The Future of Self-Improvement, Part I: Grit Is More Important Than Talent

In the late ’60s, Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel performed a now-iconic experiment called the Marshmallow Test, which analyzed the ability of four year olds to exhibit “delayed gratification.” Here’s what happened: Each child was brought into the room and sat down at a table with a delicious treat on it (maybe a marshmallow, maybe a donut). The scientists told the children that they could have a treat now, or, if they waited 15 minutes, they could have two treats. All of the children wanted to wait. When the researchers subsequently checked in on these same children in high school, it turned out that those with more self-control — that is, those who held out for 15 minutes — were better behaved, less prone to addiction, and scored higher on the SAT. Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow — the “hot stimulus” — the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from “Sesame Street.” Related: mental

True Grit: The Best Measure of Success and How to Teach It Can you predict academic success or whether a child will graduate? You can, but not how you might think. When psychologist Angela Duckworth studied people in various challenging situations, including National Spelling Bee participants, rookie teachers in tough neighborhoods, and West Point cadets, she found: One characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. Why is Grit So Important? Using the Grit Scale that Duckworth developed with Chris Peterson, they found that grit is a better indicator of GPA and graduation rates. Add to this the findings (from Bowen, Chingos and McPherson's Crossing the Finish Line) that high school grades have a more predictive value of college success than standardized tests, and you may just see a shift from standardized test scores to high school GPA by some college admissions officers. What is Grit? Some would argue that grit is inherent in Albert Bandura’s research on self-efficacy, and that resilience is also part of it. Can Grit be Taught? 1.

5 Must-Read Books for Small Space Organizing KathrynBechenINK/Screen capture The temptation to have a generously-sized home -- one that's big enough for all your stuff -- is a little backwards: Choosing a place with less square footage and then downshifting your consumer habits helps you cut your consumption, use fewer resources, lower your carbon footprint, and reduce the amount of material possessions you have -- which can add stress. TreeHugger founder Graham Hill kept all of this in mind for his own tiny apartment, which he renovated with flexible furniture and walls as part of the LifeEdited project. Want to get your space organized but don't know where to start? 1. Small Space Organizing: A Room-by-Room Guide to Maximizing Your Space hit shelves in January 2012 -- just in time to offer tips and advice to everyone who put "get organized" on their list of New Year's resolutions. 2. 500 Ideas for Small Spaces BuyBooksOnline.com/Screen capture 3. Parable.com/Screen capture 4. Amazon/Screen capture 5. Amazon/Screen capture

Get Hired! | The Designer's Survival Guide - Edited & Curated by Richard Baird Posted: | Author: Richard Baird | Filed under: Design Survival | 0 Comments A guide to help new designers gain employment in the creative industry. Advice provided by international industry professionals, edited and curated by Richard Baird. Listen The key to successfully gaining a new client is the ability to listen. Provided by Kael Pinto Your appearance at meetings First impressions really do count. Provided by @richbaird Research The first step to getting hired is research. Cater you’re resume, cv, and covering letter to individual companies and make it stand out with a slick and well presented piece of communication design. “My first resume consisted of graphs, charts, humor, personalized branding, and a much more laid back tone that set it apart for the stiff and boring tone of a typical resume. Provided by @HeyRui Be specific in your search for a new job Don’t hunt for a general design job — aim for the one that’d allow you to thrive as a creative professional. Provided by @Agapov Details

The Science of Developing Mental Toughness in Health, Work, and Life Have you ever wondered what makes someone a good athlete? Or a good leader? Or a good parent? Why do some people accomplish their goals while others fail? What makes the difference? Usually we answer these questions by talking about the talent of top performers. But I think we all know there is more to the story than that. In fact, when you start looking into it, your talent and your intelligence don’t play nearly as big of a role as you might think. What makes a bigger impact than talent or intelligence? Research is starting to reveal that your mental toughness — or “grit” as they call it — plays a more important role than anything else for achieving your goals in health, business, and life. Why is mental toughness so important? Let’s talk about that now. Before we talk about how to get started, though, I wanted to let you know I researched and compiled science-backed ways to stick to good habits and stop procrastinating. Mental Toughness and The United States Military —Angela Duckworth 1.

Things that make you smile Things that make you smile Smiley17: Things that make you feel good! 1. Falling in love. 2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. Re:Things that make you smile AmyMarie1972: Things that make me smile: 1. And there is probably loads more and my list could go on forever.Amy

profile of a modern teacher 39 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist “The proper function of man is to live – not to exist.” — Jack LondonToo often we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions and having each day pass like the one before it.That’s fine, and comfortable, until you have gone through another year without having done anything, without having really lived life.That’s fine, until you have reached old age and look back on life with regrets. That’s fine, until you see your kids go off to college and realize that you missed their childhoods. It’s not fine. If you want to truly live life, to really experience it, to enjoy it to the fullest, instead of barely scraping by and only living a life of existence, then you need to find ways to break free from the mold and drink from life. What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. I hope you are finding these suggestions useful. 19. 23.

mind 50 Things Everyone Should Know by Mark and Angel Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. Contrary to what you may have learned in school, a jack of all trades is far more equipped to deal with life than a specialized master of only one. While not totally comprehensive , here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Read the rest of the article

COMPASS 12 Business Leadership Lessons from Stuart Lancaster and Brendan Rodgers | Harrington Starr 12 Leadership Secrets for Business from Brendan Rodgers and Stuart Lancaster By Toby Babb Both England Rugby and Liverpool Football Club have made tremendous progress in 2014. Stuart Lancaster has led a cultural revolution in English Rugby, “re-connecting the players to the shirt” and restoring a brand of rugby missing for so many years. Brendan Rodgers has broken record after record with Liverpool surpassing any expectations (including his own) of where Liverpool would finish in the league. Reading about both Rodgers and Lancaster has been fascinating throughout the year. 1. This year, we have been fortunate to work with some outstanding experts in the field of elite performance in a world class programme we have initiated at Harrington Starr. So can we in business learn and adapt the common characteristics of two of sports most improved teams to transform our performance? 1. In both teams, the wrong people were removed from the bus. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.