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Academic achievement is a worthy priority for top performers.  A student's marks should represent the fruits of their labor by mastering concepts and skills required to be successful in a field.    In some professions, obtaining high academic marks is required to maintain credibility.  Most technical fields objectively measure such performance.  Mastering the subject matter of these professions is non-negotiable for demonstrating the competency of aspiring professionals entering that field.    Unfortunately, achieving high marks in classes is not as simple as it should be. How is it that sometimes two equally bright students achieve dramatically different grades? What about that other student who doesn’t seem to take the subject seriously but ends up with an ‘A’?    The school system has changed its purpose. Since the Industrial Revolution, schools have shifted from fostering philosophical freethinkers to producing obedient employees who learn to interpret and execute instructions.      What caused this shift?  The rapid expansion in economic opportunity.   The Industrial Revolution opened new opportunities for people of all classes to become wealthier through hard work. To ensure employees were ready on day one, schools were instructed to change their instruction delivery to instill more discipline in the students.     However, as the economy and workforce have evolved, the school system has remained stagnant. There’s an old saying that the school system follows an 18th-century model for a 19th-century workplace, taught by teachers born in the 20th century to students born in the 21st century.    With a wild mismatch over four centuries, it’s easy for students to be confused about how to approach school.  After all, it’s no longer about being the brightest student in the room, though it could help.    It’s time to figure out–what’s the missing piece of the puzzle?     Hear me out – School is just a game.      Games have rules, systems, and rigid guidelines that regulate their operations.  Each game has roles where different players play them out in a well-oiled machine.  Games also have a start and a finish.    The school system is the same, too.  The only difference is that we’re usually the only players on our own team.     The Grading System — Why We Use It       The grading system can be stressful and confusing. For some, anything below an 'A' is unacceptable. However, does the system hold any value if everyone receives an 'A'? Why not implement a binary pass/fail system?     Traditionally, the grading system was designed to rank students relative to one another. When applied correctly, an 'A' indicates best performance, a 'B' denotes strong performance, a 'C' reflects satisfactory performance, a 'D' suggests below-average performance, and an 'F' signifies that the required standards have not been met (i.e., failure).    Imagine being in a room of the world’s top-performing mathematicians and receiving a ‘D’.  It may be a below-average performance, but if the average ‘C’ level performance is at a world-class standard, is that ‘D’ really that bad in this context?    Now, place that same student into a class of average mathematicians.  That same student instantly becomes one of the top performers and receives an ‘A.’  However, what is the value of that ‘A’?     Much has changed since then. We’re now experiencing grade inflation, with standards shifting from relative to absolute. While this may seem like a more even playing field, it has created a frenzy among parents and students to achieve only top marks.    Almost every student and their parents want to see 'A's across the student's transcript.  Anything achievement below a top score is viewed as a deficiency, sometimes to a fault.    However, the deficiency isn’t usually in a student’s learning ability.  There is one more missing piece of the puzzle to consider.    The Secret To Achieving Higher Grades      The teacher's job is to make everything as fair and objective as possible, but there's one problem:     Teachers are human, too. Their preferences, biases, and emotions determine which aspects of the subject are most important for students to master. After all, we are learning from real people, not robots, in live classrooms.     What does a teacher being human have to do with students getting higher grades?  There's one natural conclusion to draw from this insight:     For higher grades, focus more on compliance over learning.     At first glance, this doesn't make sense. Since our tests are on subject material, shouldn’t we focus our energy on studying for them?     Well, yes and no.     Yes, we should study the material thoroughly to understand how the subject works.  There are areas where mastering the content today is essential for future classes and professional work.    Even though the subject matter is essential, it’s not the only thing to consider in our studies.  Teachers have their own emphasis and style on specific points that they expect students to reproduce on an exam.    This is both good news and bad news simultaneously. It is good news because it can shape how we study and reduce our focus on unnecessary material, but it is bad news because it shows how bias creeps into the educational system.     As unfair as it may seem, we must adapt to reality to maximize our ROI in the classroom. Each teacher has priorities, and the sooner we understand those priorities, the better our chances of achieving higher grades. We will still need to learn, but we should apply our knowledge or learn differently.     From my experience with students, the following formula works for 98% of cases:     Follow directions to the point. Never reinvent the directions.  Answer the question being asked.  Do not go off-topic.  Emphasize the same points that the teacher emphasizes. This is known as reflective communication. It will warm teachers’ hearts and help students earn extra credit if they feel generous.     For the other 2% of cases, we review the nuances and adapt to what the teacher expects from the student.  It’s all part of the game.     How To Increase Your Personal Compliance      Increasing personal compliance with the teacher isn't a mystery. We must note the game's rules that guide us closer to the mark.       It doesn't matter if a student is in high school, college, or some professional level education.  Here are the principles to leverage:     Treat The Subject As A Game      All games have rules and a route to victory. Every subject–English, history, science, math, and more–has a clear set of guidelines about what is expected to achieve the highest possible grade.     Most schools have clear learning objectives for every concept taught.  These objectives serve as the rules for achieving the best grade possible.  It is wise to get a copy of these objectives from the school or state website.     Beyond learning objectives, many resources are available online to help students learn the best practices for studying their subject and common pitfalls. Become aware of these and document them for regular review.     Focus On The Teacher’s Communication Style       Every teacher has a communication style. Some are elaborate and love to elaborate vividly on various subjects, whereas others are much more direct and to the point. Pay attention to your preferred communication style and how to adapt it, as it will be important when completing assignments and taking exams.     Psychologically, the easiest way to build a relationship with someone is to subtly mirror their actions. If they are direct and straightforward, we should be as well. If they enjoy telling elaborate stories, we should reciprocate that. If they communicate formally, we will reflect that. If they are informal, we’ll also relax with them.  When reflecting on a teacher's communication style, we should do so respectfully and without making a scene. Nothing is worse than a teacher accusing us of being copycats when we are just trying to engage.     Develop & Adapt A Personalized System To Work With The Teacher     As we master what to look for to achieve the highest grade possible in the class, we must build a system around it to ensure consistency. Well-constructed systems make it easy to achieve consistent results.     For some students, organizing their work can be as simple as creating a OneNote notebook. For others, a three-ring binder that separates homework, quizzes, and projects may work well, too. Some students may benefit by differentiating their classwork into smaller pieces, such as concepts, definitions, people, etc.     When building a system, we must be careful not to become overly rigid. Infrastructure is crucial, but we must adapt to the class and teacher we are working with. Therefore, starting with the basics and modifying it for the class is helpful.     Ultimately, we must recognize that every teacher is unique. The system should adapt to the teacher. Unfortunately, the reverse doesn't work.     Use An Appropriate Amount of Supplementary Resources     While we often wish to assign the responsibility of teaching entirely to the teacher, some classes present so much information that this becomes impossible. Students in AP and college-level courses quickly realize this reality when the teacher can't cover everything in the limited class time available.     To overcome this dilemma, we must utilize supplementary resources. YouTube is filled with valuable content that provides additional perspectives on a subject. Other resources include For Dummies books on various topics, AP exam prep materials, and free worksheets that offer extra practice in the areas we need to improve.     A word of caution: Don’t overuse supplemental resources. Just as fitness supplements aren’t a substitute for working out, neither are academic supplements a substitute for class materials.    Instead, select a manageable number of resources to work with and stick to them. We should only consider changing things up in the most desperate situations, as we need a consistent approach to succeed in the class.      Draft A Plan To Stay On Point      Having resources is great, but without a clear purpose, we risk abandoning them at the wrong time.  There's a predictable trend in nearly every class:     At first, the pace is relaxed to allow students to adjust. However, as we near final exams, the pace becomes more intense and overwhelming.  Therefore, we must stay proactive in the beginning because life will happen to us, and we may be unable to maintain high speeds in the end.     We need to stay a few steps ahead when planning our study strategies. It may be more challenging in technical classes, but it's all worth the effort.      We should read a book 10 to 15 pages in advance if assigned to read a book. If we are assigned math homework, we need to look ahead one or two sections to understand why we are learning what we are currently learning.     At the end of the week, evaluate the plan’s effectiveness.  If it’s effective, we should continue the trend and prepare for the following week. If it's ineffective, we need to adjust early, as that's when we have enough time to consult with our teachers about the best strategies for the class.     As we progress through the class, we need to plan to review current material and revisit past material if necessary. This is especially important for subjects that build upon one another, such as math, history, and physical sciences. By revisiting and strengthening the foundation, we can construct the castle walls higher than ever.     At The End of the Day, Achieve and Move On      The good news about academic games is that they don’t last forever. Nearly every game has a start date and a final exam. Everything that happens in between leads us to the finale.     Students juggling a busy schedule should aim for the best results with the least effort. While diving deep into the material would be amazing, it's important to remember that there's so much more to enjoy outside of class! You'll see the rewards down the road in your journey by putting in a little effort at the beginning.     Once the game is beaten, it’s over! There's no need to revisit the class (though we may revisit the material independently to review for more advanced courses).      For those who achieve a high score, celebrate! For those who fall short, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, reflect on it and consider what we can improve for next time. Finally, for those curious about the subject, the best time to explore it freely is after class. Once final grades are posted and deadlines are gone, you can explore the subject at your own tempo.    Students–if you're reading this at the start of a semester, now is the time to plan. If you're reading this in the middle or closer to the end, begin by incorporating some elements into your study strategy for the future. From there, you'll have the foundation to create a better plan for the upcoming semester.

I'm not going to lie—I grew up in a pretty different world compared to Gen Z. Maybe not dramatically different, but different enough to warrant a discussion of the differences I've seen compared to my Gen Z colleagues.   I graduated from high school at 19, finished college at 28, and started my freelance journey a week before I turned 31. Heck, so many of my goals have expired, yet I'm still pursuing them.   I guess you can say I'm a late bloomer. As a result, my age was always to the right of the standard bell curve.  As I climbed up the ranks in age, different chapters of my life constantly reset the age of my friends around 21-22.   At every reset, the years my friends were born pushed from the early 90s to the late 90s, passing the threshold from Millennial to Gen Z. Even as the age held constant, something different about their mindsets piqued my curiosity.   Somehow, as I grew older, the average 20-something became more optimistic.  It made me question – what makes newer generations more optimistic?  Was it the anime they watched?  The people who mentored them? Early exposure to social media?   This is where I reflected and inquired further.  To discuss our differences effectively, it's best to categorize them into two distinct categories: physical and mental.   Physical Differences   As Millennials, we did not have smartphones.  I graduated from high school in the spring before Steve Jobs revealed the groundbreaking iPhone.  Most of our computers were deskbound, and good laptops were luxuries.   Growing up in the 90s, our entertainment was split evenly between indoors and outdoors. When it came to outdoor activities, strolls in the woods, playing hide-and-seek in the neighborhood, and meeting at parks were not uncommon. Kids would meet outside to hang out, play games, and have fun. Sometimes, it would involve sports; other times, pogs, Pokémon cards, or other hot trends would capture our attention. Then there were indoor activities. Television, gaming systems, and physical games were all part of the mix. A major difference between Millennials and Gen-Z concerning television was access. In the 90s, we didn't have on-demand programming, so we would show up whenever our favorite cartoon was scheduled to air. Those of us tech-savvy enough would record it on a VHS tape. With games, we had to buy cartridges and CDs that were loaded to play them, and new features were not available unless you purchased a new version or expansion of a game. The best gaming companies were slow to develop but always put out mind-blowing entertainment.   On computers, having a spellchecker was a luxury. Yahoo! and HotBot were the search engines before Google became prominent. Our social networks included Classmates, MySpace, and Xanga. We couldn't chat with people unless they were online (but we could send emails). It was nearly unheard of to have typing speeds of 80 wpm.   For my millennial friends, I apologize for the amount of nostalgia that might’ve been.   Mental Differences   While the physical differences influenced our upbringing, they fall short of explaining many things. Millennials and Gen Z had access to good technology, education, and social circles.   So what's the fundamental difference?  Mindset.   Despite being close together in age, Millennials and Gen Z have staggeringly different viewpoints on the world.   Please note that these mindsets reflected my perceptions of both generations in their early 20s.   Millennials: This Is The Way It Is | Gen Z: We Can Change This   During our school years, Millennials were curious students who wanted to find ways to change the world. Our cartoons inspired us to find ways to change things in the face of adversity.   However, adults' influence on us was very strong. We grew up in a world where punishments were very effective, and our ability to speak out became less and less as we approached our teenage and young adult years.   Gen Z, on the other hand, has found different ways to collaborate with the older generations. Instead of harboring an us vs. them mentality, they have found ways to implement changes slowly and surely through cooperation. They weren't babied, though. Gen Z experienced multiple financial crises and lived in the post-9/11 era. Instead, Gen Z chose to cooperate rather than fight. From there, they are changing things from the inside out.   Millennials: Put In More Effort | Gen Z: Find Ways To Leverage   Work harder. Do more chores. Outwork the competition.   These are mantras that were shoved down our throats as Millennials. Slowly and surely, we believed that the only path to getting what we wanted was increasing the volume of our output. There is some truth to doing more, but how much more?   My generation became the first to discover the tipping point between work and reward. There isn't an infinite ladder that rewards more work indefinitely. Otherwise, everybody with a college degree and company front-line workers would be debt-free with millions of dollars at their disposal. Maybe life isn't all about working hard, after all.   Gen Z watched and learned from our mistakes as the curious individuals they are. Instead of working harder, they found better ways to work through leverage, weighted risks, and more.   Millennials: It Must Be Perfect | Gen Z: Make It Better   As Millennials, we were pushed toward perfection. We were always told to be in awe of perfection—perfect football plays, perfect trumpet playing, perfect test scores, etc. Any flaws were amplified and put on blast for everyone to hear. It was not unheard of to have teachers who would spotlight a student's mistake to embarrass them.   Gen Z took a more empathic approach to their shortcomings. Instead of being scolded for every little flaw, they were taught to acknowledge them and aim to do better next time. Life happens, after all. Instead of pursuing an arbitrary goal of perfection, Gen Z worked to improve things little by little, whether it was their skills, mindset, friend circles, or other important aspects of their lives.   Millennials: Stay In Your Lane | Gen Z: Branch Out & Question   As a Millennial, I remember how difficult it was to branch out and expand my horizons. Whenever I wanted to take a risk, people quickly reminded me to stay in my lane. It was common to discourage people from pursuing multiple passions–simply because we didn't have access to opportunities back then.   Gen Z grew up with an ocean of information and opportunity at their fingertips. Because they could learn anything they wanted to, this generation was able to reinvent themselves multiple times, and none of them are 30 years old yet!    Millennials: Be An Individual | Gen Z: Be Collaborative   The cartoons we watched growing up had a common theme: there was one hero, and everybody else was there as a witness to support them. Because of this, everybody aspired to be the hero so they wouldn't be sidelined. Therefore, Millennials always worked on themselves and tended to flex a lot on others. It was common to challenge each other, where the winner would take home gold and the loser would eat dirt. It wasn't commonplace to view losing as a learning experience back then.   Gen Z grew up loving teamwork. They are more likely to collaborate on projects because they realize that the sum is greater than the parts. That's not to say they don't work on themselves. They don't value individuality at the level the average Millennial does.   Millennials: Be Career Oriented | Gen Z: Be Your Own Boss   Oh yes. Millennials definitely drank the Kool-Aid. We were told to do well in school, get into a good college, take out student loans, get a good job, and pay them back. We've done just about all that... except for paying them back.   Gen Z questioned these norms and sought alternatives to the traditional college path, including starting their own businesses, becoming influencers, starting YouTube and Twitch channels, and taking other innovative paths to have control over their destinies. As much as it perplexed earlier generations and caused them to laugh at Gen Z, their bets have paid off.   Millennials: Know Your Stuff | Gen Z: Be Resourceful   Millennials grew up in the dawn of the internet. Even though we had access to information like never before, it wasn't collected in the way it is today: search engine optimization, large language machine learning, and other sophisticated ways of categorizing information. We had to search for information and collect it. There was always somebody who knew a lot about [X], and if you wanted to know about [X], you talked to Sam, Danielle, or some other self-made expert. They knew their stuff.   Gen Z grew up with nearly infinite learning opportunities at their fingertips. Thanks to their resourcefulness, they didn't have to memorize as much as their Millennial counterparts.   My Three Insights    Despite the differences highlighted in our generations above, I believe Millennials and Gen Z are closer than others. In some sense, Gen Z represents what Millennials would have been if technology had developed 10 years faster.   As someone who did not follow the traditional path that most of my Millennial counterparts did, I found myself with members of Gen Z more often than Millennials in college and beyond. After college, most people I met at meet-ups were also part of Gen Z. Through countless interactions, Gen Z's optimism, collaborative approaches, and resourcefulness rubbed off on me.   Here are three insights that have made me a more optimistic Millennial.   The World Gets Better When We Let Go Of Bad Traditions   The millennials were the first to question tradition. They started going against things handed down over generations, often calling themselves the terminators of such traditions.   Since we have access to the internet, we can see more of the world and how people interact with one another. We are no longer confined to the geographical area where we were raised. Now, we have access to perspectives worldwide through different social media platforms and forums.   However, Gen Z had access to all this from the start. As a result, they could program themselves earlier in life to let go of traditions and find ways to create their own happiness and success.   Most Deadlines Are Utter Bullshit   Gen Z represents one of the first generations that does not hold themselves to bullshit deadlines.   I'm not talking about deadlines on corporate projects or school assignments.  I'm speaking primarily about the deadlines we impose on ourselves to achieve our goals.   Many traditional goalposts have been moved down, including when to marry, start a career, and go to college, as well as other established traditions in the 21st century. They're even having children much later than any other generation before them. What was expected in our 20s is now happening in our 30s. What's expected in our 30s is now happening in our 40s. The cycle continues onward from there. I didn't get to do many things in my 20s, and I now realize it's okay. I have time in my 30s to do so, and I look forward to continuing to do so once I reach my 40s.   Nothing Needs To Stay The Same, And That's Okay   Have you ever gone to family gatherings where everybody reminisces about good old times? Indeed, there will always be memories that we hold and cherish dearly, but the way we cherish these memories is different today than 30 or 40 years ago.   Gen Z has relentlessly embraced newness, something no other generation has done. They appreciate their past experiences but tend to move on much faster than other generations. They're always on the move for something new, such as new experiences, friendships, romances, and more. Gen Z's ability to let go of the old makes room for the new. I used to be someone who would hold on to traditions and old memories. Now, I have joined my Gen-Z colleagues in appreciating my past, but I look forward to creating a better future for myself and others.   Now My Eyes Are On Generation Alpha   Gen Z has taught me many valuable life lessons. In fact, I would say I've learned from every generation and hope to incorporate their best qualities into my daily lifestyle. It just happens that the most valuable lessons were handed to me by those younger than me. It might seem backward, but if we learn from our younger counterparts, we can inject new energy into the wisdom we hold from our experiences and collaborate to improve the world. Now, there's a new generation on the rise: Gen Alpha. I have the privilege of working with this generation as a freelance instructor and watching them bring new waves of optimism into the world. However, time will reveal how they develop and impact the world. I hope that as the baton continues to be passed from one generation to another, they continue bringing much-needed changes to the world we need.

Simplicity. A predictable but effective way of doing things. Simplicity removes the noise from a crowded, busy world and focuses on meaningful signals.   However, simplicity is not the ultimate solution to everything. There's a fine line between an excellent choice and a boring default. When does simplicity become an excuse not to try, stay in our comfort zones, or cater to boredom?   First, let's acknowledge the benefits of simplicity that make it an attractive choice. We'll analyze when simplicity works and where it falls short. Finally, we'll look at how to inject meaningful complexity into our lives to spice them up and make them more exciting.   The Beauty In Simplicity   Much like anything else, simplicity has its place when it works well. For example, we know that hosting convoluted family parties is stressful and filled with unnecessary drama. Uncovering better ways to hold simple parties increases our return on investment for our efforts.   In fact, new experiences that utilize simplicity are more approachable for those who may otherwise fear them.    For example, if a new piano student attempts to play a concerto head-on, they will likely be overwhelmed. The jungle of sheet music in front of them, multiplied by the pressure to perform, is a recipe for disaster. Instead, if the student breaks down the piece into simple building blocks, such as scales, intervals, and rhythms, they can master the concerto more effectively.   No athlete steps on the basketball court and dominates it. Serious aspiring athletes focus on simple techniques such as dribbling, foul shots, and three-pointers. Little by little, they integrate the game's building blocks into their psyche, which becomes second nature and entirely at their disposal as they compete on the court.   The most common and effective photos use simple composition. This is especially true for product and portrait photography. The subject stands out more because of the negative space, which draws the eye toward it.   Many disciplines, industries, and lifestyle choices benefit from simple approaches. It begs the question: when does it backfire on us?   When Simplicity Backfires   As said before, simplicity has its place. Wise applications of simplicity make our quality of life more approachable and meaningful, countering an overloaded life. Simplicity also gives us the greatest control over situations when it's available to us.   However, simplicity can only take us so far. The real explorations begin when we transition from simple to complex approaches to our craft. However, many people fail to push beyond that threshold out of fear. From personal experience, I've noticed that some people choke up and default to simplicity as a comfort move. While less risky, overusing simplicity has its drawbacks that are often overlooked.   So it begs the question, when does simplicity become a liability and backfire on us? There may be some telltale signs to look out for, including but not limited to:   The Leader In Charge Has A Low Lid On Their Potential   Good leaders surround themselves with skilled artisans who contribute to the picture. When leaders select the right people to be around them and allow them to shine, the results are spectacular and worthy of a standing ovation. As a result, people feel more drawn to watch and contribute.   In an ideal world, everyone would contribute their talents effectively. However, not everybody has the luxury of working under great leaders. Sometimes, these poor leaders (more like dictators) become offended when their followers outshine them, whether intentionally or not.   Instead of praising them, dictators gaslight and reprimand their followers for adding value. Consequentially, their followers dull their ambitions and stop giving their best work. Resentment overshadows and replaces inspiration as resentment grows until it reaches an unsustainable threshold.   At the tipping point, resentful followers rebel by causing internal sabotage, starting a competitive operation, or, in rare cases, outright confronting and crushing the dictator. The friction undermines the project's direction, and interest from contributors and watchers begins to wane into nothingness.   In all cases, it never ends well when ambitious contributors work for an insecure leader.   People Yearn For More   There's something to be said for using simplicity wisely. But that's the thing – it must be used wisely. It cannot be the default choice day after day. The less is more mindset only works so often until it doesn't.   People acclimate and become dull to simple and boring events. Their bodies may be present, but their minds wander to exciting things beyond their current environment.   If there's a principle to live by, it's that variety is the spice of life that keeps us on our toes.   When we find ourselves in dull situations, we must spice them up again. Otherwise, our experiences become a traditional collection of mindless husks rather than an engaged community that feels inspired to contribute.   Simplicity Is An Excuse To Avoid Meaningful Risks   Our comfort zones constantly lull us into becoming complacent and satisfied with the status quo. We know we won't wow anyone using this type of simplicity, but we're more afraid of slipping up, making mistakes, or failing because of our fear of risks.   People understand the true value of risk-taking more than ever before. Our culture swims in a sea of stories about the lavish rewards of taking risks, such as starting a business, winning the girl, receiving a GRAMMY, and much more.  People on their deathbeds never say, "Gosh, I wish I had played it safer, more comfortably, more simply…" They wish they had taken more risks to make their last moments more reflective.   To take risks, we must build skills. Building skills requires us to admit we're deficient in some way. Recognizing where we're deficient requires admitting we're not perfect. But then again, who is?   The good news is that we won't stay deficient forever if we take the right risks. We will build past it and reflect on how far we've come. Staying in our comfort zones and defaulting to simplicity because we're unwilling to take risks is nearly inexcusable when so many success stories exist.   The Competition Harnesses Complexity To Their Advantage   The greatest problem with simplicity is when the competition leverages complexity against us. Introducing complexity isn't necessarily a guaranteed competitive advantage, but someone who uses it wisely will become a commendable threat.   Artists know when to use complexity advantageously to communicate a different message that invokes new emotions. They don't need to pour all the colors onto the canvas to accomplish that. Instead, they are methodical about the complexity element displayed in their work. An accent here, some different textures there, and changing the colors in a few areas are enough to give the picture its unique definition. All of these additions add to the complexity of the image.   If organizations refuse to step outside their comfort zones, two types of driving forces—internal and external—will work against them. Internal friction occurs when an organization's more ambitious members revolt. Boredom and complacency are enemies of risk-takers, and they will do whatever it takes to feel alive again. Additionally, they may leave the organization to join a more exciting and dynamic team.   Then, there are external driving forces. When the competition takes meaningful risks and harnesses complexity well, it develops a new competitive advantage that's difficult to replicate. Their new marketing messages will bash the competition as one-trick ponies who cannot see beyond the immediate while creating an exciting aura around their product or service.   Injecting Complexity Into Our Lives   Let's start with one premise—complexity does not mean unpredictable and wildly flailing around randomly. That's chaotic, and chaos is rarely useful.   Complexity requires orchestration, rationality, and connecting the dots uniquely and compellingly. It requires us to analyze what's happening at a deeper level while keeping it approachable to those who want to understand it and leaving the rest in awe.   The good news is that if we can become comfortable with simplicity, we can also become comfortable with complexity. It's like riding a bicycle—the more we do it, the better we will naturally become with it over time.   We don't need to add dozens or hundreds of items simultaneously to inject complexity into our endeavors. Here are some easygoing ways to evolve our craft and become better with complexity:   Add New Elements Subtly To The Picture   Injecting complexity wisely requires time and patience through trial and error. Even the most imaginative or experienced people do not become connoisseurs at utilizing complex dynamics at first. Therefore, there's no need to hold ourselves to high standards or try to make everything work right out of the gate.   The best way to start is to find something small and throw it in the mix. Some subtle complexity elements aren't directly noticed but affect the endeavor's presence. Others are accents that pop out as you look at them.   Here are some example ideas:   Blending a countermelody in a live performance, Pairing 2-3 instruments to play a melody that normally wouldn't, Wide panning complex bell lines in a pop song, Adding new texture to a painting, Reintroducing a color cast into a photo, Doing a live demo of a skill in a speech, Coding an app to entertain the user while it loads,   …and so much more. I might do these things, but you might also have other ideas. Experiment a ton to find what sticks and what doesn't. Then, do what comes next.   Review & Evaluate The Net Value of The Contribution   Remember: Whatever we add to the mix must be done mindfully .  Making noise for the sake of making noise won't improve our work. Some colors are not meant to go together. Writing a melody and harmony with too much dissonance seldom works, and that's okay.   Adding complexity must yield a positive contribution, not an extraneous addition for complexity's sake. Elegant architecture contains bits and pieces of complexity that form a relationship with one another. The dots connect themselves naturally to render the imagery that captivates our imaginations.   As we reevaluate our additions of complexity, we should ask ourselves whether we are doing it for fun or if there's any meaning to it. The difference in the answers separates approachable complexity from pure chaos.   Change It Up   Adding complexity is an art and science with one simple goal: Engagement.  Our work doesn't need to be overwhelming and scare people, but it shouldn't leave things to be desired. Therefore, we need to aim for a happy medium found through our own experiences with trial and error.   Ultimately, we must recognize that whatever elements we introduce into our projects will eventually lose their luster. This is evident everywhere in art, science, and Mother Nature. In ecosystems, what works in one period won't work in another. When food webs are disrupted, the fittest organisms are suddenly no longer the fittest. They must adapt to new circumstances or risk perishing to reclaim their position. The same is true in human society. Today's best practices will eventually become obsolete. This is why we always open our ears to new music, our eyes to new art, and our minds to new experiences.    The freshness of something new and unexpected keeps us on our toes so that we can tell stories to people and build relationships. After all, the human psyche demands variety and change to stay engaged.    Unfortunately, some people aren't cut out for making changes to their craft and either give up or stick to it to become obsolete. If we get comfortable enough with injecting complexity, these driving forces become an opportunity to use creativity to our advantage.   The Beauty Is In The Balance   Simplicity and complexity have their places and times in our vibrant world. The pendulum oscillates between the two, where simplicity dominates nowadays due to its convenience.  With the emergence of AI, complexity is bound to become a selling point as we see how far we can push ourselves in conjunction with AI. As AI handles the simple stuff through automation, the human touch will become valuable as it adds complexity to our work.   Either side can be overused, but it's far easier to simplify than to complicate elegantly. Therefore, we should learn how to harness complexity wisely to control our skills, experiences, and outcomes in life. Then, if we need to dial it back and simplify the experience, we can choose to do so.   How can you introduce a little bit of tasteful complexity into your life?

We've all seen that one person who seems to do well in everything. In fact, we might be that person in our own lives as we search for answers on how to harness our potential. But why does excelling in multiple areas seem difficult, if not impossible, for most? Before we begin, let's get one thing straight: The ability to excel in multiple areas doesn't make a person better than someone who shines in one area. Some people are built to naturally excel in whatever they do. Instead, my argument is as follows: Most people can excel in multiple areas, given the right environment, support, and opportunities. But most simply don't right now. Systemic Influences Affect Our Ambitions There are systemic reasons for our current situation. Those familiar with the school system beyond high school are taught to specialize and focus on becoming good at one thing to become economically valuable as we enter the workforce. As a result, we justify giving up everything else to obtain economic security.   Psychologically, it's easier to remember what people do for a living if they stick to a single profession.  Imagine you have two friends, Rob and Suzie. Rob says, "I'm a doctor," while Suzie says, "I'm a production manager, photographer, and speech coach." Who will be easier to remember? We often recognize others as great in one area, even though they may have greatness elsewhere.  Examples include:   Albert Einstein was a great physicist who excelled in violin playing. Kobe Bryant was a legendary basketball player who was fluent in Italian. George Washington Carver was an agriculturalist who profoundly influenced music and visual arts.   It's as if everyone has some hidden Leonardo Da Vinci inside them, even though the world may never see or remember it.  Our inner artist starves and fades away as we cater to the world's demands, leaving us with only what we feed ourselves. An Unfair Advantage Or A Different Choice?   When we see others excelling in multiple areas, we believe it's unfair that they somehow hit the jackpot on skill and talent.  Consequently, we mentally blow these people out of proportion and believe they are out of reach.  In reality, they did a few things differently from the rest of us, which set them on a different path.   They know there's much to obtain for those up for the challenge.  The idea of doing one thing for the rest of their lives (or at any period) is an uninspiring, obsolete narrative that is losing its grip in the 21st century.   Specialization has its advantages, and everyone should aim to excel at what they do. But anyone can genuinely excel in multiple areas. There's nothing wrong with stretching ourselves as long as excellence is at the forefront.   There are many reasons why excelling in multiple areas and maintaining them is more possible than ever before, including:   More sources of free information and training, such as Google, YouTube, and ChatGPT, A mindset shift where people are more curious about what's out there than ever before, and Better technology is at our fingertips to increase the quality and quantity of our output and track our progress.   Despite all the resources available, the stigma against being skilled in multiple areas remains strong. As someone involved and competitive in multiple areas, such as engineering, public speaking, and music, I've had ample time to reflect on why this stigma still exists. After all, these are driving forces that I had to fight against to get to where I am today. There will always be resistance of some kind, but once you know what it is, it's much easier to overcome.   Here are five reasons I've distilled as to why it's difficult for people to become skilled in multiple areas, as well as some insights on how to overcome them:   I - The Deadline Illusion   Let's start by defining the Deadline Illusion.   The Deadline Illusion is a preconceived notion that we must learn, master, or achieve something difficult by a certain age.  Sports, performing arts, and lucrative STEM careers are skillsets where people feel under some deadline to make it or miss out forever.   Unfortunately, these deadlines are often cited as an excuse not to try.  It's easier to learn and master difficult skills when we're younger, appear more gifted, or have better circumstances.  However, life is long, and we are not guaranteed a second shot at learning them beyond our lifetimes.   In school, we are taught that if we cannot keep up with the pace of the curriculum, we are not cut out for these careers and should pursue easier subjects.  Our fate is determined long before our prime because we don't develop the same way as our peers.   Can't learn algebra in middle or high school? Don't bother studying numbers or going into a technical career. Can't dribble a basketball? Sports is out of your league.  Played a bad guitar solo in front of 200 people?  Forget any other music gigs.   And yet, nothing could be further from the truth.   Learning curricula are set at a subjective pace and do not fit all subjects and learning styles. After all, does it take the same 14 weeks to appreciate art as it does to master organic chemistry?   Of course not.  Organic chemistry requires far more work and dedication than art appreciation for most people.  Some students need to take organic chemistry twice to grasp it, while others can master it on the first try.  It all comes down to our willingness and ability to learn, and once we've mastered it, it's ours forever (with some upkeep). My Personal Transitions   Between high school and college, I decided to switch from a career in performing arts to a more technical career after the economy tanked in 2008.  As I transitioned, I had to be honest with myself because I was not the best student in high school.  I never made it past Algebra II or Biology.   After taking an honest inventory, I recognized that I would rebuild my foundation in math and science again.  I elected to be put in more foundational classes my freshman year, where I would lay every brick carefully as I built my career from the ground up.  I knew that my progress would be slower, but I was willing to accept it as the price to achieve it.   The difference this time was that STEM was my primary focus.  In my first year, I catapulted from a C student in high school to an A student in college.  It was painful to watch people my age learning concepts 2-3 years ahead of me and feeling behind, but I knew my turn would come soon enough.   Year after year, I made difficult transitions and pivots where I was advised of impending failure, but I pushed through it anyway.  After 8 years of college, I transitioned from a performing artist to graduating with a B.S. in Environmental Science and an M.E. in Chemical Engineering at Age 28.   I may have been a starving artist if I had listened to people who told me it was too late to change direction. It Comes Back Full Circle   However, I did not give up performing arts entirely.  Instead, I decided to pursue them at my own pace.  It was initially slow, but a few key breakthroughs made it worthwhile.  Along the way, I developed other skills during and after college, including:   Coding: Age 32 Church Music Director: Age 29 Entrepreneurship: Age 31 Music Production: Age 34 Poetry: Age 30 Photography: Age 26 Public Speaking: Age 25 Saxophone: Age 35   Some of the above skills are perceived to be nearly impossible to build and pursue beyond high school. This is where the power of transferable skills and mindset comes into play to overcome the barriers of reality that prevent many from doing the same.   II - The Mindset Trap   Another major reason people won't skill in multiple areas is mindset. How we approach learning and mastering new material boils down to our beliefs and motivations. False Narratives   Oftentimes, budding professionals skilled and passionate in multiple areas are mocked and ridiculed by those who are jealous.  They often hear sayings that are often distorted, such as:   "Jack of all trades, master of none!"   "You can't be good at everything!"   "You'll never be a master going all over the place!" As they hear them repeatedly, they give up their ambitions to fit in with their work tribe. The fear of being ousted, losing a job, or having a difficult life is perceptively higher than pursuing their greatness. Why These Narratives Are False These baseless claims assume that transferable skills are nonexistent. It also assumes life is a zero-sum game. This occurs when people incorrectly apply scientifically true theories in hard sciences, but they are irrelevant in social sciences. Often, people do not want to be perceived as having surface-level skills across the board, even if that's not true. This perception assumes that building skills is a zero-sum game and synergistic benefits in building multiple skill sets do not exist.   Professionals in multiple areas know all too well that these stigmas are false.  For example, the first saying is an incomplete quote from Shakespeare.  Here's its complete form:   "Jack of all trades, master of none, oftentimes better than a master of one. "   Shakespeare recognized that those who could adapt and build multiple skill sets often defeated one-trick ponies.  Despite what we've heard before, it's not the strongest who survives – it is the most adaptable. Adaptability + Curiosity --> Progress   Adaptability begins with our mindset. It's been shown that having an attitude of "Sure, I'll give it a try" has a much higher chance of success than "I don't think this can work". The difference is in how optimists visualize the outcome, even if reality deviates from their initial vision. Visualization techniques can accelerate learning and mastering a given skill when performed correctly. Our visualizations should not be based on our wildest fantasies but on our knowledge of the laws of reality and how they relate to what we want to create. The caveat, of course, is that we shouldn't confine everything strictly to reality. We should always test the limits to see if there are exceptions. That's how inventions once perceived as impossible, such as the car engine, airplane, and cell phones, came to fruition.   Curiosity is a subtle ingredient that can make or break a person's ability to cast a wider net. Many people have attempted to expand their horizons after feeling inspired, but when they hit a brick wall, they stop trying (thinking they've hit an illusional deadline!).   On the other hand, the curious know that failure is a stepping stone toward success. If this weren't true, science would never work, as it often discovers more of what doesn't work than what does.   An adaptable and curious mindset will take apart toys, learn how each nut and bolt contributes to the machine, and put it back together similarly or by trying something new.  They aren't under the Deadline Illusion to make it happen instantly – they will take their time to see what happens.   Their curiosity leads them further along the journey, where they might forget to check some boxes.  But as they look back to see where they started, they think the journey has been fun.   The adaptable and curious also know that some prerequisites must be mastered to advance in life.  What stops a lot of people is the most overlooked part of casting a wider net:   III - Gaps In The Fundamentals   We are taught to master basic skills, typically when we are younger and more willing and able to learn them. For example, basic motor skills, speech and verbal abilities, and absorbing common knowledge make up most of our mastery in our younger years.   As we learn more advanced skills, we forget the value of fundamentals, which serve as our foundation for advanced mastery. Unfortunately, teachers and managers don't have time to coach people to work on these skills, and the latter demand that they be mastered through behavioral interviews. Neglecting the fundamentals is a long-term force that aggregates over time. At first, it may not seem like a big deal, but as we advance, it starts to show. As a result, skill sets built on top of weak foundations become unstable and crumble under pressure.   All skill sets combine a unique combination of fundamental techniques and knowledge.  As we dissect these sets into elementary components, it's easy to recognize the overlap many skill sets have.    Therefore, it's important to strengthen the foundation of our 101s.  When done correctly, their mastery will synergistically benefit more advanced skill sets across the board, no matter how far apart they may appear initially. Know When To Rebuild   Tiger Woods rebuilt his golf swing from the ground up.  During his journey, he recognized that there would be performance costs along the way, but the benefits would overshadow those costs.   Personally, I have been working on breath control and support as my current fundamental skill to strengthen.  As I've expanded my music performance capabilities into new wind instruments, I recognize that I have a significant advantage already, having grown up as a competitive trumpet player.   However, some hacks I used for short-term gain have backfired. I hit a wall with my brass playing using improper techniques, affecting my stamina. Now that my circumstances are far less competitive, I have set aside time to work on these fundamentals more carefully. Breath control and support benefits not only playing wind instruments but also public speaking, meditation, and other skills where breathing is at the core.   Investing in the fundamentals is the easiest way to improve many skills simultaneously.  The stronger our foundation, the further we can go in more advanced skill sets.  Fundamentals do not replace putting in the time to master advanced skills. However, going further won't be sustainable if the foundation crumbles beneath us.   While I have some luxuries in devoting time to new skills, it does not mean I have unlimited time. Like every adult, I must acknowledge that my time is limited because of what comes next.   IV - Adult Responsibilities Become Present   Being younger and in school gave us two major advantages over adults.    First, our job was to learn and master new material. We didn't have old habits to unlearn, which, if we're lucky, requires 3-10x the effort. Additionally, we benefited from jumping into more modern skills and avoiding obsolete skillsets that the older generations had to learn.   Second, we were not burdened with adult responsibilities such as paying rent, managing a household, and other time-consuming duties.  Other obligations may take hold, depending on our luck and life choices.  These include raising children, taking medication, and other small inconveniences that tax our time and energy.   As adults, we inherit all of these responsibilities whether we like it or not.  As much as we might want to do other things, these priorities take precedence, and ignoring them comes with consequences that range from annoying to severe.   However, many adults have proven they can minimize the required time to maintain their responsibilities.  Using tools such as calendars, reminder systems, and task lists, adults can find powerful ways to minimize the impact of a busy life from interfering with their abilities to continue developing themselves.   What comes next can truly make or break an adult's ability to expand their horizons.   V - Poor Choices In Leisure Activities   Growing up, most people are taught that leisure activities are a reward for a hard day's work.  After half a day of hustling in the daytime, we naturally want to find ways to unwind and forget the woes of the day.   Unfortunately, most of these activities do not move the needle forward, so most people feel stuck in one place.  Instead of using their free time to learn new skills and expand their horizons long-term, most people will engage in short-term pleasures that act as a band-aid to their problems.   Watching television, drinking beer, smoking, and scrolling on social media are common examples of destructive time (and money) sinks.  However, any activity has the potential to lead them down the wrong path and prevent progress.   When we already have minimal free time due to our adult obligations, expanding our skill sets over someone with all the free time becomes excruciatingly harder. Overcoming Short-Term Pleasures  Why do we cave into these short-term pleasures if we know our leisure activities are important? We are wired and conditioned to do so.   Think about it––there's no guarantee that tomorrow will come.  The Earth could be struck by an asteroid similar to the one that wiped out all life on Earth millions of years ago.  A war could break out that ends in nuclear armageddon.  Another pandemic could break out and disrupt everything again. When I lost my engineering job during the pandemic, I didn't want to think about my engineering career again. Instead, I pursued my inner artistry and entrepreneurship and no longer cared about the outcome. Yet, somehow, I got lucky after a few years.   So why should we care if everything we built over the years could be wiped out instantly?   It's because even though tomorrow is not guaranteed, there is a very, very high probability that tomorrow will come. The same applies to all days thereafter.   Therefore, it's statistically our best decision to think about the activities that we do long-term. Here are some small considerations that compound and create a lasting impact:   Instead of watching television, why not do a workout that will give us more energy long-term? Is it possible to do both and get the best of both worlds? Instead of spending money on cigarettes and lottery tickets, why not save it for a guitar that could be a creative outlet? Instead of going to the bar and drinking our sorrows away, why not spend an evening helping those in need at a soup kitchen? Instead of using YouTube to watch mindless videos, why not watch a tutorial on a skill we've been itching to learn or advance?   Nobody said these changes were easy, and I won't pretend they are either, but they are worth it.   The Secret To Expanding? Start Small   No change is easy.  Hoping for an overnight miracle is a recipe for disaster.  Pain is often an immediate effect we experience when we set out to change how we approach things.   However, waiting until the end will be nearly impossible as we await our final breath.   Being skilled in one area certainly does not mean we have to sacrifice in another. This would negate the synergistic benefits of expanding our horizons. However, we must ensure we widen our net wisely and expand sensibly.   Some good questions to ask that touch upon these points include:   Is there a deadline I assumed would affect me that hasn't? Is there a small aspect of my mindset I can change now to view my situation differently? What fundamental techniques and knowledge could I work on, knowing I'm not in a rush? What adult responsibilities can I put on autopilot to free up more time What activities must I eliminate, and what activities can I start weaving together?   Answers to these questions can slowly and surely unlock hidden doors for us. The compound interest accrued from changing our mindset will be small initially, but the further we go, the more profound its impact will be on our long-term goals and interests.   Not sure where to start?  For most people, addressing the Deadline Illusion is a great first step.  Asking ourselves and being honest about whether we hold ourselves to the deadline to learn or achieve something can liberate us to gain our second wind.  Sure, we may not be as young and energetic to pursue it, but we should be wiser and more able to approach it differently.   What's your next step in expanding your horizons?

There is no question that the educational system experienced significant disruptions during the onset of the pandemic. Suddenly, a clear-cut path for millions of students became murky as a source of stability was shaken. Teachers, administrators, and other contributors to education scrambled to figure out how to adapt to the new reality. New CDC regulations forced us to go digital, an avenue that was seen as intangible only a few years back.  Some school systems did not have the resources to adapt in time and canceled school for the remainder of the school year. This set back many students in their journeys, who were expected to pick everything right up when school resumed.   Naturally, the need for tutors skyrocketed to fill the gap. Online teaching methods had mixed effectiveness, and many students who were known to be engaged in the classroom struggled to adapt to the online format.   With everything going online, e-methods of delivering goods and services improved, and tutoring was no exception. To keep users engaged, new tools, such as whiteboards, annotations, and other interactive tools, were developed for these platforms.   Unfortunately, despite the tools, many educators do not know how to become effective in online instruction.  We all know the people who hop on meetings with the camera centered on their nostrils.  This distraction takes away from the experience.   As with most things, new challenges always present opportunities to apply creativity well.   Four Unique Ideas To Spice Your Sessions   While most prefer in-class instruction over online instruction, there are circumstances where online instruction may be the best solution. Travel, distance, and schedules often determine what works best for both parties.   However, I have found that working from my office enabled some creative ideas that couldn't be applied to in-person meetings.  Here are four of them:   –1– Play Background Music During Sessions   Adding some instrumental background music during your sessions may increase student engagement.  Finding music that caters to their taste becomes easier with private sessions or small groups.   If you're a musician, playing live background music while a student works is a great way to let them see another side of you.  For best results, use a MIDI keyboard or acoustic guitar and ensure it's plugged into an interface to your computer.   Playing over backing tracks may be an excellent alternative for other instruments, such as electric guitar, woodwind, or brasswind instruments. If you have a good voice, use that, too.   It's important to control your volume to ensure the music is clean and relaxing.  If the music is too loud and distorted, it will have the opposite effect and take away from the session.   In all cases, the music added to the session should enhance it and not distract from it.   –2– Use Separate Tablets For More Interactive Sessions   Just because a session is held online doesn't mean it needs to be passive.  Technology has advanced enough that people can now interact with digital materials.   There are ways to become interactive. Kahoot!  and other platforms allow students to click on answers.  Setting up these games can be great for warming up for the session.   When it comes to the real work that students need to do, it's best to use tools to stimulate real learning.  This involves building muscle memory and mapping out concepts to connect them uniquely.   Over the last three years, I have found Microsoft OneNote and a stylus-driven tablet to be an effective combination. OneNote is free, and you can create custom notebooks to share with students. Any tablet with a stylus, such as an iPad Mini, Samsung S-Series Tablets, and other alternatives, is sufficient.   From OneNote, I assign problems in mathematics, which students complete on their own tablets. I can see their work on the problem and correct it in real time. I've also used this approach for physics, chemistry, and other classes that involve documenting steps to solve the problem.   Additionally, these tools are great for sharing content, creating custom homework, and giving students tools they can view from their phone.   –3– Invite A Guest Speaker   There's no better way to spice up a session than to introduce a new human being. When someone new is in the mix, everyone becomes curious about what the new voice offers.   A great guest speaker adds fresh insights to the material.  Additionally, the speaker can act as part of a panel to create a more engaging dialogue where the guest speaker and we take turns and make mindful interjections to enhance each other.   When inviting a guest speaker, ensure they have a good stage presence, are confident in front of the camera, and are subject matter experts.   –4– Use Multiple Monitors   Multiple monitors are not only for people who write code or run a large enterprise. These days, it’s very easy to access multiple monitors and set them up appropriately.   The platform on which sessions are run usually takes up a full screen. When we need to look up different resources, it can be awkward to fumble around, clicking things on a single screen until we get what we need.   Using multiple monitors allows us to prepare things on the side as a session runs to make the transitions smoother. Additionally, if we don’t know something, we can do the research on the side, digest it, and keep the conversation going fluently.   Make Your Online Sessions Memorable   Delivering the best experience in running an online session comes down to knowing your audience. What kind of students are you working with? How do they stay engaged? We know they can be on their devices a lot since their Discord servers and YouTube videos, so we should be able to achieve the same amount of attention!   It all comes down to thinking outside the box. We will lose their engagement if we only try to teach the lesson. After all, they are not in the room with us, so if they want to leave, they have to click end session, and they’re out the door. "Whoops, my Internet slipped!" –Every Bored Student Ever   Meeting online is convenient for us, so we can make it as engaging as possible and make it worth their time, as our students may learn something new.   I make my sessions more interesting in four ways, but many more are out there! Got a clever hack for online engagement? Share it below!

Personal development draws many of us into a journey of crafting a better version of ourselves in many facets, such as personality, skillsets, mindset, and more. Every time we gain insights from experience, we add another tool to our personal development toolboxes to deal with future challenges. Most insights are acquired in two ways: (i) externally from books, seminars, or other people, or (ii) internally from personal reflections, subconscious processing of experiences, or actively working on exercises that transform our experiences into personal value. As we discover throughout our journey, we are built uniquely in terms of personality, skills, and abilities. Any two people could be working on similar or deviant facets at any given time. Unlike school or traditional courses, there is no prescribed journey with an end goal identified from the beginning. Progress in personal development is never linear nor one-and-done; it is a cascading journey. An area that represented a strength or asset for us long ago may have been neglected over time, requiring it to be a focal point to sharpen this season. The only thing that experience provides in personal development is better discernment of what we need to work on. One of the significant keys to meaningful personal development is recognizing that our options do not yield equal investment returns. For example, an athlete with little artistic talent and ability might experience a marginal return on investment through working on their painting abilities compared to a budding artist gifted with a lot of creative potential but seeking structured instruction to master essential painting techniques. While some personal satisfaction may be gained from the athlete trying something out of left field, if their goal is to transition their careers to continue making a living, they have a high probability of facing a major uphill battle. As the athlete continues attempting to make breakthroughs, their (lack of) progress may shake their confidence and make them feel derailed. Athletes past their physical peak will often pivot into public speaking and coaching careers because they understand the mindset required to become successful athletes. These skill sets are built alongside their physical abilities since they’re required for execution, unlike their artistic abilities, which might be far less relevant. However, remember that the best growth options for a transitioning athlete are a function of their circumstances, personality, and current skillsets. We need to be mindful when picking what facets of life to pursue growth to ensure that our return on investment is as high as possible, ultimately making us happier and more fulfilled. Majoring In The Minors Hinders Relevant Growth Unlike the athlete described––who maintained unilateral control over their personal development and career transitions––some people are not as lucky. It’s commonly known that the majority of young professionals find themselves under the leadership and management of others who may either be (i) subpar as professionals themselves, (ii) unfit to provide fitting growth advice, and/or (iii) don’t have their best interests in mind. The dreaded performance review is infamous for nitpicking the smallest caveats in a professional’s performance, often blindsiding them by amplifying trivial matters when their important metrics are met or exceeded. Suddenly, a star performer with a minor and inconsequential flaw will major in the minors to please leadership, which costs them their performance next quarter and the company valuable productivity. While destructive growth can come in many shapes and sizes, there are some underlying themes to watch out for when receiving advice. One of the best things we can do is approach this advice as a believer and a doubter to enable us to discern which direction is right for us. Here are some common trends to look out for: A One-Size Fits All Approach Before personal development became more personalized, solutions to personal problems were prescribed blanketly. These solutions were often more suitable for those in the military, who were required to adapt to the presented solutions. For those who don’t have a military mindset, this type of advice results in a lot of hit-and-miss. Examples of this type of advice might include: “You just have to work harder.” “You have to keep your mind off of this and focus on that instead.” “You don’t work as hard as person X, therefore you can’t expect to have Y.” “You have to take class X to understand this.” “You need to have every detail polished for this to work out.” There might be some truth to what is said above, but the solutions are either overgeneralized, convoluted with extra bells and whistles, or completely insufficient/misaligned with the problem. Unfortunately, mentors and teachers who have naturally broken through some of their toughest challenges cannot comprehend how it takes others longer to overcome them. Consequently, the mentor’s growth advice is a poor match to their mentee’s situation, which produces more grief than relief. It’s unlikely they are giving unfruitful advice out of malicious intent, but rather because they’re inexperienced at helping others with similar struggles. Advancements in psychology have confirmed that different people produce different responses to a given stimulus. Therefore, using a uniform solution to a problem that may stem from many different sources is a recipe for missing the mark and creating more frustration. Intentional Tire-Spinning Advice This type of destructive growth advice is usually more malicious. Intentional tire-spinning advice occurs when an authority figure assigns their mentee busy work to make them feel like they are progressing. The time spent on these meaningless activities is taken away from other relevant activities that move the needle forward. Several examples below clearly demonstrate intentional tire spinning. A false mentor may keep someone busy or running in circles with trivial matters that don’t develop a mentee and sabotage their progress. A maligned manager may assign an employee a series of tasks that don’t matter to the organization and sabotage their chances of a promotion or, worse, increase the justification for letting them go. Ineffective teachers may give high-performing students busy work instead of assignments that extend and challenge them to perform better. These cases are unified towards a common theme: paint a picture of making something insignificant become the primary focus for someone, and then blindsiding them with the truth. In the worst cases, these malicious authority figures will gaslight the person in question for not knowing better and then dismiss them dismissively. This outcome creates a destructive ripple effect in the personal development community. New mentees seeking direction tend to lose trust in themselves to discern right from wrong and believe that growth is a sham. Additionally, future opportunities for legitimate mentors to provide the guidance and advice necessary to achieve those desired breakthroughs may be stifled. Misaligned Personal Development Aspirations This type of destructive growth occurs when someone is unsure of the next steps in their personal development journey. They may be juggling a few to dozens of next steps, but they cannot discern what is best for them. To combat indecisiveness, mentees may default to a few options to avoid stagnation. For example, if someone they respect is working on something, they should also be working on it. While the spirit of competition from inspiration can be fruitful under the right circumstances, their selection may not be the best option for them at the time and cause them to derail. Additionally, they may have experienced a minor bump in their personal development and believe they must do whatever it takes to correct it. This occurs when they forget to do something and become embarrassed about it, which causes them to hyperfocus on something minor and hinders progress in the majors. While misaligned personal development aspirations may be harmless in the short term, since a lot of personal development requires trial and error, laser-focusing on these minor avenues in the long term will hinder progress and create personal despair in its wake. Your Minor, Inconsequential Flaws Are Put on Blast Have you ever had someone tell you that you were good at your job but that there was one thing they didn’t like, and if they could improve that one thing, it would be perfect? The aspect they don’t like seems so trivial at best, and you know deep down that if you changed it, the level of improvement wouldn’t match the energy invested into it. We’ve all experienced it to some degree. We attempt to remedy this minor flaw by seeking perfection to prove them wrong, which is admirable on paper, but the return on investment is marginal compared to other things we could be doing. When we engage in these pursuits, we give them the power to manipulate our actions towards pointless side quests instead of pursuing what’s right for us. Leaders and managers must find and spotlight the smallest flaws in employees' performance in organizations with toxic cultures. They can’t give a perfect review because leadership would be accused of lacking a critical eye for reducing costs and improving operations. It’s unfortunate, though, because the money they anticipate saving by denying an employee their raise is spent training their replacement after the current employee realizes how toxic it is and gets out of there. The most effective employees, entrepreneurs, and freelancers realize that perfection should not be sought after in all areas. Instead, they leverage their strengths in key areas to progress in their businesses, careers, and crafts. Their pursuit of something more meaningful is making more impact than their quest to alleviate every chink in their armor. How To Detect & Eliminate Bad Growth Advice Initially, the line between beneficial and destructive growth advice is hard to differentiate. Our personal development journeys require trial and error, experience, and meaningful reflection to discern the difference better and pick what to work on. Unfortunately, some of us aren’t able to question the advice being given due to what’s at stake in our situations. However, we must question the validity of all growth advice we receive. Most of our situations are temporary, which opens up options for discerning constructive and destructive growth advice. Here are some tactics for detecting and eliminating bad growth advice: Differentiate The Major & Minor Aspects of Your Personal Growth In This Season Everyone is working on different facets of personal development, whether they are mindful of it or not. Some people are working on how they are perceived, some are working on their skill sets, and others are working on difficult transitions. However, personal development without context is seldom fruitful. For example, someone looking to work in a field with people might be better off working on their likability rather than a technical skillset so that they can relate to people. An athlete who isn’t sure how to nail the start must figure out a personal rhythm for themselves on when to expect the cue so that their start isn’t too early or too late. We need to drill down to a handful of options because we have nearly unlimited options on what we can do. Some will make a minor impact from this handful of options, and a select few will make a major impact. Selecting and executing major impact action items makes all the difference. Indeed, every chapter of our lives comes with new circumstances. We need to recognize that the things that worked in one chapter aren’t guaranteed to be as effective in the next chapter. As a result, we need to evaluate our personal circumstances objectively in every chapter and highlight the actions that have the highest probability of producing the best results. The best way to do this is to document it in some form. Making two columns for circumstances and actions is enough for most people, whereas those who love sophisticated flowcharts might benefit from visually seeing the cause and effect behind them all. Documenting is important because it will hold us accountable for success in this chapter, but revisiting what we’ve put on paper is equally, if not more important. This is where we get to see how accurate our perceptions of our circumstances are and make changes. Two things happen when we do it: (i) we get humbled and learn to adjust course, and (ii) we become happier with our results. Apply & Measure Their Advice Temporarily To See If There’s Any Merit As we have discussed before, when given gross advice, we must approach it with both belief and doubt. Sometimes, we don’t want to believe what we hear, but there may be some truth to it, so it’s our responsibility to handle it accordingly. Whenever somebody gives you gross advice, you should ask them what they measure and how it affects the result. Tell them that you’re going to start with a couple of minor things and build up momentum, but in the meantime, evaluate the significance of their advice and see if it has any merit. Once you’ve tried it out for a short amount of time, you should evaluate it and then return to ask if this is the progress they expected. In the best cases, they will agree and then back off. In the worst cases, they will pile on more things, which proves their pettiness even more. Once you know they’re doing it for the sake of pettiness, you should look for workarounds against their advice. Aim to get out there and find the people and environment that work better for you. Ask How Their Advice Compares To What You Perceive Is Important If you’re feeling bolder or in a position where you can converse with the person, you should. Often, people give advice, thinking that you haven’t thought about a particular situation and that specific actions can affect the result. You can surprise them by showing them your point of view, clearly communicating your metrics, and showing what you believe is the key result. In the best cases, you can open up a dialogue and find some middle ground between what they perceive to be important and what you perceive to be important. From there, both parties can converge on a plan on what they believe are important next steps and be on their way. It’s important to note that even though we know ourselves relatively more intimately than others, the perspectives of others are still important and should be considered when developing a plan for our personal growth. See If Anyone Else Has Similar Experiences This point comes from personal experience, but I once had an unsolicited mentor reach out to me and offer help to grow my career. Being young and ambitious, of course, I said yes. She invited me to a business leaders’ luncheon, where I met this mentor and proceeded to meet her with other people. While listening to a few fantastic speakers during the luncheon, I kept getting bad vibes and weird stares from her. It’s as if my willingness to learn and pay attention to the speaker somehow bothered her. I decided to focus on the speaker, keeping in the back of my mind that this could be a red flag. After the luncheon, she pulled me aside to get to know me better and see my career aspirations. As she asked me questions, I answered them and gave her some backstory here and there since we had gotten to know each other. In the middle of one of my answers, she blurted out, “You talk too much.” What. The. Hell. I said I didn’t understand, and she proceeded to ramble about how I talked too much about my career aspirations. She made me completely uncomfortable, and I decided to get out as quickly as possible, feigning that I had an urgent phone call to make (thanks, Tim Ferris). Later that week, I met with some business leaders who knew of this person. They told me of all their off-the-wall experiences with her and even said that I wasn’t the only one she ever did this to. I knew then and there that my intuition was correct when I got weird stairs from her after the luncheon. I received an email from her the day before, but decided not to respond until I saw counsel from these business leaders. After confirming my suspicions, I replied that I was no longer interested in her advice, automated all her emails to junk mail, and disconnected her from social media across the board. Admittedly, my experience left a bad taste, and it took me a while to trust mentors again. However, many principles came into play that restored my faith in mentorship, knowing that she was just a bad apple out of the many great mentors who are potentially out there. I’m sure many people out there have had similar experiences. We’ve all had a situation where we were new to an organization and kept getting feedback from a leader on something we weren’t sure why it was important, only to be told by our colleagues that they do this to everybody. This goes back to avoiding blanket advice and intentional tire spinning, where leadership has no interest in helping its people. For The Bold — Stand Up To The Source This final tactic is only for the boldest and bravest. Those who can stand up to the source usually have options to see alternatives and get away from the source if need be. When the evidence is mounting, and there are no reasonable doubts about whether a source is acting maliciously or mindlessly, the boldest and bravest should confront the source and let them know what they’re doing is either wrong or unintentionally steering people in the wrong direction. We all wish we could do this, but only a few of us will be able to pull this off successfully. In the case of mindlessness, letting somebody know their advice is not helpful may be the best thing you can do for them. Their intentions may be good, but they’re unable to adapt to new circumstances in which advice no longer applies. It’s important to note that approaching these situations with the highest level of emotional intelligence is essential for keeping the relationship intact while addressing an issue. On the other hand, there are times when standing up to malicious mentors is essential for them to get knocked off their rocker. There’s no guarantee of the outcome if we decide to do this, but in some cases, it may feel better to have at least tried than to hold the pressure in the bottle. Should we stand up to malicious mentors and leadership, we must assume full responsibility for all the risks involved. Remember - Advice Must Always Be Applied In Context There is no surefire way to flag bad growth advice. Advice should be taken in the black-and-white context, including what you’re reading right now. Advice that works when starting up a business doesn’t necessarily work to maintain it, just as the advice we heard for applying for jobs a decade ago has become more irrelevant today. The best we can do for ourselves is increase our awareness of the potential effect of bad, gross advice and use our own experiences with the experiences of those we trust to discern for ourselves whether the advice is given to our advantage or disadvantage. In the end, nobody has a perfect batting average for applying gross advice correctly, let alone discerning what’s best for them and what’s not. The next time somebody gives you growth advice, keep these tools in your back pocket. You can analyze what’s good for you and what is told to work against you. You can apply these tips wisely if you know your situation better than most people. Do you have any stories about a time somebody gaslighted you with bad advice? Share them in the comments below!

In every stage of life, we develop a vision for ourselves as the basis of inspiration towards a better life. Whether that milestone involves a hefty promotion, a move across the country, or pushing the button to start an ambitious endeavor finally, we all have visualized our desired outcome and imagined the incredible feeling of arriving.    Personal visions aren’t reserved solely for the ambitious.  Even those who aren’t 10x’ing and rereading their goals religiously have some vision for themselves.  The magnitude of their vision doesn’t matter — all that matters is that they have some vision for themselves.      It may be to achieve a simple and peaceful life, living in a simple home, surrounded by a simple family, and doing simple everyday things that give them some sense of routine and normalcy.  I’m sure we can picture a happy farmer in the Midwest sitting on his porch as the sun rises on a new day.    On the other hand, the mighty vision may involve putting a dent in the universe by becoming the next billionaire, inventing the cure for cancer, rising as a pop star, winning a prestigious award from a highly revered organization, or a combination thereof.  The thoughts of Olympic athletes, solo artists, and billionaire entrepreneurs come to mind.    Statistically, we are highly likely to live long lives. This is good news as it means we will encounter many opportunities during our stay here. Therefore, we want to make our lives worthwhile as we venture through the major stages from childhood to retirement.    However, a high life expectancy doesn’t guarantee how our stories will be written.  The books of our lives may entail a complete and rich saga, whereas others may fall tragically short.  Despite the possibility of an abrupt ending, we can only plan for our lives long-term and be thankful for each page we continue to write for ourselves.    Doing ABC Never Guarantees XYZ   One of the greatest misfortunes of growing up is that we subliminally absorb the expectation of being rewarded for our actions. While this noble ideology only truly works in full unity, it is a human construct without a backing natural law to heighten the chances of compliance in a structured society.    In school, we’re taught to sit down, be quiet, and listen carefully to our teachers. We must do what they tell us to do, and if our actions align with their instruction, we are rewarded for it. This cycle repeats itself thousands of times and becomes ingrained in our psyche over the course of a decade.    According to our experiences, rebels who fail to comply will face the consequences proportional to their disobedience, while those who follow their marching orders strictly will reap the benefits. As a consequence, we expect some shiny reward in exchange for compliance, and it infuriates us when we are devoid of the reward.      A rebel who is a complete jerk to others and messes up everything might win the lottery, become elected for a prestigious office, secure a major business deal, or catapult their fame sky-high.  These rule-breakers laugh in the face of consequences — often winning through their means and unpredictability as their renegade nature causes friction with conformists.    Likewise, a stickler who checks all the boxes treats everyone with respect and obeys the rules still risks ending up empty-handed through no fault of their own. Their lack of reward bewilders them.  In the most extreme of cases, rule followers might experience a mental breakdown and reverse their mental polarity on how they see the rules.     Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard summarizes a situation we’ve all experienced firsthand in 16 words:    “It’s possible to make all the right moves and still lose.  That’s not weakness, that’s life.”     While Picard’s wisdom may provide reprieve in the lens of reflection, it’s difficult to apply his truth in the heat of the moment.  As soon as our hard-fought efforts miss the mark, the inquisitive dams in our minds break and flood us with questions, including but not limited to:    Could we be settling?  Were there a few things we missed that we should have done to unlock our desired result?  Were we following incorrect information?     Naturally, it’s easy to lose sight of our current situation while navigating through the gauntlet of “what-ifs” in hopes of rectifying the damage.  However, nothing is more excruciating than fixating on achieving a single result, no matter the cost.  Therefore, it’s important to explore how to change our paradigms of achievement so that we can better retain our sanity.    This One Trick Will Increase Our Personal Satisfaction   There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to improve the situations that affect us and those we care about.  That internal flame inside us has existed and been passed from generation to generation, modernizing our lives by leading to breakthroughs in social structures and inventions by controlling our environments.    The key to harnessing our inner flames is changing how we use them to handle deviations in reality against our ideal outcomes. Some of us have a tolerance that can handle the variations that life throws at us. For the rest of us, we hold firm to a vision (almost to a fault) and want to achieve that vision.      But what if reality unfolds far differently?  How do we respond to it?  There is one major change we need to implement for ourselves:   Instead of aiming for a single outcome, we should open ourselves to a range of acceptable possibilities related to our vision.    For those with idealistic tendencies who see the world in black and white, this is the hardest paradigm shift we will ever make, but it is the most worthwhile.      As a former idealist, I once believed that shifting towards accepting a range of possibilities was a form of settling. When I recognized possibilities that ended up better than I imagined, I embraced crafting a range of outcomes going forward.    This shift in my approach toward achieving my visions led to another realization:     While an ideal outcome may serve as a great starting point, in most situations, achieving results that are close to that vision is all that’s necessary to make progress.     For example: A sales team aims to close a lucrative business account worth $250,000 for the deal.  However, what is the context and meaning of that $250,000 achievement? Is it possible that closing it for $215,000 will be well within the range of considerable possibilities, especially if it means there’s a higher probability of securing recurring, long-term business?    Professional negotiators know that both parties will reach their extremes initially to ensure room for navigation toward their required goals.  Therefore, if a sales team attempts to close an account for at least $200,000, they will start the conversation at a higher number (such as $250,000) to ensure they can maneuver and land the minimum target.     This game of tactics and psychology projects the appearance of making concessions and settling.  While the sales team may act as if they are disappointed in not achieving their desired number during the conversation, they will be elated and celebrate with each other in private once the contracts are signed at the minimum viable number.     Auditioning in the arts is another example of aiming for various outcomes.  Actors, musicians, and other performing artists may aim high for those lucrative lead roles in every audition, but may end up landing supporting roles.  While their results are not ideal, it is better than a full-on rejection. As a result, they have opportunities to perform and increase their viability for future auditions.    Other situations include offering an ideal home, landing the best trajectory for business growth, responding to a hostage situation to ensure the best outcome, and much more. Unfortunately, we live in a world of incomplete information and will never truly know the best possible outcome. Thus, maintaining flexibility to adapt to reality helps us become happier and achieve more in the end than if we only act to secure perfection.    Adjusting Our Dreams For Reality    Let’s start with a bold premise that needs to be explicit:    Adapting to reality is not the same as settling for reality.      When we settle, we give up and allow reality and others to steamroll us in their ways. Settling is the same as tattooing “my influence means nothing” on our backs, as we allow ourselves to be swayed by external whims.    However, when we adjust our dreams for reality, we become negotiators at the table of reality through our actions and luck.  Being negotiators allows us to converge with reality and slowly shape it into a range of acceptable possibilities related to our desired vision.    Here are a few things to consider doing to maintain resilience in our continuous negotiations with reality:    Have A Written Plan   Maintaining a concrete vision in writing is an insurance policy to ensure our vision is viable as the world changes. When life gets chaotic and busy, our vision blurs as we lose sight of our North Star.  Having our plans in writing increases our resilience severalfold in the face of turbulent scenes.    The written plan doesn’t need to be elaborate; it can be as simple as a catalytic paragraph that inspires and reminds us of what we want and why. Some people are good at keeping their visions down to a single word, whereas others need to describe them vividly.     Regardless of our camp, having our visions in writing is an easy first step to ensuring that we stay on track.  However, some of us might struggle with writing it down because we don’t know what to say.  Here’s a technique I’ve used to get the ball rolling rapidly:    Use your device’s speech-to-text feature on your preferred notetaking app. Open a blank page; from there, hit your speech-to-text button and talk it out.  Aim for volume, and DO NOT EDIT, even if the documented words don’t initially match what you said.  Let the words pour out, no matter how incoherent you believe it will sound.    Read it over and save that note.  Shortly after, open another blank page and do it again.  Repeat the cycle until you say it the way you envision it.  You’ll notice that with practice, you will be very precise in what you say, and it will become more tangible.  Once you’re a few rounds in, if you need to do some final edits to dial it in, go ahead by all means.    Now you have a starting point.  Keep it handy for what comes next.    Reread The Plan More Frequently In The Beginning    It feels incredible when we finally have our visions documented. However, many people make goals (think New Year’s resolutions) and then soon forget them. As a result, these visions become documented and are buried under new notes and dreams instead of being manifested.    Therefore, it’s important to keep our plan in an accessible spot where we can reread it to reinvigorate us as we adapt to each passing day.  Whenever we document a note, we must ensure we can quickly reach it.  Using reminders and features in the software to keep it pinned and having accountability is crucial to ensuring this step is achieved.    As we reread it, one of two things will happen: (i) we will embrace our vision and steer more of our daily activities toward its achievement, or (ii) we will rewrite our vision to become clearer and more aligned with what we truly desire.    Even as our documented vision takes shape and influences our actions, we must revisit it at a frequency that works for us.  Once our vision becomes burned in our memory, our actions will become second nature and in alignment with it, no matter how turbulent the journey becomes.    Document The Range of Possibilities   This crucial step is the catalyst for our desired paradigm shift.  As progress unfolds, new circumstances and information will reveal themselves, engaging us to make new decisions on handling them in our next steps.      Now, we need to figure out what’s likely to change due to our new discoveries.  If we stick to the course towards achieving our ideal vision despite new challenges, we risk incurring irreversible costs that will defeat the purpose of our quest.  We must acknowledge — but not necessarily accept — the new circumstances in play.    Here are some questions to consider that will widen the scope of our possibilities:    At a minimum, what needs to be achieved to be happy with the outcome?  Is the vision I’m trying to achieve truly mine or a pipe dream that someone else projected onto me?  Are there variables that appear influential on the surface but do not influence the final results?  Am I majoring in the minors to stay busy or maintain focus on what counts?  Did I miss the puzzle's initial pieces essential to achieving my vision?    While these questions are great starting points, we should modify their verbiage and use them to fit the context of our situations to mold the range of possibilities that would bring a sense of accomplishment.    As we answer these questions, explicitly documenting their answers with the underlying context is paramount to maintaining personal resilience when life throws curveballs at us.    Revise The Plan Again & Again   Even if we somehow got the details of our vision right from the get-go, our visions should be kept as fresh as possible. Similar to how new seasonings can rejuvenate food we’ve grown complacent about, rewriting the vision with clearer, vivid language provides the spices to revitalize our efforts toward its achievement.    In bringing our vision to life, the why should remain consistent, but the how is subject to becoming radically different from our initial plans. New disruptors—such as advances in AI—can accelerate our execution in bringing our visions to reality, but we need to embrace and understand how to adapt to them.    Read The Stories of Others   The stories of others inspire us to know that we’re not struggling alone. Each story starts by elaborating on a situation, the causes of tension and resistance they faced, and ultimately, how they overcame their struggles to achieve their desired vision. This is one of the few principles of human life that is bound to stay as our species continues shaping the world around us.    The key premise is to read their stories as both believers and doubters. We should believe that they brought their vision to life because that’s something we’re looking to do for ourselves as well. However, we must maintain a healthy skepticism concerning the story's details since people tend to spice up their stories to increase engagement.      It is statistically impossible for someone to know all the details of the story they are telling today before they experienced it in the past.  Thus, understanding that not everything may have happened is crucial to knowing that your reality will not unfold with fireworks.  However, the fact that they overcame struggles of some kind to achieve their vision is noteworthy.    Determine The Marginal Returns Gained From Exceeding The Minimum    As our situations enter a range of possibilities we deem acceptable, our hope and confidence tend to elevate that we can achieve our ideal vision.  The temptations will kick in to inch us closer and closer to clinching the victory we seek.  As a result, we will push the envelope further to see if it’s truly possible.    We might know of some classic stories of people who were a few steps away from the dream and either pursued it in full or decided it wasn’t for them.  The former decision is more romantic and catchier to those setting out to achieve big goals, while the latter might result in a poor review of a plot line on Rotten Tomatoes.      When the latter decision is made, it’s easy to assume they quit out of fear of success or simply chickening out. However, as long as we view the story from a third-person perspective, we will never know all of the first-person details that justify ending it then and there.    The decision to call it a day boils down to the marginal returns from proceeding further. Whether we continue or quit, we must determine whether the perceived marginal returns justify the additional expenses incurred. If the answer is yes, then it’s natural to continue; otherwise, we throw in the towel and accept our result.    Never Settle, But Remain Flexible    Remember that expanding the range of possibilities in our visions doesn’t mean settling for second place.  It’s our job to acknowledge that reality exists and adapt to unforeseen circumstances.  Additionally, what one person perceives as the holy grail of their vision might be perceived as a trash yard for another.    There are painful instances where we can only arrive close enough.  Sometimes, an alternate version of our vision is better in the end.  In rare instances, we can achieve our vision exactly as we first saw it.      Above all, we must prevent ourselves from remaining stagnant until the perfect time arrives.  Reality is subject to change without notice, and this type of situation is never guaranteed.  Our visions of achievement today are bound to be obsolete a decade from today.    It’s time for us to think about an outcome we desire and expand our range of possibilities for obtaining it at long last.  What first considerations should we incorporate into expanding the possibilities of our vision?  Start there, branch out, and watch the magic unfold.

We all want to know – how did they do it? Are they naturally gifted, or is there something else that pushes them to excel in the classroom?   We hear of students who achieve great feats and assume they are naturally gifted.  It’s as if they won the intellectual lottery to understand anything and don’t need to put in the work.   And that’s hogwash.   Possessing some baseline level of intelligence indeed accelerates the understanding of complex concepts. However, many factors influence students who make the Ken Jennings of academia with their ability to achieve whatever they set their minds to.   However, if brains were the only component that determined student success, then a single result from an IQ test would determine everybody’s destiny.  But we know that's not how reality works.   There must be something else that separates high and low performers.   The Ingredient of Separation   There is a fundamental ingredient in education that separates students in their achievements that, when mastered, unlocks doors for them that nobody can see. It’s as if this ingredient gives a passport to grasp whatever comes their way.   And that secret ingredient is curiosity.   From my experience, the students who perform the best and/or improve the fastest are the ones who become the most curious. This could be because they find some relevance to their lives or because mastering the material makes them powerful.   When I work with students individually, I always try to uncover what brings them to life instead of asking them what they want to do for a living.  Students rarely want to discuss what they want to be when they grow up, but they will always lead conversations about their interests and passions.   From there, it's all about relating the subject material to their interests and watching them run with it. I admit I have that luxury because I work with individuals or small groups.   Unfortunately, when students enter a classroom, they often feel they’re being talked at.  As a result, they have an " us vs. them " mentality that makes the material the obstacle instead of the way. As a result, they put up barriers and look only to do the minimum work required to be successful in the class.   Once they experience a memory dump on an exam, they ensure that the material never enters their minds again.  Because it doesn’t get integrated into their intellectual banks, they must put in extra work to refresh their minds.   On the other hand, curious students always look to build relationships between current material and past experiences. They don't always look for grandiose relationships but focus on subtle aspects to build relationships with the material and their everyday lives. These small investments make the material stick with them naturally.   From Algebra I to Precalculus in ONE YEAR   One summer, a parent contacted me to work with a student who wanted to test into Honors Algebra II at their school. The student got an 'A' in regular Algebra I and was taking Geometry over the summer.   Our goal was simple: ensure that he scores high enough for admittance into the program.   As I worked with this student over the summer, I noticed he grasped the material faster than anticipated. He put in additional work between sessions to amend any deficiencies I detected.   What was more interesting was his curiosity about how these concepts were built into future classes.   Before he could take the test, I asked him if he thought he would be challenged enough in Honors Algebra II. He wasn’t sure, but he said he was unsure if he could jump into the following class.   I told him to take the test, and we would discuss whether, based on his result, we should skip Algebra II and jump into Precalculus.   He aced the entrance exam into Honors Algebra II.   Despite my confidence, the student, his mother, and I discussed the risks of jumping straight into Precalculus. The student expressed his sincerest desire to take the risk head-on.   The family appreciated my approach to teaching, and they stated they were going to ask me to work with him in Honors Algebra II. I assured them I would work closely with the student to fill the gaps as he jumps into Precalculus.   His school held extreme reservations about his enrollment in Precalculus. However, the student and his mother assured the school he was ready, citing his past track record, entrance exam, and secret weapon to master it… me. He had to sign a waiver from the school to accept all responsibility for the outcome of his decisions.   It was risky, and learning new definitions right out of the gate caused some turbulence. However, the student's curiosity and resilience showed through every challenge, and he persevered.   Exam time came, and he scored in the lower 90s on his first test. This reinforced my confidence that we were right on track and needed to dig in a little bit harder.  Naturally, the student was up for the challenge.   After the second test, he scored in the high 90s, and his teacher pulled him aside to personally congratulate him, stating that everybody was skeptical about his decision to take Precalculus.   We continued working throughout the year, cementing all deficiencies while building bridges into the real world.   This student earned a solid 'A' in the class in both semesters.   I want to think that I was the reason for it, but his curiosity was the deciding factor in his performing at such a high standard. All I had to do was correct them along the way.   Per the waiver, he had to accept the outcome of getting an 'A' in Precalculus.  Not too shabby, right?   The following year, he aced Calculus and got a 5 on his AP exam. I wasn’t surprised in the least. Increasing Natural Curiosity  Naturally, the student in the story above was curious before his parents called me.   I must admit—this is a rare case. Not many students have an innate curiosity about school material, but curiosity can decide whether students accelerate their progress or proceed at a normal speed.   He wasn't a bookworm, either. He was also active in soccer, participated in his church, played the piano, and had a tight group of friends. In fact, working with him opened doors to working with his friends, too.   Other mothers from his friend's group contacted me to work my magic with their students.  Unlike the first students, the new students hadn't figured out what they were naturally curious about in their studies.  I knew it was my job to help them figure it out.   Once we uncovered what made these students tick, their performance naturally ramped up, and they went from their baseline score to achieving in the 90s.    Here are some methods that I used to increase the performance of students to either keep them as high performers or ramp them up into that league:   Pick A Starting Point   Most students have no idea where to start. Subjects often offer an endless number of topics to examine. Despite the choices, the worst thing to do is wait, and wait, and wait… until it’s too late.   We don’t need to wait until the teacher covers some subjects.  Resources such as textbooks, YouTube videos, and other support materials allow students to explore topics that interest them.   I know some students in AP World History who choose to study the 1900s independently. The class may have covered only the 1200s, but now they have two different eras to compare. This provides a framework to bridge the gaps between those 700 years, giving students opportunities to connect the dots.   The goal is to start somewhere, whether it’s a theme, a word, a picture, or a mathematical formula.  From that starting point, make connections.   Tie The Subject To Personal Experiences   There is ample opportunity to tie a subject to our own experiences. A basketball player may be interested in the physics and mathematics governing a crucial three-point shot. An art student may draw inspiration from Paintings from a history class as inspiration for their work.   While not everything learned in the classroom will apply to our lives, we can find more relationships between class material and our realities than may first appear. It comes down to our preferences, experience making connections, and even our friends that determine whether these connections are easy or challenging.   The goal is to personalize the material being learned to take greater ownership. When we do, we will have more mental references to remember the material than somebody who goes for straight rote memorization.   Have ChatGPT Water It Down   AI has emerged recently as a heavy hitter with its capabilities. While far from the perfect tool, ChatGPT can help us understand concepts that appear complex at first glance.   When engaging with ChatGPT or other large-language models (LLMs), it's important to craft your prompts carefully to achieve the desired results.   For example, let's say you're struggling with understanding the properties of logarithms.  You may wish to start the conversation as follows:   I am struggling to understand what a logarithm is and why it's useful in math.  Can you start explaining what a logarithm is?   Wait for it to respond.  From there, you can treat it conversationally in many different directions.  Examples of follow-up questions include:   Why do we use logarithms in math? What practical applications are there to logarithms? When are logarithms used in history/sports/[subject of interest]?   You don't need to limit it to these options either, or only go to one.  The more questions you ask and engage with the responses, the more your curiosity will flow.   Engage In Conversation To Grasp The Subject   Everything in life has a connection.  When we learn subjects, we often want to lean on documented sources such as books, the web, and videos that we can use at our leisure and discretion.  These sources are valuable but are not fully responsive to our curiosity.   However, there is another source of wisdom: people.   People are living, breathing fountains of wisdom and knowledge.  If there's a common language between senders and receivers, we can fully grasp the messages we send to one another. Even those who may not have full command of the language understand the intricacies of vocal inflection and body language.   You don't need a subject-matter expert to make this happen, either.  It's often advised against purely hiring a tutor unless the tutor is excellent at having such off-the-wall conversations, or you desire to pursue a field long-term.   Having another person involved can make a dramatic difference in whether a subject is interesting. We all know teachers who make subjects super approachable. We can also find this in our peers, who may share these curiosities.   Practice Curiosity Regularly   Curiosity is a cognitive muscle that must be exercised regularly.  We are all born curious about the world around us.  As we begin grasping our native languages, we tend to ask questions… lots of questions.   When we were younger, our curiosity muscles were strong. Unfortunately, negative feedback mechanisms and systems of compliance slowly atrophy these muscles. As we become more conditioned, we are taught to do the bare minimum and nothing more.   It is not our fault that this happened to us, but our responsibility is to fight against it and become curious again.   Through the methods above, we can practice curiosity, which leads to different ideas and allows us to connect the dots. The best way to become more curious is to get started now instead of waiting for something to light us up.   Only then will we create our own path toward satisfying our curious expeditions.   Explore Your Own Interests   Becoming more curious about the world around us is just the beginning. By exploring new paths to learning, we embark on going where no one else may have gone yet. This is a good sign because it allows us to become more engaged in the world.   Subjects in school have the same demeanor when it comes to curiosity.  All we need to do is devote time to exploring our interests so we can find relationships with the subjects we study.  This increases the ownership of material, and a student's academic performance will increase as a byproduct of this approach.   What subjects are you curious to explore?  I think I'll dive into quantum mechanics again, but let me know your interests in the comments below!

The HP Prime is a powerful mathematical modeler that fits in your pocket. It's thinner than an iPhone or about the same thickness as a Samsung S22 Ultra.   Of course, it begs the question – why get a calculator if your phone can do what it does, too?   It's true that we have access to great apps such as Wolfram, ChatGPT, Desmos, and other mathematical software. However, outside of being a student, a high-powered calculator doesn't seem to be much use.   But there's a commodity at a premium these days, which makes the investment worth it for our numberphilic community.   Focus.   That's right. When you pick up this calculator, you don't have incoming calls, texts, Slack messages, and other distracting notifications running in the background.  All you have is a high-powered calculator to explore your mathematical inquiries.   An undistracted expedition with numbers can begin with that commodity now within reach.   Key Features   There is so much competition in the calculator space. Texas Instruments (TI), Casio, Numworks, and many others produce great calculators.   So what about the HP Prime that has me addicted to it as a full-time freelance math instructor?  Let's explore.   Intuitive Input   The HP Prime has an intuitive input interface that focuses on ergonomics. The display uses a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) interface, so there is no question whether you typed your mathematical expressions correctly.   A common mistake I see with students is incorrectly entering numbers in the denominator. In scientific calculators, this is fixed by using a set of parentheses before inputting the denominator, but most students forget to do that on tests and when they study alone.   The HP Prime makes it easy to know whether everything was input correctly. The calculator formats the operations on the left and produces the answer on the right, whether it's a number, algebraic expression, or variable values that make an equation true.   Computer Algebra System   The Computer Algebra System (CAS) is a program that handles algebraic expressions.  With built-in CAS, solving most algebraic expressions becomes child's play.    Most major competitors have a CAS-based calculator, including the TI-Nspire CX CAS and Casio FX-CG-500. However, I've used them both and feel they lack features that the HP Prime houses.   The HP Prime's sheer number of options and lightning-fast speed make it different. The menus are stacked with functions across all disciplines of math. If the user is unsure how to use a function, they can hit the help button to get a full demo of its uses.   The CAS features are great for students in upper-level mathematics, including precalculus, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, engineering mathematics, and more.    Touchscreen   We're all used to touchscreen devices. Our phones, tablets, and specialized electronics, such as the HP Prime, are now modernized with touchscreen interfaces.   Navigating a calculator with only the buttons and enter key has been a consistent challenge for students as they hunt for the right combinations on the calculator.  The HP Prime adds a new functionality layer that decreases the required time to get results.   Where the touchscreen shines is with graphs.  Most students are used to manually reframing their graphs through a window module on other calculators.  With the HP Prime, you move around the graph with one finger and pinch in and out for zooming.   Did I mention the graphs are produced lightning-fast as well? It's true –– whether the graphs are 2D or 3D. The CAS produces them quickly, while the touchscreen will make exploring fun and engaging.   Dark Mode   Dear developers –– dark mode is a necessity in 2024!   We all know that. However, some companies have become complacent about developing their technologies because they don't believe they need to innovate. I won't call out any companies here, but if you know, you know.   Hewlett-Packard understands my frustration entirely.  This calculator was built for engineers and students who work long hours on problems and projects.   With dark mode, it's easy for students to use their calculators late at night without the unnecessary brightness produced by other backlit calculators.  All the colors adapt to dark mode to make them easy to look at and understand.   Built-In Apps   The HP Prime comes with over a dozen built-in apps, ranging from graphing simple functions to analyzing large datasets. The icons are also color-coded by type, making finding the app you're looking for easy.   While the apps that are built in will solve most problems, more can be downloaded from its website: https://www.hpcalc.org/prime/apps/   The Only Drawback   While the HP Prime has much to rave about, a drawback must be highlighted, particularly for students.   In short, the HP Prime is too powerful for some classes.    Particularly, any Algebra II or the first half of Integrated Math II and below will not permit a calculator with a built-in CAS.  Some college instructors do not permit it, either.  The SAT/ACT and other standardized tests have also banned the HP Prime.   In these scenarios, other CAS calculators won't be permitted, either.  There is a way to disable the CAS System, but most proctors are not familiar enough with the HP Prime to allow it.   Therefore, it's best to have a cheap backup calculator to graph and run scientific functions when encountering these situations.   As always, check with your teachers and instructors to make sure you can use the HP Prime.  Most engineering classes permit it, but there will always be one or two who don't allow anything above a scientific calculator.   Excellent For School AND Industry   The HP Prime is a great calculator that will serve students well beyond their years. A well-equipped CAS calculator can make a major difference in class performance. When doing homework, having the ability to check calculations and solutions is a great advantage to ensure we're deploying mathematical concepts correctly.   Understandably, not every student will pursue a math-related career.  Like other calculators, it holds its value rather well, so they can resell and recoup most of their costs.   For the rest of us, it's a great tool to keep handy in the industry.  After all, learning math is not just reserved for the classroom.    It's a lifelong expedition that is similar to learning a language.  The more we use it, the more comfortable we become with it.  Learn the basics first, then connect the dots to more advanced concepts.   In fact, I'm still exploring different features of it after several years.   I've used it with clients to sketch mathematical models of their situations in industry.  People are always asking questions about its capabilities.   The zen-like nature of a distraction-free numerical workstation is great for starting projects before they need to be transferred to a more powerful workstation for some deep analysis.   When it comes down to value, the HP Prime is certainly the best investment. The company builds computers, so this calculator runs more like a pocket computer than a regular calculator.    No matter what your decision is for your professional path, you can say you had a pretty powerful calculator in your mathematical journey with HP Prime.

I was in my first year of graduate school, transitioning from my undergraduate studies in environmental science to chemical engineering. While there were knowledge gaps to fill, I overcame every academic challenge and brought a new perspective from environmental science to solve problems in chemical engineering.    I worked a rewarding assistantship my first year as the lead teaching assistant for a basic class in Numerical Methods for Scientists & Engineers . My responsibility was to oversee the labs and teach undergraduate students how to use MATLAB and VBA Macros in Excel to solve problems rapidly.    It was a joy to work with these students and hold extra sessions on the weekends. The extra sessions went above and beyond for many students, turning the tide for their academic performance and creating a new space to explore ideas beyond what the class required.    My academic performance was rock solid, and my reviews as a TA were superior.  Certainly, I would be up for an easy renewal, right? Rockstar Performance Meant Nothing For Renewal    Around the spring semester finals, my graduate advisor pulled me into her office. She said, despite my achievements as a TA and academic performance in transitioning from environmental science to chemical engineering, the department could not fund me for the following academic year.    I. Was. Absolutely. Shocked.      My plans to successfully transition into an engineering career dissolved right before my eyes.  As I left her office, my anger overtook me, knowing that my achievements meant nothing to the department.    Thoughts raced through my mind: Was my nonlinear career trajectory working against me? Will I fight an uphill battle forever?  I knew one thing was certain — I wouldn’t give up without a fight.    I Remember Responding To One Particular Email...    As I quietly stormed out of the engineering building and mentally planned an uprising with the department chair, I subtly remembered applying for an assistantship to become a STEM teacher in the inner-city schools of Syracuse.  Desperate and knowing that I had not received a rejection letter yet, I decided to redirect my energy towards that building.    I vaguely remember during my five-minute march of madness having to brush off a couple of people who asked me if I was OK. I let them know that I had business to take care of and that I must do whatever it took to get it done today. Determination overcame me as my eyes carved a path towards my target.      I locked my sights on the office where I applied for that assistantship several weeks ago. Although I was fuming inside, I calmed myself down before entering the building, knowing that making a scene would torpedo my final opportunity for good.    Even though I was calmer than when I exited the engineering building, I inadvertently opened the door dramatically by kicking the latch bar.  Luckily, nobody saw it.  I scoped the office and approached the front desk. No one was there, so I sat down to wait. A few minutes later, the receptionist came in and asked how she could help me. I asked to speak with the person in charge of hiring for that assistantship.    The front desk informed me that they had somebody lined up to interview at that time, and I would need to schedule a time to return.  I felt that it was my final chance, and I asked frantically if the person interviewing was here at this minute.   Almost on cue, the director came out with a big smile and said that the person they had intended to interview decided not to show up, so he wanted to interview me instead.  It took a second, but we recognized each other from my undergraduate days when he invited me into his office.    After roughly an hour and 15 minutes of catching up and discussing the opportunity, he asked me, “We have 25 positions available, so how would you like to be number 25“?    “I would be honored,” I replied to his request.  Suddenly, the crushing blow I had been dealt in the engineering department had been countered in full.    I asked him if I had not come into the office, when I would have been interviewed.  He said that I applied much later than everyone else, so he was planning to interview me in two weeks if they had any positions available.    Thank goodness I kicked the door down. I could not have secured that assistantship if I had simply waited my turn.    Relieved and invigorated with a second wind, I returned to the engineering department in a more zen-like state.  I reported to my graduate advisor that the inner-city educational program offered me a position, and she was extremely relieved.    I also met up with the friends I brushed off inadvertently and let them know the good news. We all celebrated!    What I Would Have Done Differently    This was probably one of the toughest lessons I’ve ever learned. It taught me that even though I was in a prestigious field, I could not take anything for granted.     Skills and abilities don’t mean a thing if an opportunity isn’t available. Instead of assuming that things would play out in the end, I should’ve done my due diligence to ensure that my original assistantship would be renewed or seek out other options in advance.    If I were in that same position from my graduate school days again, here are some of the overarching pieces of advice I would give to myself:    Never, NEVER Assume    Just because I was awarded an assistantship in my first year doesn’t guarantee its continuity.  I fell for the mindset of believing that if I did ABC, then I would be guaranteed XYZ.    Life doesn’t work like that, even in school.   In hindsight, I should have communicated with my advisor to gauge the department's financial state realistically and plan accordingly. There were other opportunities out there, but the longer I waited, the less chance I had of securing them.    Broaden My Options    While I was lucky that I applied for that assistantship to teach in the inner city, I should have broadened my applications for graduate assistantships to reach internal and external sources.    In truth, there were at least two dozen different assistantships I could have applied for. I may not have been awarded all of them since there were some stringent requirements for their award.    However, just like anything else, it is a numbers game. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and I missed all those I didn’t even try for.    Develop A System   Although I was an engineering student, I strung my career at the edge of my seat as I adapted to my new career aspirations.  Shameful, I know.    However, I knew I was following an unconventional career path from environmental science to chemical engineering. Therefore, I should have built an unconventional system to assist in my transition.    It doesn’t have to be a robust system. Thanks to my assistantship, I was versatile in Microsoft Excel, so I could have put the major items on a spreadsheet and saved backups. This way, I would know exactly where I stood in my academic journey.    Nowadays, I have a robust system called The ForrestXYZ that oversees the major aspects of my life. Since there were no solutions to manage my lifestyle, I decided to be proactive and create one.    I Applied The Lesson The Following Year — Thank Goodness!    I wish I could say I experienced a happily ever after for the rest of my career, but reality has its way of playing out.    During my time teaching in inner-city schools, I had a feeling that this opportunity wouldn’t last forever.  There was an extreme mismatch between the role advertised vs. what we were doing, causing major tensions between the school district and the college.    From my previous experiences, I knew I needed to broaden my options. Thank goodness I did. During my second year, I built a great relationship with the head of the chemical engineering department.    I’m so glad I didn’t storm into his office when I got rejected for my assistantship the year before.    My application for an assistantship with his engineering management team included a proposal for a personal development center for scientists and engineers. This project proposal went above and beyond the application requirements to completely differentiate myself from other applicants as an asset.  The proposal worked.    Talk about timing—the same week I was awarded that assistantship, the educational program director announced that the assistantship would end for everyone, effective at the end of the school year. Although the previous lesson paid off handsomely for me, many of my colleagues and their advisors were blindsided.    Suddenly, everybody else was scrambling to secure assistantships for the next year, and not everybody was successful.  Some took out graduate student loans to continue their education, whereas others dropped out due to a lack of funding.      While it was sad to see not everyone return for my final year, I’m glad I chose to apply the main lesson from my first-year experiences. My final year was the most fruitful, with the personal development center for scientists and engineers taking off and going on for years beyond my departure.    In short, never believe that everything will work out in the end.  Do your due diligence in every aspect of life, whether in school, business, or something personal.  Hopefully, my story and these lessons will help you avoid the same pitfalls and become more proactive in increasing your opportunities so that when the time comes to decide, the only real problem will be that you have options!

For centuries, the argument of improving skills or equipment has been ongoing with no end in sight.  The classical schools of thought dictate that skills are far more important than equipment.  In that era, the difference between raw effort and leverage was minuscule compared to their modern counterparts.    However, technological innovations that have exponentially widened the gap may start turning the argument on its head. Is it possible that acquiring better equipment is overtaking leveling up our skills, or does skill have some merit in the debate?    The Race    Imagine that you’re racing your friend across the country and have invested in the best racehorse on the planet.  You know it’s a young, sturdy horse, and you have a path of stables along the way during the summer, which should ensure that you and your horse will make it across the country without worrying about food and shelter.    Your friend chooses an economy-class vehicle to race you across the interstate from coast to coast. There’s nothing fantastic about their vehicle, but it’s reliable, and there are plenty of gas stations across the path to ensure it never runs out of fuel.    Which method is bound to win?  The vehicle, of course.     While you may have the best horse in the world, it cannot achieve the speed of a motor vehicle due to its physical capabilities and limitations.  Additionally, horses may experience unforeseen issues such as behavior, health, and more, even in the sturdiest breeds.    Cars can break down and experience issues themselves, but most issues with cars could be fixed within a few hours with a dedicated mechanic, whereas horses may require days, if not weeks, to recover.  The time it takes for a vehicle to overtake the horse when it hits the road again would be small compared to the entire race.    My Decision    Now, imagine choosing between skills and equipment on a skill set of your choice.  The ability to learn skills is plentiful in the 21st century, with an ever-growing library of YouTube Videos, books, and instructors available to show the way and fill in the gaps.    On the other hand, equipment faces a finite supply, with premium equipment being produced less than economy-style equipment. Premium equipment can be anywhere from 2 to 10 times as expensive as its economy counterparts. The barrier ensures less demand for premium equipment, creating less competition in the upper tiers.    When learning a new long-term skillset, if I had to choose between working on my skills or acquiring premium equipment:     I would select equipment first and seek to train on that.      While this decision seems counterintuitive, I can resell it for nearly its original price if I discover it’s not for me. I can then hit a ceiling with lower-level equipment and trade it in for pennies on a dollar, only to acquire better equipment anyway. The only exception I’ve found is software, which is generally nonrefundable since most equipment uses a subscription model.    Outside of that, here are my reasons for focusing on equipment acquisition first:     I’d Rather Know My Skills Are The Reason I Suck   Nothing is worse than training on something set up to fail.  When I was a teen, I bought and played a cheap acoustic guitar that I didn’t realize was warped, had high action, and required the finger strength of The Hulk  to put the strings down.  I thought I was weak, and the guitar was too complicated, so I lost interest.    Ten years later, I invested in a guitar set up correctly, and the chords sang beautifully.  I no longer needed to hammer the fingers of my left hand to get the guitar to speak.  My hands used minimal tension, and I could focus on training with new chord patterns, palm muting, and rhythms.    My returns on practicing were much, much higher.  Recently, I bought a professional-level bass guitar.  The action and craftsmanship made it far easier to glide across the fretboard.  Finally, in my 30s, I learned to slap because I bought a bass that was built well, and I know that the problem was in my right-hand technique.    The same applies to camera equipment, music production, bicycle riding, and more. Sure, I could have continued training on equipment, but my sessions would have been far less efficient than with superior equipment.     Still, it was impossible to determine what to work on without experiencing the benefits of using better equipment.    Unlearning Is A Very Intense Process    Unfortunately, being young and naive came with a nasty price tag regarding my skillsets.  While I progressed in my primary skillsets, making significant progress in others was impossible.  As my skills hit a ceiling due to equipment, I became uninterested in continuing the journey due to the marginal gains.    A life-changing technique I mastered in my 20s and 30s was learning to do things with the least tension possible. Because it was ingrained in me to put in more effort to create a desired result, breaking bad habits and making a paradigm shift towards leveraging techniques with a much higher payoff was complicated.   With a better guitar, I could maneuver around the fretboard more effortlessly than on the guitar with setup issues.  I hit higher notes with less stamina with a better trumpet and mouthpiece.  With better camera equipment, the post-production process was far easier to correct lighting, color, and detail.   One thing to note is that if you can’t pay top dollar for premium equipment, you can still start somewhere in the middle.  If you do, have a professional inspect the equipment, give you a demo, and provide their opinion on the strengths and challenges.  From there, it’s up to you to train and build your skills to the levels required to use the equipment properly and have more fun along the way.    It’s Easier To Mimic Results When Equipment Is Similar    Finally, skills training in any area is more effortless when we can apply it to the same equipment that professionals use.  While equipment doesn’t need to be exact, it helps when we learn from professionals who invest in their equipment to see how we can replicate the results they create.  This way, we know how they think and feel when using the same thing we acquired , and that whatever struggles we face are normal.    However, you will want your software to be the same and updated. Learning Microsoft Excel on a Google Sheets tutorial will be ineffective due to differences in menus, functions, and other vital aspects that will create frustration in training.  The same argument can be made for other types of software, such as Ableton Live and Logic Pro, Adobe Photoshop and Pixlr, Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides, Microsoft Studio Code vs. XCode, and many more.    By eliminating software and equipment barriers, we can eliminate the excuses that come along the way and focus on what counts more – the results.  Professionals use the best equipment that they can for a reason… why shouldn’t we?    What’s Your Choice?    To recap, I’ve had extensive training in several dozen skillsets in my work and hobbies to improve outcomes and find more joy in creation. Because I know the process of building skills thoroughly, the bottleneck for me has been acquiring high-level equipment and software rather than the skills themselves.    However, you may face different challenges due to your personality, learning appetite, budget constraints, free time to train, etc.  There’s no universal answer to the debate, so finding what works for each of us is vital.    What do you think works best for you? Comment below with your reasons.

Fireworks. Multicolored lights. Human voices engaging in complex harmonization.  All of these experiences feel magical as we immerse ourselves in the immediate.  The combination of dozens of ordinary things creates an extraordinary experience.    However, their assembly is no mere accident.  The architect of the masterpiece must carefully piece together the puzzle that reveals the overall picture to the audience.  Sequencing the pieces is a matter of taste and preference to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience.    Creativity is the magic that keeps us mentally young and in wonder.  Even the most hardened people open up to the whims of creativity.  Whether younger or older, male or female, left-brained or right-brained, creativity keeps us on our toes in anticipation of new experiences never imagined.    Our imagination expands through each application and experience of creativity.  Here are some exam ples:    A vibrant, textured wall full of color communicates excitement and makes us more alert.    A symphony with 100 musicians under a single baton paints an emotional audio message, harnessing every note played.    A stage full of choreographed dancers builds suspense through the increasing intensity of coordinated individual effort.    In each situation, individual contributions that otherwise appear random unite harmoniously to captivate the audience. Due to the beauty and elegance of a high level of orchestration, our senses kick into overdrive while we take everything in. The improbable outcome appears too good to be true, but we love it anyway.    However, creativity is not reserved solely for those with guitars, cameras, and paintbrushes. Everything around us, from the roads we drive on to the buildings we occupy, is the result of creativity to some degree.    Creativity Is Everywhere    Until recently, most people believed that creativity was reserved for the privileged few who were blessed with immeasurable gifts and talents. These days, thanks to the abundance of information and training available to everyone, these myths have been dissolving, allowing more people into these creative realms. However, despite the resources that showcase countless facets of creativity, many old-school views hold strong and fail to acknowledge the beauty of creativity beyond the arts.    While art is an abstract application of creativity that tugs on our hearts, invention is a more practical counterpart.  Applying scientific principles to engineer new products requires creative and critical thinking, whether creating a new product or improving upon an existing iteration.  Nowadays, everyone with a laptop can create their own software thanks to the plethora of resources that teach aspiring developers to code.    In social encounters, creativity is the cornerstone ingredient that keeps relationships fresh.  Couples who go on adventures use creativity to plan a day out or be spontaneous with each other.  Friends use creativity to crack jokes at each other to see who can get the upper hand — all in the name of fun and laughter.    Sports is another application of practical creativity.  Athletes use creative tactics to adapt to rapidly changing situations.  Coaches communicate creative messages to fire up the players and develop new plays to catch the opposing team by surprise.  Fans muster new chants to spice up the games they watch.    Businesses are not exempt from creativity, no matter their industry. Each must deliver market-ready products and services that require developing a competitive advantage. They often draw their ideas from their competition, customers, and in-house teams that bring internal and external experience. Without creativity, most businesses would become forgotten relics, and customers and competitors would carry on without them.    Without a doubt, creativity is in everything listed above and beyond.  However, creativity isn’t just a spontaneous occurrence.  Much like our own muscles, creativity is a mental muscle that can be built, trained, and harnessed.  The more we use it, the better.  If we forget it, we lose it.    Clever Borrowing & Combinations    When we think of creativity, it’s easy to fall for the misconception that only masters of their craft can use it, but this is far from the truth. There is a correlation between mastery and creativity, but we do not need to wait until we are complete masters to become creative.    What is the best way to become creative? Get started .  At first, we will have limited options, but being comfortable and well-versed with a few options is the key to becoming more confident in using our creativity.  As we master our craft to expand our capacities, it becomes natural to implement more relevant creative solutions to our problems.    Before we can discuss creativity more, we need to dispel a myth that has plagued societal perception for centuries and correct it:      Creativity is seldom abstract and pure.       We’ve all envisioned a creative who generates a grand idea from sitting in a room and staring at the wall.  Whether it happens in minutes or days, they seem to have an aha!  moment that changes the game as if they uncovered a missing puzzle piece.  However, creativity does not exist in a vacuum.    Instead, most creativity comes from connecting the dots differently by trying new combinations of existing things.  That’s mostly what it comes down to — combinations.  At first, it may sound depressing to view creativity this way, but it opens doors for more of us to become regular creatives.    In his breakthrough book Steal Like An Artist , Austin Kleon provides an engaging guide for creating our own work through the inspiration of others. In no uncertain terms, his recipe for becoming more creative is not to plagiarize other artists’ works but to take inspiration from them as we create our own.    By studying several other professionals we admire, we can distill essential principles and patterns that work and incorporate them into our work.  I like to combine this principle by averaging 5 different sources.  Five is enough to uncover common patterns that work without becoming involved in paralysis by analysis.     Borrowing is not only seen in the arts.  New inventions are crafted by assimilating older inventions to stand on the shoulders of giants.  Like how we crawl before we walk, successful inventors take products once considered breakthroughs and assemble them into a new cutting-edge masterpiece.    Here is a small list of inventions that were made through combining old things into new:    iPhone = Mac + Touchscreen + Cell Phone  Television = Radio + Cinema + Cathode Ray Tube  Airplane = Kite Design + Propulsion + Math & Physics  Automobile = Wheels + Internal Combustion Engine  Steel = Iron + Carbon + Trace Elements    Of course, these inventions incorporate many other nuances to become market-ready and operational. However, they aren’t the result of abstract thinking; they were invented by creatively combining existing products into a new design to serve a purpose.    How We Can Become More Creative Ourselves    With a new mindset on creativity to connect the dots, engaging in our own creative pursuits becomes easier.  We’re not expected to reinvent the wheel but instead use what we have already to make our work more engaging for ourselves and those it serves.    Here are a couple of ideas on how to become creative in the fewest moves possible:    Borrow Things That Work    It's worth stating again that most creativity involves borrowing and combining a few things to produce something remarkable.    When we think of our creative heroes, we should ask what we enjoy about their work. Is it their simplicity, delivery, or perhaps their confidence or attitude? What x-factor  do they bring to the table that sets them apart?    Whatever it is, we should try to incorporate it to some degree into our creative endeavors.  The goal is not to be a replica or imitator, as seen in Kleon’s work, but to become an incorporator of ideas in clever ways to inject some juice into our work.    Study Processes of Other Creatives    Psychologists and social scientists have always been fascinated with the creative processes of others.  They learn from these artists from an objective stance to piece together things themselves.  As honorable as their approach is, sometimes it's better to learn from the sources themselves.    YouTube is a treasure trove showcasing creatives willing to share their processes.  Most of these free demos are a way for them to bring in new clients, which is a great way for us to sample their creative methods to decide what we can use.    As we learn their processes, it’s wise to be cautious about what we see. We may watch a remarkable presentation and get a glimpse of what's going on, but we should never assume that everything we see is as it is .      It's best to learn from several creative sources and piece together aspects of their creative processes that make the most sense to us.  From there, we experiment, analyze, reflect, and adjust what fits us best and produces our desired results.    Use Curiosity & Reverse Engineer    The majority of creative work is the result of refined processes. Processes are documented and scrutinized in business and engineering for unnecessary redundancies, inefficiencies, and stages.    Creative processes follow a similar pattern to those of their engineering and business counterparts. However, most creatives are not known for documenting their processes because they're either in a flow state or do not wish to reveal their secrets.    This is where reverse engineering processes come into play.  Using our intuition, we start with the output and ask what the stage was before that. It will most likely be some refinement and final review. Then what comes before that? Maybe another refinement or to produce a draft or prototype. What about before? An outline, a template, or a written plan for execution.    Before we know it, the process is documented in reverse. It may not be 100% exactly how they do it, but now we have a baseline template for creating our work and filling in the blanks.  We have to switch the arrows and start from the beginning.    Understand That Perception Plays A Massive Role    Magicians are known to be magical for one reason: mastery of perception.  Their sleight-of-hand and visual illusions make their tricks appear more mysterious to those who don’t know their creative ways.    Perception goes beyond what is seen and heard.  How we feel about artists and businesses is much bigger than what we see and hear.  If we look at some of the most popular brands, they are not necessarily the best at what they do, but have the biggest relationships with their consumers.    There's an old saying that what is popular is not always the best, and the best are not always popular.    With creativity being such a subjective outlet for our imaginations, it's challenging to gauge whether somebody else's work is better.  All things being equal, as long as a minimum threshold of skill and quality is achieved, the question of who is better becomes a matter of personal preference over objective scoring criteria.    The old saying goes that one man's trash is another man's treasure.     Therefore, we should not hold ourselves to producing a world-class result right away, but instead focus on a starting point prototype that can stand on its own two feet. From here, we figure out the gaps and what steps are required to transform a good product into a great product, from great to incredible, and then from incredible to world-class.    Create In Small Steps    As we discussed earlier, our goal as creatives is not to achieve a remarkable result immediately but to get the ball rolling for ourselves.  Therefore, baby steps to build confidence in our creative abilities are necessary to watch the magic unfold before our eyes.    Another principle in our creative ventures is to aim for volume initially.  Pottery makers often start by spinning several pots at a time, knowing some will have defects beyond their control.     It’s important to note that nobody has a perfect batting average in any creative endeavor.  Creatives aren’t under the same scrutiny as others regarding their percentage of success.  Even the most revered artists have discovered multiple defects, especially in the beginning.    However, to work out these defects, it’s important to focus on the small steps that permit complete focus on that stage.  Instead of writing a symphony, start with a melody.  In place of building a great machine, focus on the frame.  Starting with small steps will lend itself to the momentum of the larger elements we seek.    Now Let’s Create!    We are creative in more ways than we think.  We don't need to be involved in the arts for our creativity to flourish.  All we need to do is find a profession, hobby, or activity where we can apply ourselves and let our curiosity and imagination run wild to tinker with our craft.    It's tempting to wait for the right moment to act.  It's easy to get in the mindset of “ if only we had more tools, knowledge, or other things at our fingertips, everything would fall in place ” before starting. Far to the contrary, sometimes a lack of tools, ignorance, and other limitations are better for us to become resourceful.    A simple setup to provide such an opportunity is with a pencil and paper. We can start by drawing our letters, lines, or sketches for an idea. We don’t need to commit to being calligraphers or sketch artists, but our improvements to become more creative will transfer to theirs.    Finally, becoming more creative is not always about being goal-oriented.  Creatives immerse themselves in the moment and respond to their options.  When one path is chosen, they travel it until more options present themselves, then choose repeatedly.  Before they know it, they’ve connected the dots uniquely in ways never seen before.    Where will you unleash your creativity to let your imagination run wild? Leave a comment below.