LiLTweeks: From Author Paulo Coelho of The Alchemist

The Internet is loaded with gems archived in queue and ready to shine enormous amounts of light onto any corner of your mind you dare to discover.

Wisdom by Will

At the bottom of Annie Hart’s blog is a Youtube video titled Will’s Wisdom by TheMindGuru I hadn’t seen it, but you may have on one link or another. There was this one clip I remember of Will Smith’s interview with Tavis Smiley where he mentioned The Alchemist having been his favorite book. Some how author Paulo Coelho got bumped from my reading list over the years. I saw the video as a good omen and promptly when out and picked up The Alchemist.

I tend to do some sort of research on every project I undertake. This time a Google search landed me on a Harper-Collins’ 2008 Blogtalkradio podcast of both Paulo Coelho and the new film project’s director and actor Laurence Fishburne.

Worth every bit of Paulo press

Rather than elaborate on an iconic novel that has been translated in more languages than any other living authors book, I’ll share some of the most interesting highlights and comparisons made while listening to the radio show. I believe these lessons from Paulo will encourage someone thinking of starting a new career later in life. The discouraged author will find renewed drive for his passion. And if you feel like you are loosing everything [including your mind] you will find hope in Paulo’s story. Like millions of others, I was inspired by Santiago’s journey and thought I’d introduce his author to you.

• Published in over 60 languages, distributed in 150 countries, over 100 million sold.
• He started a new career writing his first book at 40, The Pilgrimage.
• The Alchemist was a metaphor of why it took so long to write his first book.
• Paulo came up with the title first. He said it came to him before knowing what he would write about.
• The Alchemist was considered no good and turned down at first.
• The book sold only two books the first month and a mere 900 the first year.
• Paulo was committed insane before writing the book.
• He was homeless and lived through much adversity.
• Completed several books that never made it to the press because he didn’t feel they deserved to.
• Values all his published works as equals because he has given his all to each project.
• Paulo says the book is successful because the reader likes it and tells someone else, not because of anything special the publisher is doing.

What’s really holding you back from making it happen?

Stay focused. Stay confident. Be bold and publish magical stories,
Carter | @laroncarter

P.S. LiLTweeks is a weekly observation of some problems I’ve encountered and possible actions for resolve. If you have been inspired from this article please leave a comment and consider subscribing to the RSS (top right column) to have future post delivered to your feed reader [look for Weekend Post].

Where do I start teaching my child about making money?

One of the first things you can do to help your children learn about making money is to model for them how to make a difference, says Twitter friend @Daveanderson100. You ask, “How does that help my child to learn about making money?” It’s simple, teaching by example to make a difference, starting in areas that interest you most, sets an important standard in your child’s character for learning how to add value of undeniable products or services that keep improving over time.

Undeniable products and services are in high demand.

Once a child grabs hold of an idea at its core there’s an innate ability for them to surpass their peers while they are still young. How many times have you said, “I wish I had learned that when I was younger.” Why is that? We understand that learning success secrets while our natural bend is still supple leverages success a lot quicker than when we are older.

Get paid for what you bring to the table.

Your child will learn early that by being the very best they can be helps them become better performers as they grow. Eventually your child will develop a hunger for out performing their previous performance. Then before they know it, they are out performing others without consciously competing. That kind of performance leads to peak performance, which carries a premium dollar amount for others to bid on. How’s that for starters?

Stay focused, stay confident, and bid high on peak performers,
Carter | @laroncarter

P.S. Kids Mind Your Own Business is loaded with tips of how parents can help their children build business skills with little to no money down. If you have been inspired from this article please leave a comment and consider subscribing to the RSS (top right column) to have future post delivered to your feed reader [look for Weekend Post].

LiLTweeks: How to Create Success With Partners That Matter?

Are you surrounded with people just like you or do they compliment by connecting the dots and filling in the blanks?

The lesson I learned this week [LiLTweeks] was spotlighted by The Money Smart Guy Matthew Sapaula on his archived Blogtalkradio Show Making God First Monday | How to pick the right partners and avoid the wrong ones. Matthew Sapaula is one of those men of God I met through clicking on a Re-Tweeted Twitter link to his Chicago based blog, which was quickly added to my Google Reader and then connected on Facebook one year ago.

Three weeks into the New Year I find myself reviewing 2010 goals, celebrating my birthday this week, thinking through my journey from here, and seeking God’s wisdom for the people that will help me along the way. Even as I write this article, it becomes clear that many in my PLN (Personal Learning Network) have been God sent to assist in learning more about myself.

So I’m finally getting around to running one of my catch-up mini Blogtalkradio marathons of new podcast when Sapaula, with his Making God First Monday fellow host John Heerhold, discusses the ins and outs of how to create success with the help of mentors, coaches, and partners when I realized it was time for a reality check. We need an elite team of strategic partners that will help connect the dots and fill deficiencies with wise mortar for this next decade. For me, it’s going to be key to overcoming my own challenges from 2009 and beyond. The Money Smart Guy is quickly becoming one of my strategic partners.

Asking, “What is a strategic partner?” It’s a loaded question. Some key characteristics:

Is a partner that matters directly or indirectly.
Has expertise in the area you need.
Has a track record of success.
Shares your core values, beliefs, and actions.
Will correct you with dignity, but the reality of it maybe uncomfortable.

Some flexible benefits may be:

Can provide intellectual, emotional, or physical assistance to help you win.
Can be local or on the other side of the world.
Can have a high profile or be very important to you and a few others.
Can connect with and meet through social media or Meetup.
Communicate through videoconference, blogs, and smart phone applications.

Use your social media to connect with at least two new people every day that share your interest. Closely follow their content for a few days up front, subscribe to their newsletters and blogs, and monitor the result of hanging around them. Who knows, the connection may turn into a righteous partnership?

How to Contact Money Smart Radio or Matthew Sapaula
Financial Strategist / Speaker / Chicago Talk Radio Show Host / TV commentator

Stay focused. Stay confident. Be wise and keep partnering,
Carter | @laroncarter

P.S. LiLTweeks is a weekly observation of some problems I’ve encountered and possible actions for resolve. If you have been inspired from this article please leave a comment and consider subscribing to the RSS (top right column) to have future post delivered to your feed reader [look for Weekend Post].

Five Simple Steps to Making That Call Home to Parents

Photo Credit by Inno'vision

Far too often we rely on negative passed experiences to carry us through current situations and circumstances needing a different set of rules to play by. But, how do we get past a bad experience to create something new and exciting? How do we find gratification in something like calling parents to narc on a child that has is suspected to have stolen a purse or believed to be selling prescription meds from the parent’s supply cabinet? There’s a simple way – Don’t wait until you need to call before you have to call.

K – 12 Education: Stressed Out Series 6.3

Remember how Ms. Patroness’ emotional state changed after describing the humanitarian project her students were involved with one semester and how she felt great about making all those calls to coordinate the event. She was able to identify tremendous states of excitement in knowing the parent would welcome her calls. Ms. Patroness also believed she was not only leading a great campaign, but she was experiencing a measurable highlight in her career. I’m going to share how she pulled it off in five simple steps.

Step 1. Don’t wait to the last minute to call a parent. This is wrong on so many fronts [no pun intended]. Think about how you feel when a representative from the company you made your last purchase calls to congratulate you and hear from you how you rate the experience. You don’t have to be a school of choice to find value in servicing your customers this way.

Step 2. Create some sort of ongoing need to connect with your parents. In a recent blog I recommended taking camera phone pics of chalkboard assignments and sending it to your student’s parents by picture mail or Twitpic [http://twitpic.com] so that they can stay on top of things quickly (see Step 2 of 7 Steps to Becoming an Effective Teacher). This works especially well for parents with shared custody.

Step 3. Make it a rule to contact each parent on your roster at least twice with heart felt positive reports before having to rat a student out. Parents that get regular negative calls from school personnel are a little punchy when seeing the call come in on caller ID. By establishing a genuine service connection with parents, based on trust and credibility, you can easily recruit them as part of your classroom management and support team member for special events.

Step 4. Call your parents when you’re thinking of them. If you pass a location or reminded of a family event, follow up with a quick text or email particularly if you anticipate having to contact them about their child in the near future. It will soften the blow for the next time you call with bad news to report.

Step 5. When you need to clobber that little darling with a phone call home to his parents, spank his little behind. Only this time the stage has been set to operate as a genuine family ally instead of, “that guy.” The time needed to establish trust may vary between semesters and families, but staying focused on the goal to make partnerships that matter will give you the confidence to stick with it until you succeed.

P.S. If you have been inspired from this article please consider leaving a comment and subscribing to the RSS feed (top right column) to have future post delivered to your feed reader. Please send your friends to http://laroncarter.com to connect with me or @laroncarter on Twitter.

Why is it so difficult to contact my student’s parents?

Photo Credit by marcalandavis.

Have you reached a point in your career where identifying what’s most important for you to help your specific group of students to achieve individual academic success based on their particular circumstances and skill sets, is what matters most?

K – 12 Education: Stressed Out Series 6.2

Identifying what’s most important or prioritizing what gets your attention is a huge undertaking to address in a blog. I’ll approach the process of determining importance by taking on different aspects of training sessions teachers have struggled with over the years.

One repeated theme of importance for educators is parental involvement. Many schools across the country have engaged parents at the kitchen table during homework, actively participating in PTA, and volunteering on fieldtrips. Not to be unrecognized, in many other schools across America, is a lack of parent presence at sporting events and parent teacher conferences.

Family Overlaod

They are often working more than one job that takes them away from peak academic hours and still fall short trying to fund school projects. Transportation maybe an overwhelming challenge when having to visit several schools at the same time.

These are genuinely complex circumstances needing simple solutions where possible. That’s one of the reasons I addressed measurable goals (V2.5, p. 32) in my Guide to Having Your Best Year Teaching With Smart K12 Methods. You’re are going to have to take bolder leadership measures to inspire all parents and guardians to make radical changes in how they get involved with what is most important for your student’s success.

Fearing Paternal Hostility

A teacher in one of my training sessions said she found it extremely difficult to connect with her student’s parents. I asked, Ms. Patroness, if she could explain how it felt when she knew she was going to have contact a parent? She said she could imagine the parents getting hostile and paternally protective with their child. This was probably created out of a past experience that anchored to her memory in a negative way. So, I asked if there was ever a time when she had a great experience calling a parent?

Almost immediately Ms. Patroness perked up and began telling me stories of when her class was chosen to be a part of a nationally televised news piece showcasing a humanitarian project her students were involved with one semester. And how there was an exchange of phone calls between her and the kid’s parents for permission slips, coordinating volunteer support groups, and designating drivers. Now all we had to do was connect those feelings [felt at that time] to picking up the phone and calling parents for a parent-teacher conference. (To be continued)

P.S. If you have been inspired from this article please consider leaving a comment and subscribing to the RSS feed (top right column) to have future post delivered to your feed reader. Please send your friends to http://laroncarter.com to connect with me or @laroncarter on Twitter.