Yesterday, I exposed a few reasons why we procrastinate including:

We feel overwhelmed.
We overestimate the amount of time needed.
We would rather be doing something else.
We think if we wait long, the task will go away.
We fear failure.
We fear success.
We enjoy the last-minute adrenaline rush.

What’s beneath those reasons?

There are many factors, here are a few:

Christopher procrastinates signing up for football because he’s afraid to have all the lies he’s told about his abilities exposed.

On behalf of my son Josh, and all students starting school this week and next, allow me to remind you of these excellent suggestions:

Ask questions, it will help you in the long run. 

Be yourself, you will be more popular that way.

Check for toilet paper when you enter the stall.

Don’t procrastinate; there won’t be time later.

Get good sleep, each night, it makes school easier.

If you fall asleep in class, expect your teacher to embarrass you.

The Dark Knight Rises opened last night. He’s a brave risk-taker.
But, I’m not a multimillionaire, so I’ll never be like Bruce Wayne.

The Amazing Spiderman opened a few weeks ago. He’s a brave risk-taker.
But, I’m not going to be bit by a radioactive spider, so I’ll never be like Peter Parker.

What kind of hero — what kind of bold, heroic, risk-taker — might you and I become?

Real World Heroes = Risk-Takers

Yesterday I had an hour-long conversation with a university professor who teaches potential risk-takers; she teaches entrepreneurship. It was a fascinating discussion about the challenges of taking great ideas and creating great opportunities.

Some of you know me better than others.  
- Some of you are my closest friends and family.
- Some of you have known me for years; and others for a short time.
- Still; others of you only know me by what you read.  

So, to each of you let me take a moment to reveal something about myself.

If there is one thing I am most proud of in my life — one trait that I am want most to be known for — it’s that I am unpretentious. I am genuine.  
WYSIWIR: What you see is what is real.

I heard a story I’ll never forget.

My three year old son had a lot of problems with potty training; and I was on him constantly. One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room.

While enjoying my taco I smelled something funny, so of course I checked my seven month old daughter. And she was clean. Then I realized that Matt had not asked to go potty in a while, so I asked, and he said, “No.”

Amy’s dream vacation — and therefore my dream vacation — was to go to Hawaii.  Not just to go to Hawaii, but to go to Hawaii and see whales.  That meant, of course, that we would have to do many things that we had never done before. 

As many of you know a very kind and generous man gave us his frequent flier miles so our airfare to and from Hawaii was free.  Thus began our scramble to do our part to make the rest of the dream a reality.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination yesterday. His dreams to become the next president, done. 1

Most of us do not have such exclusive finite dreams; only one in 312 million people can become president. 2

Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum remain to oppose President Obama in the 2012 Presidential election.  They dream on.

Dreams Deferred

Ezekiel, like us, lived in a troubled times. A war had divided his country, politics were a mess, economic hardship, and religious confusion.

High school Dropout Becomes A Millionaire

He was born to a young unmarried woman he never knew.
He was given up for adoption.
He was without parents until he was adopted when he was six weeks old.
He was without a mom – at five years old his adopted mom died.
He was without a dad – when he dad traveled around looking for work.

He did have a grandmother who modeled and taught him important life lessons.

No one would have predicted that a teen, who grew up poor with a troubled childhood and a limited education, would build a worldwide corporation and become incredibly wealthy.

For whatever reasons neither my family members nor my friends played chess. I learned to play chess in my thirties when my elementary-school-aged daughter learned to play in school.

Having played at least a few games a year I’ve learned a lesson or two about myself as well as about chess.

I think the forethought and decision making principles that we use in chess can help slow down the natural impulses of teens.

Q – How can an impatient person teach impulsive teens to think through chess moves?
A – I’ve listened and learned from others.

Dreamers Dream

Forty-eight years ago Martin Luther King, Jr welcomed the crowd assembled at the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C. 1

He began, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” 2

Unless I’m mistaken, he was right.

Dreamers Deliver

“I Have a Dream” is a 17-minute speech in which Martin Luther King, Jr. called for racial equality and an end to racial discrimination. The speech became the defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.