When your children want attention, what do they do? Throw a tantrum? Misbehave? Act inappropriately? Perhaps you can show them a better way.

There are many things children want, things they won't usually ask for directly. In that way, they are no different from adults. There are two things in particular that all of us seem to need - recognition and attention.

Kids who get plenty of each from the start are usually happy, well-adjusted, confident, and behave themselves appropriately. Kids who don't get much of either will get very creative. They may try throwing tantrums. If the tantrums get… >>>

Did you ever notice that the people with the most enthusiasm are also the ones with the most energy? There is a scientific reason for that.

Neurologists have proven that when you do something with enthusiasm, it takes approximately one-tenth the effort that it takes to do ordinary things. So people who are enthusiastic about their work don't feel dragged out at the end of a long day. Instead, when they stop working, they are likely to feel exhilarated.

Kids who are excited about what they are learning are also the kids who have about five other things going on… >>>

What have you gotten used to in your life, and why? It has been said that people can get used to almost anything. If it happens gradually over time and in small enough increments, I believe this is true. When you become used to things being a certain way, you develop what we call a comfort zone around them. When you're in your comfort zone, you don't really have to think too much about it.

If you're used to cleaning up your house every day because you like things neat and tidy, it will put you out of your comfort… >>>

Some folks are able to stay in touch with other people all over the globe, but have trouble staying in touch with themselves.

I've been teaching concepts and techniques that have a great deal to do with shaping the best possible future. A critical part of that process, however, is having a good handle on current reality.

Now, current reality is many things. There may be parts of it you don't like very much and parts of it you are pretty pleased with. Regardless of how you feel about your current reality, it is important to accept the fact that… >>>

Do you know anyone who explains their behavior by saying, "That's just the way I am"? Let's look more closely at this statement.

I happened to overhear a conversation recently. One man said to another, "I suppose I shouldn't be so suspicious, but that's just how I am." Now, what does it mean when someone explains their behavior by saying, "That's just the way I am"? Isn't there an implication - something left unsaid - something like, "I'm not responsible for my behavior," or, "I can't really help it because I can't change"?

When I hear, "That's just the way… >>>

Here in the United States, we recently passed the day where, supposedly, we have worked enough to pay our federal taxes - if all of our income were to go to the IRS. Today, I have a question for you: Who do you work for? Let me give you a hint - there is only one answer, and it doesn't matter what your job is.

Give up? Ok, here it is. You work for yourself - for your own gain and your own benefit. Now this idea has tremendous implications. First, if you work for yourself, you do the best… >>>

Today, I want to talk about how athletes, and others who take performance very seriously, bring out the best in themselves.

In nearly 40 years of teaching people how to use more of their potential, I have worked with many professional athletes and sports organizations. Athletes began to use leading-edge techniques like mental rehearsal and focused concentration years before the general public had even heard of them.

We weren't sure then how these techniques worked, but we knew they did. Jack Nicklaus, for example, said that he would "watch a movie" in his head before each shot.

These days, thanks… >>>

I'll bet you didn't know that visualization techniques can help you become a better manager of your time.

Sometimes, the hardest part of a job is getting started. You've made your list of things to do. You are very clear about which tasks are "High Priority" and which are not. You know what job to do first, but somehow, you just never get started. You may divert yourself by starting less important tasks, or you may simply procrastinate until you've put so much pressure on yourself you "have to" begin. And with that much pressure on, chances are you won't… >>>

Do you have a philosophy of life, for yourself? Could you describe your philosophy to someone else, in 25 words or less?

I spent time this past week with my good friend, Pete Carroll. He happens to be an NFL football coach, but that's not why I mention this. We were talking with a group of business and community leaders, and Pete asked the group to raise their hands, if they had a philosophy of life. Everybody raised their hands. Then he asked them if they could write it down in 25 words or less. Only two hands went up.… >>>

Do you know anyone who is a self-made man or woman - a self-made person? I think you do.

From time to time, we hear someone describe him- or herself as "self-made." What they usually mean is that they weren't born to wealthy, successful parents, or that they managed to succeed in spite of great odds.

Recently, when I was giving a talk to a group of business people, I asked all the "self-made" folks to stand up. Well, about 25 percent of the audience stood, but, as I told them, every one of them should have been on their… >>>

How often do you get angry? Do you know what sets you off? Do you remember what you were taught about anger when you were growing up?

Were you taught that it was unacceptable to feel angry? Did you learn to suppress angry feelings and stuff them down inside? Or were you taught, perhaps by example, that it was OK to explode with anger and attack others, verbally or physically? Or were you fortunate enough to learn that while it's OK to feel angry, it's not OK to hurt others, and it's not OK to blame them for how you… >>>

Do you ever go into the supermarket to buy just one or two things and come out with an entire cart-full?

Do you ever act on your impulses? Acting on impulse can have negative consequences, like when you're in the grocery store. But did you know it can be very positive? Let me tell you what I mean. An impulse is nothing more than an urge to do something, a suggestion from your subconscious that suddenly surfaces in your conscious mind. Do you act on it or not?

You know, carrying impulses into action is a good way to become… >>>

Do you have trouble getting your kids to buckle down when there is work to be done? Today, I'll give you a few tips on how to help your children learn to enjoy work.

Not long ago, I was listening to a friend of mine talk about how hard it was to get his kids to do their chores around the house. I gave him a few tips that helped, so I thought I'd share them with you today.

First, and maybe most important, set a good example yourself. Young people learn how to approach work by watching the adults… >>>

The importance of grandparents in a child's life is second only to that of parents. And, in the United States with its growing population of single parent households, grandparents are finding they are becoming the primary caregivers to their grandchildren.

Grandparents have a unique opportunity. The famous pediatrician, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton once said, "Grandparents show children the mountaintops, while parents must teach them how to get there."

When grandparents and grandchildren have a chance to develop a close relationship, children feel much more secure and the benefits can reverberate throughout the whole family. These days, though, there are often… >>>

Do you know how important optimism is when it comes to fighting illness and maintaining good health? It's probably more important than you think.

In fact, it seems like every day a new study is published, reporting solid evidence that the thoughts we think, and the emotions we feel, affect our bodies and our physical health. We now know that the immune system is strengthened by happy, positive feelings of being in control and weakened by chronic anxiety, depression and feelings of helplessness. We don't know exactly how this happens, but there is no longer any doubt that it does.… >>>

Today, I'm going to try to convince you that regardless of circumstances, there is no such thing as failure. You see, most people have been programmed to be afraid of failure. But I believe that failure, more than anything else, is an attitude.

All of us can remember times when we didn't get the results we wanted. We flunked a test, or put together a business plan that didn't work, or got involved in a romance that turned sour.

But successful people don't think in terms of failure. They think in terms of results they can learn from. If they… >>>

I have a question for you. What is a sure-fire sign that an activity, and it doesn't matter what it is, is going to be boring?

You can be sure that an activity is going to be boring, if the person who is doing it is bored. Now this may sound perfectly obvious - but let me tell you a bit more about what I mean.

When I was in college, I took a class in Shakespeare that I enjoyed a great deal. One day, when we were discussing King Lear in class, one of the students made the comment… >>>

Today I want to say a bit more about how accepting challenges can help you.

Life sends all of us challenges that we may not feel up to meeting. But when we create our own challenges, there are special benefits.

An archeology professor I know, who had not been in the field for many years, was offered an opportunity to join an expedition to search for lost cities in the Northern Andes. Since it meant 30 days on horseback in high mountain jungles, and scaling 3,000 foot high cliffs to search for ancient tombs, it was something he thought twice… >>>

Do you sometimes feel like you are stuck in a rut that gets deeper every day? Today I'll tell you about something you can do to help yourself climb up and out.

Are you feeling stuck these days? Do you feel like you've run out of gas and are stranded in a place you don't want to be? If so, one way to get yourself moving again is to create your own challenge.

Now, if you're wondering "Why in the world do I need another challenge, when I haven't been able to solve the problems at hand," it's because creating… >>>

Many people think of creativity in terms of output, or something produced, but that is not necessarily so. Today we are going to look at the meaning of creativity.

You know, many people believe that in order to be truly creative, they have to be producing something - composing music, making paintings, designing furniture or clothing - things that have real, measurable output. But it's not necessarily so.

Creativity is an attitude toward life, and is more a matter of improvisation and inspiration than of producing something we can label as "creative" - something admired or socially useful. Whenever we… >>>