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Just about everyone knows that good role models are important for a child's development, but have you ever thought about why this is true?
 
If you are familiar with the Institute's work, you know that it emphasizes visualization, because we have learned that our mental images, for the most part, are what determine our reality.  In other words, the way we see ourselves and the world is what decides how we will behave, and how we behave determines, to a very great extent, what will happen to us.
 
Role models serve as living, breathing mental images that help… >>>

Everyone has a self-image, but how does a self-image get built? And what does your self-image have to do with who you are, and how you react in strange or unusual situations?
 
Your self-image, or your idea of who you are, is a package you put together from how others have seen and treated you, and from your conclusions as you compare yourself to others. Primitive people built homes from available materials - blocks of ice, animal skins, adobe, and logs. In this same way, when you were a child, you built your self-image from what was available.
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Today, let's talk about an interesting fact that piano teachers have always known.
 
Most people are familiar with the phrase, "use it or lose it," which is usually said about muscle power. But scientists who are studying how the brain works have made some discoveries indicating that this saying holds true for our mental capacities as well.
 
Also, they have discovered something about mastering difficult tasks that is very interesting.  They have found that the better you get at doing something difficult, the less brainpower it takes.
 
Now, in some ways this seems to contradict common sense.… >>>

How do you create an organization that inspires people to do their flat-out best?  Here are a few quick tips.
 
Canvassing some of the best organizational development people in the business, and those who coach people and organizations use more of their potential, there are a few things to do. Based on the latest research in cognitive and organizational psychology, here, in a nutshell, is how to create an organization that inspires people to do their best.
 
First, you need an inspiring goal, a common vision of a clearly-defined end result, shared by everyone, talked about often and… >>>

Why do we go to college? Is it just to get a better job and earn more money, or is there some other purpose?
 
The U. S. Department of Labor published a report that stated what some of us already knew: a lot of college graduates are having trouble finding suitable jobs. Not only that, they are increasingly unable to repay their student loans. In some current economically-challenged technology companies, they are letting employees go - not hiring. A local career consultant says that for every job that pays in the 30 to 35 thousand dollar range, it is… >>>

Parents, if your kids had a class called "Honesty 101," would they cheat to get a passing grade? Do kids today think of cheating as something everybody does, except nerds? Do they see it as a victimless crime that involves little risk and certain gain?
 
According to surveys of students and teachers across the U.S. and abroad, the answer is, unfortunately, yes. Fred Schab, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia who passed away in 2009, wrote that since 1969 when he began his study, cheating had been on the rise. An academic cheating fact sheet out of Stanford… >>>

If you are single and looking for a long-term relationship or marriage but are having trouble finding a partner or spouse, here are some suggestions for you - and they don't involve an Internet site.
 
First, do you know specifically what kind of person you are looking for? What qualities do you value in a mate, and how do you judge whether a person has those qualities? 
 
Do you have a clear picture of what your relationship with your partner will be like, including how you will treat each other, how you will deal with conflict, what your… >>>

How does it make you feel when someone asks how you are, but obviously couldn't care less about your answer? How do you feel when someone, who says they care about you, belittles your efforts or puts you down?
 
If you are like most people, things like this hurt your feelings. Did you know that if it happens enough, it could also damage your self-esteem? This is true. It is hard to maintain a high opinion of yourself when those who are closest to you are always trying to pull it down. There is a good chance that the… >>>

What is the difference between mediocrity and greatness? Possibly not as much as you think.
 
You know, it really takes very little to make a big difference in our lives and in the world. In professional baseball for example, most batters hit for an average of about .250, which means that they get one hit for every four times at bat.  Anyone who hits .300, three hits out of ten, is considered a star.  By the end of the season, there are only about a dozen players out of hundreds in the leagues who have maintained a .300 average,… >>>

Anger is a normal emotion and all of us feel angry every now and then. If you use it well, anger can be the fuel that drives effective and useful action. But if you use it badly, it can result in needless pain, destruction and frustration.
 
How you express your anger is especially important if you have children around, because whether you like it or not, they will use you as a role model as they learn how to handle their own strong feelings.
 
Even if you were raised around people who routinely blew up and lost control… >>>