The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens has some awesome examples and tips of habits we should all developas teens to lead happy, thrilling lives through being happy with ourselves and maintaining our relationships. While this might sound like nirvana hogwash to some of you, listen to its main points:

First, the book talks of the importance of Being Proactive (Habit #1). This means that you must take responsibility for what happens to yourself. Personally, I know that although I think I’m all optimistic, etc. I’ve realized that I can be proactive many times. Some examples of being reactive are “I don’t do well in that class because the teacher can’t teach” (I’m guilty!) or “I want to hang out but no one ever does anything.” I know I’m guilty of being reactive, but when I’m proactive, things work out- and fast. The quickest way to make something go your way is to figure out that you can change it.

The second habit is Beginning with the End in Mind. Simply put, beginning with the end in mind means knowing where you want to be. If you want to end up being an honors student, you know now that you have to study a lot. If you want to be a businessman – well you should get involved with a business club. If you want to be a great baller – play some ball, etc. This way, you are working towards what you want to become, and not getting off tracks (which sucks).

The third habit I liked was Put First Things First. This means doing what’s most important first. For example don’t go on YouTube for 3 hours tonight if you know that a project is due tomorrow (guilty again..well, was until this book)!

The first three habits are things you can do for yourself. The next 3 are habits to keep harmony with everyone around you and be a happy social camper.

The fourth habit is thinking win-win, and helping everyone win in life makes us all successful. In reality, if we all work together we are stronger than we are apart. I know that this is an overused cliche, but its true! (probably why its so overused.) It also is one of the reasons some people have so many people that like them – they spread goodness and success to all – and get blessed for that too.

The fifth habit is to seek first to understand, then to be understood. I know this quote especially applies to me, since I can talk too much. A lot of times I will have jumped at conclusions or not listen to a person while I’m thinking about what I want to say. This book stresses the importance of understanding the views of others before we try to interject. This way, we can ‘meet them halfway’ better and both be satisfied.

The sixth habit is Synergize. Synergize is a fancy word for working together. This is a biggie! It is also the reason why many loners aren’t as successful as social mavens. We all have a different set of skills which will enable us to cover far more distance if we put them together. (Similar to the fourth habit.) The book also comes with some tips on getting to Synergy.

The seventh habit covers the importance of some good quality R&R (Sharpen the Saw), and how we need it to keep ourselves sharp and alert. Don’t exhaust yourself! 

There we go, I’ve probably taken a great book for teens and turned it into something that sounds scary – but this book is great. It’s filled with stories about young people that have overcome a lot and made positive changes in their lives, and it is easy to tell that Covey ‘get’s us.   Tell me what you think! 

This is a wonderful season and a great opportunity to give thanks to those special people in our lives and celebrate the greatest time of year. Take it easy, drink warm apple cider and watch movies with your family or read a good book. Be ready and rested to kick some butt in 2010! Happy Holidays everyone!

Do you want to get better grades, do better work, make more money, make lots of friends and go anywhere in life? You’ve got all of the core stuff right? Pretty good work ethic, not a hollow head, etc. so what do you need to do? The answer, my friends is LISTEN!

If you’re not listening well, you’re losing. Success happens when you work to help others, and listening makes it extremely easy to help others by finding out what could help them most. There was this show about millionaires that gave away money to those who were in need and were judged each week by how much they helped people. One of the entrepreneurs helped a struggling family of 10 by giving them a themed party that cost about $600. Although the parents thought it was ok, they were pissed off because the money could have been better spent on food and things they needed. The guy could have made their lives better if he only listened.

When you listen well: a) there could not be a better way to spend your time, b) you’re gaining valuable insights and free information that could make you successful c) you’re learning about opportunities that could help you succeed and make you rich d) most importantly, you could be creating meaningful relationships and friendships that will support you wherever you go. All by listening and being responsive to the needs of others.

Its very easy to make the mistake of going on and on and even ranting when your talking to someone else but true success comes to those who keep their ears open and listen to others.  I’m not sitting on a big white horse saying I am the best listener in the world, but listening is a skill we can all work to perfect. Some tips: ask questions; if its a lecture, take some notes; don’t think about what you want to say while they’re talking! You can do it!

Have you ever cashed in because you were listening well?

Last week, I did a contest at school that parodied American Idol, hence “Mission Idol”. First I sang “I’ll Be There” by The Jackson 5, and then sang “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke and covered by seal in the showdown against my awesome opponent Nicole Gabel.

After the showdown it was time to vote. The crowd was so loud for both Nicole and myself that the judges ended up deciding who it would be. Out of the many many contestants, I won Mission Idol! That was really cool because I’ve been singing forever, and although I’ve took a break in my music ambitions for my web business, I am looking to get them right back on track again and this is a great start.

Thank you very much to all my friends who came out supported me, and I would like to give a special thanks to Amy Lam for pre-show support and the great footage. Hope you guys enjoy the videos!

Just a little bit of cursing here, and something obscene there, and we’re in business right? It seems like people shout flying colors today more than ever and talk about or do the most vulgar things. This didn’t happen in the older days people. Now everyone is trying to live some hood life, thinks smoking and drugs is the answer to their problems, and what is with it?

Everyone thinks that saying their s’s and f’s as much as ‘the’ are going to make them cool and stand out and you know what? It ain’t gonna do a thing. I mean sure we all let one rip here and there, but there is no need to cuss like there is no tomorrow. It really makes all the other words that come out of a mouth sound cheap, like they need to cuss to get their point across. Everyones posting bulletins like WHAT THE @#%*)&@ and lalala (use your imagination). Don’t believe me? Ok well hmmm, lets see. The daily MySpace bulletins have “WHO DA $%#&…”, “Jizz in my Pants”, and many others.

Don’t be like that y’all! It sounds ignorant. I’m not a goody goody, either but hey, you don’t want to sound like a stupid stupid do you? I’m looking out for you Lets all work on being a little bit more decent, and see where it takes us! Yes, this includes putting strange and wrong pictures on your MySpace, and bulletins. Come on guys, we can do better, YES WE CAN.

The real things that give us joy can’t be bought or sold, and while everyone deserves nice things, most all of us have got what we need, maybe not all of our wants, but usually you can find your true wants by opening your eyes and smelling the fresh air outside. Would you rather spend your days counting your money, which in this economy could be gone in an instant, or spend time with friends and family, who will be there for you no matter what. Remember, Rudolph might have a red nose, but guess who wrote the song? An advertising executive working for a department store to sell more stuff…no joke.

Meaning in life isn’t about opening the new iPod or unboxing your new Dell laptop. You see, you start out with one of those great gifts, wrapped so beautifully under the tree. Your excited builds as you tear open that wrapping and when you see the box, its like magic. You open the gift, spend the few hours with your gift and hopefully thank the person who gave it to you. But after the euphoria of that gift wears away, what do you have left? Just another thing (hope you like it!) Because contrary to what advertising executives want you to think, its not things that give us purpose in life.

Its people, and all the experiences you have in the world, out and about, not all the moments spent gazing at the computer screen clicking “Home” on MySpace to check for new comments.Remember first, the purpose of Christmas was to celebrate Jesus, and no I’m not preaching, but its true! I mean come on, this day practically revolves around the fat man in red these days. Anyways, this holiday season be thankful for that stuff that doesn’t come under the tree. Family that loves you, friends that enjoy spending time with you, and be thankful for the many things you have in life, and enjoy them.

Be thankful for what you have, appreciate the people in your life, remember the true meaning of Christmas. Have yourself a Merry Christmas, and a happy New Years everybody! (i have more blogs to come so until next time.)

In the 60′s and 70′s, you had good looking black men and women with great voices, and dressed to impress kings and queens of the world, the president, and many others. There were Supreme, and tempting as well (The Temptations & Supremes). They dazzled, doo dahed, and paved the way for all Black Americans, and really Americans still to come, and showed America that black people are just as capable of achievement. Then, you had shows like the Cosby Show and Family Matters that had middle class black families with doctors, policemen, and other great professions. They spoke regular English, and were dressed as any other American would dress.

Now, fastforward a few decades to the year 2008. Now, turn on BET, you see young men dressed many times like a thug, and there are songs like “It’s hard to be a pimp”, and “Gangsta Lovin”, and theres a song that goes “If yo status ain’t hood, I aint checkin on ya…”. Suddenly our culture went from one emphasizing respectable values and morals, looking up to the stars, to one where in a music video, Nelly swipes a credit card down a girls behind. You see black people on television getting arrested or letting chains hang low. That is what is usually aired.

We need to change this media culture of making black people look like gang baners, thugs, or other horrible examples. This messed up media sends terrible examples to our own people, and to the world about hwat it means to be black. Seems like now, many people expect a black man to be gangster, a rapper, a basketball player, or a football player. Seems like a black woman, defined by many videos out there, is being a video girl, a singer, or a dancer.

We don’t have to start over, but we do need a fresh start. We need to stop making thug life, criminal activity, and degradation of anyone look good. Videos with that content should not be aired! Songs won’t be empty without cussing every 5 seconds, if cussing makes a song or a rap complete, its not legit to begin with (lets face it cursing all the time doesn’t make what your saying any more meaningful, we all do it but do we need that in our videos to make it look like we all need to?). However, glorification of foolishness, and ignorance have to stop. The Proud Family, That’s So Raven, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, House of Payne, Sister Sister – just some of the many positive black shows out there, and they are good shows that people love to watch. They are wholesome, and funny as heck! So we obviously don’t need “hood life” and thuggery to make great shows, music videos, and entertainment for people – Motown didn’t do that.

Me, and my fellow young people are ready to move on. We need to leave this bull behind and clean this mess up. No Nelly swiping cards down butts, no its hard to be a pimp, and why would any respectable person make love in a  club? That’s the stupidest thing ever. We’re better than that. Look at the oldies, and the legends that reigned in the 60′s and 70′s. And look at all the other ignorant crap we’ve had in the past. Forgotten.

Lets make it right my fellow brothers and sisters, and even those from other cultures, we really have similar and the same media these days, we can all change this.

P.S. I don’t have a problem with these rappers and other celebrities and musicians personally, I just think they need to know the effect the material they put out has on so many young people.

1. Notes

If you can’t find your notes, there is no point in taking them. I used to have a thousand notes trapped in files scattered all over my computer and binders. What I have found, was that organizing my notes with a notebook service, such as Notely, or Microsoft OneNote has helped me increase my organization tremendously. You can find notes you took previously a lot easier, and most important, remember they are there.

Notely is free and is a web based service, but I believe OneNote is worth the $99.

2. Files

We have files everywhere now a days. In the computer, print outs, bills, receipts. The best thing to do with all this information is FILE IT! Don’t just create a random file for various things, or chances are you will never find it. While there is no right or wrong way to develop a file organization system, I recommend that you create sections in your file cabinets, such as College Course, Finances, or Work. From there, you can subdivide into “Bills”, and then “Cell Phone”, etc. The same goes for digital files. After that, write down a diagram, and draw how all of your files are categorized and where they are. This will take a lot of headache out of filing.

3. Scheduling

It is so important to keep a calendar of all events you have planned, from a birthday, to a visit to your friend, or an important deadline you can’t miss. Keeping one calendar of events is critical to being organized, on time, and impressive. If you keep it updated, you are sure to never miss a lunch with a friend or a meeting again, or sign up for two events at one time. Make sure you only keep one calendar though, so that you always see everything you have to do.

4. Contacts

Keeping all of your contact information in one place is a basic part of organization. You might have 100 contacts, or 1000 contacts, but keeping your addresses and phone numbers in one place is critical. If you prefer to keep things in writing, you might like to get a day planner. However, it is most convenient to use a computer program such as Microsof Outlook to keep all of your contacts listed in. Another great tool is Plaxo (web based), or Bento (for the mac).

If your interested in really getting organized, and getting your life together, read To Do Doing Done! Its a great book that can help anyone (and I mean anyone) get organized. It’ll help you accomplish what you need to do, and make sure everything you do reflects where you want to go in life.

Get it here.

This was education a long time ago. But it still seems like this today it seems. Education a long time ago involved monotonous text books, and black boards chalked with powder. But this is the 21st century, why does it still feel the same, or similar?

Don’t get me wrong, education has come a very long way. Teachers are trying the best to incorporate multimedia and videos into their lesson plans, and with much success. I find classes more interesting that way, but it still seems like there is a lot more that could be done. The problem is that schools aren’t adjusting as a whole to what we the students need, and what’s going on NOW.

They seem to be stuck in the past, but galloping into the future, with fragmented “Technology plans” that use 2005′s technology in 2008. It’s like teaching with a textbook from the 50′s trying to make a video from that for 2008 but using current events from 2005. Confusing analogy, isn’t it? But thats what it seems like schools are doing.

They need to recognize that this a changing world, and that they need to change with the world and keep up with the speed. If social networking is heating up, why not create a social network for the school, and upload videos, pictures, and make forums for the classes? It’s really not that hard to do with Ning. Budget cuts are no excuse, since a lot of things they could do on the Internet are relatively cheap with a good server or web host.

To really take school into the 21st century I think they should at least do:

Redo their Website

• Make it more social, add profiles
• Add forums
• Add minisites for classes
• Upload videos and write news about school events
• Ditch using Adobe PDF to look at all the news – pathetic and it slows down the computer. annoying!

Create a tech plan for the entire school. Stop looking at just the grade book program, look at the whole picture. Yearbook, EMail for teachers, (email for students?), the computer needs of the newspaper, the science room, storing videos on the network so teachers aren’t scrambling finding DVD’s everywhere.

Thats all I have to say for now. This post may have been a little complicated, but just do some Googling I promise you’ll learn a lot.