Blog

Last week we identified how our habits are formed and maintained by the process of Cue > Behavior > Reward: An environmental cue A behavioral response A reward or the removal of an unpleasant stimulus Once we develop a habit, that habit becomes a powerful...

Habits are powerful influencers in our lives. I once heard the phrase: “We first create our habits; then our habits create us.” To the extent that this is true, it’s important that we become more consciously aware of forming habits. In his book The Power of Habit,...

As Wellness Wednesday focuses on developing Top 20 habits, the one that gets highlighted at this time of the year is gratitude. Tomorrow, as a nation, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. As Americans, we certainly have a great deal for which to be thankful. However, I...

In last week’s Wellness Wednesday, we identified how we Think, Learn, or Communicate as either being: Top 20: being effective in attaining results that are in our best interest Bottom 80: being ineffective in attaining results that are in our best interest The primary...

A participant at a recent training asked me to explain and give an example of what we mean when we use the phrases ‘Top 20’ and ‘Bottom 80’. We originally took this language from the Pareto Principle, named after economist Vilfredo Pareto. The Pareto Principle claims...

Over the last few weeks, Wellness Wednesday has focused on the need for revolution in American schools. This revolution requires a shift in how we see the purpose of schools. Simply put, this shift is from teachers being distributors of information to teachers...

In last week’s Wellness Wednesday, we identified that the primary purpose of a traditional school and teacher was to be a transmitter of information. However, as 21st century students encounter this experience, they are sending American educators a clear message that...

In last week’s Wellness Wednesday we suggested that a revolution is needed in our schools today. The fundamental power behind this revolution is the belief in possibilities. It is a revolution rooted deeply in the American spirit, a spirit that wisely holds on to what...

It is the beginning of a new day in Minnesota…a cold day, yet the sun is shining. It is a day of promise and hope. Within a few miles of my home are more than 30 schools: colleges, high schools, alternative schools, middle schools, trade schools, elementary schools,...

Last week Wellness Wednesday focused on comparison as a major cause of our believing that we are ‘less than’. True as this is, there’s also another side to the comparison coin. Comparison can result in our becoming ‘more than’. Comparing ourselves to others can be...