Duncan Nuggets® - Al Duncan - Soft Skills

Duncan Nugget #12: Paralyzed By Choice [VIDEO]

2012-02-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

"I have so many things I could do that I don't know what I should do!"

Students and professionals say things like that all the time. I understand why.

In a famous research study, more people stopped to taste jams at a table with 24 flavors, but more people actually made a purchase at a table with 6 flavors.

Having too many choices exhausts your brain, stiffles creativity, and kills motivation because you end up feeling overwhelmed and develop a fear of making the wrong choice.

When it comes to dreams, goals, and aspirations, most people aren't suffering from a lack of choices, they're suffering from lack of ability to make a choice.

Successful people do their research, make a choice, and adjust based on the consequences. They refuse to be paralyzed by choice.

Million-Dollar Question:

How determined are you to avoid being paralyzed

by the fear of making the wrong choice?

Duncan Nugget #202: Live Your Life [VIDEO]

2012-02-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I saw the following statement on a student's Facebook status:

"Oh I get it! The point of life is to live."

As you can imagine, his status immediately generated a couple of sarcastic comments:

"omg"

"lol"

"AHAHA you hit the nail on the head didnt you?"

People were clowning him and I'm not sure if he was serious or not , but that is a profound statement: the point of life is to live.

A lot of people spend their whole life dying. Dying from stupidity. Dying of mediocrity. Dying of boredom. Dying of loneliness. And the list goes on. They do nothing. They just fade away and completely waste a precious gift.

Enjoy your life.

Do something awesome with your life.

LIVE your life. You deserve it.

Million-Dollar Question:

Are you really living your life?

Duncan Nugget #26: Contagious [VIDEO]

2012-02-13T21:02:00.000-05:00

There are few things more nerve-wracking than being stuck at work or on a plane next to someone who is constantly coughing.

You're sitting there thinking, "I better not get sick or I'm going to hurt somebody."

When people are coughing like that it's easy to see that they might be contagious, but we are often unaware of the subtle ways that people are contagious.

The limbic system is the part of your brain that produces emotions. Scientists have discovered that it's an open-loop system. Which means the moods and attitudes of one person transmit signals that can alter the heart rate, hormone levels, sleep rhythms and immune functions inside the body of another person. And the person may not even realize what happened.

That's deep.

People are always contagious.

Million-Dollar Question:

What attitudes and moods are you and

the people you hang around infecting each other with?

4 Tips For Success In Your College Career

2012-02-13T19:45:00.000-05:00

Q: I truly appreciate having the opportunity to listen to you speak. Next fall I will be attending the University of South Carolina and will be double majoring in International Business and Finance. I was wondering if you have any tips for what to expect in the college world, and how to continue striving for success in my college career.

-Nicholas C.

Colorado

Let's focus on some of the basics. It's simple stuff, but people always mess up on the basics.

1. Maximize your resources. Most students never take full advantage of the resources on campus. For example, go to career services as soon as possible. Find out what training and services they offer. Find out about getting them to look at your resume. Do NOT wait until you need a job or internship! Like I said, go as soon as possible. Also, find out what guest lecturers and speakers are coming to speak on campus. Some of the most successful people in the world will come to speak on campus and nobody shows up. Not cool. Not smart. At all.

2. Get connected. Do your best to form genuine connections with people—students AND faculty and staff. You never who knows who. Seems simple enough, but I'm telling you, most people are terrible networkers. That's because they have a "gimme" attitude instead of a "how can I help?" attitude.
(HINT: Million-Dollar Networking Questions)

3. Invest your time. This isn't about calendars and schedules. It's about investing your time just like you would money. Understand the ROI (Return On Investment) for what you're doing with your time. Have fun (seriously, have some fun) just keep an eye on what you get in return for what you do with your time. This is a secret trick of most millionaires. That's why they can get so much done and still have time to enjoy life. They don't spend time, they invest time.

4. Protect your credit at all costs. No matter what, protect your credit history. There's no need for a long explanation about this. Since you're headed to college I know that you already understand the importance of your GPA and transcript. Well, your credit score is your financial GPA and your credit report is your financial transcript. So, obviously, just like you grind hard to get the grades, you want to grind hard to have great credit. It makes a world of difference.

Hit me up after first semester and let me know how great you're doing.

Duncan Nugget #211: The Deciding Factor

2012-02-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]
Exxon Mobile Corporation conducted a study that shows that price isn't always the main deciding factor for choosing a gas station. It's other things like cleanliness, brightness, and safety.

That's interesting because it shows that...

When someone makes a decision about you and what you have to offer, many times the deciding factor isn't what you think it is.

I've seen plenty of people get tripped up over this. If you are a parent, educator, or mentor whether or not someone heeds your advice is seldom based on common sense. The deciding factors are things like trust, respect, and authenticity.

When you're in an interview, seldom are your GPA and technical knowledge the deciding factors. It's often a matter of soft skills like leadership, communication, teamwork, and decision making.

Million-Dollar Question:

When making a choice about you
and what you have to offer,
what will be the deciding factor?

The Path To Success

2012-02-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

[GRAPHIC]

Man...I wish I figured this out sooner.

The path to success looks like spaghetti.

The Economic Cost Of A Dropout

2012-02-06T10:01:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]
Teaching and inspiring opportunity youth to improve their socioeconomic and educational outcomes is a noble cause as well as an investment in the economic well-being of our country.

According to Henry M. Levin (William Heard Kilpatrick Professor of Economics and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University) opportunity youth are young people that are not accumulating human capital in school or college nor accumulating labor market skills by working.

The short definition: opportunity youth are young dropouts who aren't working.

The average lifetime social burden cost of a 16-yr-old dropout is approximately $750,000. There are 6.7 million dropouts between the ages of 16-24 which means that the aggregate social burden cost of dropouts is a whopping $4.75 billion.

Million-Dollar Question:

What are you committed to doing to

inspire opportunity youth?

Duncan Nugget #320: Squabbling Over Crumbs

2012-01-31T07:40:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]

Three birds were sitting on a branch. They were starving. A bakery truck passes by and off falls a loaf of bread. When the loaf hits the ground a piece of the crust breaks off into crumbs.

The birds swooped down and started squawking and squabbling over the crumbs. Feathers were flying and beaks were pecking. One bird even lost an eye, but it never dawned on these idiots that there was a whole loaf sitting nearby.

Unfortunately, people can be like that too. They squabble over pettiness, toxic relationships, and dead-end careers that are nothing but crumbs.

If you are starving for happiness and fulfillment it makes no sense to squabble over anything that keeps you focused on the crumbs of life.

Step back. Take a look around. There's a whole loaf sitting nearby.

Million-Dollar Question:

Are you squabbling over crumbs or

striving for the whole loaf?

Were You Downloaded Or Born?

2012-01-30T23:20:00.000-05:00

[CARTOON]

Source: St. Paul Marketing Team

New Trends In Education

2012-01-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

There is some great info in this article: 8 Important Education Trends in Generation Z

But... I really wish some demographer or guru would come up with a better name than Generation Z. "Digital Natives" works, but it overlaps part of the Millennial Generation (Gen Y).

Duncan Nugget #42: The Coffee Bean

2012-01-23T09:02:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]

If people experience the exact same thing, why do they have different versions of reality?

I'll show you.

Initially, a coffee bean is green. Once harvested and roasted, it turns brown.

Next, someone grinds up a bunch of beans, puts the coffee grounds in a filter, runs hot water over them, and voila! Countless variations of coffee—cappucino, frappacino, black, or whatever—a perfect cup of coffee for whomever is drinking it.

Can anyone re-create the original coffee bean?

Of course not! Communication and reality work the same way.

You process reality through filters like your beliefs, values, and moods. You distort, delete, and generalize information to create the perfect cup of reality for you. Think about that.

Exceptional communicators learn to understand the filters that people use.

Million-Dollar Question:

When it comes to communication,
can you take a coffee bean
and make the perfect cup of coffee

for you AND for others?

How Much Does College Cost?

2012-01-22T17:13:00.001-05:00

Do you want to know how much college cost? Here's a cool calculator I found that will tell you the cost of any college in the U.S.

College costs - Calculator - CNNMoney

How To Start Your Talk Or Speech

2012-01-21T18:26:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]
This is a video from my site for professional speakers, but there are great tips in here for anybody that has to give a speech, talk, or presentation of any type.

(HINT: If the video keeps starting and stopping, click "HD" to play in a slightly lower quality that will stream faster.)

How To Start Your Talk or Speech - Great Pro Speakers Community Q&A

National Mentoring Month 2012

2012-01-17T22:01:00.002-05:00

Remember...January is National Mentoring Month so, step up and deliver exceptional service by being a mentor. This year's national theme is "Invest in the future. Mentor a child."

And...

Be sure to sure to say "thank you" to your mentor.

Official website: www.NationalMentoringMonth.org
Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012

Duncan Nugget #281: Bogeys & Birdies

2012-01-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]

Economists at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed 2.5 million golf putts. (You know the game, right? If given four strokes to get the ball in the hole, but you do it in 5, that's a bogey. Not good. You took too many shots. If you do it in 3 strokes, that's a birdie. Awesome.)

The analysis showed that golfers concentrated and performed better when playing to avoid bogeys versus playing for birdies. Think about that.

It shows that people tend to be more motivated by fear of loss than desire for gain.

It works the same way in life:

"All of my bills are paid. That's good enough."

"I passed the test. That's good enough."

Not cool.

That's doing just enough to get by and avoid a loss.

Million-Dollar Question:

In the game of life are you playing to avoid a bogey (loss)
or get a birdie (something exceptional)?

Oh How Things Have Changed!

2012-01-13T15:26:00.003-05:00

[GRAPHIC]

Wow. Funny. TRUE.

Source: Someone emailed me this. Original source is unknown.

Duncan Nugget #179: Old Excuses

2012-01-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]

New year.

Old excuses.

Man...it seems like some people are just destined to be LAME.

Million-Dollar Question:

Are you still making the same old excuses in a new year?

Best, Worst College Majors For Finding A Job

2012-01-09T09:01:00.000-05:00

"Not all college degrees are created equal."

Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce has analyzed government data from 2009 and 2010 to find out which majors are the most likely to land you a job right out of college.

Of course, you can't argue with the numbers, but I still believe that students should avoid choosing a major solely based on "getting a job." Too many people hate what they do.

If you are looking for fulfillment, choosing the ideal major should be based on the right combination of desired lifestyle, strengths, and passion.

You can find the complete publication here.

_____________
I originally found out about this study while reading:
Life Inc. - Good Graph Friday: The majors with the best job prospects:

Is Social Media Ruining Students? - Case Study

2011-12-07T18:39:00.001-05:00

[INFOGRAPHIC]

Click to enlarge.

Via: OnlineEducation.net

Georgetown's College Course on Jay-Z: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

2011-12-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

An article on USAToday.com—Jay-Z provides the blueprint for college course—has rekindled the polarizing topic of whether or not author, radio host, and Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson's course on the hip-hop mogul and entrepreneur is a good idea or bad idea.

One thing is for sure: It's brilliant marketing and publicity. The class has been mentioned in the news plenty of times. Critics and supporters have been quoted in major news outlets. And here I am writing about it on a blog that's mainly about soft skills, personal development, and youth empowerment.

So...

Good idea or bad idea?

It's not that simple.

Shawn Carter a.k.a Jay-Z is as deeply flawed as the rest of us. (What if there was a college course that picked apart your life and everything you've ever said? Hmm...)

I have seen plenty of college courses that center on some of the most controversial people and topics in history. Topics like human sexuality and the N-word, people like Malcolm X and Karl Marx, and business tycoons like John D. Rockefeller and the Robber Barons have been the main focal points of various classes.

Although it's raising a ruckus, I don't think "Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z" would make the list of most controversial college courses.

Of course, that doesn't let Jay-Z off the hook. I would be severely disappointed to see my son adopt some of the ideas and philosophies in Jay-Z's lyrics. But if my son turns out to be a brilliant entrepreneur of that magnitude I would be elated.

Million-Dollar Question:

Has Jay-Z's life and career been influential

enough to warrant in-depth study?

Yes.

He's had an immeasurable impact on one the most influential forms of art and cultural expression in history. (Whether you like hip-hip or not, there's no arguing about it's influence.) Jay-Z is regularly featured with people like Warren Buffet in magazines like Forbes—as an astute business titan, not a rapper—because of his incredible success. He's on pace to become a billionaire.

Of course none of this means that the study of his life should become a part of your required history, economics, or sociology class. But if students can take bowling as an elective, is it really going to scar someone for life to take a course on Jay-Z?

Whether you are a Jay-Z fan or a hater, having that discussion in a college classroom could prove to be stimulating and enlightening.

Duncan Nugget #280:

Some of the best lessons in life come from people
who think differently than you do.

Duncan Nugget #149: The Aspects Of What You Expect To Accomplish

2011-12-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO]

Recently, a friend of mine gave up on his business.

"Al, I wasn't prepared for the financial aspect of running a business."

He's not alone. Many people fail to reach their goals because they lack understanding about aspects of what they are trying to accomplish.

Plenty of great musicians have been taken advantage of because they didn't understand the business aspect of the industry. There are leaders who expect to be successful, but become demotivated because they weren't prepared for challenging aspects of leadership.

Regardless of what you expect, ask yourself questions like: What do I have to sacrifice? Time? Money? What problems could arise? What additional knowledge and resources do I need?

Answers to those types of questions will help you to master the aspects of what you expect to accomplish.

Million-Dollar Question:

How well are you prepared for the various aspects of
what you expect to accomplish?

KFC Brings Back $20,000 Twitter Scholarship Promotion

2011-12-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

KFC has brought back its $20,000 Twitter scholarship promotion for the second year, awarding $20,000 to the high school senior who sends the winning message via the popular social media site. This year's KFC Colonel's Scholars program application process requires a photo entry. The deadline is December 8, 2011.

KFC brings back Twitter scholarship promotion

High School Dropout Factory

2011-12-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

Recently, I was reading How to Identify a High School Dropout Factory (U.S. News and World Report). I haven't quite decided how I feel about what was presented—need to do a little more research—but the article was interesting. It suggests 5 main areas of concern:

A hamstrung principal: The article says, "...the American system of giving teachers tenure makes for weak principals that have little authority to change school culture..."
High suspension rates: The dropout factory mentioned in the article has "a suspension rate of 108 percent, meaning that 2,500 suspension days were handed out to 2,300 students."
Apathetic teachers: "There are some dedicated teachers who wouldn't want to be anywhere else...but then there are other teachers who just show up."
Overwhelmed students: "Offering many AP classes also allows schools to game some high school ranking systems that take into account the number of AP exams given to students....They require kids who are in AP classes to take the exams. They don't pass any of them, and the school pays [for them to take the exams], knowing they'll fail."
Lack of technical training: "Sometimes, we have to be realistic about some of the students we're teaching. Their goal is not to go to college; their goal is to get a job. We're not training them for any jobs."

I've had speaking engagements and consulting contracts at quite a few of schools that could be classified as dropout factories. The main two poisons I see eating away at those schools are: hopelessness and apathy. This is dangerous, to say the least, because research shows that people tend to be more motivated by the possibility of success than the probability of success.

In most circumstances, the odds are against a person or idea being successful. So, unwavering conviction and dogged determination to acquire the necessary skills and resources are crucial to the process. The desire has to be there and people have to believe that they can succeed regardless of how jacked up the system up is.

Some of the greatest leaders and movements in history have started and thrived in broken systems. The two things they all had in common were unwavering conviction and dogged determination.

Duncan Nugget #9:

Unwavering conviction and dogged determination

will drive you to seemingly unreachable destinations.

By the way, high schools aren't the only dropout factories. The school highlighted in the article has a graduation rate of 30%. Well...I recently read about a 4yr. college that has a 15% graduation rate. Ridiculous.

Million-Dollar Question:

Do you believe that we can get rid of dropout factories

and what are you determined to do about it?

Do You Have Scholarships For Left-Handed People?

2011-11-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

Q: Do you have scholarships for left handed people. I have heard about that. Is it true?

A: Unfortunately, there is only one scholarship right now for left-handed people (used to be more). It's called the Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship. It is for up to $1000. Warning: you have to attend Juniata College to get this scholarship. If you are interested you can find info about it here (it's the first one listed under Physical Characteristics): http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/unusual.phtml

Duncan Nugget #499: Resourceful As A Turkey

2011-11-23T20:21:00.001-05:00

[VIDEO]

It's Thanksgiving and I'm running around asking people if they remember the "Five Fat Turkeys" song. Nobody remembers. They're just looking at me like I'm crazy. Lol.

Do you remember the song?

Five fat turkeys are we.
We spent all night in a tree.
When the butcher came 'round,
We couldn't be found And that's why we're here, you see!

Here’s the Duncan Nugget®:

In the face of great adversity, when life is trying to butcher you, if you can hold out and be as resourceful as five turkeys climbing a tree then you will definitely be alright. You'll be singing, "That's why I'm here you see!”

Million-Dollar Question:

Are you as resourceful as a turkey?

Happy Thanksgiving!