I will continue writing new articles and sending them to those of you who are on my opt-in list. To get on that list you can go to www.achievecollegesuccess.com and submit your name and email address. The place for you to do this is on the front page.

It has been taking me an hour a day to go through the comments because of the huge amount of spam. Many people send a generic comment in order to promote their web site and products, but do not discuss the article itself.

Everyone on the opt-in list will receive a private and personal email from me with a new article. You can reply and comment if you desire and I will be the only one who sees your comment. This reduces or eliminates the advantage of spamming because the public will no longer see the spam and you will not be bothered with it.

Best regards,

Raymond

In this blog I am including a link to a motivational boxing skit (video) that I usually perform for my students on the last day of my college success courses. It is intended to be fun and inspirational. Boxing is being used as a metaphor for conquering our inner critic and for having the courage and heart of a champion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-SdCCRX3OE

Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson

Best regards,

Raymond

This course will help students to not only prepare for college success, but will improve their performance in high school. The authors created an excellent course which I predict will become a model for high schools across the nation.

 Over 50% of students coming to college are not prepared for success and many drop out during or after their first semester. Large numbers of students are required to take remedial courses during their first year of college. We need to prepare our students for success before they come to college and this is why a course like this is needed nationwide.

 The name of the new course is “College Transition” PEIMS # N1290050.  It can be offered to 10-12 graders for .5-1 credits by anyone with a valid Texas Teacher Certification. Teachers can get additional training through Texas Educational Service Centers, Texas Education Agency, and educational association workshops.

 Two books are recommended as resources in the application and one of them is Achieve College Success…Learn How in 20 Hours or Less by Raymond Gerson. Training on how to use this book and resources has been provided to many of the Educational Service Centers and I will be offering more training throughout the state in the fall and spring.

 This course will be added to a list of approved courses on the Texas Education Agency website at www.tea.state.tx.us soon and interested parties can contact TEA Curriculum Department for more information.

 You can also email me at raymond@raymondgerson.com for more information.

 Best regards,

 Raymond Gerson

 What do I mean by light up? Here is an example. Many years ago I did part-time career counseling for the University of Texas (U.T.). One day a student came into the career center who was majoring in engineering. As she talked about engineering I observed that she seemed depressed. Her eyes were downcast, head was down, cheeks had no color, eyes had no sparkle and she sounded passionless. Later I asked her to tell me about something she did in high school that was enjoyable and that she did well. She recalled being a fund raiser and leader. She excelled at fund raising and enjoyed motivating others to high levels of achievement. Obviously, she had excellent people skills, leadership ability, public speaking skills and the ability to inspire and motivate others.

 As she discussed her fund raising achievements she came alive. Color returned to her face, her eyes sparkled, she sat erect, her gestures became animated and she spoke with passion and enthusiasm. In the middle of a sentence she stopped speaking. There was pin drop silence. It was obvious from her expression that she was aware of the difference between herself when talking about engineering and the fund raising activities. She really got it! Then she said, “Oh my, I have moved away from my strengths.” This student realized that by choosing engineering as her major she had moved away from using the skills that were her strengths and which she enjoyed using. At that point she decided to see a U.T. advisor to discuss changing her major to something more suitable and which would capitalize on her strengths.

As you reflect ask yourself, “What can make me light up like the U.T. student?”

 Name three activities that have made you light up and come alive? What activities fill you with passion and enthusiasm when you think about or do them?

1. ——————————————————————————
2. ——————————————————————————

 Now ask yourself what clues these activities reveal about careers that will bring you the same joy. Were there certain talents and skills that you enjoyed using while performing these activities? What was it about these activities that made you feel such passion?  Identify what makes you come alive, identify careers that contain some of these same elements, and you will discover a great vocation to pursue.

 Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson

 Best regards,

Raymond Gerson

 Copyright/Reprint Info – The contents of this article may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author’s name and contact information are included.

Credit Statement Example: Reproduced with permission from Raymond Gerson at www.achievecollegesuccess.com.  Copyright 2009. Raymond Gerson. All rights reserved worldwide.

When thinking about a career it is important to not only think of ourselves and how we will benefit. Certainly you want to choose a career or volunteer activity that you love and do well. You also want a career that will benefit you and your loved ones, but it is important to think beyond yourself. If your work is destructive to others or the planet is that success? I think that success includes human values such as integrity, compassion, and reverence for life.

There is nothing wrong with making a very good living, but making money should not be at the cost of human values. When money becomes your master it is easy to make choices that benefit you temporarily, but at the cost of pain to others. Conversely, if your choices are guided by human values, wisdom, and thinking things through to see the big picture, then you will be the master of money instead of the reverse.

Many people today are making choices based on money and self-interest first, without concern for the planet or others. Others include the animals and many species that are dying in large numbers.

We are all interconnected and interdependent. Someone might ask, “who cares if the bees are dying?”  Well, without bees we will not have fruits and vegetables to eat. Animals that depend on plants to live will die. We will have to live on gruel and according to Einstein we would die in a few years. Bees and other species are part of a whole ecosystem and they have their role to play. The same is true for the other species that are dying in polluted oceans, rivers and marshes.

Many scientists believe that humanity has reached a critical fork in the road. There are now two diverging roads from which to choose. One is the low road on which most of humanity is traveling. This is a road devoid of human values and wisdom and it may lead to the destruction of our planet and ourselves or send us back to the dark ages. We are facing major problems such as weapons of mass destruction which could be used, global warming and environmental problems that poison the very air we breathe, economic issues, destruction of our oceans and species, and more.

These problems can also be considered as maps of possibilities. This is the other road and choice at the fork in the road. Opportunity can be the flip side of crisis. We can create careers and volunteer activities to tackle these problems. We can develop leaders and people who care not only about making money and about their own welfare, but who also care about our planet and others.

Each of us can make our own choice of which road we want to travel. If enough people choose the high road guided by human values and clear thinking, then we can create a better world for ourselves, for other people and for other species.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeV1jt8eAUk

Raymond Gerson

Coach Wooden emphasized the importance of:

• Teamwork
• Unselfishness
• Becoming your best
• Working on the basics or fundamentals
• Physical and mental conditioning
• Moderation and balance
• Doing the best you can in the present moment
• Moving towards your goals step by step

Coach Wooden’s philosophy of success was not to try to be better than others, but to try to be your best.  He did not talk with his players about winning and losing games. He did ask them to keep improving and to work towards becoming the best they could be. Coach taught his players not to do anything that would destroy their peace of mind. He emphasized the importance of maintaining an emotional balance and not being too elated or dejected by winning and losing games.

Each of us can apply his lessons to our own lives because they are about living up to our potential and becoming good human beings and professionals. In closing, the great coach put it this way, “If you make the effort to do the best of what you are capable, trying to improve the situation that exists for you, I think that is success.”

Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson

Best regards,

Raymond Gerson

Copyright/Reprint Info – The contents of this article may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author’s name and contact information are included.

Credit Statement Example: Reproduced with permission from Raymond Gerson at www.achievecollegesuccess.com.  Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson. All rights reserved worldwide.

1. Does this vocation support, express and fulfill my mission? Your mission is the number one positive difference in the world that you want to make. It is the mark or footprint you want to leave behind and the main work you came in this world to do. Other jobs that you had along the way will often serve as steppingstones and preparation for your true vocation.
2. Does it allow me to use my best talents and favorite skills? Your talents are natural abilities which either come easily to you or you can develop them much easier than trying to acquire talents you don’t have.
3. Does this work energize and inspire me? This career will make you feel alive and time will seem to fly when you are doing it?
4. Does it benefit me and others? Both are necessary or you will lose interest after a while.
5. Do I feel passionate about doing this work? Your heart will be in it and the work will be exciting. You will feel that this work really matters.
6. Do I delight in doing this work? Do I love and do it well? The right livelihood will bring you much joy and you will do it well. There will be times when you feel as if the creativity and work are effortlessly flowing through you. It will be expressed from deep within and from the core of who you are.

If you answered “yes” to these questions you have found your true vocation. At least you know what it is even if you are still in pursuit of actually doing this work. If you have not discovered the work that is right for you, then keep searching. The answers are within you. Rumi, the mystic poet put it this way, “Everyone is born for some particular work and the desire for this work is in every heart.”

Self-knowledge will lead you to your right work. Self-reflect by examining your life experiences to see the clues. What are the lessons from your life? What do your life experiences reveal to you about what you love and do best?

Your true work and mission will bring out the best of your potential, your fears and obstacles will be overcome or will melt away and it will fulfill you. When you discover a purpose and mission larger than yourself it will change your life. Look at the example of Mahatma Gandhi who transformed his life and the lives of many others after discovering and pursuing his mission.

From childhood to early adulthood Gandhi felt painfully shy, awkward, lacked self-confidence and was full of many fears. Later in his life he was courageous, confident and was able to unite the Indian people to free India from British rule. Gandhi’s compassion for the Indian people and his opposition to injustice created a burning desire in him to free India and this mission transformed him into someone who was considered by others to be a “Mathatma” or great soul.

This is the power that a great mission can have on you and others. When you discover a career that can help you to fulfill your mission you will have also found your true calling and right work.

Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson.

Best regards,

Raymond Gerson

Copyright/Reprint Info – The contents of this article may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author’s name and contact information are included.

Credit Statement Example: Reproduced with permission from Raymond Gerson at www.achievecollegesuccess.com.  Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson. All rights reserved worldwide.

According to the research, intrinsic motivation consists of autonomy, mastery and purpose. The research indicates that high performance, creativity and job satisfaction comes from the need to direct our own lives, to develop our abilities and talents and to live a life of purpose and one that we feel really matters.

Most schools and businesses use rewards and punishment (extrinsic) as their primary means of motivation. Pink points out that external motivation works some of the time for routine tasks that require one solution and which can be accomplished by repeatedly following the same set of instructions. Extrinsic motivation does not work as well for more complex and creative tasks and jobs that have many possible solutions. The problem is that most of the jobs being created in the 21st century are more complex and there are many pathways that can be taken to achieve results.

Reading Pink’s book raised the question in my mind, “How can we help students and ourselves to regain the love of learning and insatiable curiosity that we all had as children?” We had a natural love and excitement for learning as children and this motivation came more from within than from without. How can we regain this intrinsic motivation (if lost) and turn our work into play?

As an educator I have been experimenting with giving students more autonomy and opportunities to work on projects which they feel passionate about. For example, one of my students was willing to receive a failing grade on an assigned paper because he was not interested in the topic I chose. So I gave him the option of choosing another subject (as long as it was related to the course) and then he was to propose his choice of topics to me for approval. Quickly he returned to see me and presented an appropriate topic that he wanted to write about.

Pink’s book provides resources and links to schools and businesses that are finding ways to be a catalyst for intrinsically motivated students and employees. The book also provides suggestions for implementing a variety of ideas which are supported by the scientific research that Pink discussed.

If you are interested in how to get the best out of yourself and others, this book is probably one that you would enjoy reading.

Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson

Best regards,

Raymond Gerson

Copyright/Reprint Info – The contents of this article may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author’s name and contact information are included.

Credit Statement Example: Reproduced with permission from Raymond Gerson at www.achievecollegesuccess.com. Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson. All rights reserved worldwide.

Small actions can make a big difference. You may be familiar with the “Butterfly Effect.” A scientist named Edward Lorenz discovered that butterflies flapping their wings in one part of the world produce wind currents in another place which can even result in hurricane force winds. An action so small and yet it causes a huge outcome. This is not only true for butterflies, but even more so for you and me.

Even the life of an animal can make a positive difference for others. My dog Sky died last week. He was over 18 years old and had a great life. After his death I realized how much Sky had touched, changed and improved my life. He was a kind and gentle soul. Even the meanest dogs became calm and friendly in Sky’s presence. He taught me a lot about love, kindness, patience and unselfishness. I am a better person for having known him.

If butterflies and animals can make a positive contribution to the lives of others, so can you and me. One life, your life, can make a difference.

Copyright 2010. Raymond Gerson

Best regards,

Raymond Gerson