Are you where you want to be in your life? Have the dreams of youth been side tracked? Do you always feel like you are just trying to survive?  There must be a better way, is something you probably say to yourself frequently. Did you know that making a personal development plan can help you achieve your goals and put you in control of your life?

Simply put, a personal development plan is a map you develop that states the goals you have in your life and what you will do to attain these goals. Think of a personal development plan this way, if you were going to travel to a destination you had never visited before, would you need directions? Would the directions have a starting point and an ending point? Yes, of course they would. If you did not have a starting point and an ending point, you would wander aimlessly looking for your destination. It is the same in life. We must have goals; we must have a purpose, a destiny.

To make a personal development plan you will need to take the time to do some “soul searching.

This post presents two solid examples you can present to students that will get them thinking about how important science is to the advancement of technology. Scientific findings have spurred much fantastic technological advancement. Impressing this upon students will help them have more respect for science as well as encouraging them to think about not only the scientific process, but the application as well.

Technological advances can be developed in many different areas of science such as environment, forensic, geological, physical, chemical, etc.

# Example 1

photo courtesy of  ColleenM

The first example of the relationship between science and technology I would like to explain is using heat produced by your body to create energy. “News in Science

There are two perspectives of the relationship between education and income that I want to talk about in this blog post. I personally believe there is a common misconception in the relationship between education and income. A common belief is that education will help you get a great paying job.  And I think that may have been truer in the past. However, in this day and age there is absolutely no guarantee that getting a good education is equal to having a higher income. At the same time I do believe college education gives a person the confidence they need to go out and persevere in the world.

A person with a high IQ does not necessarily have to go to college to maker their fortune. There are notable people who reached fame and notoriety without having a college education. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is one of these people. It makes you wonder how many young people who struggled in college could have been tremendously successful if someone had recognized their intelligence and helped them find a path that would have allowed them, or given them, confidence enough to pursue their dreams, but that’s another story altogether.

Kids who get out of high school and start working immediately are obviously making more money than college students. Once a student graduates from college they may not have as much net worth as a high school student who got a job right after graduation, however this net worth may be low because of the student loans they need to pay off. After the loans are paid off and they continue on their career they have more potential to make higher income that a high school student with no college education. Therefore, while initially it may seem there is no relationship between education and income, in the long run the relationship becomes very clear.

With the rising cost of college education and the fluctuating economy today, many people are wondering how they can afford to send their child to college. But most of these people are thinking under the false assumption that sending their child to an expensive college or university will guarantee they are successful in life. While it is true that a college education is usually not a bad thing and can open up a person’s mind, college may not be the best option for kids who are just getting out of high school.

I know this is a new way of thinking and whenever I bring it up to people I seem to shock them. What they usually do not realize is that I used to teach at a college. In fact I taught college freshman, and I have never seen so much wasted money in my life. Most of the time these kids did not even want to be in college, they were only there because it’s what the parents expected of them. So teaching college freshman has given me a different perspective on the relationship between education and income.

Because of my experience teaching at the college level, I often counsel parents to encourage their graduating high school student to attend a local junior college. Spending time at a local junior college will give them a chance to figure out what it is they really want to do in life.

It is better to figure this out at a junior college instead of going to a major university which can be very expensive and then changing their minds about what they want to study or even if they want to continue their education. Most universities and colleges will accept credits from junior colleges. This is a much more cost effective way of getting your child through college.

So while there is definitely a relationship between education and income, it does not mean that you have to take the traditional route of going to a four year school right after high school, you can go to a junior college for a couple of years at transfer to a larger school.

Need Theories

Championed by Abraham Maslow, the famed Hierarchy of Needs describes a pyramid of motivating needs that must be met before advancement to the next level, starting with physiological needs such as breathing, water, sex and food (though not necessarily in that order!), then safety needs such as warmth, shelter and security.

photo courtesy of Guillaume Brunet, Flickr

The pyramid continues upwards with love and belonging needs, through esteem, and capping out at self-actualization. A self-actualized person is someone whose “regular

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory was developed by Abraham Maslow. It is a theory that is widely known and recognized and follows a five-level hierarchy format:

1. Physiological. Basic needs that include the need for food, water and shelter
2. Safety. These needs are the desire to feel safe, secure and free from threats.
3. Belonging. This is the need to feel that you are affiliated with other people and accepted by them.
4. Esteem. A desire to have a positive self-image and to be appreciated and valued by other people.
5. Self-actualization. The need to develop our skills and capabilities in order to reach our full potential.

So how does Maslows theory of motivation play out in real life. Let’s take an example of a teenaged girl. By all accounts anyone looking from the outside in would think the parents of this girl are pushing her too hard. Katie has been a self-motivated learner from a very early age. She has been reading since she was four and at the age of 14 can read in three different languages.

Katie started studying the piano at the age of six and at the age of eight, decided the guitar would be fun to learn. She has no problem finding the time to practice and in fact looks forward to her practice time.

Katie also likes to be a part of the soccer and volleyball teams at school. She has no problem getting her homework done successfully while at the same time attending practices and games. I’m sure you are not surprised to hear that Katie is at the top of her class academically. In fact she is in the accelerated program in her high school. If Katie is going to be involved with something she wants to make sure it is good quality. She certainly doesn’t want to be part of a team or organization that does not strive for excellence.

Now, I have a question for you and be honest with yourself, while reading about Katie were you thinking that her parents are pushing this girl way too hard and she must be miserable because there is no way she WANTS to do all of this? But that is not at all the case. Not only is Katie happy, she is friendly and considerate of others at all times. She is happy and has a great outlook on life.

Without knowing it Katie is applying Maslow’s theory of motivation in her life.

Psychologist, Abraham Maslow, created a group of human needs believed he had to be present in people’s lives in a certain order for them to be well balanced, successful, and happy. Maslow believed that once these needs were met in the order listed above it was a natural thing to have success in life.

The needs as Maslow lists them go from the most basic of needs, number 1. food, water, shelter; to the most complex with number 5. self-actualization being the most complex. Maslow believed the most basic needs had to be satisfied first and then you could move up to the next levels, one at a time. Maslow taught that people reached their full potential and continued growth as they moved up this “ladder,

Watching television has been a favorite thing to do for many people for decades and raises the question; does television affect your intelligence?  Seems like most American families sit down to the TV every night.  In fact have you ever asked yourself what you would do if you didn’t have a TV?

Many researchers through out the world have conducted tests to see to what extent television has affected our intelligence. The research has included all types of people from all backgrounds and age groups. Interestingly enough, there is no solid evidence that our intelligence, per se, is necessarily affected. However, there are other repercussions and we probably should not too surprised at what the researchers discovered.

Of particular concern to me regarding does television affect your intelligence is the affect that it has on small children. Small children need to have creative play, not be sitting in front of a television for too many hours in the day. Studies have shown that children who watch a lot of television have problems in their classes with attention span. This can cause multiple problems in keeping up with their schoolwork.

In addition to small children having problems if they watch too much TV, studies have also shown that teens struggle socially and emotionally. These problems come about if they are spending time in front of the television daily and may be forgoing other activities that can help them grow socially and emotionally. Of special note with teenagers is the attitudes they start to display. Let’s face it, television is not a medium that teaches respect for parents, in particular men. Many shows make men look like idiots, but that is a subject for another article.

If you’ve ever wondered about television and the affect it is having on your family you should implement ways of preventing the negative affects of television.  It is okay to watch some television. But what your children are watching needs to be monitored by the adults in the family. One thing I always tell my children is that anyone who rates a television show does not have the interests of my family at heart. Because you do have the interests of your family at heart, you should be the person who decides what they can watch. Do not depend on the rating systems for TV shows!

To offset the little amount of time your family does spend watching TV, spend plenty of quality time together. One of our favorite nights at our house is family night. A few years ago I decided that Friday nights would be family night because I did not like the types of shows that were on TV on Friday nights.  So every Friday night we play games instead of watching TV. It is times like these that will make a lasting impression on your family.

So in answer to the question, does television affect intelligence, well it may not make your IQ score go down, however, you have to be smart about what you are watching and set time limits for television. Also find creative ways to spend time with your family that does not involve video games or television.