I challenge you … “double dog dare you” as we say in the good old Southern USA … to take one day this week and make a break from your technology. Will you accept my challenge?

unplugging from technology
We’re all addicted to tech. After long work days with eyes glued to glowing computer screens, dazed workers across the country depart office buildings with smart phones or iPods in hand. They return home and trade in one device for another, turning on the TV and Xbox 360, booting up a computer, or switching on their iPads. According to a survey of more than 1,200 American adults, over thirty percent of us spend more than seven hours a day on electronic screens.
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living in the present
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
One of the best, unforeseen consequence of simplifying our lives is it has allowed us to begin living our lives in the present. Eliminating nonessential possessions has freed us from many of the emotions associated with past lives that were keeping us stuck. And clearing our home has allowed us the freedom to shape our lives today around our most important values.
We normally look at life as a series of crises. But to see your life as a journey could be a catalyst for breakthrough productivity. Your NOW moment is the ARENA to know your potential and happiness.

In all the roads of your life, in all the pathways you find yourself walking on … not crises, journeys. And when I saw that, it was the most liberating experience, to be able to revamp my understanding of life. It’s not a series of crises. It’s not a series of interruptions. It’s journeys. And if I can understand my journeys, and what is going on, and why I’m on the journey, then I can enter into a peace and flow in life that I say, again, is liberating.
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I have met a lot of great people since I first started this website and podcast … a lot of great people with GREAT insights. I have decided to post an invitation to write for First Things and open up my blog for submissions. I read about Daniel Scocco’s practice at DailyBlogTips, convinced me to give it a try. He has produced a nice set of Guest Post Guidelines that inspired me to write my own.

invited
So, effective immediately, I will accept guest posts. Currently, I do not plan to publish more than one post per week. These will likely appear on Monday.
At its most basic level, mentoring helps because it guarantees a person that there is someone who cares about them … that they aren’t alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges.

Mentor wanted
The 2013 study “The Role of Risk: Mentoring Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles,” examined mentoring program relationships, experiences and benefits for higher-risk youth, and among the findings determined:
- The strongest program benefit, and most consistent across risk groups, was a reduction in depressive symptoms — a particularly noteworthy finding given that almost one in four youth reported worrisome levels of these symptoms at baseline.
- Findings also suggested gains in social acceptance, academic attitudes and grades.
- In addition to benefits in specific domains, mentored youth also experienced gains in a greater number of outcomes than youth in the comparison group.
The only problem for me … I never had a mentor …
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Here is a great video from my podcast teacher on why you should consider creating a podcast. If you have any interest in Cliff’s podcasting course, use the code “first500” (without the quotes) and you can get $500 off his amazing course!
The lost art of listening … some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. Recently, I was talking to someone who was not very present in the conversation. Even though she would nod and say “Yeah” the whole time we communicated, her follow-up comments would reveal she wasn’t listening 100%.

Lost art of listening
Listening is an important skill – more so than one may realize. For all we could say about being a good communicator, your ability to listen, not just hear, is a foundational area we probably all need help in. Here are 7 action steps to increase your productivity by becoming a better listener.
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Does technology help you? Or rule you? Something to think about …
Statistical studies have derailed more people’s productivity than anything else I know. I am a statistician. So, I say this statement very carefully.

how to lie with statistics
How do we properly process statistical studies? How can we ensure that we don’t make one of the biggest mistakes made with statistical studies … assuming that correlation proves causality?
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