and opportunity and decency and humor even in life’s most trying moments. Not only are they obsessed with expressions of gratitude, they’re obsessed with being grateful, with feeling it deep inside.
They have an incurable passion for seeing the good and interpreting life in terms of its blessings even when others only see its pain.
Those plagued by this obsession hunger and thirst for knowledge and intellectual growth. But most of all, they seek to understand the wise application of that knowledge.
Knowing is one thing. Knowing how and why and if, is another.
If being smart is your capacity to learn and knowledge is what you’ve learned, then wisdom is knowing when and where and why that knowledge should be applied in any particular way … and when it shouldn’t be.
That understanding is what is obsessed over. And so those obsessed with wisdom spend lots of time learning and thinking. They study a broad range of knowledge.
But they spend a particularly large amount of their study time with wisdom literature, reading deeply from philosophical and religious and spiritual texts.
Their libraries display books like Aristotle’s Ethics, Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, the Bible and Buddha’s Dhammapada, among others.
A wit and intellect, a great sense of humor, popularity, a great personality are not enough for those obsessed with character.
They believe character, their personal commitment to a set of moral standards, is more important than gold or power or prestige. They’re protective of it and don’t place themselves in circumstances where they may be tempted to act against it.
They are not at the mercy of their emotions. They don’t excuse bad behavior by citing bad feelings.
Such obsessives are very comfortable talking about morals and ethics and values and standards. They talk freely of courage and love, of humility, honesty and decency.
They work on being compassionate and kind. Their honor and integrity cannot be bought and are never compromised. Those so obsessed therefore tend to be deeply respected, trusted and admired. They see moral flaws of pride and selfishness as things to be overcome. Their word is their bond.
They stand for something which strengthens their sense of purpose. The beauty of those obsessed with character is that they seldom ever wince when they look deeply into a mirror, peering into the depths of their own souls. As such, they sleep peacefully, undisturbed by the pangs of conscience or guilt or shame.
Personal growth obsessives are uncomfortable with plateaus and stagnation. They cringe at statements like, “That’s just the way I am” or “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
They challenge themselves and look for opportunities to learn and overcome, to stretch and become something better than they were before.
They grow spiritually, mentally, emotionally, professionally, and in their relationships. They work on their character and review their days and weeks and months and years to see how they can improve next time around.
They go to seminars and check out personal growth tapes from the public library. They read and work out and eat well and push themselves outside their comfort zones with regularity.
They welcome challenge because of the growth they experience from it. And because they are so dedicated to growth in general, they never become too lopsided, dedicated to one area of growth to the utter neglect of others.
“I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance … have brought me to my ideas.” ~ Albert Einstein
Obsessions are tricky things. While those obsessed with whatever it is that drives them and defines them are those who tend to cluster at the top of any industry (sports, entertainment, business, whatever), those obsessed with what they do often struggle in other areas of their very successful lives.
Divorce, estranged children, character flaws made huge by media attention and health problems are commonplace among some of the people who have obsessed their way into the public spotlight.
There are healthy forms of obsession – a passionate form of dedication and drive – that leads to great things if you use that passion to move you steadily toward your goals instead of being controlled by those inordinate levels and kinds of obsessive qualities.
But an obsession with life, with living it well, fully, immersed in the joys of it, filled to capacity with the passion of living it, engulfed in the flow and rising tide of deep abiding happiness is an obsession that we would all do well to acquire.
What are your healthy obsessions? Or what targeted obsessions do you plan on developing for 2012? Please share in the comments below.
And feel free to obsessively Share and Tweet this post if it resonated with you (or you think it may with others).
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Tags: bad habits, good habits, healthy, how to, obsession, pickthebrain, resolutions, self improvement
Tags: Improve, Improve Life
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GHSA standing pat for now, GISA not encouraging defections
December 16th, 2011
By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC
The Georgia High Schools Association has no formal plans at the moment to address the possible defection of a number of mostly south Georgia schools, currently in Class A, according to executive director Ralph Swearngin.
“We plan to have our reclassification appeals hearings on Monday, here at the office [in Thomaston], then we will have our executive committee meeting Jan. 10 at the Macon Centreplex,” Swearngin said late Wednesday afternoon, one day after 85 representatives from 33 schools met in Wilcox County to discuss leaving the Georgia High Schools Association. The meeting ended with an eight-member advisory committee being tasked with leading the effort to form another member organization.
Swearngin said he was not aware of anything in the works at present by the GHSA that would address what went on at the meeting. However, he said, “I’m sure the people on our executive committee are hearing from their people back home.”
Swearngin noted that the GHSA spent nearly a year discussing the issues being raised by the dissident schools and others. Most of the issues involve what the schools contend is an unfair competitive advantage private schools have over public schools. More than 10 months of debating and negotiating produced a plan that would have separated Class A public and private schools in every sport except for basketball and football, beginning next school year. However the measure was narrowly defeated in a vote by the GHSA executive committee.
“We never could get one idea that people could agree on practically,” Swearngin said. “I think there are differing opinions across the board. Some people think that something needs to be done to change the way things are, but others say they don’t know if anything needs to be changed.”
Citing the proposal that was defeated by the GHSA executive committee, Swearngin said, “Some people said ‘why don’t the other classes get the opportunity to have separate [public and private] champions’.
“When it comes to the issue of fairness,” Swearngin added, “I think some people are asking the GHSA to fix problems that we don’t control – the economy, population migration, the wealth of one area over another.”
Also on Wednesday afternoon, Tommy Whittle, vice president for interscholastics for the Georgia Independent Schools Association, who attended the meeting in Wilcox County with GISA executive director Jeff Jackson, said his organization is not trying to undercut the GHSA in any way. The 33 schools approached GISA – a membership association of 134 schools, roughly half of which compete in football – about possibly joining the organization but decided to ask GISA for advice on starting their own membership association instead.
“In fact, we advised them to stay in the GHSA. It is a well-run organization,” said Whittle, a 1969 graduate of Wilcox County. “But they said they were past that point and asked for our assistance.
“We didn’t go to the meeting to recruit anyone or harm any other organizations,” Whittle said. “We were there because we were asked to be and to see if there would be any consideration [by the proposed new association] given to crossover play.”
That would indeed be the case, according to Wilcox County principal Chad Davis, a member of the eight-man advisory committee that is drafting the policies, procedures and bylaws for the proposed new association. If it does form, the schools in the new association would compete against GISA schools in a few “non-league” or “non-region” games at the beginning of the season.
GISA schools have competed in basketball against public schools in South Carolina and Florida, Whittle said. This fall, Mount De Sales, a traditional GISA power in Macon, competed in football against Bay High in Panama City, which went 3-7 this season in Florida’s second largest classification (5A). Mount De Sales won 24-7.
Whittle said GISA has “tried for years” to get GHSA to allow competition between schools in the two associations. Their overtures have been denied.
“Dr. Swearngin is a good man and the GHSA is a good organization,” Whittle said, “but they said it would be against their charter.”
Whittle added that the effort to start another membership organization has a long way to go.
“It’s very premature to think that this will happen,” Whittle said. “You’re looking at forming rules and regulations, and no action can be taken until the [school] boards meet. This could all end up being much ado about nothing.”
More on the “Gang of 33”
In case you missed the list in Wednesday’s paper, here are the 33 schools that sent representatives to the meeting in Wilcox County. Note that five teams are moving up to Class AA next year (if they remain in the GHSA) after reclassification. Also, Tift County, in AAAAA currently but moving to AAAAAA next year, was represented at the meeting as well.
Atkinson County (AA)
Baconton Charter
Calhoun County
Central-Talbotton
Charlton County
Chattahoochee County (AA)
Claxton
Clinch County
Dooly County
Echols County
Glascock County
Gordon Lee
Hancock Central
Irwin County
Jenkins County
Johnson County
Lanier County
Miller County
Montgomery County
Randolph-Clay
Schley County
Seminole County
Social Circle (AA)
Stewart County
Taylor County (AA)
Terrell County
Tift County (AAAAAA)
Twiggs County
Warren County
Washington-Wilkes (AA)
Wheeler County
Wilkinson County
Wilcox County
Also, here are the eight advisory committee members who are drafting the rules, regulations and bylaws for the proposed new membership association. They plan to meet Dec. 21 in Macon.
Cecil Barber, Clinch County baseball coach
Chad Davis, Wilcox County principal
Greg Ellis, Gordon Lee associate athletic director
William Huff, Terrell County football coach
Alan Ingram, Seminole County football coach
Ray Jordan, Superintendent Turner County Schools
Kaveous Preston, Warren County principal
Robbie Robinson, Washington-Wilkes football coach
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Cornell’s Johnson School Launches Emerging Markets Fellows Program
December 15th, 2011
With China predicted to become the worlds largest economy by 2040, and nearly 50% of global economic output produced in the developing and emerging world, business schools must prepare students for the challenges of working in these regions if they hope to compete in the 21st century.
To address the needs of students looking to build expertise in this area, Cornell Universitys Johnson School has launched a new Emerging Markets Fellows program. Students will increase their ability to navigate through significant degrees of uncertainty; be exposed to business issues created by rapid growth; and will face highly complex problems within fast changing environments. The course work, projects, and international study trips are all designed to help build the necessary capabilities to succeed in developing economies.
“I am very enthused to have been selected for this prestigious program,” says Johnson first-year student, Lev Perelman, MBA ’13. “I know this will greatly enhance my career prospects, as emerging markets experience is in high demand. Having grown up in Estonia and worked as a consultant in Germany prior to my studies, I recognize the critical impact which emerging markets are having on the global economy.”
Amity Weiss, MBA ’13, who completed her undergraduate degree at Princeton and worked in Africa prior to enrollment at Johnson, notes that “Companies are seeking MBAs who understand the complexities of doing business in these rapidly evolving environments and how to effectively lead and interact with different cultures. This program will prepare me well to encourage private sector development in Africa.”
The Emerging Markets Institute at Johnson has selected 16 candidates as the first Emerging Markets Fellows, who plan to graduate in 2013. The next cohort will be selected in the fall of 2012.
Tags: Emerging, Emerging Markets
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DC Agency: Single-Sex Dorms at Catholic U Don’t Violate Law
December 12th, 2011
The District of Columbia Office of Human Rights has held that John Garvey, president of Catholic University of America did not violate a District law banning sex discrimination by returning the institution he leads to single-sex dormitories. As I mentioned in a summer blog post, George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf filed a charge of discrimination against President Garvey.
The DC agency observed that laws banning discrimination on the basis of sex do not categorically forbid all sex-based distinctions. The DC Human Rights Act, the law under which Prof. Banzhaf sued, prohibits only those policies that are motivated by an invidious purpose, not policies that make distinctions between the sexes for benign purposes. Along the same lines, the agency stated that a policy that makes distinctions between men and women is valid so long as the policy is not motivated by discriminatory animus.
I must confess that I am slightly amused by the agencys use of this line of reasoning. When public universities accuse religious student groups of discriminating on the basis of religion by requiring their officers and leaders to share the groups religious commitments, my ADF colleagues and I typically first argue that what the religious group is doing is simply not discrimination which I would define as the invidious reliance upon irrelevant characteristics. When the schools Chess Club says no Hindus, thats discrimination; but when the schools Jewish Students Association says our leaders must be Jewish, its not. Despite the power of this common sense argument, it almost invariably fails when made by religious student groups at public universities. Thats why Im amused (and heartened) that the DC agency accepted a conceptually identical argument.
In any event, props to the DC Office of Human Rights for getting this one right and respecting religious freedom in the process.
Tags: Catholic U, Law
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Health Care Law Yields More Grants for School-Based Health Centers
December 9th, 2011
More school-based health clinics will be upgraded, expanded, or built from scratch—at least one will move out of a janitor’s closet—that will also add enough capacity eventually to serve about 53,000 additional students across the country, thanks to a fresh infusion of federal cash.
The $14 million in grants awarded to 45 sites by the Health Resources and Services Administration today are in addition to $95 million awarded to 278 centers in July. The money can be used only for improvements to facilities and equipment, not to hire staff. The grants come from money set aside in the federal Affordable Care Act passed last year.
Supporters of clinics at schools say the services they provide reach students, and in some cases families, who are uninsured or underinsured or who have chronic conditions including asthma and diabetes. They provide preventive care and can work on issues including obesity and bullying, said Mary Wakefield, HRSA’s administrator, during a call with reporters today.
The second round of winners includes the city of Portland, Maine, which will get $198,000 to turn a clinic at a school now housed in a custodial closet into a space that will have two exam rooms and include room for dental care and mental health services, Ms. Wakefield said. Some school districts received awards to expand or build health care centers, but most grants were for health care providers.
Altogether, the grants awarded this year will provide access to care to about a half-million additional students.
Joy Grady, executive director of the Wilmington Health Access for Teens, in North Carolina, said the $382,275 grant awarded to her agency will be used to buy new equipment. The agency has three locations that provide physicals, nutritional counseling, care for colds and flu, pregnancy tests, and sex education, among other services.
But it is still using some of the equipment it has had since it was created in 1997.
Tags: Health, Schoolbased Health
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